I believe that women are equal to men; that is it. Women are not better. Men are not horn dogs that wish to oppress women. Men and women are equal.
The first time that I told my boyfriend I was a feminist, I was given a chuckle and then a surprised, "Wait, are you being serious?" There was no malice behind it; I just did not fit into what he, and many other people, view as a feminist. You will not find me branding men as "evil" or "pushing women down." I just truly believe that men and women have the same basic rights such as equal access to jobs and pay.
I will be honest, though. I try my best to not pay attention to these waves of radical feminism that seem to be washing over the media, but this is what I believe to be the reason my boyfriend and many others scoff when they hear people are feminists. Women, such as Emma Watson, are being told to avoid using the word because it sends the image of radicalism to people's minds. Other, very influential, women are even saying they would not go as far as to say they are a feminist. Why not? What is so wrong with being a feminist? The same thing that I believe the media does with any group (think Muslims, Republicans/Democrats, etc.) is show the radical views of a select view without showing the overall message that the majority of these groups believe.
Feminists are not fighting to be better than men or to just take our shirts off in public whenever we want (as someone once told me was the reason you could never argue with a woman). We are fighting for our rights to do as men can. We want equal pay and the equal opportunities for jobs. In the future, I plan to be a veterinarian and complete research, and I already know I will face problems with receiving work simply because I am a female with a feminine name. I never want my daughter to feel as if she is less than a man or to have a family member tell her boyfriend to not marry her because, "she is a woman, and she will just divorce you and steal your money."
On the same token, I do understand that some women are not feminists, and that is okay. I personally do not believe in the same ideals, but I will happily listen to you and agree that we can believe different things. I am not going to attempt to convert you to my way of thinking, and this goes back to what my beliefs are. If a woman chooses to become a housewife and care for her family, more power to her! That is not anti-feminist in any way because that is what she is choosing to do with her life. Being a feminist does not mean you have to escape home life and bury yourself in work in order to show you are as capable as any other person; it is to show that you are capable of doing whatever it is you choose to do with your life. And that is my belief: that a woman can do anything that she wants to.
