Life

Feminism Is Not a Dirty Word

by Nathalie O'Neill

Go on, "use the F-word"—or so asks new website Onward and F-Word. Its mission is to get both ladies and gents to pick up the banner of gender equality and stop treating feminism like a dirty word.

According to their mission statement, "We do not want to idealize the current state of women's rights. We want to move it forward." Well, that's something with which we can get on board.

Hopping over to the website, you'll see it acts as a compilation of articles, photos, and videos from all over the web. There's also a blog where people share their personal stories and links to resources such as Planned Parenthood.

Onward and F-Word was founded by women's rights activist Jaclyn Munson, who was inspired by the story of Sara Kruzan, a victim of trafficking who has been convicted of murdering the man who forced her into prostitution as a child.

We can only hope Onward and F-Word gets more people—male and female—to stand up and proudly call themselves feminists. In that vein, the website wants to "[create] a dialogue that is accessible to both men and women." Most of the blog posts are also about speaking up instead of letting these issues lay silent.

You've got to love Onward and F-Word's focus on bringing both men and women into this discussion. As women grow to have more power, men need to let go and share their power. Feminism is too often misunderstood as male vs. female, when really, it's all about working together to get everyone to equality. Men need feminism just as much as women. Feminism is not a dirty word.