This post was inspired by a question that Mr. Jerry Pinto (author of the award winning book Em and the Big Hoom, among many others), asked during one of our enrichment sessions, wherein we have guest speakers from the media industry talking to mass media students about what the industry is like, what career options do they have etc. Mr. Jerry Pinto, a fine gentleman, highly knowledgeable, and let me add, a bit intimidating, was talking, among many issues, about women's rights and feminism. He asked, 'How many of you are feminists?'. A plain simple, raise of hands question. Surprisingly, in a class of around 80 girls, and to top that, 80 mass media students, of one of the finest girl's colleges in India, we just had about less than half hands raised. This less than half of the classroom filled with young, aspiring media professionals claimed they were feminists. I was one of them too.
What struck me was not how this less than half of the class is confident and bold enough to raise their hands and claim to be feminists, but the more than half who, sitting in a classroom, acquiring knowledge, moving on from the traditional, subordinating roles of women, stepping out, travelling in Mumbai locals, great distances to become educated young professionals and make something of themselves, said that they were, indeed, NOT feminists.
Ha. Non-sens. Conneries*
Who is a feminist? What is feminism?
Since Google/Wikipedia, have become our most reliable sources of information these days. I will define Feminism and Feminist, as defined by Wikipedia/Google.
If you Google, Definition Feminism, this is what pops up: the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.
Next if you Google, Who is a Feminist?, this is what pops up: a person who supports feminism.
Now if you observe and try to understand it in simpler terms, it basically boils down to, equality for all, be it man or a woman and in all spheres, be it political, social or economic etc.
A feminist is a person who believes in equality of rights and opportunities for both, men and women, and the concept of this equality for men and women, is Feminism, in very simple terms.
So, let me justify my reason for shock, when more than half of the classroom didn't raise their hands to Mr. Pinto's question.
The fact that these women, were sitting in the classroom, listening to a professional talk about issues, educating themselves, choosing, to gain the same or maybe a better quality of education as the other men in colleges, than sit at home and perform household chores.
The fact that they were exercising their right to raise their hands or not.
The fact that they were exercising their right to have opinions, ideas, their own set of beliefs and values, so they can be independent individuals with independent identities.
Wearing what they want, any colour, not obligated to wear the clothes that would act as markers of their sex or gender.
What is all this?
It is these women, who say they are not feminists, indulging in feminism. They are participating in activities that were anciently not allowed or meant for them. Women were restricted to the household, suppressed and denied participation in male dominated activities.
As Sherry B. Ortner has pointed out in her, magnificent research paper titled, Is female to male as nature is to culture?** women are perceived as being closer to nature due to their impressive physical ability to give birth to perishable humans and hence contribute to the continuity of species, and men are considered closer to culture and held responsible for creation of life long technologies, intelligence etc.
She states that because of the lactation process in women, a baby naturally tends to be closer to the mother and hence the mother is also designated the job of grooming and nursing the child, till it comes of age after which the father takes the responsibility of teaching the tasks and making the child capable of being a part of the contributors to culture (only in he case of male child, a female child is taught what the role of a woman should be, i.e. household chores and preparing to bear a child and cater to her husbands' needs, and thus begins the vicious cycle). So what we learn is that, due to a woman's biological ability, in ancient times, men were the one who used to step out and perform the so called 'tough', 'intelligent' tasks, while women stayed indoors. I won't go into the great details that she has mentioned in her paper, i have attached the link at the end for your perusal.
Coming back to the present, what we need to remember is that it took a long time and a lot of struggles, revolutions and sacrifices by women and feminist groups in the bygone centuries that we have arrived at this stage and time, where we can exercise our right to NOT call ourselves feminists, to be able know what it means, to be able to freely leave after the class for a smoke, to have an all girl's college among all the other colleges under a governmental university, meaning that the constitution of our country recognises feminism and equality for men and women.
So i ask those more than half students that i shared the classroom with during Mr. Pinto's enriching session, why do u say you are not feminists, when you are sitting here, enriching and educating yourselves so that you can be equally capable as any other man that you may face in your professional, competitive world?
Why do you say you are not feminists, when you are clearly choosing to not raise your hands and enjoy a world of choice, unlike the era that women of the bygone centuries have faced, where they would dream of nothing, but a world where they could have a choice?
Why do you say you are not feminists, when you are sitting here, becoming aware of issues relating to your sex/gender?
So this is what i believe in, if you are a woman and if you smile while doing something, you are a feminist, because you ARE doing something for yourself, as a woman, and not just what you may be told to do.
Very well explained in the book, Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti, a lot of us confuse feminism with extreme hatred towards opposite sex, and practicing extreme forms of liberty, but what these people overlook, is the little things that have maybe become almost non existential NOW, but they were at some point, a spark of a revolution, that has successfully led us here to a time, where i can write this blog post, and express my views on feminism, and leave it open, not anonymously, but very much with my identity, with no fear, for the world to read. But, there is still a lot to achieve on the road to complete equality and feminism, and Jessica Valenti has done exactly that in her book. She has highlighted and discussed issues that women of the 21st Century are fighting for and a lot of us need to join in. Ranging from the issue of a 'girl just wanting to have fun' to 'contraception debates', she has covered it all. Stereotypes attached to feminists, to how she is a happily married woman, her book is to feminists what An Imperial Affliction was to Hazel Grace in John Green's Fault in Our Stars, also a movie. I am not going to summarise the book for you, because i believe every woman should read it, at least once in her life, because it tells you why, as a woman, feminism matters, and why you, as a feminist, matter.
So if you think, that you being a woman, are not a feminist, and if you are continuing to read this line, then i'm sorry my fellow woman, but the bitter truth for you is that, you ARE a feminist, you're reading this just as any other person (male/female) in this world, and exercising the most basic principle of feminism.
So congratulations, you have just unambiguously proved that you are a feminist!
Welcome on board, my lady! :)
* 'bullshit' in french
**(You can read the whole research paper here if you like: http://www.radicalanthropologygroup.org/old/class_text_049.pdf)
What struck me was not how this less than half of the class is confident and bold enough to raise their hands and claim to be feminists, but the more than half who, sitting in a classroom, acquiring knowledge, moving on from the traditional, subordinating roles of women, stepping out, travelling in Mumbai locals, great distances to become educated young professionals and make something of themselves, said that they were, indeed, NOT feminists.
Ha. Non-sens. Conneries*
Who is a feminist? What is feminism?
Since Google/Wikipedia, have become our most reliable sources of information these days. I will define Feminism and Feminist, as defined by Wikipedia/Google.
If you Google, Definition Feminism, this is what pops up: the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.
Next if you Google, Who is a Feminist?, this is what pops up: a person who supports feminism.
Now if you observe and try to understand it in simpler terms, it basically boils down to, equality for all, be it man or a woman and in all spheres, be it political, social or economic etc.
A feminist is a person who believes in equality of rights and opportunities for both, men and women, and the concept of this equality for men and women, is Feminism, in very simple terms.
So, let me justify my reason for shock, when more than half of the classroom didn't raise their hands to Mr. Pinto's question.
The fact that these women, were sitting in the classroom, listening to a professional talk about issues, educating themselves, choosing, to gain the same or maybe a better quality of education as the other men in colleges, than sit at home and perform household chores.
The fact that they were exercising their right to raise their hands or not.
The fact that they were exercising their right to have opinions, ideas, their own set of beliefs and values, so they can be independent individuals with independent identities.
Wearing what they want, any colour, not obligated to wear the clothes that would act as markers of their sex or gender.
What is all this?
It is these women, who say they are not feminists, indulging in feminism. They are participating in activities that were anciently not allowed or meant for them. Women were restricted to the household, suppressed and denied participation in male dominated activities.
As Sherry B. Ortner has pointed out in her, magnificent research paper titled, Is female to male as nature is to culture?** women are perceived as being closer to nature due to their impressive physical ability to give birth to perishable humans and hence contribute to the continuity of species, and men are considered closer to culture and held responsible for creation of life long technologies, intelligence etc.
She states that because of the lactation process in women, a baby naturally tends to be closer to the mother and hence the mother is also designated the job of grooming and nursing the child, till it comes of age after which the father takes the responsibility of teaching the tasks and making the child capable of being a part of the contributors to culture (only in he case of male child, a female child is taught what the role of a woman should be, i.e. household chores and preparing to bear a child and cater to her husbands' needs, and thus begins the vicious cycle). So what we learn is that, due to a woman's biological ability, in ancient times, men were the one who used to step out and perform the so called 'tough', 'intelligent' tasks, while women stayed indoors. I won't go into the great details that she has mentioned in her paper, i have attached the link at the end for your perusal.
Coming back to the present, what we need to remember is that it took a long time and a lot of struggles, revolutions and sacrifices by women and feminist groups in the bygone centuries that we have arrived at this stage and time, where we can exercise our right to NOT call ourselves feminists, to be able know what it means, to be able to freely leave after the class for a smoke, to have an all girl's college among all the other colleges under a governmental university, meaning that the constitution of our country recognises feminism and equality for men and women.
So i ask those more than half students that i shared the classroom with during Mr. Pinto's enriching session, why do u say you are not feminists, when you are sitting here, enriching and educating yourselves so that you can be equally capable as any other man that you may face in your professional, competitive world?
Why do you say you are not feminists, when you are clearly choosing to not raise your hands and enjoy a world of choice, unlike the era that women of the bygone centuries have faced, where they would dream of nothing, but a world where they could have a choice?
Why do you say you are not feminists, when you are sitting here, becoming aware of issues relating to your sex/gender?
And most of all, why are you in a girl's college, if you are not a feminist? Why are you sitting in classrooms of a
professional educational institution, the education of which is aimed at making
you independent, empowered women, in a male dominated, patriarchal society?
So this is what i believe in, if you are a woman and if you smile while doing something, you are a feminist, because you ARE doing something for yourself, as a woman, and not just what you may be told to do.
Very well explained in the book, Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti, a lot of us confuse feminism with extreme hatred towards opposite sex, and practicing extreme forms of liberty, but what these people overlook, is the little things that have maybe become almost non existential NOW, but they were at some point, a spark of a revolution, that has successfully led us here to a time, where i can write this blog post, and express my views on feminism, and leave it open, not anonymously, but very much with my identity, with no fear, for the world to read. But, there is still a lot to achieve on the road to complete equality and feminism, and Jessica Valenti has done exactly that in her book. She has highlighted and discussed issues that women of the 21st Century are fighting for and a lot of us need to join in. Ranging from the issue of a 'girl just wanting to have fun' to 'contraception debates', she has covered it all. Stereotypes attached to feminists, to how she is a happily married woman, her book is to feminists what An Imperial Affliction was to Hazel Grace in John Green's Fault in Our Stars, also a movie. I am not going to summarise the book for you, because i believe every woman should read it, at least once in her life, because it tells you why, as a woman, feminism matters, and why you, as a feminist, matter.
So if you think, that you being a woman, are not a feminist, and if you are continuing to read this line, then i'm sorry my fellow woman, but the bitter truth for you is that, you ARE a feminist, you're reading this just as any other person (male/female) in this world, and exercising the most basic principle of feminism.
So congratulations, you have just unambiguously proved that you are a feminist!
Welcome on board, my lady! :)
* 'bullshit' in french
**(You can read the whole research paper here if you like: http://www.radicalanthropologygroup.org/old/class_text_049.pdf)
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