A thought on gender equality

I'm probably easily labeled as a feminist. When I was in 5th grade, I was assigned to portray Abigail Adams in our "Wax Museum", because I was so blatantly feminist. 10-year-old me would always indignantly ask why was it a guy who did so-and-so? Or commenting how girls could do the exact same thing! So my teacher noticed this and accordingly assigned me that. Not gonna lie, I wanted to be Jackie Kennedy, but looking back...good choice Mrs, Hemming.
Anyhoo, I personally am against labeling. And by saying this, I'm probably gonna be labeled as a poser cynical political lesbian or something, but I assure you, I am not (at least one of) those things. I try to be as unique as I can in my environment, but also acknowledge that originality is probably a non-existent concept. I also know when it's appropriate to conform or not. I'm not out to totally alienate myself from human interaction.
But ok, with this in mind, think of the word "feminist". Recently, I've considered it a bit of a taboo word. I only say this because I've seen many "feminists" that just piss me. I'm talking about the women who go ON AND ON about how whatever a man can do, women can do. Then they have an agenda against all men and skirts and a bit of lip gloss now and then. That's too extreme and women like that are just trying to prove a point in the wrong way. Or are battling with the knowledge that, yeah, they're probably lesbian. Either one.
An example of this type of woman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ271vVpYqM Fast forward to 4:00, unless you want to watch the whole thing. And yes, that was the lady who play Coach Bieste on Glee. She's been in a BUNCH of stuff.
But as I was saying, women are just as capable of what a man can do (and even more--yeah I'm talking about babies), but we just weren't built that way. I've read many articles about how a man's mind works differently than a woman's. It's true. Take anger, for instance. A man will most likely yell and shove. A woman will more likely keep it to herself as the fury builds until she acts on it. Does it make the anger less valid? No. They are just two different way of expressing it.
See, my idea of a feminist is someone who knows the importance of breaking the gender barrier, while knowing that there are differences between a man and a woman. There are double standards for everything. And this can be a good or bad thing.
One example is the pressure on men to be a certain kind of man. I was listening to this talk show with my dad in the car and the female host was talking about common manners that should be put to use again. She was starting off with what men should be expected to do. Right before the commercial break she said something to the effect of "And later, if the men have given up on the idea of being chivalrous, I'll be talking about what men think women should do." When I heard this I was immediately turned off. She was making it sound that by expecting women to abide by some classic manners and "rules", men weren't being chivalrous or were being sexist. I wholeheartedly disagree.
Although I might not classify myself as a "feminist", I AM a huge advocate for equal rights. A person should have the opportunity to have the same rights-and the same hardships and sacrifices-as everyone else. So, while I agree that there are some things men are expected to do, there are also a few things women should do as well. I'm thinking of courteous things or respectful things. People should be treated with respect, no matter the gender or "double standard". A few of these double standards have bothered me since I was little. Like the fact that a man is the lowest scum on the earth if he hits a woman, but a woman is justified in slapping the holy hell out of a man. Why does this bother me? It shouldn't right? I mean, yay, I can't get hit, but I can totally beat people up if I want! Well, it's sort of very sexist when you think about it. A man hitting a woman could be considered like someone kicking a dog. They're weaker, they're defenseless creatures, what did they ever do to you, you monster? So, it's a little degrading when you put it like that. Also, no one should ever justify hitting another person. Yeah, I said that, thus making me a total hypocrite, because I have definitely physically hurt people. STILL, I never said I was perfect. That's just what I think.