Third-Wave Feminism.

I know men are scared of feminism.

Everything from homosexuality to the Carbon Tax is muddled with misconceptions - anything remotely controversial has sprouted almost every myth and legend possible. Men do not fear women, or the empowerment of women per se - they fear the unknown. We all do.

We've lived a particular way for milennia - we've always lived in a world where men rule. Men still rule, even though they've taken to pretending otherwise. The fact remains that the sex war is, my friends, far from over.

Nobody asks 'what is feminism?' anymore, because we all think we know it. But the truth is, hardly anybody I talk to truly knows the pure goal of feminism. Feminists, such as myself, aim to discover an equal society based on mutual respect between men and women. We don't want to see a shift in power; we want to see a balance of power.

See, now, that isn't so radical, is it?

Equality is not exactly doing the exact same thing, or being counted as one and the same. Of course the sexes are distinc, separate and...beautiful in their own way. But difference should not lead to inequality as it has done across the time and geography of history.

People often ask why, if given the opportunity, I would not be in favour of a heavily matriarchal or gynocentric society. The answer is simple: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We can quibble as to which sex, if any, is more resilient towards power and corruption; but we must agree that we will all eventually fall to the forbidden fruit. Equity, fair distribution of power, equal rights and societal respect of the genders is the only way forward.

I feel that laws may have changed in our favour, but societal values have not. I'm still more an object than a person, and I feel as if women have no socially acceptable way to express their sexuality without being labled in ways that men are not subjected to. I feel almost as if we have a predisposition to favour female purity and turn a blind eye at male promiscuity. Puberty hits us all, you know. At the moment this is the main reason why I consider myself a feminist - the inequality in the societal expectations of male and female sexuality is astounding in a community that considers itself liberal and sophisticated.

I've been attacked fairly often for my feminist stance, but more often than not it's not because of what I believe in and what I stand for, but because they think I subscribe to some lesbian female domination theory etc. etc. I'm not a feminazi, and it's unfair that I am treated as such. I am only trying to stand up for my legal and societal rights. I have the right to be equal to any man who thinks he can better me.

Not so long ago suffragettes were faced with imprisonment and torture for standing up for what is right. Now we the third-wave feminists suffer utter indifference. I feel as if nobody cares about the thousands of women, every day, who are objectified, suppressed, raped, denied their basic rights. Even I, as a relatively well-off, educated girl in a wealthy society, face the senseless discrimination just because I am a woman and proud of it. Not only do we not care about this, we pretend that the situation is otherwise. We are far from equality, so why do we say we are? Look me in the eye and tell me that we've reached what is obviously a far-off goal. We the mothers of humankind should not have to put up with this - I have the right to be what I am and not be branded as a slut, or a feminazi. I am not a nun; I am not made of stone. I have the right to be human.