I recently attended an event where multiple campus organizations promoted the idea of feminism to a large audience.

Great, right? Not so much.

I am all for feminism, but I question whether or not women my age really understand what it truly means. I watched from afar, cringing at times, as they proudly showed off their talent, but all I could focus on was the way that they seemed to capitalize off of their sexuality. For what? To seek the approval of the “macho men" that were garishly cheering in the front row? To impress a group of judges that were hardly qualified for that specific field? Or maybe it was because sometimes, we, as sorority women and fraternity men, let the competitiveness between us all go one step too far. Regardless of reasons, it blew my mind. And while my experience with this event is solely my opinion based purely on observance, I still feel the need to educate my fellow collegiate classmates, and women and men in general, about what feminism really stands for.

The feminist movement is a hot topic. It is debated among celebrities and everyday people alike. How to define the “feminist movement" is something of a fine line to walk, but if you search for the definition of “feminism", you'll find that it says:

1.The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

2.Organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.

Many define feminism as equality between men and women socially (a loose definition that I don't fully understand), economically, and politically, but what comprises the “feminist movement" is certainly up for deliberation among young female stars. One of the most known proponents of feminism, and actress in the hit TV show Girls, Lena Dunham, states in her book, Not That Kind of Girl, “We're going to be compensated fairly for our jobs, we're going to be given the opportunity to make choices about our bodies and we're going to be safe." But where do we draw the line about making decisions about our bodies? Does it make it “ok" to send nude photos because it is our body? Is it ok to sexually exploit our bodies to further ourselves in competitions, or even in the workplace, because it is our body? There are so many things I ask myself about feminism, since I seem to walk the line on many issues that it supports.

One person who seems to embody feminism, and someone who we should model our behavior off of, is Emma Watson. While she is best known as the our favorite witch, Hermione Granger, Watson also brought many, myself included, to tears during her powerful United Nations speech about gender equality and the He for She campaign (see here: http://bit.ly/1mopaqd). One of my favorite moments was when she said, “I think it is right that I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved, on my behalf, in the policies and the decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men." Her eloquence not only on that United Nations stage, but her tasteful poise in the public eye as well, is inspiring, and something we should all strive towards.

So I guess my take on feminism is this: I am all in when it comes to fighting for equal pay for women – there is absolutely no reason why we should get paid less money to the dollar than men – and I completely support having women run for presidency and being involved at the forefront of political issues – because why not? – but personally, I don't stand for putting myself on a pedestal and doing things that are unbecoming of a woman, or man for that matter, and simply writing it off as me “owning my sexuality" or “making my own decisions for my body". Because when it comes down to it, if we, as women, are using our sexuality and appearances to better or further ourselves in various political, economic, and social situations, aren't we just perpetuating the idea that women shouldn't be taken seriously in our progress towards becoming equals?

I'll leave that up for you to decide.