A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.

Steinem’s definition frames feminism not as a niche ideology or a set of policy demands, but as a basic ethical recognition: women and men possess equal moral worth and should be treated as fully human. By grounding feminism in “equality” and “full humanity,” the line pushes back against caricatures that portray feminists as anti-male or as seeking special privilege. It also implies that feminism is compatible with many political or personal identities; what matters is acknowledging equal personhood and acting accordingly. The quote’s simplicity functions rhetorically as an invitation—lowering the barrier to identification with feminism by making it synonymous with a widely shared principle of human equality.