What Does Feminism Mean to You? This is What it Means to Zooey Deschanel

When I serendipitously stumbled upon HelloGiggles a little over a year ago, something clicked. Maybe many of you felt the same way. It seemed like an entire community had sprouted out of the dry, snarky dirt of the blogosphere overnight and banded together with the sole purpose of fostering positivity, creativity, and individuality.

And of course, this aroused suspicion.

Nail art videos followed by political posts? Style tutorials preceding social commentaries? ’90s nostalgia mixed with international news analysis? Who did these women think they were?

Feminists, actually.

It’s kind of incredible to think that we’ve almost made it to the Jetsons-era, yet we still can’t wrap our heads around a woman who wears bows and believes in gender equality.

HelloGiggles’ very own Zooey Deschanel can’t believe it either. And she wasn’t shy about shouting it out in this month’s Glamour Magazine. Zooey told the mag:

If anyone ever thinks to question your motives for reading HG, politely point them to the quote above with an impressively polished finger (which finger you choose is up to you, of course).

And when the interview turned inappropriately intimate, Zooey didn’t hesitate to call out a pervasive double standard. In response to the interviewer’s question regarding whether or not she wants to have children, she replied:

They might be, but they’re likely saying it while referring to him as a “bachelor” which sounds so much more flattering than the good old “spinster” label single women or non-moms get smacked with.

As a self-proclaimed avid admirer of shiny objects, pre-teen entertainment aficionado (exhibit: EVERYTHING), AND passionate advocate for women’s rights, Zooey, Molly, and Sophia‘s brand of feminism resonates deeply with me. I’ve always believed that passing judgement on a woman for her interests, no matter how fun and frivolous they may seem, is inherently anti-feminist in itself. Does donning glitter or appreciating the significant cultural impact of young adult novels undermine a woman’s intelligence or abilities? Hardly. And assuming they do is narrow-minded and discriminatory—two descriptors that don’t belong in the definition of feminism.

So thank you, Zooey, for once again articulating why feminism exists in all shapes, sizes, and varying degrees of sequin-appreciation. Whether or not a woman abhors the color pink or spends more than five minutes styling her bangs does not determine her worth as feminist.