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13 Feminist Dad Quotes To Share With Your Empowering Pops

by Meg Kehoe

It's that time of year where people pause what they're doing and thank our fathers for everything they've done for us. And I'd like to take this time to give a special shout out to the feminist fathers, who teach their children about equality from day one. I have a feminist dad, and I consider myself eternally lucky because of it. But he's not a rare species. There are plenty of feminist dads out there, many of whom happen to be famous. And several of them of taken to speaking on the matter, speaking up with their glorious feminist dad quotes for all the world to hear.

In my humble opinion, the best thing my father has ever done is raise me in an environment where I was taught that I can do anything I want to do. There were no gender boundaries set in my house, and my family was living and breathing feminist long before I knew what the word meant. The following fathers have taken the same route my father has, and are raising their children as equals. From new fathers to those who are considered professionals at the job, the following dads have more than a few words of wisdom when it comes to feminism. Read on to feel inspired

1“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights, the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered — it leads to a better society.” — John Legend

2"When you work with the sort of really strong women that I work with, the idea that anyone would want to make decisions for them is hard to wrap your head around." — Seth Meyers

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3"I would like my daughter to experience a world where gender doesn't dictate one's responsibility or limit one's opportunity." — Ashton Kutcher

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Marie Claire UK reported that while petitioning stores like Target and Costco to get on board with putting more changing tables in men's restrooms, Ashton Kutcher said,

4"If I teach her that I’m in charge of whether or not she can touch her hair, she’s going to replace me with some other man when she goes out in the world... She has got to have command of her body." — Will Smith

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5"I’m attracted to films that have strong female characters because there are strong female characters in my life." — Ryan Gosling

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6"It’s about having that choice to decide what a person should do with their own body." — Blair Underwood

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7"My own mother fought to make herself more than a possession; she lived her life as a mother who chose when she would have children, and a wife who could earn a living if she so chose." — Mark Ruffalo

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8"Equality is not a concept. It’s not something we should be striving for. It’s a necessity." — Joss Whedon

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9"having two little girls, I recognize how powerful it would be for them to see a woman be the president of the United States." — Ben Affleck

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10"The great thing about the girls is they've got a wonderful role model in their mom. They've seen how Michelle and I interact — not only the love but also respect that I show to their mom." — Barack Obama

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11"If I had a bucket list, I’d say raising my four girls to be strong, good women would be number one." — Matt Damon

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12"If guys were to come around, I might take a serious tone. But I love her and trust her. Hopefully, I’ve taught her well enough to make the right decisions." — Forest Whitaker

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13"Everyone thinks I'm going to be a really protective father, but I'm not. She's a good girl, she's smart, and I respect her choices. If something isn't done right, she learns from it and that's life." — Lenny Kravitz