I go home from college every weekend and it's lovely. My boyfriend picks me up and we have highly intellectual conversations that almost always lead back to a discussion of equal rights. I give him my experiences in college that week and often discuss disagreements I have with people online or in person that I didn't want to get involved with because it will cause more harm than good. Often he agrees with me, that, yes, arguing with a soccer mom I've never met on Facebook would not have been beneficial, and that when we have children, we will raise them with different morals.

Here's the deal: feminism is a movement that advocates that women's' rights should be equal to men's in every way. And the thing is, my boyfriend agrees with that. Actually, he agrees with everything you're about to read. What he doesn't agree with is that women are better than men. Brother, preach! I've been saying this for years. Unfortunately, feminism has been receiving a bad rep and I'm here to try to clear that up.

*Disclaimer: if you find yourself agreeing with what's below you may also be a feminist. Congratulations and welcome to the club.

Feminists are not saying women are better than men. Never have I ever told my boyfriend that I am better than him or that I expect him to put me on a pedestal. What I do expect is respect, love, and compassion. I expect that if you cannot respect me as a woman that you respect me as a human being. Moreover, I feel embarrassed for my fellow feminists who say they hate men. How can we expect respect and equality from anyone if we outlaw a whole gender. Respect breeds respect breeds equality. Moving on.

American feminists do not only want free condoms and to close the wage gap. One guy on campus actually said this to me last week. He followed up by telling me that the wage gap isn't even real and to do my research. I have done my research and come to the conclusion that although the wage gap is shrinking, it's not completely gone. Furthermore, when people tell me that American feminists only care about first world problems, I have trouble keeping my lunch down. Yes, I live in America, so yes, I'm mostly focused on the problems I either face now or will face in the future. Me focusing on the number of rapes (of all genders) does not impair my ability to focus on the slavery overseas.

Feminism is still alive because equality is still an issue. Listen, I get it. I don't have to fight for my right to show my ankles and I am allowed to receive a higher education. And one day, I know my boyfriend will ask my father to marry me, not because I belong to my father, but because it's tradition. But we need to understand that that not so long ago women were given to men as a deal, often with money or livestock. We also need to understand that women are still sold today.

I know many people today who are almost afraid of the term "feminism." Their reasons range from it being a fad to being worried that they'll offend their friends. Here's how I see it; if you agree this article, you're probably a feminist. And it's all good. You believe women and men should be treated like humans. And that's the whole point of the movement, congratulations, go have a piece of cake.