Feminist. When you hear this word what comes to mind? Do you role your eyes at the word? Are you someone who can stand besides the many who also call themselves feminist? or you do forgo the term and think its stupid.
When I was thirtee
n I had my first real lesson about feminism. Sitting out side of the Stanford pool, waiting for the gates to be opened, my coach asked all of us girls a simple question, ” are you a feminist”? We were all confused, even at that age we had all heard many stories and tales of feministic women screaming horrid words and slurs at men, and their quest to dominate every man they met. So when I heard this question my immediate answer was of course not, I am not a crazy women with long armpit hair that screams at men. My coach went on to explain that every young female in front of her should be a feminist. Her reasoning was that being a feminist is not about the man hating and thinking women are the supreme race, it is about equal rights for both genders, man and women, and that no one of those are better than the other. Since that day I have championed the answer that my coach taught us. I implore anyone who is unsure whether they are a feminism to only answer if they believe men and women should be equal. Feminism isn’t about oppresing men and being better its about the equal preservation of all gender rights. Every little girl and boy should be brought up with this simple notion so that the bad background the word feminism is eradicated. It is so important to move forward as a society to come together and realize that we all need to be treated equal. If feminism is the first step in uniting us together than I am ready to take that step. 