One’s opinion on feminism can be easily misconstrued, such as that of young actress Shailene Woodley. Woodley said in a recent interview with Time that “my biggest thing is really sisterhood more than feminism. I don’t know how we as women expect men to respect us because we don’t even seem to respect each other.”

Woodley was immediately slammed by the press, being labeled as an “anti-feminist.” Seeing how we live in a society where women and men are supposedly equal, some may see these constant proclamations of pro-feminism as unnecessary, while others believe that this concept of “equality” as false, and I am one of those people. I am not against the idea of women being granted more power to achieve actual equality, but I am against the idea of misandry, the hatred of men just for the sake of being men.

Women have come a long way from the days in which they weren’t allowed to vote or were restricted to just staying home to clean, cook and raise children. Yes, now women can easily have the same professions men do, but this doesn’t exactly signify that both genders are homogenous. Based off the disparities in job opportunities and their general portrayal in various media sources, it’s evident that women are still unfortunately viewed as the inferior counterparts to men. However, by utilizing the practicality of feminism, women have managed to heighten their social stature through methods such as peaceful protests and speeches.

Many are opposed to feminism because their only contact with the concept is through news stories of extremist feminists whose beliefs are quite subversive. This has led many to believe that feminism is just an unruly mess of women who fight for unequal rights in their favor. This is not true. As a matter of fact, it’s admirable that these activists will do anything in their limited power to achieve their goals, but their persistence horribly reduces the overall appeal of feminism. According to the New Yorker, certain sects of radical feminists take their beliefs to immensely disobliging heights, such as depleting the cumulative population of men through harsh methods (meaning they want to kill men). Some groups go as far as to consider transgender women as men, treating them cruelly and unjustly.

Those who are opposed to this particular depiction of feminism can be found among both sexes, as there are both fair amounts of women and men who see this concept as flawed. Quite honestly, these radicals give feminism a deplorable reputation, which is a shame because it is a highly important notion. Many women, feminist or not, admit that living in a world without men is an unreasonable, unaccommodating decision. The fact of the matter is that the world has and always will consist of two genders and the best conclusion would be to find balance, not to try and overpower one another.

The idea of having women being fairly represented is remarkably crucial in achieving an idealistic society, and I hope that these radical movements don’t cause people to think that feminism should be dismissed. At its core, feminism does not revolve around women crying for power over men, but around gaining equality with men.