This is women trying (Virginia woolf’s version)
In her seminal feminist piece, “A Room of One’s Own,” Virginia Woolf grapples with the topic of “women and fiction.” However, the very nature of this topic is covered in ambiguity: does it refer to women in fiction, fiction about women, or fiction written by women? Despite this uncertainty, Woolf boldly proposes that for a woman to write fiction, she must have financial independence and a physical space of her own. To explore this thesis, Woolf employs the vehicle of fiction to illuminate the underlying questions surrounding women’s oppression. Through her protagonist’s voice, Woolf questions the systemic inequality faced by women, noting their lack of access to the same amenities and resources as men. She critiques the societal norms that forced women into poverty, while men were granted wealth and opportunity. Even if women earned money, they were not allowed to own it. Woolf examines the gender-based wealth gap and the lack of intergenerational transfer of resources. While women were expected to bear children and serve their families, men were able to amass wealth and power.
Virginia Woolf pushes women to recognize and utilize the privileges they have in the current century, since many women in the past were unable to become writers, readers, philosophers, or artists due to immense patriarchal power. Woolf encourages women to fight for themselves and for other women, not just for the past and the present but also for future generations. While women in the 21st century have a room of their own to write, create art, and make music, they are still looked down upon. As American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has rightly pointed out, there is a different vocabulary for men and women, where men are allowed to react while women can only overreact, women are often portrayed in media as melodramatic and overreacting characters. Swift herself has faced backlash throughout her career, with her abilities being questioned once she achieved success, this is a common occurrence for women across different fields, where their accomplishments are often attributed to someone else or simply just dismissed as insignificant. Women are also subject to harsher criticism for expressing their emotions compared to men, who are often viewed as sweet and emotional beings, as men are glorified and appreciated for the same actions that women are shamed for.
In Farida D’s words ‘You don’t become a feminist you are born a feminist; no one is born believing that women deserve less rights than others, the patriarchy teaches us that. Everyone is born a feminist either you remain a feminist or you become a misogynist.’ A little less every day but till date patriarchy still, has a hold over every aspect of a woman’s life. Today on Woolf’s death anniversary when we think of her let us remember the kind of hopes she had from the future generations and try to live up to her expectations.
