Wait, whattt!!!
No this isn’t that F-word.
It’s about “Feminism”. And the problem is that the way feminism is discussed and considered today is somewhat wrong!
I think the simplest explanation that I can give you, and one that captures the idea, is a song that Marlo Thomas sang, ‘Free to be You and Me’.
Feminism is the fight for the equality of sexes, not for the domination of one sex over another ( That only looks good in the other F-word, but yeah! the domination should be equal there as well). Feminism is not about girl power. It is about equal power.
Some people argue, “why are we even talking about feminism? There shouldn’t be any term like that”. It’s true! But why then we have a term called “Masculinity” for men. After having a conversation with over 100 influencers over the last 2 months, I can now say it confidently that yes! we need it and there isn’t anything wrong with the term but with the way it is taken by the society.
But do you know why and when did it all started?
It was all started years and years ago when people needed to fight to live
( No! I’m not talking about engineering hostel’s mess. I’m talking about the era of Kings and dynasties ). The physical strength and power were required for their betterment. And that’s when men took over women. No offense to any women! when it comes to the lives of their family, a woman can destroy you. Feminine is the term used for people who are less masculine, but they care about other people. And I don’t know why always it is associated with women. I don’t have 6-pack abs, I don’t have a clear jaw-line, I don’t have hot biceps…Does any of it make me a less masculine? (I wish I had all of them though…but naahh! I’m too lazy to go to Gym daily) I care about my family and friends, I got emotional when I saw Inside-out or 93:20, Yes it affects me when my girl isn’t feeling good...Does that make me a woman?
We are all masculine and we are all feminine!
Let’s be honest here, men are supposed to be more masculine. The problem started when society generalized it. And till now it’s been there. Which then justifies another saying that, “Culture does not make people. People make culture”. And now it’s time to change this perception and to move in a direction that’s helpful for all, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and so forth.
Nobody should be punished for just not having a fucking Y-chromosome. “Because you are a girl” should never be a reason for anything, ever. And believe me, the same goes for a boy. Even their lives are not less than any misery, they live in a cage called Masculinity.
Another perception of feminism is being a cool-girl. The youth of today may think they are too cool for feminism. But they are not, in truth. Being strong, independent women is what is cool. Being the sheep within societies herd is not. What defines cool? Who defines cool? Is it the number of followers people have on Twitter? The number of likes they rack up on Instagram? The number of Boyfriends(or girlfriends) they have? (Well! I have an eye for just one girl, does that make me a not so cool person?)
‘Cool’ is an enigma, yet it’s something people want to have a grip on.
We need to teach our daughters to worry less about fitting into glass slippers and more about shattering glass ceilings. Measure her on a scale of being the best version of herself, not the society.
But what really happens is, “ We teach girls shame. Close your legs. Cover yourself ”. We spend too much time teaching girls to worry about what boys think of them. But the reverse is not the case. We spend too much time telling girls that they cannot be angry or aggressive or tough, but then we turn around and either praise or excuse men for the same reasons. All over the world, there are so many magazine articles and books telling women what to do, how to be and not to be, in order to attract or please men. There are far fewer guides for men about pleasing women.
We need to start teaching men, from a young age, how valuable and how strong women are. Men need to overcome their ignorance and chauvinistic ways but men are not the only culprits, women are also guilty of allowing this. So many young girls believe beauty is in the man’s eyes. Women use their bodies to be accepted and will go to extreme lengths to obtain this beauty. The right guy will fall for the beauty of your soul not body, believe me. Women need to stop allowing other women to act like this. They need to stop competing with each other and start lifting each other up.
We must raise our daughters differently.
We must also raise our sons differently.
And Yes! It is important to have this F-word. It has made many women stronger. It has given them the strength to stand up and voice to change this unfair system, and fight to have opportunities equivalent to men.
So feminist is “a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.”
Hmmm! Too much of sophisticated things man! I can’t write more English, my dictionary is over.
Clap for yourself for reading this far. This shows that you’re still single and have nothing else to do. So read my last article on Grow Through What You Go Through
Still here? It’s over now you F-word-er…Go get a life!
