5 myths about Feminism
1) Feminists hate men
Feminism is not the exact-opposite of what male-chauvinism is. It is not a system that pits womankind against mankind. Although it does question why people as a whole are referred to as 'mankind'. But please mind that the point of raising the question is not to change the term to something neutral but just to make a point that history has second-graded women in general. Feminism is about acknowledging this truth and endeavoring to be fair going forward. Feminists do not deny that men and women are made different. A woman has the gift of childbirth, for example. A man is gifted with greater muscular strength than the average woman. Sure. But, the mind, the personality, and the emotions of people are not gender dependent, never mind the stereotypes. There are men who make great mothers. There are women who make great car drivers. There are men who like to shop, preen and gossip and no they need not be gay. There are women who dislike shopping and birthday parties and no they need not be lesbian.
Someone being feminist is simply someone who acknowledges this. She or he has empathy for people irrespective of gender. If you like to pamper your boyfriend/husband by cooking and cleaning for him, it does not make you any less of a feminist. As long as you do so out of love and not out of obligation.
Take me for example, I am a largely meek person. I am happy to follow in stead of leading .Thing is, this is irrespective of whether i am around male company or female company. If I love a man, I spoil him to bits. But, if i sense even for a second that he considers that as expected behavior from me because i'm the woman in the relationship, well i simply fall out of love.
2) Feminists argue pointlessly about self-emancipation
The only myth here is the "pointlessly" part. A book like "why loiter" and the resulting movement is often frowned upon or worse, laughed upon. Women are unable to acknowledge the reality of a woman's status in the world by large, because it's the only way they know of. That a woman is constantly hiding herself from the nasty gaze of the world is something we are so used to living with that we don't even realize how unfair it is and how different it is to be a man. Men on their part completely lack the empathy to see what it's like to be a woman. Here's a brilliant french video that helps in understanding why no amount of self-emancipation is too much.
3) Only women can be feminist
As you can see, anyone who understands what I have said above can be a feminist. Men can be feminist too. The kind of men that do not believe that there is a different set of rules for men and women wrt anything - be it career, family, relationships, infidelity, housework whatever.
4) Feminists are not afraid of being single
5) Feminists are rebels
Feminists are not trying to be anti-establishment. Feminists are trying to be pro-personal choice. What to wear, who to date, how to walk, how to laugh, how to wear your hair, how to be should not be dictated by the corresponding risk of being judged or worse attacked and being blamed for it.
Feminism is not the exact-opposite of what male-chauvinism is. It is not a system that pits womankind against mankind. Although it does question why people as a whole are referred to as 'mankind'. But please mind that the point of raising the question is not to change the term to something neutral but just to make a point that history has second-graded women in general. Feminism is about acknowledging this truth and endeavoring to be fair going forward. Feminists do not deny that men and women are made different. A woman has the gift of childbirth, for example. A man is gifted with greater muscular strength than the average woman. Sure. But, the mind, the personality, and the emotions of people are not gender dependent, never mind the stereotypes. There are men who make great mothers. There are women who make great car drivers. There are men who like to shop, preen and gossip and no they need not be gay. There are women who dislike shopping and birthday parties and no they need not be lesbian.
Someone being feminist is simply someone who acknowledges this. She or he has empathy for people irrespective of gender. If you like to pamper your boyfriend/husband by cooking and cleaning for him, it does not make you any less of a feminist. As long as you do so out of love and not out of obligation.
Take me for example, I am a largely meek person. I am happy to follow in stead of leading .Thing is, this is irrespective of whether i am around male company or female company. If I love a man, I spoil him to bits. But, if i sense even for a second that he considers that as expected behavior from me because i'm the woman in the relationship, well i simply fall out of love.
2) Feminists argue pointlessly about self-emancipation
The only myth here is the "pointlessly" part. A book like "why loiter" and the resulting movement is often frowned upon or worse, laughed upon. Women are unable to acknowledge the reality of a woman's status in the world by large, because it's the only way they know of. That a woman is constantly hiding herself from the nasty gaze of the world is something we are so used to living with that we don't even realize how unfair it is and how different it is to be a man. Men on their part completely lack the empathy to see what it's like to be a woman. Here's a brilliant french video that helps in understanding why no amount of self-emancipation is too much.
3) Only women can be feminist
As you can see, anyone who understands what I have said above can be a feminist. Men can be feminist too. The kind of men that do not believe that there is a different set of rules for men and women wrt anything - be it career, family, relationships, infidelity, housework whatever.
4) Feminists are not afraid of being single
Self-emancipation alert. Women are engineered from the time they are born to place their own interest second to others. It is a virtue. Woman is the care-taker, the life-giver, the family-glue. Well, feminists are people who want these things to be valued in stead of being taken for granted. it is not her job to be these things. It is her gift. She IS afraid of being single but her fear of being with a partner who takes her love for granted is bigger. She wants a man who respects her for respecting him. And that kind are harder to come by.
5) Feminists are rebels
Feminists are not trying to be anti-establishment. Feminists are trying to be pro-personal choice. What to wear, who to date, how to walk, how to laugh, how to wear your hair, how to be should not be dictated by the corresponding risk of being judged or worse attacked and being blamed for it.
Now, I hope you will appreciate the flaws in this article that prompted me to write this post. I just don't like it when people loosely use the word 'feminist' to represent a 'modern', financially independent, single woman with a dominating voice and a greater tendency to carelessly wear skimpy clothes and leave the door open to strangers and to forget to clutch on to her personal belongings when out in the public.
Because none of these are must-haves to be a 'feminist'.
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