Feminism is all over the Internet these days, but with inaccurate information. I have seen several articles and posts about people saying they’re not a feminist, and when I read what they wrote, I immediately get mad because they clearly don’t understand what feminism is. Feminism, by definition from Merriam Webster, is “the belief that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities.” That’s all it is: equal rights for men and women. Nowhere in that sentence does it say that women are better than men, or that men’s opinions don’t matter, or that people that are feminists hate men. Those are all incorrect. Being a feminist solely means that you support the equality of men and women rights. That you are an advocate of equal pay, more female representation, and powerful women in the media. I am a feminist, and I'm not ashamed of admitting that. There shouldn't be any shame in admitting what you believe, but feminism is one area where people feel uncomfortable admitting they're a supporter.

So many people get the wrong idea of feminism that it’s frustrating. Sure, there are some die-hard feminists, but they’re just passionate about what they believe in. And there is nothing wrong with sticking up for what you believe in. We should be encouraging it. I think that since so many people don’t know what feminism is, it gives it a negative connotation. But there’s nothing negative about wanting equality between genders. Especially since half of the population is female. It’s ridiculous to me that women are still treated unequally and paid less for the same job.

Going back to the female representation and powerful women in the media, I think that that is becoming a much bigger part of society. There have been a ton of celebrities speaking out at awards shows about equality, there was an article about male celebrities that are feminists, and there have been plenty of celebrities at feminist rallies and movements. And I think that having celebrities being so outspoken about feminism really provides strong people to look up to. Like with Emma Stone and her #HeForShe campaign, which supports “the idea of gender equality and that it’s a human rights issue”. Another example is Free the Nipple, which focuses on “equality, empowerment, and freedom of all humans.” It also brings that much more attention to this issue. Gender equality is a huge problem in the world, and so many people are fed up, that they’re starting their own campaigns and gaining support by doing something that should have been done years ago.

As a recap, if you think men and women should have equal rights: congratulations, you’re a feminist. And if you don’t, then you’re not. It’s as easy as that. There’s no need to make it more complicated than that, because it’s not a complicated definition. Feminism isn’t a hard concept to understand, it’s just about knowing what the definition is and whether you fit that criteria or not.