I'm a Feminist, Loud and Proud

To be honest, I had a two page lengthy essay prepared on how women are underestimated and feminists misunderstood. But proof-reading it I realized, isn't there enough of that already out there? I have read so many debates, posts and articles on this subject. Mine would be an addition to the same. So instead, I thought to share the concept of feminism, what is it really about and what does it stand for. There are articles about that as well, yes. Some in much more detail. I will try to give a short-overview of this idea.

What do you picture when a woman says she's a feminist? In the August 21st 2014 edition , New-York Post ran an op-ed written by Doree Lewak in which she expressed delight in being catcalled by strange men, while at the same time pointing a not-so-subtle finger at all those "unfun" feminists who keep telling her that street harassment was a form of abuse. 

"I realize most women with healthy self-confidence don’t court unwanted male attention. In fact, most women seem to hate it," she noted. "Oh, don’t go rolling those sanctimonious eyes at me, young women of Vassar."

The message is fairly simple: Feminism in this case is the sanctimonious, uptight older sister, always out to spoil everyone's fun.

Don't scoff! You might not believe it, but reaction of people towards a feminist proves that it's a taboo. Why else would international figures like Katy Perry, Demi Moore, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift deny vehemently being one? Because it's statistically proven to have reduced their popularity and fan following. Even Beyoncé was vague about her stand on the subject and only affirmed to being one after being at a pinnacle where nothing and no one can affect her success. She even performed at an event with 'Feminist' written in back-ground. 

If you google the word, in simple terms it means 'the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes' (And we all know google never lies, right?) That doesn't sound so terrible. Feminist is a person who stands for equal rights of both genders. Then why is it rebellious to be one? It's a concept that has given women a push to stand their ground and ask for what they deserve. Contrary to what you might think, the journey was not easy.

Let's go back a little. The idea of feminism came around when women in Britain asked for the right to vote. Apparently it was a pretty huge deal, asking to be the contributor in creating government. As, for it to happen, a movement had to be started called 'Suffrage' and the members were 'Suffragette'. It was norm that caught around the world. The idea was coined in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The first nation to give the women above 21 right to vote was US in year 1869 in Utah, though it was for white women only. New Zealand was the first nation to give voting rights to all the women above 21 years of age, in the year 1893.

And the race that claimed to be the savior of all the others, stating that the world needed to be saved and thus justified their invasion on all the other countries followed by forceful attempt to convert to Christianity (in case we're still not clear, it's the British) gave rights to women to vote in the year 1928. And not all, men and women over the age of 30, meeting certain property qualifications, were given the right to vote. 

Emmeline Pankhurst was the one who brought the idea to the then major player in world's arena, Britain, at a large scale. She was introduced to the Suffrage movement at the age of 14 by her parents. She pretty much brought a trend and shaped the thinking of generations to come. She, with the support of her husband, who was a lawyer and a Suffragette as well, led the party that fought for women's right to vote. The of government of Britain, who ironically have a queen as the head of their governing system, jailed, beat and tried every trick in the book to succumb her and the likes of her.

  

But they couldn't. And that was a start. For the world to change, it has to begin at some point. 

Thus the idea of feminism came around. So what do the feminists fight for in these days? The same thing, equality and respect. Equality in pay, justice in harassment against women, bringing down the prejudices in society etc. And let's get this clear. Feminists stand for gender equality, not gender promotion. Feminists don't hate men, feminists hate sexism and the patriarchy. 

India, I believe, needs feminists. We face gender inequality and sexism from both genders. The biggest challenge here is for women to realize that they are as capable and deserving as their male counterparts. One might not experience it much in metro cities, but it becomes pretty evident in the smaller cities, which constitute 70% of our country. There, asking to be treated equal can bring you raised eyebrows and scorned looks. Along with being labelled a rebellion. Perhaps it was the requirement of older times, but now the world has changed. And with it the roles of women in society too. Only realization has to be brought upon, and that's what feminists are trying to do.