Jesse, it's time to go to the mall.

At some point in between discussing the finer points of home decor and learning that a bed dress can do more than simply hide the ugly parts of a bed; it occurred to me that I was fighting my own personal war with it's own tactics and repercussions; a war that would define the future of my free time. The war for video game freedom.

And I was losing.

My strategy up until this point had been a simple series of covert actions, usually characterized with late night play sessions while the enemy slept or while she was out of the territory. This seemed to be working fine during the early portion of the campaign but soon fatigue began to set in and sessions started to suffer in quality and quantity.

I found that if I was to survive this war I was going to need to change my tactics. I decided to go full force with operation: Appeal to the feminist in her. I began this operation with a sequence of small, localized attacks.

You would probably like this game, you know, if you played.

Huh, did you know that the percentage of women gamers in America is growing faster than it ever has?

I was playing a video game that highlighted women's rights in it the other day. It got me to thinking about what you were saying and the role of women in the workplace and the inequality that is inherent there.

Stage one was complete and I could tell that I had piqued the interest of my enemy. There were side effects though. Sensitivity levels were rising and I soon found myself sneering at how women were being inadvertently harassed through unrealistic depictions of beauty, intelligence (or lack thereof) and sexuality. I became more critical of what I loved, but this was perfectly acceptable. The fight must continue and stage two was soon to begin.

Stage two (characterized by slow exposure to threatened) would prove to be difficult indeed and would take a toll on my resiliency, but I could tell that my plans were starting to take affect.

Welcome home, honey.

;Hey. What are you doing?

Huh? Oh I am just playing a video game. Did you know that the character here is female and happens to be my favorite character in all of video games?

I saw her expression of interest. Good sign.

Oh yeah?

Yeah, and she isn't over sexualized either. She is a very intelligent, very powerful woman. And she kicks ass.

A smile. Got her.

That's cool.

Yes. Yes it is.

With stage two out of the way there was only one stage remaining. Stage three: full frontal assault. I prepared my chosen battleground and awaited my enemy. I heard her coming down the creaking steps and down into the living room. There I awaited my controller in hand at the ready.

Morning, honey.

She smiled. Oh, how wicked and cunning this enemy truly was. It would be a great victory indeed. Is that Mario Kart?

Yes, yes it is.

I used to love that game!

Can I play?

yeah.

I sat there utterly confused while I watched her speed around corners, tossing turtle shells at unexpecting passerby. Perhaps all gamers are created equal, or that there is a little gamer in all of us, or well, it didn't really matter now. Apparently my way of life was not in jeopardy from a feminist nazi. On the contrary it seemed my high score.

But that is a battle for another day.

     I personally hate labels in most forms. The fat content on a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream? I'd rather not know. That one girl in high school who would wear nothing but the same monotonous Abercrombie and Fitch shirts in order to fit in? Completely idiotic. The little sticker in my SUV that reminds me not to take turns to sharply? I find it insulting to my driving abilities.
But what I really cannot stand is the increasingly constricting "feminist" label. After many a heated discussion inside the classroom and out, people have said in that all too familiar irritated tone, "Oh, so you're a feminist, then"?? As if it was that simple.

I am a person with many complex emotions and thoughts; dumbing my beliefs down into a strict, narrow category is nothing short of aggravating. It is as if they expect me utter, "Girls rule and boys drool." I am more than a label or catch phrase. Being a feminist is not just standing up and declaring to the world that you are, in fact, a feminist. It is so much more than that, and unfortunately many women associate themselves with that label and think that is all there is to being a truly strong woman.

The idea of feminism should be developed in what we do as a woman on a daily basis. It is not attending meetings, rallies, and pushing for new legislation. It is not shouting slogans like "Keep your rosaries off my ovaries?" in protests or wearing them on fashionable T-shirts. It is not being anti-man and degrading the entire other gender in speech and through appalling spiteful behavior. The idea of feminism should be expressed by how you treat your fellow woman, how you conduct yourself in sexual relationships, and how you act in the workplace and community. It is rejecting gossip and taking a true higher ground for all women. It is where your boundaries are drawn and how often you allow others to sway your convictions. Too many women who claim to be strong and independent subject themselves to hypocrisy when choosing the all too limiting "feminist"? label.

I encourage women to drop the outdated categorization and act like a true feminist in deed and not word or else risk the chance of becoming just another trendy conformist.