You're a hardcore feminist. I swear.

I loved the article "You're a hardcore feminist. I swear.," because I felt it addressed many issues and stereotypes that people associate with feminism. I call myself a feminist. Yet, my father seems to think that the 'typical' feminist hates men and is a lesbian. This stereotype has led to many interesting dinner conversations...no dad, I have not made the political decision to become a lesbian... I have met some feminist lesbians (one in particular who is a lesbian out of political choice), but I feel there are lots of non-lesbian feminists in this world, too...like me. As a feminist, I do not consider myself a man-hater. I support male rights. For example, I see male circumcision as a crime against men. I will be the first one to stand up and defend men when it comes to circumcision. My other favorite stereotype that I get when I tell people I am minoring in Women's Studies is "haha, dyke studies..." Yep, that's a good one. I've learned to shrug off the stereotypes, because I love working with and learning about women and gender too much to let stereotypes get in my way. In fact, now when I tell peers that I want to be a gynecologist, I usually just look at them and say "Yep, I want to look at vaginas all day." Somehow blatantly mentioning the word vagina wipes the awkward look off of their faces.

I don't feel like I am an 'exception' to the feminist stereotype, because I feel the stereotypes are false. I am a typical woman who wants rights for humanity and equality for women, and therefore, I am a typical feminist. I like how Valenti described the feminist T-shirt in the article which states "This is what feminism looks like." The shirt tries to emphasize that feminists are normal people. Good stuff... Personally, I am not bothered by stereotypes, but I can see how many women would be. I like how Valenti tries to normalize feminism. Hopefully, her efforts will work and more women will identify as feminists.