Time Magazine had a poll recently titled, “Which Word Should Be Banned in 2015?” The writer offered a list of words that readers could choose from to decide which word should be ‘banned’ in 2015.The list contained mainly common slang terms and phrases like “I can’t even,” “bae,” and “yaaasssss,” among others. Each term had a few sentences giving a reason why it should be banned.

The troubling thing about this article was that the word “feminist” was on the list. The reason stated for it being on the list was, “You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let’s stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade.”

Personally, I found this outrageous. I think is a great thing for celebrities to be discussing these kinds of issues, because it will help popularize the idea that yes, women are people too. In the fight for equal rights, I think we’ve taken great strides in improvement, but banning words like “feminist” will not help this issue in the least.

Nancy Gibbs, an editor for Time apologized for its inclusion on the list and insisted that it was not intended to “become a distraction from the important debate over equality and justice,” but the harm has already been done. This article made me feel embarrassed about our progress on the fight for equal rights for women.

The saddest part is that, according to AC Voice, the word “feminist” was actually winning the most voted-for word, with almost 50% of the votes. Luke O’Brien wrote in an article for Bullett, “Sadly, and predictably, the word has, in fact, been tarnished, not by feminists themselves, but instead by the people who explicitly set out to attach a negative connotation to it in the first place.” If we want to achieve gender equality, we need to fight for it.