Today in “OMG Why Can’t Barack Obama Run For A Third Term?” we have this wonderful essay written by our lovely POTUS. After yesterday’s shenanigans with Sarah Jessica Parker and her “I am not a feminist because I believe in equality” bulls—t, it’s refreshing to see that the president not only embraces the role of feminist-in-chief, but he actually understands what the word “feminism” actually means. He understands the practice of feminism, the applications of feminism in everyday life. He’s sown feminism-seeds and he’s watching the feminist trees flourish. You can read Pres. Obama’s Glamour essay here – it’s called “President Barack Obama Says, ‘This Is What a Feminist Looks Like’.” Word, Barry. WORD. Some of the best quotes from the piece (he’s a long-winded feminist and I’m not going to post the unedited Barry’s Feminist Treatise, because dude could give Simone de Beauvoir a run for her money).

Living in the White House, watching his daughters grow up: “I’ve been able to spend a lot more time watching my daughters grow up into smart, funny, kind, wonderful young women. That isn’t always easy, either—watching them prepare to leave the nest. But one thing that makes me optimistic for them is that this is an extraordinary time to be a woman. The progress we’ve made in the past 100 years, 50 years, and, yes, even the past eight years has made life significantly better for my daughters than it was for my grandmothers. And I say that not just as President but also as a feminist.”

Best revenge is your paper: “In my lifetime we’ve gone from a job market that basically confined women to a handful of often poorly paid positions to a moment when women not only make up roughly half the workforce but are leading in every sector, from sports to space, from Hollywood to the Supreme Court. I’ve witnessed how women have won the freedom to make your own choices about how you’ll live your lives—about your bodies, your educations, your careers, your finances. Gone are the days when you needed a husband to get a credit card. In fact, more women than ever, married or single, are financially independent.

The unique challenge of being a woman: “I’d like to think that I’ve been pretty aware of the unique challenges women face—it’s what has shaped my own feminism. But I also have to admit that when you’re the father of two daughters, you become even more aware of how gender stereotypes pervade our society. You see the subtle and not-so-subtle social cues transmitted through culture. You feel the enormous pressure girls are under to look and behave and even think a certain way….we need to break through these limitations. We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear. We need to keep changing the attitude that punishes women for their sexuality and rewards men for theirs.

What needs to change: “We need to keep changing the attitude that permits the routine harassment of women, whether they’re walking down the street or daring to go online. We need to keep changing the attitude that teaches men to feel threatened by the presence and success of women. We need to keep changing the attitude that congratulates men for changing a diaper, stigmatizes full-time dads, and penalizes working mothers. We need to keep changing the attitude that values being confident, competitive, and ambitious in the workplace—unless you’re a woman. Then you’re being too bossy, and suddenly the very qualities you thought were necessary for success end up holding you back. We need to keep changing a culture that shines a particularly unforgiving light on women and girls of color. Michelle has often spoken about this. Even after achieving success in her own right, she still held doubts; she had to worry about whether she looked the right way or was acting the right way—whether she was being too assertive or too “angry.”

How we raise boys & girls: “Michelle and I have raised our daughters to speak up when they see a double standard or feel unfairly judged based on their gender or race—or when they notice that happening to someone else. It’s important for them to see role models out in the world who climb to the highest levels of whatever field they choose. And yes, it’s important that their dad is a feminist, because now that’s what they expect of all men. It is absolutely men’s responsibility to fight sexism too. And as spouses and partners and boyfriends, we need to work hard and be deliberate about creating truly equal relationships.

21st century feminism: “I want all of our daughters and sons to see that this, too, is their inheritance. I want them to know that it’s never been just about the Benjamins; it’s about the Tubmans too. And I want them to help do their part to ensure that America is a place where every single child can make of her life what she will. That’s what twenty-first century feminism is about: the idea that when everybody is equal, we are all more free.”

[From Glamour]

He hit all my sweet spots – it’s about reproductive freedom, financial freedom, career equality, relationship equality, intersectional feminism and more. It’s about breaking glass ceilings and changing minds and breaking down stereotypes. Obama’s last year in office has already been full of these moments, where we see the results of eight years of Obamism (Barryism?), and it’s just reminding all of us: g—damn we’re going to miss him. What I wouldn’t give for four more years of Obama.

Photos courtesy of WENN.