Feminism. It's quite the popular word in the media these days. It's that dirty word, brought up only to dismiss legitimate issues with the society and culture we have shaped ourselves around. And "feminazi" is the label forced on those women who are brave enough to bring up their concerns. It's a truly backwards practice--the term defined as gender equality is the very word used as the demeaning and diminishing anchor of an argument or discussion. As for the term 'feminazi,' are you kidding me?? Seriously? We're going to compare the perpetrators of the Holocaust to people who are passionate about gender equality? I really must be missing something in the feminist movement because I'm drawing a blank for reasons why that term would be coined. Those against the feminist movement, or those made uncomfortable by it because they fear losing their privilege, are to label and brush aside the advocates for this movement, a.k.a. feminists.

Feminist. What does that label bring to mind? When I think of that word, a 20-something fashionable hipster female comes to mind, probably living in the city, shutting down sexist remarks and catcalls, generally being a badass. Of course, this could be a true statement. There could be a young woman living in the city who considers herself a feminist. It's totally plausible. But in all reality a feminist is not defined by a very specific set of circumstances; it is not exclusive to one group of people. Anyone can be a feminist. The only criterion is that that person believes in the complete and total equality of the sexes. That's it. You heard me correctly; it's seriously that simple. This is why it is so ridiculous to trap the ideal of the feminist in a concrete role. The fact of the matter is that a feminist could be anyone and anyone can be a feminist. We are your neighbors, brothers or sisters, friends, distant cousins, coworkers, celebrities, parents, or that random stranger you held the door open at that coffee shop the other day. There is no limit to who a feminist could be. Feminists are the people we look up to. Emma Watson, Mark Ruffalo, Malala Yousafzai, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ariana Grande are just a few celebrities that have used their position in order to fight against anti-feminist expectations in the media and in the world. These people are what feminists look like.

So if you ever run into me in public or see me around, know that this is what a feminist looks like--a short, blonde girl who can usually be found daydreaming or giving into her Candy Crush addiction. I am a feminist. You don't have to fit into a predetermined box and meet a list of physical criteria in order to be considered a feminist; you simply have to believe in the complete equality of the genders. It doesn't matter what you look like, where you are from, how you were raised, or what you believe in. Life is too short to waste your time giving into the often sexist, harboring ideals of what you should do and what you should believe in. Women's rights are human rights. Work to overcome the barriers you face, then turn around and lend a hand to those girls, women, boys, and men behind you that have been beaten down by the world we live in. Feminism is what is going to carry us further as a society. Feminism is what I believe in.