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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Waterloo chapter.

With all the recent controversial views about what feminism is, I think it’s about time to clear some things up. So here are 7 things on how to be a feminist.

 

1. Get Educated

To truly associate yourself with a group of people, you must know what you’re representing. A feminist is someone who supports “advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men”.

 

 

2. Don’t Hate Men

The movement isn’t about blaming men for the past, it’s about coming together and working towards a better future for everyone. Besides, there are plenty of male feminists out there.

 

 

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Label Yourself

A lot of people refrain from calling themselves a feminist because of misconceptions of their goals. I’m sure if people knew what you were really supporting, the majority of them would be on board.

 

 

4. Encourage the People Around You

Try to help both males and females understand the important issues in our society and why they affect each and every one of us. The more you share, the more they know, the more people you empower!

 

 

5. Advocate for What You Think Is Right

Always stand firm with your beliefs and speak your mind. There are many cases where women are denied opportunities and don’t bother or are too afraid to talk about it – don’t be that person!

 

 

6. Accept That People Can Have Different Opinions

Not everyone will share the same point of view as you, and that’s okay! Don’t let yourself down, some people just see things differently.

 

 

7. CHALLENGE THEM

Challenge the barriers, the people who believe there is no reason for feminists, the ones who tell you “you can’t”, because believe me, you can.

 

I enjoy naps, cake and sarcasm. Besides that I'm in Honours Science at the University of Waterloo!
University of Waterloo Honours French and Business 2019, Her Campus Waterloo Campus Correspondent, Social Media Guru, Tech enthusiast.  Fluent in emoji, HTML and CSS. Avid reader of Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Mashable & Tech Crunch. Follow on twitter @jena_tweets