Before we start, we want to make sure everyone knows this article has been written with respect for Christian women and men all over the world. We understand this topic is controversial, so please understand we aren’t trying to shove the ideas Women’s Republic stands for down anyone’s throat, and we welcome all feedback as long as it comes from respect. Read this article with an open mind and don’t judge it for its title. Thank you.

I believe God is about love. After all, the main message from Jesus Christ was to love each other in the same way he had loved us. Not to love the rich ones, the beautiful ones, the perfect ones, but to love every person. To be kind to one another, to act always with respect. With that being said, I understand that the Bible is controversial. There are as many ways to understand the Bible as Christians there are in the world. My point, however, is that this happens with feminism too. There are as many ways to be a feminist as women there are in the world. And we are going to try to explain why you can be a feminist too.

First of all, feminism isn’t about impositions. It goes against them. Feminists aren’t telling you to refuse maternity if that’s what you want (I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember! And I want as many kids as possible!). We aren’t trying to say that you can’t have to be the one who stays at home and takes care of the children if that’s what you want. We aren’t trying to say you have to work out of the household, or you have to make more money than your husband if that’s not what you want. We aren’t trying to say you have to be against cooking, baking, or cleaning the house. The only thing we are saying is that you should do these things if these things are what you want to do. Not something they have pushed into you, but rather something you have chosen. Just as simple as that.

Secondly, feminism isn’t about hating men. Coming from a straight girl, I can tell you this: I love my boyfriend, and I have loved other guys before. I also admire and love my father, my grandfather, every one of my cousins and uncles. And I don’t think they are bad. I don’t believe they are criminals. And the fact that I’m a feminist doesn’t mean I don’t expect them to treat me with respect just for my gender or to open the door for me sometimes, or to pay for dinner. It just means I want them to do this because they feel like doing it, not because it is their duty. I also want them to understand sometimes I want to give them presents or pay their lunch on pay-day just because I love them too. But no, feminism doesn’t entitle me to put down men. I can promise you that.

Thirdly, I want to tell you you have the right to stand against abortion if your beliefs are those. It doesn’t mean every feminist is going to agree, but for the WR team, we try to respect people’s ideas and beliefs. I don’t wish to get an abortion. I don’t think I would get one, but as much as I don’t wish this upon me, I don’t have the power to tell other women what to do with their bodies. As much as you as a Christian might not like to hear this, women have the right to choose if they want to give birth or not to a child whom they can’t provide for or a child who was conceived after rape. You have the power to let these women know they aren’t alone, or that there are other options, but the last word will always be of that woman. And that is okay. But it’s also okay if you don’t agree with it. It’s not like we have a list, and you have to check off all the items to become a feminist. We won’t ask for anything more than respect.

Last but not least, I want to let you know that, deep inside, you already are a feminist. You are a feminist the moment you don’t want double standards, and you preach abstinence (if that’s your choice) should be both for women and men, and you don’t condemn women who decided to have sex. You are a feminist when you stand against ridiculous dress codes that don’t allow you to get an education because you distract men with your shoulders. You are a feminist if you were outraged with the Stanford rapist sentence. You are a feminist if you understand you that getting drunk is not something women should be afraid of because it’s nowhere near normal that 1 in every five female college students get raped on American campuses. You are a feminist when you give your best friend that pep talk about how she doesn’t owe her body to any guy. You are a feminist when you say women shouldn’t be paid less for doing the same job as men. You are a feminist when you acknowledge that you are proud of your body, even if it doesn’t fit the norm. You are a feminist when you want your future or current daughters to have the freedom to choose who they wish to become.

You shouldn’t be afraid to be a feminist because it does not contradict your beliefs. You don’t have to agree with every other feminist to be a feminist. I’m sorry, but if you re-read these articles you so proudly shared (and I don’t blame you: if they were true, I would never call myself a feminist!), you will see how they aren’t true to the definition of feminism (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/it-is-okay-not-to-be-feminist and https://www.theodysseyonline.com/female-over-feminists).

The fact that some women act the ways these articles describe in the name of feminism (putting hate upon men, pushing you into not being domestic or nurturing) does not mean feminism stands for that. And let me tell you, sentences that come from those articles too like “I consider myself to be a strong and independent female” are what feminism DOES stand for. You can consider yourself that thanks to feminism. Exclusively.

You can be a feminist. You need to be one. “I don’t know if anyone would ever deny being a feminist. It certainly is made into something of a caricature these days. I think it’s demonized for the sake of trivializing feminist beliefs. But I think being a feminist simply means you believe in equal rights, and I think if you ask anybody if they believe in equal rights, they’ll say yes, man or woman. And if they don’t — who the heck would say that?” — Leighton Meester.