Feminism Defined

The term "feminist" is such a controversial and complex term that its meaning drastically changes depending on who you ask. Especially now, in our political climate, the term has taken many different forms. I remember the feeling of frustration and annoyance upon overhearing two of my more opinionated peers attempting to educate a feminist about the very principles she adapted into her life. They informed her that despite her belief, she was not a feminist but a egalitarian. "A feminist," they told her, "is somebody who believes women to better than men." They went on to say that because she was "chill" she qualified as a egalitarian because she didn't shove the activist ideology down their throats. They proudly sauntered away thinking that they had made an influential clarification that would change this woman's life. There are thousands of people who think that they alone have the right definition. The truth is that the term has a complex and elaborate history spanning over 180 years and 3 distinct cultural movements. For each era, the word means something slightly different, but there's always been one overarching message: a feminist is somebody who believes in and fights for the equality of everyone, regardless of gender.
Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same way about the interpretation of the word. I believe that there are many who feel threatened by what feminists are working towards: social and legal equality for everyone. Scores of people who don't understand what feminism is are trying to demean what these men and women are working for by imposing their own absurd definitions to the word. It's because of these people's misinterpretations that we have such a widespread meaning of the term. For instance, one particular anonymous blogger refers to feminists as, "an ugly and/or emotionally inept woman who feels that the problems in her life are caused by her gender rather than her own incompetence and sloth. Rather than bettering a woman's situation in the world, they'd much rather try to drag men down to their level of filth/incompetence." It's these people who make it hard for society to really get a good hold on the word and see it for what it really is.
If we take a look and delve into the origins of the word it may make it easier to define. The term "féminisme" was coined by a French philosopher named Charles Fourier in 1837. A few years later the term was used to define the movement during the 19th and early 20th century, where women demanded legal equality to men. Their main platforms were the promotion of equal contract, marriage, parenting, property rights for women and of course, the right to vote. The term suffragette was also used to describe these women. They didn't really focus themselves on the social aspect of equality and there certainly wasn't any inkling of intersectionality during this movement, either. It was led by white women and primarily focused on white women with women of color being pushed to the sidelines. The 19th amendment certainly didn't affect all women. However in the years to come, a second wave of feminism crashed upon the beaches of society. Beginning in the late 1950s, the women's liberation movement began to promote women getting jobs, question the woman's role in her family, and empower her to embrace her sexuality. Although this was a big step in the right direction, this movement definitely had its shortcomings; things like race, sexual orientation, and class were talked about but never delved into fully. The result of these flaws ultimately paved the way for the third-wave of feminists.
Now, feminists are determined to fix the issues that the generation before them couldn't. At the core of the third-wave feminists' beliefs is intersectionality. The idea of intersectionality is that various human aspects have interwoven and influential relationships and nothing stands on it's own. Therefore, race and feminism aren't necessarily isolated from each other, but affect each other in turn. Third-wave feminists also challenge the idea of heteronormativity and use sexuality as a means of female empowerment. This is what feminism is today: teaching women to embrace themselves no matter who they are. Feminists, true feminists, want to create a positive and safe environment, where everybody is given equal opportunities and an even playing field.
It's this definition of feminists that I want to be the one that everybody thinks of when they are the word. I don't want people to think that feminists believe they are superior to men or that women are using their gender identity as an excuse to be hypocritical and argumentative. I recommend that you spread the word on what the true meaning of the term is. If you see somebody misusing it, call them out on it. As Gloria Steinem once said, "A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men."