Misused word of the year- Feminism

Recently I came across some people posting about an incident that wasn’t even an inch closer to the term feminism yet the term was being discussed and torn apart during the entire process of resharing. That made me feel some things and hence I wrote about what it shouldn’t be perceived as. Do give it a read!

Feminism was a movement started out by the oppressed. It is NOT a physiological trait that only women are capable of possessing. Feminism in 2021 is entirely different from what it started off as, not in terms of what it stands for but what it fights against.

Not all feminists are supposed to be women. But sadly on the other side of the spectrum, not every woman is a feminist.

We have a tendency of putting people into labels. That could be to associate with someone or just to understand them better. But ‘feminist’ as a label, has been highly misused by many who collate only women or people with some wrongdoings.

Someone using incorrect means, false accusations or being a victim of internalised patriarchy and what not is simply not a feminist.

There have been tributaries to the word, diverging and changing its signifier to provide solace to people affected differently. But the umbrella of the wider term remaining intact. A woman might do something completely off the grid of what feminism stands for, but because she is a woman and an easy victim, we tick them off as feminists or the different variants of it that don't fall under the umbrella, like fake feminists, pseudo feminists.

Through this article, I just want to let out a little reminder. Be mindful of terms and if one doesn’t understand it, there isn’t a pressing need to use it as a comeback.

Bye!