Story highlights Jenna Bush Hager told People Magazine her father is a feminist

The former first daughter is an NBC correspondent

(CNN) Jenna Bush Hager thinks her father, President George W. Bush, is a feminist, pointing to the way he raised her and twin sister Barbara.

Speaking to People Magazine for their World's Most Beautiful issue, the former first daughter acknowledged that people laugh at the idea.

"People laugh at this, but I think my dad was a feminist. He showed us that we could be whatever we wanted to be. I want my girls to feel that way. I want them to feel strong and capable and feel like they can conquer the world," Bush Hager, 35, said.

Bush Hager said she and her sister "always felt sorry for the boys in (our) class because our dad led us to believe that we were the smartest, most capable kids out there."

George W. Bush, 2001

The idea of the former president as a feminist isn't new: His 2004 campaign targeted women voters with a project called "W stands for Women." And one of his major post-presidency initiatives is expanding women's rights in Afghanistan.

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