This past week I decided to venture to the “Moments” icon on Twitter and noticed a headline that was interesting, “How Women Are Written in Hollywood” by @femscriptintros. I perused through the tweets and had one question: How are men written in Hollywood? And then came another one: Is this supposed to be promoting feminism? And another: Do people even know the definition of “feminism” anymore? Another: Is feminism what I think it is? Did the original feminists want this for today? Why do people over-react with gender and race differences?

I have a few thoughts and answers after doing some researching of my own through the Internet. The official definition of feminism, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. I have been called naive before because of my opinion on this topic, but my opinion is a valid part of a larger argument: women have equal rights and opportunities as men do in society nowadays. The women, however, may be too focused on gaining rights they already have to take the opportunity their rights give them, such as college education, political office positions, voting, etc.

The word “feminist” often times create an imagery of Susan B. Anthony protesting for women’s rights to vote and to have the same wages as men. Feminism, or women’s rights, began as a gaining equal rights for women as men did in the 1800s into the 1900s. They gained the right to vote in the early 1900s, but many women did not actually vote. They simply could say they had that right if they wanted to cast a ballet. Many blame the small outcomes on Prohibition, Great Depression, World War Two, etc. All simple excuses to not go and vote. While these time periods were great and impactful in the nation’s history, nothing was deterring the men to go and vote. Why not hitch a ride alongside those men with whom one strived to be equal?

A few summers ago, in 2014, some famous female celebrities, like Emma Watson and Taylor Swift, spoke out about the harsh ideas of a third-wave feminist. Many believe feminists nowadays work their entire lives to bash men. Feminism should not be about that. Feminism is about equality… EQUALITY! Equality and understanding of the limits of each gender. That is the focus of feminism.

I have a conversation with one of my closest friends about our idea of feminism and gender equality about once a month. We often talk about the idea of “women” jobs, like being a stay-at-home mom, secretary, etc. Our conversation usually drifts the idea of a double standard, but not for women, for men. As a society we look at the minorities like women and African-Americans. We completely blame the majority like men and whites. Why blame one side? We victimize one group and make the others the criminals, but that is not the reality. Everyone in society is responsible for whatever stereotypes its citizens believe. Breaking the stereotypes is what should be occurring, not proving women are better than men. There will be things men can naturally do easier than a woman can. There will be things women can naturally do easier than a man can.

There are physical differences as well, such as the private parts. There are two movements with similar beliefs, but different messages, one of which I support and the other I completely disagree with: #FreeTheNipple movement and then being able to breastfeed in public without having people look away in disgust. The #FreeTheNipple movement is about women being able to walk around without shirts or bras on because men are able to do the same thing. The difference is this: Breasts are part of a woman’s privates, while on men it is not. These women, calling themselves feminists, are what make other women afraid to call themselves a feminist as well. The second movement from above is about feeding a child when they need food. This is a necessity. If women should be able to fulfill this duty as a mother and feed the child in public without shame. There are amazing inventions women can use as well to cover up any parts that could make others uncomfortable.

Differences exist, and, as a society, we accept. Once we accept those beliefs then we can move forward. Teen-agers and new adults need to be able to understand the definition of feminism and why they should be able to support. Feminism is not a word from which to shy away, but rather feminism can be embraced and re-defined into a modern definition. Become a feminist of the 21st century.