For some, word feminism carries a negative connotation, while for others it just represents the promotion of gender equality. Many people believe that feminism is all about hating men (which is completely wrong), so women are generally not comfortable with the label. However, there are certain famous ladies who proudly say they are feminists. Here they are.

Lena Dunham

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lena is known as a vocal feminist and she has spoken about it on many occasions. “Women saying ‘I’m not a feminist’ is my greatest pet peeve. Do you believe that women should be paid the same for doing the same jobs? Do you believe that women should be allowed to leave the house? Do you think that women and men both deserve equal rights? Great, then you’re a feminist. People think there is something taboo about speaking up for feminism,” she told Metro.

Taylor Swift

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she was younger, Taylor Swift thought that feminism was something negative, but thanks to Lena Dunham she has come to learn what it actually is and is thankful to the actress who has helped her become a better feminist. She said: “What it seemed to me, the way it was phrased in culture, society, was that you hate men. And now, I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means. For so long it’s been made to seem like something where you’d picket against the opposite love, whereas it’s not about that at all. Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so.”

Claire Danes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire Danes told Glamour that things aren’t equal for women in Hollywood. “I am a feminist. And I’m so glad that Lena Dunham exists, because she is one too, and she’s quite vocal about it. Yes, women have more freedom and more influence than ever, but it’s hardly equal. It’s just not. It’s really f*cking crazy. I’m sorry I’m cursing. But it’s wild that women are underrepresented in Hollywood. I have real anxiety about directing, and that’s something to question and challenge and correct.”

Beyoncé

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyoncé described herself as a feminist to British Vogue in April 2013. “That word can be very extreme,” the 32-year-old said. “But I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality. Why do you have to choose what type of woman you are? Why do you have to label yourself anything? I’m just a woman and I love being a woman. I do believe in equality and that we have a way to go and it’s something that’s pushed aside and something that we have been conditioned to accept.”

Ellen Page

 

 

 

 

 

 

In July, Ellen Page told The Guardian: “But I don’t know why people are so reluctant to say they’re feminists. Maybe some women just don’t care. But how could it be any more obvious that we still live in a patriarchal world when feminism is a bad word? Feminism always gets associated with being a radical movement – good. It should be. A lot of what the radical feminists in the 1970s were saying, I don’t disagree with it.”

Salma Hayek

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Feminism means being proud of being a woman, and having love, respect and admiration and the belief in our strong capacities,” Salma told Stylist in 2012. “I don’t think we are the same, women and men. We’re different. But I don’t think we are less than men. There are more women than men in the world – ask any single woman! So it is shocking that men are in more positions of power.”

Miley Cyrus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking to BBC last year, Miley said: “I feel like I’m one of the biggest feminists in the world because I tell women to not be scared of anything.”

“I’m a feminist in the way that I’m really empowering to women,” she said to Cosmopolitan in December 2013. “I’m loud and funny and not typically beautiful.”

Kerry Washington

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2007, Kerry Washington told Feminist that she embraces the feminist label: “I do consider myself a feminist. I mean, I love that definition, that it’s the whole belief that women are human beings and deserve equal rights, equal access.”

Keira Knightley

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking to Vogue in 2012, Keira said: “I remember doing interviews, and people would ask, as if it was a joke, ‘So you mean you are a feminist?’ As though feminism couldn’t be discussed unless we were making fun of it. I don’t want to deny my femininity. But would I want to be a stay-at-home mother? No. On the other hand, you should be allowed to do that, as should men, without being sneered at.”