I am a feminist.

I know that at least a few of you have already, unconsciously or consciously, jumped to a few conclusions just because of those four words. I don't blame you. Feminists have gained a bad name because of the ones that are less than savoury. We know the kind; the stereotypical stupid feminist that says that men are pigs, then follows up with saying that women are equal to men. These are the ones that get the most attention in the media. The thing is, they represent a very small fraction of us. Thinking that all feminists are like those kinds is like judging the human race based on Paris Hilton and Kanye West.

I have always felt that I need to work harder, do better, than my brother, simply because I am a girl. Don't get me wrong--my mother and father are some of the most equal opportunity people you will ever meet. Even still, I feel like to get people's approval, I need yo do more than what my brother does, and that simply isn't fair. We shouldn't have to feel like that simply because of things that have been programmed and drilled into our subconscious.

I honestly feel offended that the female population is referred to as "the fair sex." That makes us sound like we're just objects, put on this Earth to please. That's wrong. We are just as capable of doing things as men. We have talents; we have skills; we have abilities; and most importantly, we gave minds of our own. We can decide what we want to do, and we shouldn't be put down for using that ability. I'm not even saying that men are the ones putting us down. I recognize that women do the exact same thing. And that, my friends, is possibly the stupidest thing ever. We have had these false ideas put into our heads for so long, it's hard to tell the difference.

I don't want these stereotypes anymore. I despise these stereotypes that have been brought about by similar arguments too. I do not want to stay at home watching children, I don't want to cook, I don't want to babysit, I don't want to dress up as if I were some sort of sex toy. If I want to wear pants, let me wear pants. But the thing is, these reverse stereotypes are just as bad. I wear pants all the time, but that shouldn't automatically place me into some sort of general area. If a man wears a Tilley hat often, that doesn't make him some sort of adventurer, making documentaries about dangerous animals in the outback, just because of his clothes. Also, if I don't like sports, it isn't because I'm the victim of stereotyping. It's because I don't like sports. I shouldn't have to bump into these things everywhere I go.

So please, can we just do away with sexism, without conjuring up even more problems in the process?