Taylor Swift, who now considers herself a staunch feminist, credits Girls creator Lena Dunham for her sudden understanding of the women’s rights movement.

The 24-year-old Shake It Off singer told the British newspaper, The Guardian, that Lena, 28, has been teaching her about the true definition of feminism and what it means to support women’s rights.

“As a teenager, I didn’t understand that saying you’re a feminist is just saying that you hope women and men will have equal rights and equal opportunities. What it seemed to me, the way it was phrased in culture, society, was that you hate men,” Swift said. “And now, I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means. For so long it’s been made to seem like something where you’d picket against the opposite sex, whereas it’s not about that at all.

It's official: Taylor Swift is a feminist! http://t.co/ZJ16eHKV2c pic.twitter.com/FCf4Mofgwz

— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) August 25, 2014

“Becoming friends with Lena —without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for — has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so,” Swift continued.

Dunham’s pretty darn proud of her feminist protégée and gave a shoutout to Swift in a four-post acknowledgement on Twitter Sunday.

Applause for @taylorswift13's spot on definition of feminism (and NOT because she mentions me) http://t.co/0JiLTgBz3d

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 24, 2014

Taylor recognizes that at its core it's not about radicalism or rage, but equality. Her willingness to own the term means much to many…

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 24, 2014

She's been my feminist role model for a long time. And I cannot fucking wait for her VMA performance.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 24, 2014

When someone grows, changes and shows their vulnerability and evolution publicly… That's a gift they give to us that we should honor.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 24, 2014