I get called a feminist fairly frequently and it's starting to bother me. I would never use that term to describe myself, and I'd go as far as to say I dislike it.

First of all there are the obvious negative connotations. For many people the term conjures up a caricature of an angry woman who hates men. We all know the meme. With certain people I feel like they've already made their minds up about who I am when they use that term to describe me.

But my main issue with the term is I shouldn't have to label myself as someone who believes in equality, that should be a given. This might be an oversimplification but either you believe in equality or you're a sexist/misogynist. Why should I need a label for being reasonable?

I've mentioned this to a friend who argued there are three groups. Feminists who want equality, misogynists who don't want equality and then the "neutrals," who aren't against women but also aren't fighting for equality. But in my mind I don't understand how you can be neutral.

To give an extreme example, you're either a Nazi or you're not. There's no middle ground. You either buy into their ideology or you disagree with it. And there's no label for people who aren't Nazis. So why does there need to be a label for people who aren't misogynists?

When people call me a feminist I feel like I'm being called out or separated from the general population. It makes me feel like I'm part of a splinter group. And most of all I feel like my entire personality and existence is being boiled down to wanting equality. I'm more than that, and the fact that some people see that as my entire identity makes me sad.

Does anyone else feel this way?