Of all the things that have become trendy this past year, feminism has been the most polarizing and, at least for me, the most influential. The whole “I am woman, hear me roar!” campaign has inspired girls and women of all ages.

However, the more I dig into becoming a feminist, the more I realize how many people are intimidated by the movement.

The negative connotations that are attached to feminism begin with the public scrutiny the word has received. Rush Limbaugh coined the term “feminazi”. Pat Robertson (a conservative Republican) said feminism is witchcraft and influences women to murder their children.

Where did they get the idea that feminists are bad? Why are some people so insecure and unable to support the idea that women are men’s EQUALS?

Of all things women deserve, being treated as equals tops the list. That is at the core of feminism; we are fighting for the equal rights we deserve. The gender pay gap is real, with women making 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Women of color make even less, with Hispanic women at 64 cents and black women at 53 cents for every dollar. Every one in five women has been or will be raped. Every one in four women becomes a victim of domestic violence.

It’s still hard to be a woman in this society; it’s still dangerous. Yes things have gotten better, but the change has been slow. The change hasn’t been fast enough. The change hasn’t been significant enough. The renewed and strengthened feminist movement couldn’t have come at a better time.

What does it mean exactly to be a feminist?

No, it doesn’t mean you’ve forsaken all men or you can’t listen to Chris Brown’s music or you can’t shave your legs. It doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to not like other girls; it doesn’t mean you HAVE to vote for Hillary Clinton; it doesn’t mean you can’t watch porn.

It means you acknowledge that women deserve equal rights. It means that you support women and their fight against misogyny. It means that you won’t stand by and let a woman suffer because she’s not a man.

Men aren’t excluded from the feminist movement either. A few men have come to the forefront to announce their allegiance to the feminist movement. That’s a brave thing to do considering all of the backlash they could and usually do receive for it.

“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights, the world will be a better place… We are better off when women are empowered — it leads to a better society,” said John Legend, a stand out male feminist, singer/songwriter.

Let’s be real; it’s 2015, and feminism has been polluted by various media propaganda. There is literally a twitter called Menist that is aimed at mocking feminism and promoting male supremacy, for example:

“I don’t understand why women wear watches when there’s a perfectly good clock on the stove,” Menist had tweeted.

The lack of creativity for their “jokes” is insulting enough but the fact that they think this is remotely clever is pathetic.

That is exactly why we need feminism. Masculinity has become so fragile that the thought of feminism shakes insecure men to their core. It’s not like feminists are these big bad wolves coming to castrate opponents of feminism. Feminists are not a terrorist group.

Feminism is a progressive movement. All they want is that women enjoy same rights accorded men. Nothing is wrong with that.