When I grow up I want to be a teacher. When I grow up I want to be a President. When I grow up I want to be a police officer. When I grow up I want to be a Princess. When I grow up I want to be a mom. When I grow up I want to change the world.

Now imagine if none of that was possible. Imagine if your daughter, sister, mother, or you couldn’t become whatever they dreamed of. Not because it was unrealistic, but because the world won’t let them.

Every day women have to fight to be respected in their fields, life and in sports. They fight to be respected everywhere, really, besides the home. Every day women still have to fight to be seen as equals. They have to prove their worth 10 times more than a man does. Why is it that we still feel the need to give women lower wages for the same job a man does? Why do we feel the need to belittle women’s sports? Why do we feel the need to objectify and support women? And why is everyone, women included using feminism as a bad word?

Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. That’s it. The big scary word that means women must burn their bras? The word that means women cannot be stay at home moms who loved to cook and take care of children? The word that means you are probably a liberal who doesn’t shave? Why have we allowed these connotations to be put with this one word? This word that simply means you believe men and women should be seen as equals.

What becomes sad to watch is when you see young women who are getting an education and who are strong intelligent individuals are afraid to call themselves a feminist. Most say they are not feminist. Most say they want to be wives and raise children. Some say they want to be stay at home moms and they want to cook dinner for their husbands every night. Why do these women fear a word that never once said you can’t have or enjoy that in your life? Why is do these young bright women fear a word that only supports what they should all want? Being a feminist doesn’t mean you have to give up that part of your life. It only means you believe every single woman deserves the opportunity to decide what makes her happy and that she doesn’t have to fight to be seen as an equal in whatever she does choose for her life.

I want my nieces to be able to grow up in a world where no matter what they want to do in their life it is available for them. No judgement, no restrictions and no one there to give a man doing the same thing better pay or better opportunity strictly on because of his sex. I want my future daughter to be able to do whatever makes her happy and I don’t want her to feel judged or put down because she is a woman doing it. I want my friends to have the same opportunities that males are given in their fields of study. I want to never hear someone say women don’t belong here or can’t do this as well as a man. I want people to not be afraid to say I am a feminist.

I hope for people to be educated in what they seem to be so afraid of. I hope that women who are afraid to be associated with the word feminism see how it is not something to run away from. I hope men want and believe that we should be equal and are proud to be a feminist. I hope that people can see that all women want it to be seen as an equal. Women should never stand behind or in front of a man; she should be standing right next to him.