Over the years, there have been many different waves of feminism that have occurred in many different forms. From marches for the right to vote to defy basic societal standards set upon them, women have been fighting against the patriarchy for years. Generations of women have taken pride in earning the rights we have today while growing new generations strive to continue to earn more. However, recently there has been an extreme backlash on the word and definition of feminism.

A lot of both men and women have started to confuse these acts of rebellion for equality as acts of women hating men and hating the lives they have today. However, this could not be farther from the truth. Men have thought since the marches for equality first began that the "parades" were just for attention seekers and women wanting to cause a scene.

These kinds of thoughts and opinions ignore the simple fact that women have been oppressed for decades and even though some areas have improved since earlier times, things aren't exactly perfect for the female sex. Women are still harassed almost everywhere they go, whether that be out on a night with friends or starting their nine to five jobs at the office. Speaking of the workplace, women are still paid almost a whole dollar less than their male counterparts when performing in the same positions. Furthermore, that pay gap may increase in different areas around the world.

From the minute we are born, women are taught how to survive, while men are taught only how to thrive. Of course, that's not to say women shouldn't thrive in their lives, but it is a lot harder to do so when women are constantly looking over their shoulder or watching their back the minute they leave their houses.

But nowadays men are not the only ones who believe all feminists are just angry man-haters. Even some women have started adopting these thoughts and opinions. Newsflash, ladies, just because a woman calls herself a feminist, that doesn't mean: she's automatically a lesbian; she doesn't want a traditional marriage and family life; she wants to see men burn. So the next time you want to judge someone just by marching for basic human rights, why don't you actually listen to what they have to say first before writing about how you will never call yourself a feminist?

To argue that all women who identify themselves are man-haters is just plain wrong.

The only thing feminists want is to have equal rights to their male counterparts, and anyone who believes otherwise should be classified as ignorant. The argument that women "already have rights" is true, but not as much as men do in today's society. See, women are taught "life lessons" from an early age. These life lessons include always having a weapon, do not go anywhere alone especially at night, act crazy or disgusting in order to protect yourself, and the list only keeps growing from there.

These last few years have introduced a constantly changing society that has only formed based on the individuals and standards set upon them. Yes, we don't still live in the 1950s, but really think about why some women are still fighting and marching. Listen to what they are saying before you are quick to judge based on what you think you see.