Unfettered questions of Feminism| Subjugation and Liberation

Tanya Jain
Nov 6 · 4 min read

Has Feminism Lost Its Real Meaning Today?

The last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself, like the colored arrows from a Fourth of July rocket.” — The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

“Ohh no, I cannot take this lecture on feminism and women empowerment yet again. What new do you have to say, those same old preaching and pleading for equality, rights, and respect? Get some brain, girl, stop cribbing now, get over it.” That’s the general reaction to this topic by some very ‘sophisticated’ people of our society. And hence it becomes even more important to start talking more about it and keep talking until this fits into every mind.

The feminist F word is not as bad as your “F***” word guys, as you take it to be!

Feminism- the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.

The above statement is how a dictionary defines this word but is it just a fight for equality? Or do we need to redefine our aim in his purpose?

As equality intends both sides of the balance equal. In this case, we have men on that front side. But are they who we need the comparison to be with? Are they suitable ones for this evaluation? Fighting to get compared with the ones who themselves are a by-product of their ill temperament? That race of men whose considerable amount of percentage is found on the sheets of police stations and lawyers? (okay, it’s not the hatred for men, neither I am bringing the whole women race in the clear. It is the widely held stats) Significantly, no! Then what is all with these equality issues?

We as women need rights as human beings not separately as females. Feminism in real is the fight for liberation from patriarchal society. We are not fighting against men but freedom from those men, freedom from being under such men. We demand to be free from the clutches of patriarchy. Our fight is only to be free from all sorts of comparison, judgment, body shams, advice on mannerisms, behavior, physical response and countenances. Intentionally or unintentionally these dogmatic are creating mental harm all over.

We start training a girl since very childhood, observing and pointing out even her slight mannerisms. Probably we are preparing her for the lifetime judgment on her every minor and major actions, that is she has to endure. I believe we are making it normal for her to not even question or notice such discrepancy.

  • Doesn’t it make you ashamed when a mother tells her daughter to sit and cover herself properly when she is at home, why does she say that? Is that little girl unsafe around the males who claim to be her family? Or should she be under fear of her family members breathing down her neck?
  • Isn’t it annoying when a father takes pride in calling his son “kanha” and denies her girl to even talk to male friends?
  • How fuming that is to define age limit for a girl to achieve academically as much as she wants till an age of 24–25 and just stop aiming after that. It is so because, maybe, that would create problems for her to find a suitable dominating man, and her career feat might not satisfy his little ego.

Often, we see a mother encouraging her girl on her first artwork or a round roti, and her son on his first rightly aimed shot. Probably because she silently consents her daughter to see her future in that. Or is it because she wasn’t able to take a stand of the unfairness in her childhood and now trying to pass on the hierarchy through her. Interesting right? How can we not understand this simple plain thing that earning and cooking are basic requirements to make a living for a human being and not a gender-defined role! It is just another important thing as eating and flushing.

The change is just a little away from us. If we take hold of our mentality and focus on the abilities and interests of a person more than the gender roles it would be just enough for true equality.

Life is not a competition between men and woman. It is a collaboration.

-David Alejandro Fearnhead

    Tanya Jain

    Written by

    Inquisitive

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