If I had a dollar for every time someone spit at me, "Ugh, you are such a feminist," I would not be working five shifts a week at Carolina Brewery. The fact of the matter is feminism has become synonymous with, basically, all of the world's negativity, and if we are being totally honest, I am downright sick of it. What once encouraged women to seek equality in the professional, social, and political spheres has been headlined as "female empowerment" in every medium imaginable, completely altering the ideas the word originally embodied. This is a problem, and we need to correct it. 

I am a feminist --  up one side and down the other. I believe that every man, woman, and child should follow suit. The feminism sold in the marketplace of ideas (you're welcome for that term, Dr. Packer) today is not the feminism I pride myself on supporting. The feminism we see plastered on surfaces everywhere is not what feminism truly is. 

As someone who believes in the original ideal, I'm going to drop some knowledge on y'all.

I believe in gender equality. Equality. I do not believe females should use the word as an excuse to trump over men. I do not believe that men should use their historical superiority to overtake women in the workplace, or in the educational setting, or in the bar, or on the couch watching TV, or at their sister's softball game, or anywhere. At any time. Nor do I believe women should do the same. Feminism means that the sexes are on a level playing field, with equal opportunities and equal abilities. 

I believe that women should enjoy the same social freedoms that men do, free of societal judgement. I mean that in all facets, including sexually. While I understand that feminism, at its roots, was not a proponent of sexual freedom, the world has changed in that regard. Why do men get high-fived for sleeping with 15 girls during freshman year, while women earn a number of derogatory titles for the same actions? This is not okay. Slut shaming is wrong for both sexes, as is feeling pressured to make decisions you are not comfortable making. This should be a given. 

I do not believe the word "feminism" should exist. When did we start having to coin terms for ideas that should be accepted in the confines of normalacy? We should just call it realism. Or decent-human-being-ism. Or reality. Now that's a thought. 

Rant over.