Feminism -- it is a term that inspires a spectrum of emotions that range from undying passion to unabashed disgust. The first time that I gave serious thought to where my heart stood on this spectrum was in a Women's Studies course during my freshman year of college. In my mind was the American stereotype of a feminist: a bra-burning, man-hating, and somewhat-hairy old maid. As a self-proclaimed, loudmouth liberal that despises patriarchy and other forms of gender discrimination, I wanted to call myself a feminist, but I could not align myself with that unfeminine stereotype.

Being a collector of high heels, lover of men, and an abuser of feminine guile, I felt as though claiming to be a feminist would be in turn proving to be a hypocrite. Then I came to the revelation that perhaps it is not feminism that I could not come to terms...