5 Things That DON’T Make You A ‘Bad Feminist’

We have a certain perception of what it means to be a feminist, and we think that anyone who falls outside that is a ‘bad feminist’. Here’s busting a few myths about this.

“Feminism is not a dirty word. It does not mean you hate men. It does not mean you hate girls that have nice legs and a tan, and it does not mean you are a bitch or a dyke, it means you believe in equality.” – Kate Nash

So a fellow feminist is trying to teach you all about feminism correctly. Let me clarify it right now: feminism believes in gender equality. That’s it. There is no such thing like a good feminist or bad feminist.

Make-up and grooming

Listen, I am a feminist, and I lead my life the way I want. That includes this. Each weekend I make a trip to the salon for grooming, and I enjoy the sessions.

Being a feminist doesn’t mean you stop wearing make-up. Again there is no compulsion that one must have short, funky hair, colored eyelashes, and must wear a makeup to be a feminist. Feminists, like other people, are free to do what their heart says.

Shave or not shave your body hair

Hello, do you have a problem if I shave off my body hair? How come society combines shaving/not shaving body hair with being/ not being a feminist?

My body my choice. I am free to do what I like, and yes I believe in equality. You heard me loud and clear. What angers a feminist? It’s gender bias, it and certainly has nothing to do with my choice of what I do with my body hair.

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Looking for a partner/ marriage

Women can also enjoy their single status but single life can be lonely. So it’s more than acceptable to go ahead and look for a partner.

Feminism is not about hating a man, but about being against gender inequality. So you are not a bad feminist if you date or want to be in a relationship. You are free to get married and start your own family. It doesn’t make you a bad feminist.

Enjoy domestic chores

So you think it infuriates a feminist when we get down to cooking, cleaning, washing, or in better words domestic chores? Who has ever told you that? Ill treatment, discrimination, and tyranny are the problem, and doing your own domestic chores definitely doesn’t fall in the list, unless the expectation is that you do everything in the house and no one else shares in it.

If you cannot stand dirt go ahead and clean your room. That will not make you less of a feminist but it is your choice of how you want to lead a life. Domestic chores are often seen as a women’s job, and that is again the society’s misconception and underrating certain categories of work. Don’t ever take that statement as truth.

As I said it’s your life and your choice. Deal with it. I am a career woman and I also call myself a feminist but I also love to roast a chicken and enjoy a hearty meal with my daughter.

Wanting to be a stay-at-home person

Our society has a problem with everything. Now if a woman doesn’t want to work and wants to be a stay at home mom, then we label them as lazy, un ambitious and bad feminists.

Feminism has nothing to do with working or not working. Staying at home and taking care of everything and everyone can really be taxing, so don’t discount their work at home.

Over the years we have set certain standards as a ‘measuring parameter’ to what we call feminism. But as I said feminism only believes in gender equality and freedom to make choices for oneself. Feminism strives to make the world a better place to live in irrespective of all genders so don’t ever fall prey to the above misconceptions.

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