Feminism is not a dirty word. (How did it become a dirty word in the first place?) It is simply the movement and belief that women and men should be equal, in every sense of the word. Typically, when people hear feminism, they think of Emma Watson or someone like her. Hint for all non-feminists and white feminists: she represents white feminism. I’ll write another article on the importance of inclusive, intersectional feminism. I’m here to give a foundation of feminist ideals.

So why are people afraid of the word feminism? Are you afraid to seem too “radical?” Are you afraid to look like a man-hater? Feminists are not the lesbian, bra-burning, man-haters they are stereotyped to be. Sure, some may fit these categories, but these do not represent the entire movement.

1. If you believe you deserve to earn just as much as men for doing the exact same work, you may be a feminist.

2. If you believe women should have equal opportunities in education and the workforce such as internships or promotions, then you may be a feminist.

3. If you believe women should go out with clients on business talk just like men can without being called a whore, you may be a feminist.

4. If you believe more women should run Fortune 500 companies or any company in general, you may be a feminist.

Out of the 500 CEOs of these companies, only 4% of women run Fortune 500 companies.

5. If you believe women should have the right to choose to work in male-dominated fields, you may be a feminist.

6. If you believe men should have the right to choose to work in female-dominated fields, you may be a feminist.

7. If you believe women of any race or color should have equal opportunities across the board, you may be a feminist.

8. If you believe you should have control over your own body, you may be a feminist.

9. If you believe the government should keep their nose out of your reproductive business, then you may be a feminist.

10. If you believe sex education should be comprehensive and include sexualities, you may be a feminist.

11. If you believe no means no and the word should be respected in every sense by everyone, then you may be a feminist.

12. If you believe short skirts does not equal deserving of sexual assault or rape, you may be a feminist.

13. If you believe women and men both should be recognized as victims and survivors of sexual assault and rape, you may be a feminist.

14. If you believe slut-shaming should end, you may be a feminist.

15. If you believe fat-shaming and skinny-shaming should end, you may be a feminist.

16. If you believe the stigma around mental health should end, you may be a feminist.

17. If you believe in self-care and/or practice it, you may be a feminist.

Self-care can range from a lazy day and sleeping all day to buying Starbucks and getting a manicure. Self-care can be anything to help you relax and de-stress.

18. If you believe women-women relationships shouldn’t be sexualized or weird for being confident with each other, you may be a feminist.

19. If you believe breastfeeding is a natural occurrence and believe mothers should not be shamed for breastfeeding in public, you may be a feminist.

20. If you believe it’s ridiculous that women’s breasts are okay to advertise when selling food or lingerie, but not okay when breastfeeding, you may be a feminist.

21. If you believe that women should be able to make their own choices in everything without society putting its two cents in, then you may be a feminist.

22. If you believe women should be able to dress however they please, whether that be conservatively or more revealing, without worrying about judgement, then you may be a feminist.

23. If you believe that women not being allowed to show their shoulders is total BS, you may be a feminist.

24. If you believe that men should be able to control themselves around women and their shoulders, you may be a feminist.

25. If you believe men should be able to express their emotions without getting called awful names, then you may be a feminist.

26. If you believe boys and girls should be able to play with whatever toys they please, even its geared towards the opposite gender, you may be a feminist.

27. If you believe your daughters should be allowed to learn how to shoot guns and get dirty, you may be a feminist.

28. If you believe you can choose to follow the traditional family path or not, you may be a feminist.

29. If you believe that women should be able to choose whether to be a stay-at-home mother or a working woman, you may be a feminist.

30. If you believe men and women of all races, colors, religions, (dis)abilities, and backgrounds should be equal, YOU MAY BE A FEMINIST.

Honestly, I could go on for years, but I’m sure you get the general gist of what I’m saying. As humans, we need to erase the stigma around being a feminist. It is not dirty word. People need to come together to fight and dismantle the patriarchal norms in every aspect of life. Feminism is not restricted to the educated, to the whites, to the white collars, or anyone of elitist status. You can be anything and be a feminist. You can be a strong conservative Republican. You can be a liberal Democrat. You can be a blue collar who never went to college. You can be the college student. You can be low income, you can be middle class, you can be rich. It does not matter your background or your upbringing, you can be feminist. You may just be one if you believe even a few of these ideologies.

Come to the feminist side. We have cookies, tons of love to give, and no judgement to pass.