"I'm not a crazy feminist."

"I don't think that women should be paid less for the same job that men do just because they are women. I'm not one of those crazy feminists, but that's what I think."

"Don't go saying I'm a feminist now, but it really bothers me when men feel like the friendzone is a real thing."

"I'm NOT a feminist, but I am offended on the behalf of all women about this website called creepshots and I am taking a stand for women."

"I'm not a psycho like those feminists are, but I think that women should have control over their own bodies."

The amount of times I have heard variations of these phrases the last few days alone (not to mention my entire lifetime) is absolutely sickening. I literally feel physically ill thinking about this, and hearing this.

STOP IT. JUST STOP.

Guess what? If you believe the things listed above, you ARE a feminist. If you feel the need to strive for equality for women, you ARE a feminist. If your heart hurts realizing that just because you are a woman, you have an inherently more difficult pathway through life than men do, you ARE a feminist.

STOP BEING AFRAID OF THE WORD.

STOP LETTING THE PATRIARCHY BRAINWASH YOU INTO THINKING THAT FEMINISM IS A BAD THING.

If you are under the false impression that feminists are "crazy" and "psycho" and "dangerous" it is because you have allowed the patriarchy to convince you that being a woman and fighting for your freedom is dangerous. Can we just take a second to realize how incredibly twisted it is that men have convinced women (and other men alike) that feminism is a dirty word and a horrible thing to be? Do you want to know why that is? Why the anti-feminist propaganda is pushed around so frequently and so easily swallowed by those around you?

Fear. It is because of fear. Men fear change. They fear the absence of the inherent privilege that they have enjoyed their entire lifetimes. They fear women no longer giving into their desires. They fear women becoming just as powerful as they are.

If you have an issue with the mentioning of male privilege because you have also been brainwashed into thinking that it doesn't exist, check this out: http://www.amptoons.com/blog/the-male-privilege-checklist/

I am a feminist, and I am proud. I will not be silenced. I will not be led into thinking I should feel bad about it. I am not going to give into the pressures I face on a daily basis where people judge me and criticize me for being open about my beliefs. And I will not stand for being called psychotic for standing up for myself as a woman. Take a second to think. Educate yourself on what feminism actually is before you throw names around.