While the word “feminism” may invoke the image of women protesting for suffrage and other opportunities possessed by men in the early 1900s, pop culture and the media have a different agenda when it comes to the term.

By definition, feminism is the belief that men and women should have the same social, political, and economic opportunities, and is a term that has been around for centuries. Historically, feminists were not only able to gain the right to vote for women with the Nineteenth Amendment, but also made great strides towards receiving the same opportunities as men in the work place. During this time, many famous feminists emerged who fought for women’s suffrage including Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony.

In today’s society, it seems that every individual female celebrity has his or her own opinion on the concept of feminism.

For example, at the 2014 Video Music Awards, international pop superstar Beyoncé performed her song “Flawless” while standing in front of a digital sign that read “FEMINIST.” Although “Flawless” is predominantly a dance track that one would hear at a club, it contains a snippet of a speech titled “We should all be feminists” by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This phrase serves as the song’s second verse and juxtaposes the way girls are treated to the way boys are in society.

However, this is not the first time Beyoncé has shown her inner feminist, for she also demonstrated her opinion on the topic of female empowerment on her past songs including “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Run the World (Girls),” and on a song with her former girl group, Destiny’s Child, titled “Independent Women.” As a result, Beyoncé is often be seen as a leader in the Feminist Movement, inspiring millions of girls from around the world that they could “run the world.”

Perhaps the most vocal celebrity when it comes to feminism is actress Emma Watson. Following her graduation from Brown University, Watson gave a powerful speech regarding the the way women are treated in society at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. There, she decided to kick off the HeForShe campaign, which aims to end the gender inequality towards women by trying to gain men as advocates, according to Vanity Fair.

“I think it is right that socially I am afforded with the same respect as men,” Watson said in her speech, “but sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights.”

Beyoncé and Emma Watson are not the only celebrities claiming to be feminists. Other female celebrities including Taylor Swift, Lena Dunham, and Lorde also support the idea of equality between men and women.

“As a teenager, I didn’t understand that saying you’re a feminist is just saying that you hope women and men will have equal rights and equal opportunities,” Taylor Swift said in an interview with The Guardian. “What it seemed to me, the way it was phrased in culture, society, was that you hate men. And now, I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means.”

Despite the surge in popularity of feminism among celebrities, not everyone is pleased with the increase in the use of the word.

In November 2014, Time Magazine listed fifteen terms eligible to be voted “off the island,” or taken away from the magazine in their annual “banishment poll.” Among the list was the term “feminist” with the article questioning when the word became “a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on,” according to Time.com.

However, due to backlash received by the magazine from the public, the editor apologized for including the term on the list in the first place.

Although there being conflicting opinions about whether or not feminism should be a part of everyday society in pop culture, it seems that the term is here to stay. It only makes sense that the word feminism, and the concept behind it, are embraced for its positive message of gender equality.