Let’s talk about False Feminism!
By: No More Blank Pages
Tags: Feminism, Equality, Sexism, Unity, Girl Power

Oh! I can rant all day about how difficult my life has been, being a girl.

She was so innocent, unaware of the ways of the world,

She was just nine when a classmate tried to slip his hand under her skirt.

She asked her teacher to change her place,

Little did she know that she could not change her fate.

She was wrong to think that her miseries were at rest,

She was just thirteen when a stranger held his hand on her breast.

She tried to forget, she tried to put all this behind,

She was just fourteen when someone stalked her for the first time.

All these incidents were enough to make her innocence abate,

Still, she managed to keep her head on straight.

Of course, she knows that not all men are wrong,

She has her father and her brother who made her strong.

Now she is eighteen, aware of the ways of the world,

She knows how to protect herself and takes pride in being a girl.

I wrote this poem when I was in my second year of college. Everything that I mentioned here is based on true personal experiences. I am nineteen now and I still do not feel comfortable talking about whatever has happened. But I find it easier to bleed through words than saying something or talking to someone about it. The fact that I was just nine when I faced harassment for the first time and the fact that my harasser was my classmate says a lot about the society we live in. This incident has scarred my life forever and now I have come to terms with it. But what actually struck me was the moment when I showed my poem to a friend and she told me how she could relate to it. Now, there is nothing new in this. Harassment has been a part of this society for a very long time. Girls younger than me face harassment daily. Now, let me tell you that harassment is not just restricted to girls or women but all the genders are a victim to it. And I guess it is right about the time that we start talking about it. If you're wondering that what does all this have to do with feminism? Well, actually nothing. It is not related to feminism at all. It is all about humanity, just something to think about.

Now, we will talk about feminism- a controversial topic for ages. Let me start with the basics and tell you the formal definition of feminism. Feminism is about all genders having equal rights and opportunities. It’s about respecting diverse women’s experiences, identities, knowledge, and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realize their full rights. This is what feminism is about. But now let me enlighten you on the things, feminism is not about. Feminism is not about hating men (well that is a personal choice for me) or thinking that we are better than anyone. Though it is such a talked about topic, still, people do not actually know much about it and always tend to misunderstand it.

G.I.R.L.S!

Talking about myself, I have been brought up in a family where daughters are free to do anything. You can wear what you want, you can go wherever you want, whenever you want, you can pursue anything as a career(well not so much anything, I mean you know how Indian parents are. But rules are the same for me and my brother). There is no discrimination as such. Nice isn’t it? But then comes the fact that this freedom is only for the daughters and not for the daughters-in-law. They had to rebel to get this basic freedom. Now, this is where feminism comes into action. This is one type of discrimination, feminism is against.

Coming to the fact of how feminism is badly misunderstood in today's society. When I asked my father who feminists are, he answered me saying that they are the women who try to act extra, hate men, and are rebellious to everything that has been going on in our society. According to most people, feminists are women who like to shame men on public platforms. Oh! how men can get hurt when a woman speaks facts when they have been doing this to women in a worse way for ages. Well, you got it all wrong. Feminism has always been about equality and nothing else. When talking about equality, we do not leave anyone behind.

Unity, equality, and feminism!

Things that feminists get to hear so often. What about the stuff that girls cannot do? Changing tires, lifting heavy things, etc.,(as a matter of fact, we can do everything but again let us not generalize). Well, I have to tell that feminism is not about a particular thing that a certain gender can do and the other cannot. It is about equal opportunities. It is about the fact that if we are doing the same work, we should get equal credits. Let us see with an example- Suppose that we both are participating in a race(same of course), but if you win you get 1000 rupees, and if I win I get only 500. I hope you can see the difference there.

It is all about equality!

Now, I have heard kids talking and shit posting about false feminism. How whenever a woman commits a mistake or crime, it is termed false feminism? In my opinion, there is no such thing as false feminism. If a woman is trying to justify something wrong or bad, it is not false feminism. It is not feminism at all. It should not be linked with the word feminism. Feminism is against our biased society and so not against the opposite gender or humanity. This should be clear as hell! If I ever tell that I hate men, it is not because I am a feminist, it is because of the experiences that I have had with them.

Yup, you are.

So, recently I was talking to a guy and when I told him that I was pressurized to opt for engineering(again it’s an Indian parent thing), he asked if I actually were a girl or am I just messing up with him being a guy? I was shocked. Who am I kidding, I was not, AT ALL! Despite the fact that the remark was sexist af! And when I confronted him, he said that I shouldn't start ranting about feminism. Boys, you really need to work on that. Now, sexism and feminism are like antonyms. If you are being sexist, you can never be a feminist.

I am all about feminism.

I can still write a lot on this but I am tired now. Maybe we will have a second episode to this because feminism has to be talked about and we will make sure that we do talk about it. Until then