#deaddeads

You Are Not A Feminist If...

You think men should have extra benefits, freedoms, and rights just for being men

You think a woman should become attached to a man as early in her life as possible, get married, have children, and care for the family and home, to the exclusion of all other activities

You think women are like domestic animals and should be treated like cattle, chattel, slaves, subjects

You think a person's intellect and abilities are related to their sex

Not you? That all sounds archaic and uncool? Then you are a feminist. 

Welcome!

Broadly-defined, feminism is not just Team Woman, it's Team Human.

So, now what? First, you can relax. It's very common to feel this way about women. There are multiple shades, grades, levels, colors, applications, and depths within feminism and feminist philosophy, and if you would like to explore these and further define your stance here - GREAT. However, you are not required to join any clubs, read any books, dress differently, or even tell anyone. Go about your daily business. Perhaps start playing the Bechdel Test Game whenever you're chatting about movies - it makes for interesting, easy conversation and is truly eye-opening. As far as I'm concerned, you can even make juvenile remarks like "that's good...for a girl" and still fall under the feminist umbrella. It's not just men that say these things. Pretty sure I've said this in some context or another without realizing it. Nobody is perfect. But think about what Billy said the other day, maybe bite your tongue next time.

It's that simple. Ladies, you don't have to man-bash now, and gentlemen, don't worry about whether opening the door for a woman or calling her a girl is going to piss her off or not. Be yourself, respect one another as individuals, and BOOM you will be making the world a better place.