Feminist: To Be Or Not To Be?

Feminism: a word so widely discussed and debated in the 21^st century that it automatically makes one’s brain go ricocheting into a whirlpool of opinions and judgments. However, does our existent knowledge of feminism really reflect its reality or are we all just following the recent trends regarding the phenomenon like a herd of sheep? To answer that, let’s go back to the origin of feminism. What is this viral phenomena called feminism that everyone is raving about and where did it come from?

Although at present, feminism means numerous things to numerous people, it actually began in the late 18^th century as a social movement that fought for the cause of emancipation of women. In fact, the term feminism didn’t even exist for a considerable period of time! Everything was under the umbrella of ‘women’s rights’. Apart from the sole cause of emancipation, feminism acquired force among various other issues such as women’s voting rights, right to employment, fair wages, right to own property, a legible voice in the government and most importantly equal respect in the public domain which still remains an ongoing struggle for women across the globe. Going back to the past, change was slow to emerge and people soon started realizing that it is not sufficient to fight for female rights amidst other movements as the society was already in a state of turmoil. Enlightening people about the importance of equality between men and women in all spheres of life would require much more than a lackluster isolated movement. Various proto-feminist authors like Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte have also illustrated their own take on feminism through their literary works.And thus, slowly but surely came about the Feminist Movement.

Now let’s come back to the present times and really introspect. As feminism essentially entails equality among men and women, it includes a variety of notable issues. Ranging from equal pay for equal work to the right to wear clothes as one desires, feminism is everywhere. This must make you wonder what kind of a barbaric human being would oppose gender equality? Perhaps the problem isn’t the actuality of feminism but the varied interpretations of it. Everyone perceives feminism differently now and the internet has just made it all the more easier for people to propagate incorrect notions. People now deem feminism to be a way by which women want to overcome males and appear superior to them instead of being equals. This has given rise to what people call ‘Feminazism’ and rest assured, that was never the original intent of feminism anyway. Hence, it must be acknowledge that feminism might have lost its true focus in the past few years. There’s an urgent need to clear things up and getting one’s facts right. Don’t dismiss feminism solely on the basis of an incorrect source of information. Educate yourself! Tell yourself that your opinion matters and help perpetuate that outlook among others. Your informed decision holds much more value than you think it does. And once you are all done, when someone asks you ‘Are you a feminist?’, make sure you look them in the eye and say ‘Everyone should be.’