cover photo: People gather for the Women’s March in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2017. (Reuters / Shannon Stapleton)

N.b.- if you aren’t a feminist, I hope that by the end of this post I have convinced you to become one. If you are already a feminist, I hope that I have just solidified your reasoning for being one. If you are a meninist, go away.

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Enjoy!

I’m gonna be real, when I was younger I didn’t really know what feminism meant. I thought in order to be a feminist you had to go out and protest and shout about it. I also got it confused with misandry, which is the idea that women should be above men.

As I grew older I became aware of things happening around me, from hearing stories from my friends about catcalling or watching the news and hearing about a man who was jailed for beating his wife to death. It seemed like life could be pretty rubbish for women. So obviously, I found myself agreeing with all the things feminists stood for. I mean, why wouldn’t you agree that men and women should be equal? There isn’t really a logical argument against it, other than the fact that you are deluded or a misogynist. Or both.

Also, when I say feminism what I mean is intersectional feminism which is about all women, including women of colour and women from all different cultures, being equal in rights to men. The problem with using the word feminism is that is aossicated with “white feminism”  (white women wanting to be equal to men). As a WOC, intersectional feminism is very important to me,  as although women in general are at a disadvantage, it is clear that women of colour are at a greater disadvantage. It is so strange that it is 2017 and yet we still have to protest and march for equality. Socially, we have barely made progress since the suffrage movement. It’s as if women got the vote and then people thought that was enough.

With everything that is happening right now (thanks to Trump) I think that feminism in general has gained a bigger, more positive image, symbolizing solidarity between women. I think it is so important for more people to join the movement and support each other. It was so amazing to see so many women and men get involved and become part of this global feminism movement. I kind of restores my faith in the human race when I see things like the women’s marches that took place in London and all over America (and the protests at the airports against the Muslim ban- not really to do with feminism but still really cool).

Feminism is more than just a word. It symbolises support and encouragement between people all over the world. This sounds so cheesy, but it really is #girlpower all the way.

LOVE TRUMPS HATE EVERYBODY!!