The word feminist can sometimes have a negative meaning depending on who is defining the word. I never thought I would even questioned the fact that I really believe deep down I am a feminist. According to Webster’s Dictionary a feminist is a person who believes in organized activities in support of women’s rights and interests. It also defined feminist as the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. I never have been focused on the word feminist because I believe we live in a society that put labels on things but create a bad stigma behind the labels.
In this case, I believe the word feminist consistently has been misconstrued to society. I recently took a quiz that identified whether you were a feminist or not and to my surprise it stated I was a full blood feminist. I am not the type of woman who likes to be defined by labels and I never let labels make me or break me. Labels are used to categorize things which can sometimes limit our ability to be more. Labels are used to minimize who we truly are to put us in a box. I never like to be put into a box because as we grow we change and continue to expand. However, as I further decipher the word feminist I realize it is nothing to run from but embrace. I am truly a woman who loves things that are centered on women empowerment, uplifting women and inspiring women to be more than what society says they should be.
It is our duty as women to make sure we are upholding the right image of what a lady should be due to the responsibility to the younger generation of girls. As a mother I constantly express to my daughter to be her own person, never try to fit in with the crowd but blend out. In society we constantly try to make others fit into a certain category but it takes bravery to step out the norm. And being a woman who believes in equality I guess I am a feminist in my own right. Feminism for me is about embracing your inner strength as woman breaking societal validation and being true to yourself. If this is what makes me a feminist well I can proudly say that I am. Every woman I believe is a feminist if we take the time to embrace our inner feminism and love ourselves completely. A woman is powerful when she knows her power uses it wisely to educate other woman about their worth and bridge the gap of tearing down the wrong images of women. So am I feminist, according to my definition I can embrace the word wholeheartedly.
