Before I begin, I have a word of caution: I am about to drop an f-bomb. Feminism. There, I said it.

Feminism has alway been a touchy subject, and over time, the definition has gotten a little skewed. To some people, feminism has been labeled as a movement of self-entitled, bra burning, free bleeding, anti-men females who want to see themselves as the superior sex. If you look at this definition and this definition only, it becomes pretty easy to see why so many shun feminism.

In reality, the definition of feminism is much gentler and more inclusive. In fact, it doesn’t explicitly apply to females at all. Feminism is, at its core, the desire for everyone, including men, women, and minorities, to have equal rights, privileges, and treatments.

The reason the focus tends to be on women the majority of the time is because women have traditionally been the less privileged sex. There are many, many instances in our world and country of women and minorities being treated unequally still today. That’s one of the biggest reasons why feminism is still around, even with all of the progress that’s been made.

But equality for women is by far not the only reason that feminism exists. Feminism is also a movement for men. Yes, men.

How many times are little boys told, “Be a man,” or “Grown men don’t cry,” while they’re growing up? Society puts this idea in the heads of boys that their "manlihood" hinges on how tough and unfeeling they are. This is an attempt at regulating a very natural, human emotion, and it makes boys feels ashamed if they exhibit these emotions.

Boys can be shamed physically, too. While female body shaming is far more openly discussed, it still occurs for males, even though it might be more subtle. Men and boys frequently see ads, video games, and magazines that contain pictures of men with huge muscles, a perfect tan, and an overall unattainable physique. These images send the message to the consumers that their bodies aren’t good enough; this can be just as disastrous for men as it is for women.

Physical and emotional shaming are most definitely not the only reasons why men need feminism. Perhaps the biggest one is that, in the process of lifting women up, men get torn down and forgotten. We are quick to say, “Men have always been the dominant sex, so we don’t need to think about them in terms of feminism.” However, in order to have equality for women, you have to have men involved as well.

So to the men, I say this: be a feminist. Don’t be afraid to advocate for the women in your life, but don’t afraid to gently advocate for yourself either. You deserve it.