There is a common misconception about feminism in today's world and to be honest, it's absurd that this is even an issue that we as a society still deal with. Feminists are often branded as sexist and close-minded because they are seen as individuals, typically women, who "want to enslave men" (yes, someone really did say that to me).

Like many things, feminism ranges on a continuum and while everyone has different interpretations of what it means to be a feminist, it is imperative to keep in mind that the goal of feminism for many people is not female dominance and male inferiority.

Feminism is about equality for all types of people, regardless of their gender, political beliefs, race, religion, and socioeconomic status, among other things.

Feminism is about embracing each other's differences and breaking down barriers that divide us as humans, not creating more and becoming superior to a certain group of people.

Feminism is about exploring and understanding the intersectionality of our identities and realizing that people cannot be put into closed categories — that as humans we all carry around different backgrounds that make us unique.

To me, there is nothing more disappointing than seeing people on social media, especially women, discussing how they are against the uprise of feminism in our society today because they do not agree with shaming males and supporting misandrists.

Why does this stigma around feminism exist? Why are people blatantly against feminism?

In my perspective, no one wants to say that they are a feminist because they don't want to be looked in a certain light and that is a shame.

People are scared to identify as feminists because the name itself is perceived so negatively. When people think of feminism, they directly associate it with female empowerment due to the root of the word (fem-) and inevitably, people who only support those problems. Although those issues are considered feminist, they only make up a fraction of the conflicts that feminism deals with.

As Emma Watson put it, "if you stand for equality, then you're a feminist. Sorry to tell you."