This week, I need to get something off my chest. Something that’s been bugging me for a while now. This something is the Internet and pop culture’s obsession with the word “Daddy.” This word, which is meant to be a nickname for your father, is turning into a term that young women are calling their boyfriends. And I’m talking young women, like preteens and teenagers. This term and the way these girls are using it is disgusting, and it is putting an end to feminism.

A father is supposed to be the hero in the young girl’s life, the one she looks up to, the one who supports her and teaches her the things she needs to know in life. He is her protector. At least, that is the case when the girl is young. But when she grows up, the girl needs to be responsible for her own well being. That is what feminism is all about, the idea that women can do things on their own without men’s help and that they need to be treated as equals to men.

The term “daddy” destroys this idea, because it makes it seem as though women are relying on their significant others. On the Internet the term is mostly used in the context, “Daddy, do this for me” or “Daddy, I want this.” Sometimes it is used in a sexual nature. It’s putting women in the role of “baby,” in the role of the dependent. When women use that term to describe their significant others, they are denying themselves independence.

They are playing into the stereotype that women are weak, weak-minded, and cannot fend for themselves. Women have worked hard to show that they are independent and can do things on their own.

This word defies and destroys the idea that women don’t need men, yet it has somehow slipped into our pop culture. I’m not saying that women can’t use this word with their boyfriends or husbands, as long as it in private. But broadcasting texts and saying how “daddy treats you right” all over social media is not appropriate, especially considering how people are sexualizing the word. A person’s sex life is something that is supposed to be private, or at least that’s what society has agreed upon. Using this word counters that. It often provides an uncomfortable look into a couple’s intimate life, something the public doesn’t need to know about.

So I plead with you Internet, keep the daddy talk to a minimum. Stop saying “yaaaass daddy” or any other comments like this. That attractive celebrity is not your father, especially considering all the sexualized things you say you want to do him. He is not your father, and that is what that word is supposed to mean. So just stop. It’s disgusting, and you’re degrading yourself by using this word. You are not showing that you are intelligent woman who is capable of being her own person, one who doesn’t need a man to complete her or take care of her. So show the world you are that woman, and stop using the word Daddy.