Dear "Non-Feminist",

I'll start off by saying that you're not alone in claiming that you do not identify as a feminist. I've come across many, many girls who think "feminists are crazy" or that "we do have equal rights" or "I don't hate men." What I'm not sure is that you understand is what a feminist actually is. Feminism is defined as, "advocatingsocial,political,legal,andeconomic rightsforwomenequaltothoseofmen." Feminism is not hating men, or trying to rise above them or prove that women are better than men. You might have "feminist" confused with the term "feminazi". Feminism is not a negative term is any way, as it is simply advocating for equal rights of the sexes. Feminism is also not exclusive to women, as many men are also feminists in the same way that white people can participate in the "Black Lives Matter" movement, and straight or cisgender people can advocate for the rights of LGBTQ people. If you support equal rights of races, sexualities, and backgrounds, and equality for people in general (since that is, in fact, what this country was founded upon), you are most likely, indeed, a feminist.

I understand that you, as an individual, probably don't feel as if you need feminism. Maybe you've never been told that you can't do the same things boys can. Maybe you've never been catcalled while walking alone in the city and maybe you've never been terrified that someone slipped something into your drink at a party. Maybe you've never been close to someone who has had to make the extremely difficult decision to have an abortion, only to be harassed and threatened by people who do not know her or her situation. Maybe you do get paid as much, or more than, some of your male coworkers. Maybe you were never told as a child that "You hit like a girl", or complimented on your physical beauty before your intelligence and kind heart.

What I have to say to you as that you should consider yourself lucky. Really, really lucky. You are obviously at a place in your life where you feel that you are not discriminated against or socially lacking because of your gender. But this is all thanks to feminists before you who have fought hard for your right to vote, hold a job, run for office, make choices regarding your own body and be paid well. Although you may feel as though you are not a second class citizen and that you do not need feminism, there are millions of women out there in another country that do need feminism. Like any other social movement, this should not be just about you. There are many women in this country that are suffering. Just like you would support members of other races or sexualities that are facing discrimination, you should support other women by being a feminist. There is a problem in our society that needs fixing, and it begins with your support. If you won't be a feminist for yourself, be a feminist for women all over the country who are suffering.

Be a feminist for the single mother who works three jobs just to get food on the table for her children and still does not get paid as much as her male coworkers. Be a feminist for the girl who was raped on a college campus and is told by authorities that it was her own fault for being intoxicated and wearing a mini skirt. Be a feminist for the woman who is afraid to go home to her husband at night as he might beat her again and promise to kill her if she ever dares to leave him. Be a feminist for the little girl who dreams to become president when she grows up, but is discouraged by America's history of 45 males in office. Be a feminist for the woman with an Ivy League degree who is harassed because of her body type, because somehow her beauty matters more than her brains in this world. Be a feminist for every woman and girl out there who has been treated less than equal because they were born a female.

This is not about playing the victim. This is about speaking up and not allowing our voices to be silenced by our oppressors. Being part of the feminist movement is one of the most rewarding things you may do, because chances are that even if you are not suffering, there are many females in your life who are, in fact, suffering in silence. It's time to rethink what feminism really means.

Sincerely,

A feminist