Well, first let me start by saying how in one my college classes my professor asked all the men in the room if they were feminists. Not one single person raised their hands out of 40 men in my class. Then he proceeded to ask if they thought that men and women should be equal. Now only five men raised their hands. Maybe they were too embarrassed to raise their hands or they just don't care. But I do. As should every single person.

Feminism, for a long time now, has had a negative connotation when talked about. Many people simply don't know what it is, and many think that its women wanting to be better than men or women hating men.

Feminism is not that. Never has been that. And in my opinion, never will be that.

Here is a definition of feminism: the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

Does it say anywhere that women want to be better than men? No! It says that women should have the same equal rights that men do.

Beyonce's song "Flawless" from 2014 shows how women are told how they should act from a young age, and that equality problems between the sexes isn't in the past.

We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller
We say to girls: “You can have ambition, but not too much
You should aim to be successful, but not too successful
Otherwise, you will threaten the man.”
Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is most important
Now, marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way boys are
Feminist: a person who believes in the social,
Political, and economic equality of the sexes

Women are constantly told they can't do something because they are female. Women are constantly judged by their appearance instead of what they have to say. Hilary Clinton is a prime example. When she was the first lady, everyone was too worried about what she looked like and how she wasn't feminine enough that they ignored what she had to say.

Many people would say that feminists are a thing of the past. But, if it is a thing of the past, why is there a pay gap between men and women? Why do people think women are too emotional to have high positions such as CEOs?

Although a lot has changed for the progression of women's rights, it still has me wondering if every time I go to the bar, I have to be afraid if someone is going to touch me inappropriately. Or men not understanding that no means no. Or even walking down the street and having men treat me like I am a piece of meat. Women are constantly treated as if they are objects. We see this every day in advertisements and TV. Women are taught how to prevent rape, but no one is taught how to not view women as objects. Women aren't disposable. When a woman is raped, a lot of times people ask what she was wearing, as if that as anything to do with it. And yes, I understand that men do get raped as well. RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network)says that one out of six women have been either raped or had an attempted rape.

All you need to be a feminist is to believe that both men and women should have equal rights. So aren't we all feminists?

We still need feminism.