Before we start, would you mind watching this video for me? It's what got me thinking about feminism this week.

Feminism is a confusing topic. Maybe it shouldn't be, but it is. It has a strong connotation, that word. Often times, it carries a negative connotation. (Perhaps it's similar to the word "Christian" - a lot of people have a lot of negative feelings when they hear that word because a lot of people have said and done a lot of ignorant things in the name of Christianity.)

To be completely and totally honest, when I hear "feminist" I sometimes think that means "man-hater." Or I think of someone who denounces or looks down upon those who believe in "traditional family constructs". I think women growing their armpit hair out, tweeting about tampons being oppressive, and calling Father's Day a celebration of male dominance and patriarchal society. Go do a Google image search of "feminism" and you'll see what stereotypes I'm referring to.

At the same time, a part of me thinks about the times I haven't been taken seriously at work because of my strong sense of empathy towards my co-workers. I think about the many female stereotypes in the media, portraying women mostly as "crazy," "over-dramatic," and "psychotic". I think of my least favorite line in The Office that makes me cringe every time I hear it, when Todd Packer tells Michael to "hike up [his] skirt and pull out [his] tampon, borrow some balls, and come meet [him]!" I think about the over-sexualization of women in our society. I think about rape culture and the things I do to protect myself from sexual harassment every day. I think about women being misrepresented in leadership positions. I think about statistically proven economic inequality in the workplace. 

I'm not the only one that struggles with this word. Just last week on Huffington Post, an article was posted on Emma Watson's use of the word "feminism" in a speech she recently gave. She was quoted as saying, "I was encouraged not to use the word 'feminism' because people felt that it was alienating and separating and the whole idea of the speech was to include as many people as possible... But I thought long and hard and ultimately felt that it was just the right thing to do. If women are terrified to use the word, how on earth are men supposed to start using it?"

Feminism is defined as "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." And the simple truth is, I'm a feminist. And I'm a Christian. And I'm a homemaker. And I'm thankful I live in a day and age where I can challenge norms, speak my mind, seek out truth, and post publicly on my own platform.

I think this word "feminism" needs to be redeemed. What about you? What do you think?