Your Average Feminist Isn’t Naked and Angry

Spoiler: I’m wearing a pajama set

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I had an interesting conversation about feminism the other day. It made me realize that not all women know what feminism truly is — and what it is not.

This got me thinking: If there are still women who don’t consider themselves feminists due to outdated stereotypes, how can we expect more men to be feminists themselves?

A lovely girl — let’s call her Xo — that I haven’t known for long asked me recently, “What truly is feminism? Because I imagine feminists as women protesting naked and angry in the streets.”

Was I surprised by such a cliché? A little bit, yes. But also, not really — because that’s how feminism was branded for the longest time, almost two decades ago (you know, the group). And I guess that just stuck in people’s minds. Who knows?

My friend and I immediately said, “No, of course not” and went on to explain our views on the subject — views that, I believe, reflect the factual definition of feminism:

Feminism is about gender equality, but it’s also about women being exactly who they want to be — not who society, men, a regime, or anyone else tells them to be. This means I can be a feminist and go topless at the beach just as much as I can be a feminist and dress…