When people say “I don’t like feminists” I can’t help but almost chuckle.. (It’s an angry chuckle, but I still laugh). I say this, because recently a friend of mine went out with a guy who I had been friends with for a while. Super cool guy. However, my friend told this guy that I was taking a “feminist” class-let me remind you, my class is actually titled “Women’s Studies 101” but that’s besides the point. Anyways, he said “Really, she is?” and quickly said “I don’t like feminists”. So apparently, this dude whom I thought was my friend doesn’t like me because I’m a feminist… okay guy. There are so many common misconceptions about feminists out there. Just to point out a handful: feminists hate men, feminists are lesbians, feminists are angry “whiny women”, and feminists reject motherhood, and reject all things feminine. Yes, there are some truth to those myths..but just like any stereotype, they are not 100% true, and don’t apply solely to every feminist. Like all ideologies or beliefs, feminism has its extremes. There’s a spectrum of feminism. Some would say they’re “kind of a feminist” because they think women should be equal but aren’t as “feisty” or angry as the “true” feminists. Feminists don’t hate men. In fact, I am a feminist, and I love a man. I appreciate men and the things that they do. but I don’t appreciate their privilege and power. Feminism seeks to reveal the inequalities amongst all oppressed groups of people in our society. Any sort of “ism” applies to this. Whether it’s dealing with gender inequality, racism, ageism, or ableism, feminism wants to make things equal for everyone. It’s such a shame that it has such a bad rep because of the misconception of how radical feminism can be.