Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you A BULLET LIST OF REALLY TERRIBLE/STUPID THINGS STILL HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TODAY

DOES IT SOUND LIKE I’M SHOUTING IN YOUR HEAD? I assure you I’m not. It’s just really fun to type in all caps sometimes.

• In the 1780s, around 80,000 people were trafficked during the transatlantic slave trade. Today, 600,000 – 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. 80% of those people are women. Read more about it in Half the Sky.
• Men AND women hating on the word “feminism” because they think feminists or feminazis (because obviously there’s a correlation between feminism and nazism) are crazy women who have no sense of humor and hate all men.
• People in denial about climate change.
• 1 in every 3 women will be sexually abused or assaulted at some point in her life. That statistic is from the United Nations.
• Discrimination. That shit sucks.
• Approximately 60 million children around the world not being able to go to school.
• Last week, some creep strutting down the street thinking it would be fun to snicker and say in a low voice, “Get home safe,” to me and my friends (who were all girls) as we waited at a bus stop.
• Homophobia. That really sucks too.
• There are people who think racial equality and gender equality are mutually exclusive goals and one takes priority over the other. That kinda sucks for us non-white females. I’m just sayin.
• Bullying. (I’ll be devoting a whole post to that soon)

Being a feminist is in everybody’s best interests. Being a feminist is not the polar opposite of being feminine. Men can be and are feminists too. Here’s what it all comes down to: If you believe men and women should have equal rights and opportunities, then you can safely assume that you are a feminist. (Take that as good news or bad news). Someone calling you a feminist isn’t an insult. Be who you are and say what you feel. Take Tyrion Lannister’s advice and wear what you are like armor.

Adding on to the point I’m trying to make: If there are still women who are victims of acid attacks, who are gang-raped and beaten to death on a bus in India, who are denied the right to an education, who are mocked and called “bitches” at work when they show leadership skills, who are harassed on the street everyday simply because of the clothes they are wearing…then there is something fundamentally wrong with the way things are running. Sheryl Sandberg might be on to something –> More women in leadership positions means a better future for women everywhere. And considering women make up half the global population, that makes the entire world a better place. For everyone.

You may not like feminism, but…

There is much work to be done. Don’t you agree?