The definition of Feminism as told by The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” or “organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests”. Just like people, the word Feminism has many meanings and I’ve gone out to gather peoples’ opinions on what feminism means. This is what I’ve brought back:

“What does it mean to me, to me feminism means empowering the women we call mother, grandmother, sister, and friends.” – Emmanuel Wekesa

“Feminism to me means acknowledging that women are treated differently and have a certain disadvantaged place and outlook in society solely due to gender. And then it’s doing what they can to bring that platform to life.” – Crystal Phan

“To me it’s the fight of equality for all genders not just women. But for everyone. It’s the empowerment of women. Your body, your choice. Whether it’s about abortion or just taking a nude photo. It’s about encouraging women. Helping women. To push themselves further in society.” – Karen Guzman Espindola

“Feminism is such a vital part of any truly functional society. I would argue that true equality has yet to be accomplished in any major society. It’s a goal. It’s something to work towards. However, there’s a common misconception that feminism is only equality of the binary genders. This is not the case. It has to do with femininity and masculinity, which is why it extends into things like sexual orientation, race, gender identity, disability, and even more. It has to do with breaking down barriers that separate people; equal opportunity for everyone. It’s about dissipating generalizations and pre-conceived notions. It’s arguably the most significant theoretical foundation for an ideal, utopian society. Everyone working together for the betterment of everyone.” – Marco Henderson

“To me Feminism is supporting equality for women and women’s rights, but also not putting men down like some people assume it is. Feminism is like the thought process that helps bring a society to egalitarianism.” – Alex Sanchez

“Feminism guarantees that someday in the future women and men will be treated as equals. It means I won’t be taught how to defend myself in the dark for fear of something happening. It means my boyfriend can stop fearing he’ll cry in front of others and hurt his “masculinity”. It means my little sister won’t be teased for pinking a STEM career or realize that if she does she’s one of the few. It means so much. It is also how hypocritical to say boys will be boys in defense of harming females.” – Ashley Van Keer

“Passion about the essence of being a woman.” – Joshua Brown

“Feminism brings about a big change in our society, it’s promoting equality in our society that bring us and the world one step closer to accepting each other.” – Hayden Dibble

“To me Feminism is building the world my grandmother never had. It’s getting education, safety, and liberty to EVERY woman from EVERY race, culture, and nationality. It’s opening doors for female leadership and confidence. It’s shattering the idea of inferiority or weakness. It’s giving women the ability to have a family AND have a career. It is standing up for victims, and those who cannot speak for themselves. It’s taking pride in womanhood each and every day, and not bowing down to stereotypes. It’s women loving and living as their authentic self. It’s balancing the weight of history to for a world of equality that my children will be proud to live in.” – Katie Pattison

“Feminism is the real movement to achieve intersectional equality between all sexes, genders, and identities.” – Alex Taylor

“I guess Feminism would be a movement that fights for women’s rights.” – Victor Amajor

“Feminism means equal treatment for everyone, including but not limited to socialization, medical care, and academic achievement. It’s a movement that, while focused more on women (and trans women!) of all color, shapes, and sizes, advocates for equal rights for all people. *regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.” – Danh Luu

“Days like International Women’s Day serve as a platform to continue the fight for women. This is an on going battle, that is growing each day. Here’s to hoping the future will be different for women all around; no matter what age, race, or religion. If one thing many have learned, it’s to never underestimate the power of women.” – Saloni Khushal

“Feminism is a really important thing to have, especially when we have things like unequal wages, unequal opportunities, and a large amount of female sexual assault victims.” – Hunter Lewis

“My version of feminism would be straight up equality and inclusion like first wave feminism and how feminists got black rights…except now it’s LGBT and Trans. So for me, just helping people and refusing to go with whatever’s considered normal if it contradicts my beliefs or oppresses someone. Like, standing up to my professor that refuses to acknowledge “they” as a singular pronoun when it clearly is one. Or in my case, wearing dresses and accomplishing more than any man could do while wearing a dress. Just basically constantly proving myself so women in the future don’t have to, and making sure I’m successful so women in the future can’t complain that they don’t have any female role models.” – Lexi Cepak

“Feminism is a broad term that encapsulates the problems of many whether it be POC or trans rights, gender stereotypes, feminism helps all.” – Destiny Salcido

In honor of National Women’s Day I wanted to know how people in the community felt about feminism. Everyone has their own opinions on what it means to them and I find that reaching out to these people by asking what it means to them is very empowering. I hope that these statements that I gathered help shape a positive attitude towards feminism and help you create your own definition of what feminism means to you.