whats feminism?? trying to prove that we're as good as them or accepting that we're different and there is simply no comparison between the two sexes?
i had to answer a questionnaire on feminism and activism today.. and can't stop thinking about the questions it asked and the semi-articulate answers i've given..
am i a feminist?
not if feminism means that i have to strive to prove that i'm 'as good as' a guy..
yes if it means that i proudly proclaim that i am what i am and those who want someone else can eff off...
what is feminism though? the bra- burning, 'we can do anything you can' brigade is one side, the calm, stoic female boss who tells her male colleagues to look at her face when she talks and not a few inches below it is another..the young bride to be who turns away a baraat because the groom's parents humiliated her own is yet another, the young mother who walks out on a marriage with children in tow rather than suffer abuse is also one, as is the angry fighter who takes on chauvinist ideas and idealists intellectually and physically..
but there is the young woman, who left her career because she got married, who covers her head and touches her in-laws' feet, who cooks and minds the kids and keeps the perfect house, who defers to parents and husband... is she too a feminist if she brooks no argument when it comes to sending her daughter to school? if she raises her children to treat everyone as equals and to never believe that any of them is inferior to the other?
is one who wants to raise a family and doesn't mind putting her career on hold a feminist if she decides this on her own as opposed to having been dictated to?
is one who accepts that going out late at night in a city like Delhi is unsafe an anti- feminist?
is one not a feminist if one refuses to join a march opposing violence against women?
is the hijab- clad woman in france who argues that she wears the veil as a symbol of her faith and not because of a diktat a feminist?
is the girl who wants to elope and marry the man SHE wants a feminist?
is one who enjoys dressing up, who wants male attention and approval a blot on the feminist sisterhood?
is one who believes that election quotas for women are simply eyewash striking a blow against women?
how do you define feminism?
i dont quite care about what roles are 'good' for a good girl or a devoted feminist.. i'm equally at home in a sari and in my own skin...
for me, the assertion of identity depends more on the intellect than on the physical structure of one's genitalia..
am i a feminist?? or am i just clueless about gender roles in this world..
2 comments:
this blog absolutely echoes my thoughts! brilliantly written..very thought provoking indeed..should go out to the men as well as the over-zealous women out there trying to prove that women are superior...coz it is not about deciding who should be on top..it is about being able to accept ur ideas and beliefs with conviction n pride..it is about a woman striving to be a great mom as much as she would have tried to be the best at her work place..
I think the word 'feminist' is overrated. People's perception of a feminist is one who is career-driven and strong. They don't realize that strength can mean a lot of things and can be found in far more situations than are imaginable. You don't have to think about whether you're a feminist or not. You just be yourself. That's the best thing you can do :)
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