I am a feminist, through and through. Why? Because I believe in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. That's it. That's the definition of feminism, so I am a feminist. I've read a lot of articles and talked to a lot of women about why some women just can't handle calling themselves a feminist. Recently, I read this article listing reasons why some women choose to not be feminists. Everybody's entitled to their opinion, but where's my rebuttal as to why you should reconsider shutting down when the feminist movement is brought up.

1. "Feminists don't actually care about all women."

This is something I hear a lot and is something worth discussing. There is a difference between feminism and intersectional feminism. Intersectional feminism is standing up for the rights of not only white women with careers who get shushed in the office, but also for the colored women who are not hired simply for being colored, and for the lesbian woman who is harassed in the workplace, and for the Syrian child bride who had acid thrown in her face for not serving dinner at the right moment. Intersectional feminism covers all women. I'll admit that some women do not care about the strifes of other women, but I would say that most real feminists care and take action against the struggles of all women.

The original article I'm referencing says that if you tell a feminist that you're not a feminist, that that feminist will start saying things like, "I hope you get raped because then you'll need feminism," or "Your daddy/husband/boyfriend does all your thinking." Well, who am I to judge? If you choose to not identify as a feminist, I'll still believe that you are a living female with a working mind that probably does make her own life choices. I have never heard anyone say that they deserve to be raped or that they are incapable of making decisions.

2. "Feminists spread misinformation."

Alright, let's talk about the wage gap, which the author of the article I'm referencing says does not exist. While she has valid points that women tend to choose lower-paying jobs like teaching, and that definitely contributes to the wage gap, it cannot be denied that the wage gap is real. I'm in school for engineering, so let's talk about my earning potential. On average, women with 0-3 years of experience make 96.7% of what their male counterparts with equal experience make, and that disparity becomes 89.1% after the men and women have ten years of experience. And we won't even talk about the gap in bonuses earned every year. Maybe it isn't "77 cents to the dollar that a man makes," but any time I'm not making 100% of what my male counterparts are making for equal work, I'm going to talk about it.

The author also talks about rape culture. Sure, it can be used to "defend" a rapist, saying that society made him (or her!) this way, so they can't be blamed. Rape culture does not defend rapists; rather, it means that the victim is blamed when a sexual assault or rape happens. It means that the victim is blamed for what happened to them. When that attitude changes, rape culture will have ended.

3. "Feminists ignore real problems worldwide."

HeForShe. Heal Africa. International Justice Mission. Women's Refugee Commission. The White Women Alliance. Just a few of the many organizations currently helping women abroad. American feminists see and hear the issues women in other countries face, and we help them. But why chastise us for trying to improve our situation at home, too? Until we are considered equal in all aspects of life, we will not rest at home or abroad.

4. "Feminists do not, in fact, care about men."

I know the same stats the author of the original post knows. Men are raped, men are abused, men suffer at the hands of the social order that have kept women down for centuries. Men feel they always need to be seen as strong because they need to be a steady support for women, as society has always told them that they need to be. But what if women were seen as strong too? And broken and battered and joyous and sorrowful and all of the complex things men AND women are? Wouldn't we then be able to have a complete society with everyone being their complete selves?

I often compare the feminist movement to the Black Lives Matter movement's analogies (solely for the purpose of comparison, not to diminish their cause). I've often heard that Black Lives Matter is different from All Lives Matter in the same way that a house on fire is different than a house not on fire. Both houses are important because they provide shelter, but the house on fire is the more pressing concern, so we need to focus on it more than the house not on fire. Men are important too, but women are currently the house on fire, so we need the extra attention right now. If we can control the flames, we can rise up and raise men with us to improve the quality of life for everyone. But if we burn, everyone gets hurt.

5. "Feminists weaken women."

I do not see myself as a victim or a man-hater. I see myself as a woman, which means many, many things, but it mostly means that I have to be conscious that my right to be writing this article right now is the product of countless women in history standing up for what they believed in. And now it's my turn to fight for what I believe in. I have the right to vote, to own property, and to go to college, but now I must fight for my right to be heard in a boardroom or to not have to listen to jokes about rape in class.

"Feminism encourages financial dependence. Feminists demand free birth control, free mammograms, free hygiene products, free bras." Free birth control is one thing. As I'll touch on in the next point, women are free to choose if they want birth control or not (as the law stands right now). And some women are abstinent and are on birth control for health-related reasons. Free mammograms are something that insurances should be offering to us because it's a health issue. I would love if hygiene products were less expensive, and I'd love to see the Tampon Tax ended. But free bras? That's a new one.

"...demonize stay-at-home moms..." My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and that was a wonderful environment to grow up in. My aunts worked, and my cousins also had wonderful childhoods. The difference was that my mother was able to stay home, financially speaking (and wanted to stay home), and my aunts had to work. If the opportunity is there and the woman wants to stay home and raise her children full time, that is her God-given right. But if she wants to work, it's also her right to utilize a day care and go out and make a living. And if she needs to work to support her family, I wish her the best.

Feminism is not about "all women have to work" or "all women need to go to college." Feminism is about choice, at least to me. Want to be a stay-at-home mom? Go for it. Want to go to college? Go for it. Want to be the President? Go for it. Feminism says, "The sky is the limit, and you can go wherever you'd like."

6. "Feminism is used to justify murder."

Abortion. That's a tough one. I'm pro-life, so I firmly disagree with abortion for almost any reason, much like the author of the original article. Am I still a feminist? Yes (see point five). I choose to be pro-life and I choose to be a feminist.

Do most feminists agree with abortion? Probably yes, at least liberal feminists do. Do I agree with them? No. But again, it's something a person must look at seriously and make a conscious decision to be for or against. We can all debate about it and democratically come to conclusions.

I am a Christian, and I am a feminist. Most women I know think that this is a crazy oxymoron, but I don't. I firmly believe that Jesus was a feminist. A woman was Jesus' gateway into this earth - that's why the Catholics like Mary so much. Jesus also surrounded himself with many strong women, and there are many incredible women in the Old and New Testaments. Check out my homegirls Esther and Jael if you don't believe me.

7. "Feminists can't take responsibility for their actions."

"The majority of third-wave feminists are [ignoring issues in other countries, etc.]." No, I would say that a majority of us are not. The ones that you see - that don't care for the plight of colored women, that are man-haters, that are so close-minded they can't see past the end of their nose - are the women that are put on TV, are on your Twitter feed, are the ones shoved in your face. They're the most vocal, so they're who you hear. "Feminists need to think long and hard about their beliefs and actions, and start taking responsibility for the problems within their community." Feminists are already trying to fix problems in our community that are not our fault, like the societal pressures men face and rape and countless other things.

So I hope this clears up a few misconceptions for women reading this who may not have identified as feminists before. This is not your grandmother's feminism, but this is the feminism of now.