I know who I am. I am a white upper-middle-class American female. I know where I stand in the world and I recognize the privilege that my skin tone and class standing gives me. I am reminded of it every time I get pulled over for driving too fast, which I will admit has happened more than once. I am reminded of it whenever I smile at the police officer and tell him that I am sorry and that I'm running late and all he does is tell me to slow down instead of putting a bullet in my chest. But, I am also aware of where I stand when it comes to my gender. I am reminded of the misogyny that runs through the heart of this country like blood through veins when the officer says "Now what is a pretty girl like you doing driving so fast?" I am reminded of this every time a man yells at me from his car, every time I have been told to shut up and that my opinions don't matter because I am a woman and every time I am judged based on what I choose to do with my own body.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, feminism, by definition, is the belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. In other words, male = female. I am sure you have heard many different, more radical definitions of the word but I am here to set the record straight. Feminism is not the idea that women are better than men (even though, let's be real, we kind of are) or that women should hate men. It's simply the idea that women are equal to men and deserve to be treated as such.

With that being said, here are a few reasons why I need feminism.

I need feminism because of Brock Turner. Because when Brock Turner raped a young woman while she was unconscious people blamed it on how much she had drank that night. Because he only spent six months in jail and his father wrote a letter saying his son was "paying a steep price for only 20 minutes of action."

I need feminism because of rape statistics. Similar to the case of Brock Turner, I need feminism because when a girl is raped it is immediately deemed her fault. Because we teach our girls how to prevent rape, by telling them how they should and should not dress and restricting the amount of alcohol they should be drinking instead of teaching our boys not to rape. Because only 344 out of 1000 sexual assaults are reported to the police in U.S. alone and even less than that result in jail time. There are even shorts that have been made to prevent women from being raped.

I need feminism because of Donald Trump. This, I think, is one of the most important reasons why we still need feminism. Because 53% of white women voted this man into office. Because we, as a nation, voted a man who has been recorded saying "grab 'em by the pussy" into office as the President of the United States. Because we now have a President who has made sexual comments about his daughter, has declared that he wants to defund Planned Parenthood and has numerous sexual assault charges.

I need feminism because of the stigma surrounding Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is one of the best resources for women, especially those who have low income or little to no health insurance. When people think of PP they usually immediately think of abortions. While yes it's true, PP does perform abortions, it is also important to note that that is not the only thing they do there. Because in reality, abortions only make up 3% of the services performed at Planned Parenthood. Just think about that, out of all of the breast exams, mammograms, prenatal care, STD testing and abortions performed, only 3% of all of that makes up the amount of abortions done.

I need feminism because of the pay gap. Because overall, women are only paid 80 cents for every dollar men are paid. Typically, African American women are paid 63 cents to the dollar while Latinas are only paid 54 cents to the dollar and Asian women are paid 85 cents to the dollar. According to the National Partnership For Women & Families, this means that women who work full time in America lose a total of $840 billion dollars a year due to the wage gap.

I need feminism because of FGM. Female genital mutilation is not a topic that comes up as often as it should. FGM is fairly self explanatory but nonetheless, it is the act of cutting off and resewing female genitalia in order to prevent sexual pleasure. This can happen to women and girls of any age and is still practiced and accepted in 29 countries around the world.

I need feminism because "pussy" is still an insult. Because "pussy" and "bitch" and "like a girl" are all insults meant to call someone weak. Women push eight pound babies out of a tiny hole in their bodies and rarely complain while men cry when they get kicked in the balls. Women are not weak. Being a girl does not make you weak. Having emotions does not make you weak.

I need feminism because of Tomi Lahren. Because this loudmouth uses her platform to spread hatred and ignorance. Because she called all of the women who participated in the Women's March "entitled crybabies." Because she has made a living off of complaining about people complaining about social and political issues. She is quick to defend veterans and guns and Donald Trump but refuses to acknowledge the fact that if it had not been for the women who marched this year and the years before, she would not be sitting in a chair in her fancy studio executing her right to freedom of speech. I would also like to note that she criticizes millennials every chance she gets, but she was born in 1992, she's also a millennial.

I need feminism because of the women who think they don't need it. I have read countless articles and news stories about women saying they don't need feminism. They think they don't need it because they already "feel equal" or because they don't fully understand the meaning of the word feminism. To the women who think they don't need feminism because they already see themselves as equal, you have recognized your privilege. Congratulations, that's step one.

I need feminism because of this.

Because I am embarrassed for this woman, because she is putting down women in the U.S. for having the freedom of speech. Yes, we are incredibly privileged to be able to march up and down the streets of our nation's capitol in vagina costumes "screaming for the right to kill our babies." But what you have failed to realize is that we recognize this privilege and we are using it to help the women in other countries that you are talking about. We are fighting for the right to be in control of our own "sexual health" so that we are able to fight for those who do not have the same privileges as we do. Yes, sometimes we yell profanities at men, but do you know why? Because white men in positions of great power are some of the most dangerous beings towards women. So sometimes we yell, but only because we want to be heard.

For all the women who believe they do not need feminism, don't worry girl - I got your back. I will continue to fight for your rights as a woman while you sit on the sidelines. If I have offended you in any way, I am not sorry about it. I want you to reexamine the way you see the word feminism. I want you to see the power that women hold and help them - don't hinder them. Beyoncé said it best - Who run the world? Girls. Power to the women of all shapes and sizes, all races and ethnicities, all genders and all ages. Power to the people.