Recently, I wrote an article in January about feminism and what I knew about it. This week, I sat down with some of my friends to discuss how they felt about the broad topic. It is controversial, but it has more than one voice. To summarize, feminists, at least in my opinion, differ based on their individual goals and targeted groups of people to help. Talking to different people who were feminists allowed me to understand more than just my own perspective. I realized that the reasoning behind people’s beliefs was based on their own lives and what was important to them.

I first spoke with Skyli Alva, a feminist with a YouTube channel that has over 200 subscribers. She recently did a video on Women’s Rights and Feminism that brought light to important issues and her own views.

“Feminism, nowadays, has strayed from its original purpose. A lot of people misunderstand feminism and are under the impression that it is just exclusive to women who despise men or others who disagree with them. I do not consider them feminists...

“I consider myself a feminist under the true meaning of intersectional feminism, where the focus is on the spectrum of different views from people of all genders and races. On the other hand, first-world feminism can sometimes be feminism, but when they focus on first-world specific problems, it becomes exclusive to only a certain group of people. They should include other third-world countries or impoverished areas where people do not have as much freedom. Feminism should be inclusive to everyone and should inspire people to not conform to constricts compared to what feminism is assumed to be.”

I immediately agreed with her statement about the different types of feminism, but what stood out to me was how she, instead of criticizing the categories of feminism, stated their differences were what made them unique in their own way.

Afterwards, while getting ready to leave a class, my friend (who wishes to remain anonymous) quickly wanted to add her perspective to the mix:

“I think that feminism is fair only because there is no reason not to be treated equally. This is because people who work really deserve to be rewarded. For example, women should not be paid less for any reason, including the fact that they are women and must be treated as less.”

A few hours later, I sat down and had a conversation with Seenam Ijaz, a feminist who strongly believes in equal rights for all people. She discussed the aspect of gender equality and how it is extended to everyone.

"I feel that feminism is very important because although people claim that in America we have equal rights, it’s not about fighting for just American women; it’s for all women...

"It’s not just females, but men deserve to be treated equally, too. Feminism in third-world countries is a very delicate topic because of the fact that there are a lot of cultural influences that need to be changed to offer women education and the right to speak up against inequality. Feminism is a right for all human beings, not just women or whites, but also men and colored people, too."

Her point of view on the subject of feminism was that its definition directly translated to equal opportunity for all people, regardless of who they were.

I was beginning to note a common response that I heard about examples of inequalities women face and the importance of stopping them, but I wanted to know more about why a feminist considered him or herself a feminist.

I then found Namrata Kella, who was willing to explain what influenced her to be an open feminist who fiercely believes in the empowerment of women of all ages and all backgrounds. She does not let gender roles define her and is a firm believer in intersectional feminism.

“I consider myself a feminist because as women in the society that we live in, I see with my own two eyes the disadvantages women have today. For example, my grandmother was not allowed to work simply because she is female. Along with that, the whole culture of child marriages and arranged marriages… when a woman is worth a certain dowry, it dehumanizes the whole thing. Obviously, in America, women are more able to express themselves, but there’s catcalling, rape and rape culture. I’m just tired of it.

"I think that when I was a girl that if boys were loud, it was just because they’re guys. But girls, they must be prim and proper and act like a 'decent and acceptable' lady. Also, we’ve been taught that if a guy is mean to us, he likes us. I don’t know why they turn hatred into romantic feelings. It adds onto the problem of the oversexualization of things that shouldn’t be. I think that when boys mature later, we excuse them as just being immature. It’s hard to word it out, but they are allowed to express themselves, whereas if girls express themselves in a masculine manner, girls are labeled as 'tomboys'. Boys are just excused as being boys, and girls cannot be excused for 'being girls'. You have to deal with men’s behavior, but they don’t have to deal with yours.

“I am here to say that intersectional feminism is the only type of feminism that makes sense. What deeply influenced me at first was 'tumblr feminism' — it’s either offensive, or everyone takes it as a joke. There are a lot of feminists there who think women are better than men, and it’s literally the opposite of misogyny — it'smisandry. We need equal rights. Nowadays, when they hear “feminism”, people immediately think, 'Oh, it’s crazy women again.’ I’ve just seen the name painted by really, really liberal people who only support women. Also, white feminism is about women’s rights, but cultural appropriation comes along with it, too.

"It all drives me up a wall, which is why I think intersectional feminism is the way to go because it includes people of all backgrounds, races, and genders. Women in third-world countries have no education while I may not be paid the same as a man for the same job; we are just united under this umbrella of obstacles. In the end, though, female power is what I am here for."

I enjoyed talking with Namrata about her history with feminism and its influence particularly because she grew up with gender roles shaping her youth. Feminism was always a part of her life in some shape or form (whether she supported that type of feminism), and she openly calls herself a strong supporter of gender equality.

Finally, I asked my close friend, Sahana Basker, for her input.

“I absolutely do consider myself a feminist, truly. I think feminism is important; I believe in the values that surround the phenomenon, but I think it should go by a different name. Right now, feminism has an exclusionary context to it and has given the whole idea of 'feminism' a negative connotation. I believe that confidence is important, including people working together to putting aside differences, making each other equals and working for better things in this world. Feminism, to me, gives women and men confidence to be able to do what they want. The whole idea is to put aside all those differences that we perceive and treat each other as equals, which is one of my core values.”

In the end, I found interviewing these women as an interesting and educational opportunity to see through their eyes. What I learned is that these people identify themselves as feminists, and they believe in promoting the equality of other genders, too. Thank you to the people who are included in the article for your time and insightful thoughts. It was fun to imagine myself in someone else’s shoes.