Twilight, Taylor Swift, romance novels, reality tv, pop music. What do these things have in common? They’re often ridiculed—and they’re also things that a lot of women and girls love. There are a lot of things we can add to that list: Starbucks drinks, certain Instagram filters, you name it. If it’s popular with women and girls, people are going to make fun of it.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. When I’m talking to guys, I feel the urge to defend myself when I’m talking about something I love. There’s this pervasive, deep-seated idea in our society that anything feminine is somehow shameful or embarrassing or lesser. What are sports if not reality tv for a male audience? What is fantasy football if not, essentially, sports fanfiction? If men are allowed to love what they love without being ridiculed for it, women should be, too.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard women say something to the effect of “I loved Taylor Swift in high school but I didn’t want to tell anyone.” That’s some deep internalized misogyny right there, guys. And it’s such a shame to take things we’re supposed to enjoy and make them shameful just because they’re considered feminine.

Ladies: love what you love. There’s no shame in any of it, and no such thing as a guilty pleasure.