The 'F' Word.

Buckle up, kids. Today we're going to talk about a real 'F' bomb. No, not that one.
We're going to talk feminism.  

Now wait! Yes, you! WAIT! Don't scroll away!
I know a lot of people lost interest when this word crops up but let's take a second to consider what feminism means, what misinformed people think it means and why it is important within our society.
If you considered scrolling away once you read the word 'feminist' perhaps you'll have a better understanding of why this is by the end of this post.

What is feminism?
Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social and economical grounds to men. Feminism is simply the desire for women or female-identified persons to be treated equally in accordance with their male and male identified counterparts.

Women can be feminists.
Men can be feminist.
Non-binary, genderless or gender lacking folk can be feminist.

Being a feminist simply means you want the same rights for women that men have. It simply means you think people should be treated equally regardless of their assigned gender or gender identity. Simple.

Freud suggested that women suffer from 'penis envy' whereas certain Neo-Freudian responses suggest that it is not the phallus that they envy, but what lurks at the root of phallocentrism: power. By power I mean the assumed societal power men are born heir to.

I think people are often apprehensive to call themselves feminists or to openly associate themselves with feminism because of the inaccurate and negative portrayals of feminism. 'Feminism' is so often used as a derogatory word when all it stands for is the desire for equal treatment. 

To any men or male-identified persons reading this: if you shy away from the term feminist, if you laugh at the term or think it negative, I urge you to reconsider. To consider yourself as anything other than feminist is to suggest you feel that the women in your life shouldn't be on the same level as you. Would you turn around and say to your mother, your sisters, your female friends and other women in your life that they should be treated with less importance and respect than you? 

A demystification on the meaning of feminism will show that it is about basic wants for equality. Sure, there are those out there with more extreme views about feminism itself, but all it is at the end of the day is a desire for equal treatment.