Am I a Feminist?

For a long time I sort of just assumed that feminism is something completely innate to all women.  Being a woman and being a feminist seems to go hand in hand.  However, lately I've realized that this definition seems to vary for each individual.  A quick Google search yields this definition:

fem·i·nism

ˈfeməˌnizəm/

noun

noun: feminism

1. the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

But what does Feminism mean to me?  Well for one, feminism means not supporting those who are against gender equality.  Can you really call yourself a feminist if you are against equal pay and equal treatment in the social and political landscape? Not in my view.

There is an aspect I struggle with.  Is equal treatment with regard to sexual promiscuity a feminist concept?  Some would argue that feminism means not being a thot.  Thots can't be feminists because thots by definition are women who are sexually promiscuous (the word is an acronym for "that hoe over there").  No matter how progressive the women's movement has been, by society's current standards there is nothing empowering about promiscuity.  I don't judge people who choose to share their body with everyone, and it has nothing to do with women's rights and gender equality.  Perhaps even use of the word itself is anti-feminist, I don't know.  But while there are many ways to define what isn't feminism, it seems to me there are many schools of thought and philosophies about what it is.  It also seems possible to agree with and support the general idea of the advancement of women's rights while supporting concepts and philosophies that contradict the those embedded in feminism.  Which is why I wonder whether calling someone a thot in the first place means I am not a feminist.

It's all so confusing.  It is just a title though.  I am not one for titles and placing myself in a respective box so that it makes it easy for others to think they have me figured out.  I do think that the movement has brought some positive attention to women's rights.  I also think there are some people that use the term without really defining it for themselves.  I suppose one is entitled to support equal treatment in some aspects and not others.  Where does the line get drawn?

I will continue to support advancements in women's rights until we really get to run the world.  In the meantime, I will be inspired by news like this: http://jezebel.com/aol-ceo-to-lead-venture-fund-aimed-at-female-led-startu-1629743454