Feminism – the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

It’s sounds pretty simple to be honest, and it’s something we should all be for. So why is the word itself so polarizing?

As a teen/young adult, my thoughts on Feminism were similar to Zig and Tiny’s in #ButThatsNoneOfMyBusiness: not hostile, just dismissive. Recently Degrassi’s lifestyle channel The Dot TV talked about feminism, and I wrote up a lengthy post about how my views on it have shifted over the years. An excerpt:

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It took finding myself in a TV show fandom, surrounded by female friends who identify as Feminists, to fully realize and experience that there’s more to this movement than complaining and hating every male in existence. These are women I admire and respect. They convey their beliefs and opinions in a sensible, intelligent matter, and over the years they’ve forced me to challenge not only what I think, but how I think. That isn’t to say hateful, destructive voices within the Feminist community don’t exist. Every group, and every side of every topic in existence has that loud, irrational type who wants to shut down opposing viewpoints while beating us over the head with their own opinion. Their nonsense tends to dominate the spotlight, but they don’t speak for everyone.

There was never a light-bulb moment for me, instead it was a gradual shift in thinking that should come with growing as an adult. Whether it’s dealing with the distraction of a hostile opposing viewpoint or trying to present your own, your mindset always matters.
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Can’t see the video? Watch it here.

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On the next Degrassi TV…

Degrassi wants your opinions on Feminism! Details on how to submit your video are below, and on Degrassi’s Facebook page.

FaceTune. Perfect 365. YouCam. They’re all selfie surgery apps that can do anything from whiten your teeth to change your hair colour. Let’s be real: A lot of us have used them.

Have you used the selfie surgery apps? Are you pro (“If I can get rid of that zit, hell yeah!”) or against (“Why change who you are?!”) them? And how far is too far? Shay might argue that enlarging her butt was too far…

Send us a video with your Selfie Surgery thoughts and it could be in next week’s Degrassi TV!

Submit to: dtvsubmissions@gmail.com

Please film your video HORIZONTALLY (phone sideways) and ensure videos are between 30 seconds and one minute in length.
The submission period begins June 15th, 2016 and ends June 19th, 2016.

You must be over 13 years old to submit a video.

Video selection will be at the producer’s discretion.

*Please note that by submitting your video you consent to your likeness being used for the purposes of Degrassi TV.