Feminism is not about hating men. (AnonMoos, Wikimedia Commons)

Not surprisingly, Erickson argued that it was unnatural, or rather “anti-science,” that a woman should be the primary breadwinner in the family. A woman’s place, Erickson said, was to be at home nurturing the children. Dobbs on the other hand was smug and threw some low blows at Kelly, at one point even sarcastically calling her the “dominant one.” Kelly took it like a champ and, using simple facts, annihilated them. 

But even as she deconstructed the ignorant, sexist and just plain wrong conceptions held by Erickson and Dobbs, Kelly also denounced the very movement that fights against such conceptions every day. At one point during the interview Kelly was quick to deny she was a feminist, although she used basic feminist principles to argue her case. 

This, right here, drives me absolutely crazy. Feminism is not about hating men, which is a gross and, unfortunately, widely accepted misconception. Lady Gaga even once said in an interview that she was not a feminist because she loved men and celebrated American male culture. But identifying as a feminist doesn't stop someone from celebrating the male gender. Nor is feminism about being a liberal leftist, as some would like to believe—it’s about equality.

I am a feminist, but I do not hate men. In fact, I love men. I am a feminist, but I also do not consider myself to be on the extreme liberal side of the political spectrum. Feminism isn't defined by either of these things. Feminism is about we, as women, having equal opportunities and being able to make our own decisions free from unreasonable societal demands. Many of my life goals that I work tirelessly everyday to achieve would have never been possible without the brave feminists before me, and to ignore that would be naïve. 

So, can we please stop being scared of the word feminism and embrace the good things it stands for? It has brought women so many freedoms and opportunities thus far. 

Reach Deputy News Editor Danielle Tarasiuk here; follow her here.