Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Equalityof the sexes. Not one gender/sex better than the other. I have always identified as a feminist and strongly believe that our society still has a ways to go in terms of true gender equality.

However, what I have noticed about today's feminism and women's movements are that they make women out to be pitiful victims, reminding them of their oppression, and singling them out to make them believe that the sole fact that they're female is actually something that is working against them.

Rather, feminism/women's movements should be about informing women that there is more to success/failure than your gender and that men are your friends, not your foe. I can't tolerate how the modern day feminist movement only focuses on gender alone and not on each woman's intelligence and ambitions, or turns the tables and puts down men. Feminism is for equality, not for women working against men.

Allow me to further explain what I mean here:

Every single women's conference/meeting/networking event I have gone to has had one thing in common: they focus too much on the sole fact of being a woman and not so much on each individual woman's strengths, intelligence, beliefs, ambitions, etc.

I had gone to one of these events a few years back anticipating to learn actual tips and gain useful insight about how to pursue a career in politics, but, to my dismay, all the speaker talked about was how "we need more women in politics...men hate women in politics...Democratic women need to step up solely because they are women"... and repeat.

You're basically saying that the only thing that matters to me, a female, running for an office someday is my gender and how much I desire to stomp on my male peers? Are you kidding me? And what about Republican/Conservative/Independent/Libertarian women? Are they suddenly non-existent in this modern feminist movement? A movement that declares equality for all women? This is actually condescending and sexist in itself. Don't tell me how being a woman makes things harder/easier.

I want to hear how I can get from my school desk to the desk in the Oval Office, please...

Yes, we need more women in politics, but the right women. The most qualified women. Emphasizing only on my gender as being enough of a qualification to run for an office someday (or pursue a career) seems to be saying "Oh don't worry about your actual intelligence or abilities, just being a woman gives you enough qualification." I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. I really, really do.

Just being a woman is not enough of a reason to run for political office or pursue a career. Just look at Hillary Clinton. Sure, I would have loved more than anything to see a woman become president. Just not her. She is corrupt, and in my opinion, was hiding tons of information and lining her pockets. Yet why was I supposed to vote for her? Ohhhh right because she was a woman! It seemed like that was the only reason why so many other women voted for her.

How about her qualifications, intelligence, trustworthiness? No one said oh I'm going to vote for "insert male candidate name here" because he's a man. No. People actually looked into the men's qualifications. But when it came to Hillary, her gender alone seemed to overshadow the things that actually mattered.

I could honestly rant about this all day, but I'll cut this article short with these last few words:

Women are not better than men. Men are not better than women. To be a true feminist, you must believe that both genders can be different but also equal. Women need to be encouraged to dream big and pursue top careers because of who they are, not because of their gender.

We need to redefine the modern day feminist movement to be more about educating young women and girls about how they can be successful and have individual political/social beliefs while also working alongside men. This victimizing needs to stop. This whole man-hating side of the feminist movement needs to stop.

Feminism tells me to be angry, well I am, at how corrupt and condescending this movement has become. It's time that women start using their intellect and abilities to open the doors of opportunity rather than riot in front them.