Growing up I was always taught to fight for what I believe in and not giving up until I reach my goal, whatever it may be. As I got older, I realized that a great deal of other people were taught this same lesson, but a large percentage of the people were flawed in their arguments. Instead of fighting for equal rights, they were fighting for superiority. The older I got, the more I realized that the majority of people weren't fighting for equality, instead they were playing the classic one-up game. The constant fight to always be better than the next person became all too prevalent, and ridiculously disappointing. Instead of people fighting for racial equality, people are fighting for more rights, compensation, and to essentially be babied. Personally, this is where I stopped referring to myself as a feminist and more as an individual who believes in gender equality.

By believing in gender equality...

I believe that men and women deserve equal opportunity and equal pay based off of experience and qualifications. If a woman does not have the same experience and qualifications as the man she may be up against for a job opening, it only makes sense that he would get the job. Likewise, if a women is better suited for a job than a man, she would get the job. The concept of 'gender specific' jobs should not be applicable in our society when we're fighting so hard for 'equal opportunity'.

By believing in gender equality...

I believe that cat-calling women should stop, but so should objectifying men. All too often, men catch flack for having a Playboy magazine lying around, but how often do you hear of someone giving a woman a hard time for having a sexy firefighter calendar on her wall? The only difference in the two is simply the gender.

By believing in gender equality...

I don't believe that women should be pardoned from all questionable acts. Look at how the public reacted to Chris Brown's assault case, and then look at Hope Solo's domestic violence charges. By believing in gender equality, I believe there should be an equal reaction to cases of similar caliber, regardless of gender.

By believing in gender equality...

I believe men and women should have equal rights and opportunities, as well as the encouragement from those around them to chase their dreams. Happiness should not be impacted by an individual's gender, rather their ambitions and achievements. I don't believe in the oppression of any individual based on their gender. Instead, I believe in supporting the dreams of anyone I come across because that's ultimately how people become successful.

By not referring to myself as a feminist, I...

I don't participate in things like Free the Nipple. This isn't to say I don't support the movement, however. I choose not to partake in such things, because I make the choices for myself about what I support and how I go about it, and that's how I believe things should be.