It's no secret that the word "feminism" gets a bad rap. But as patient feminists know all too well, aversion to the term often is based on misunderstanding about what it actually means.

Upworthy confronts this confusion head on in their new video, in which they took to the streets to ask men, "When you hear the term 'feminism,' what do you think of?" While the men seemed to openly embrace feminist ideals like "women's rights" and "equal pay for equal work," they were hesitant to actually identify with the term itself.

That is, until Upworthy broke down the definition of the word — and lightbulbs went off.

Watch the satisfying epiphanies below:

The men in the video are on point when asked what feminism makes them think of. One says, "I think it's someone who's pro-equality, pro-women's rights, pro-women's control over their own bodies," for example. Yet when asked if they identified as a "feminist," the men quickly backpedaled, responding "not necessarily" or even laughing. When pushed, they admitted they backed away from the term largely out of confusion.

After Upworthy used the moment to teach the men what feminism actually is — that is, the belief that "women should have equal rights, should be treated better and treated as equals in society" — something seemed to click. They realized that "feminist" is a word they can, and already do, embrace.

There are admittedly multiple definitions of "feminism" and, many would argue, various types of feminisms. But it seems we can agree that at the heart of it is a simple belief: equality for all. Though various media personalities may villify the movement and magazines may try to "ban" the word, the fact is that feminism's message of social, economic and political equality is one we all can embrace.

h/t Huffington Post