Whenever someone asks if I am a feminist, I always hesitate to answer. I believe that women and men are equals and that in today’s society they are not treated as such, so in theory I am, right? There just seems to be such a negative connotation surrounding the word feminist.

The term itself evokes images of the stereotypical liberal-extremist, man-loathing woman who has not shaved or worn a bra in years. This type of woman, I am not. In fact, most feminists do not line up with this archetype. Any woman who supports feminism is a feminist, and by definition, feminism is the the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Despite this, many people are very uncomfortable when asked about feminism. I asked several male students if they would consider themselves feminists, and — after the initial awkwardness — they explained that while they agree with the principles and beliefs of the movement, they do not like calling themselves “feminists” due to the controversy associated with the term. I can understand their positions; I mean, if you consider yourself a proud male feminist then good for you, but I do not see many guys confidently walking around in pink, knitted cat-eared hats, nor do I expect to.

The bizarre thing is that many of the female students who I approached about feminism displayed the same discomfort that the guys did. Not many people, even girls, were willing to outrightly declare whether they supported feminism. I received a lot of “well I support gender equality, but I would not necessarily call myself a feminist” type answers. This begs to ask the question: Is there a difference between supporting gender equality and supporting feminism? Or is this just a way for some he-man-woman-haters to save face?

Gender equality is the state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender, and this parallels the principles of feminism. They are, in fact, the same idea. I understand that this information is not going to change anyone’s mind about anything, but it is worth mentioning that we should not let the few people who are being disrespectful and just flat-out annoying ruin it for the millions of men and women who are genuinely fighting for change.

People everywhere have been buzzing about women’s rights and feminism recently — especially in the wake of Trump’s Inauguration. The Women’s March that took place in cities all over the nation and the world was one event that featured feminists everywhere, both men and women, coming together to exercise their rights to protest society’s attitude towards women. The Washington Post claims that over five million people marched all over the world. I personally did not take part in the march, mostly because I did not even know it was happening until it happened, and while I am sure that many people were annoyed over pictures from the march blowing up their Instagram feeds, I wish I could have taken part in it. Revere seniors Cailtyn Auletta and  Maya Mackiegan-Moore did, however, have the opportunity to attend. Mackiegan-Moore explained that her mother heard about the March through Facebook, and she, her mother and Auletta attended together. Mackeigan-Moore considers herself a feminist, and she elaborated on what feminism means to her.

“To me, being a feminist just simply means that I believe women should have the same political, social, and economic rights that men enjoy. That’s all. If you believe that men and women are equal, then you are a feminist, and I obviously believe that men and women are equal. There’s a weird myth out there that feminists want to overpower men or hate chivalry or don’t want to get married and have children or hate stay-at-home moms, but that’s just simply not the case. Feminists just want equal opportunity for men and women: equal pay for equal work, being able to walk at night without having to worry about sexual assault, and not having the burden of the expectation that a woman’s sole purpose is to get married and raise a family,” Mackiegan-Moore said.

Concerning the criticism some people have brought up about the alleged vulgar signs and inappropriate behavior of the protesters, Auletta clarified that she saw no such behavior and that all the marchers she saw were doing so peacefully.

We need to come together to shut down the negativity surrounding the feminist movement. To do so, both the feminists and the “gender equality” supporters need to work out their differences and realize they are fighting the same battle, because while it is all fun and games riling up your local feminist and telling her to get back in the kitchen, she (or he) is not going anywhere and neither is the feminist movement.

Data compiled by Mason Owens via Twitter poll @masonator25.