I am a feminist.

No, I don't hate men.

I don't look down on women who choose to stay home and take care of their husband and children.

I like getting all dolled up and embracing my femininity.

I believe in equal rights for women, not superiority over men.

When I first heard the term "feminism" defined by Merriam-Webster as "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" I was inspired. How could you not be? Learning about the Suffragettes and their fight to grant women the right to have their voice, finally, heard? That's the kind of thing heroes are made of.

Now, how does such a positive ideal and movement get so warped and out of hand? Third-wave feminism has turned the entire feminist movement into a joke. Being a feminist nowadays stereotypes you as a bra-burning, anti-shaving, man-hater who is preoccupied with painting women as victims all. The. Time.

That's not what feminism is supposed to be about, though. I dislike seeing the negative connotation that surrounds such an important concept. To me, feminism means letting women be whatever kind of person they choose to be. A woman who chooses to become a homemaker is not worth less than the woman that chooses to become a CEO. Choice matters.

Hell, why not take it a step further and apply the same concept to men? I do. I believe feminism is just as much about men as it is about women. Under the concept of "political, economic and social equality for the sexes", men should be able to cry without being thought of as weak or unmanly. Men can just as easily be victims of abuse.

It's not about one over the other. Feminism is about equality.