What exactly is a “feminist”? My conservative uncle tells me that it is a group of women with flat top haircuts who hate men for one reason or another and think they should rule the world. Some of my friends think that it is all the crunchy men and women looking to free women from the constant oppression of society. The tabloids tell me that Taylor Swift, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Lena Dunham are feminists, but they don’t exactly explain why. Well, these all seem a little like generalizations with no real information to back up their prejudice. However, as it so happens they may all be right though this is nowhere near the whole story. Where did it all start? Was it Joan of Arc riding nude through the streets of France? Did it start with burning bras in the 1960s? Was it started by the Guerrilla Girls in the 1980s? Why is there such a negative connotation with the idea of Feminism? Is this due to institutionalized sexism ingrained in society? Through this publication we are going to be looking at the foundation of feminism and how it has grown over the years. We are going to look at some of the big players credited with bringing feminist ideals to the mainstream. We are also going to look at some contemporary individuals who are redefining the idea of a successful woman. These women are as successful as they are inspirational. They blur the lines of traditional gender roles in business and society and make no excuses.