If you say it people automatically think that you're some kind of a radical, left-wing woman that wants to change the world so that the women will be always in power.

Mary Snow (Saint John Learning Exchange) said that it's a shame this stigma is attached to feminists because all women need the choices that feminists are fighting for.

But I think sometimes that word can create fear in people. It did a little bit for me. Woman-positive is something totally different. I don't feel that you have to be a feminist to be woman-positive.

Creating fear or suspicion in others is clearly something that most women in this project actively tried to avoid. Many women talked about the usefulness of the term 'woman-positive' in avoiding conflict over negative stereotypes and different meanings associated with the term "feminist."

I think that not only will you risk being misunderstood, but you risk reactions that you don't want to have. Backlash, resentment, suspicion, mistrust, misunderstanding, and all kinds of things that you don't want. But if you say "woman-positive" it sounds quite clear and non-threatening. (Vicki Noonan, Malaspina College)

Some women felt that using woman-positive was" a gentler way of coming across." (LaVera Schiele, Pine Grove Correctional Centre) It allowed them to be more exploratory because they had no image to measure up to, no preconceived notions of what they should do.

Others felt frustrated that they were constantly asked to compromise their beliefs for fear of alienating someone. Almost always, that frustration was mixed with understanding - particularly in relation to working with women. For example, Paula Davies (College of New Caledonia) admitted that she gets tired of being told that the word "feminist" offends people.

I am a feminist, and I'm happy to be a feminist, and I'm not saying you have to be, but I don't want to be ashamed of that word.

Anne Moore (Action Read) put it, she's a pragmatist.

I'm willing to negotiate the label, especially at the beginning when I'm working with a group. But I'm not willing to compromise the values that feminism implies. I would reassert the label at different times to challenge our thinking.

A few women suggested that they might identify as feminist if they could define it for themselves - and make sure others had the same definition. Others felt that they always defined it for themselves - whether or not they mentioned that definition every time the word is raised.