Let’s Not Contaminate Feminism!

Why do we need to categorise feminism into two? Is it authentic or bogus? Is she a genuine feminist or a pseudo feminist? Sounds familiar, right!?

So apparently, I just got intrigued by this “trend” that’s going on for years on Social Media. Talking and advocating for women’s rights and the much debated ideology of Feminism has probably resulted in dividing the very concept into two branches, for real!

When you talk about feminism in a group or on social platforms, it’s no novelty to end up hearing about “Fake Feminism/ Pseudo Feminism” etc.

Looking up in a dictionary, feminism implies the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of equality of the genders. I can’t help but say that this definition indeed is a narrow one and too vague for understanding.

Cases of women misusing their rights in the name of feminism have been witnessed so many times, which in turn have proven detrimental for women who are actively seeking to make the lives of women better than before. It has cultivated a sense of spurious and unauthentic spotting on the very ideology. Unfortunately, feminism doesn’t come with a handbook but it surely doesn’t equal to Misandry and Misuse.

Why do we need to categorise feminism into two groups?

My question here is: Why do we need to categorise feminism into two? Any incident, any action or even a reaction by a woman related to her rights or interests is judged by people on this basis. Is it True Feminism or Fake Feminism? Is it authentic or is it bogus? Is she a Genuine Feminist or a Pseudo Feminist? Sounds familiar, right!? I can’t help but wonder who even came up with that. The notion of selectively picking up adjectives for Feminism has consequently dissected it into two branches, majorly True or Fake.

Let’s dig a bit deeper. If I give you a glass filled with some liquid and ask you to find if the liquid is water or anything else, what will be your response to it? If yes, then it’s Water, if no then its not Water. Will you seriously say True Water or Fake Water? I bet you won’t. My comparison of Feminism to Water might sound hilarious to some people but I honestly couldn’t think of something as basic as this.

Let’s stop contaminating feminism!

Taking the very instance forward, if we encounter or witness someone misusing their rights as a woman or indulging in Misandry, why do we have to categorise them into True or Fake? Why can’t it be like ‘Feminism’ or ‘Not Feminism’? If any action doesn’t qualify for the very meaning of it, then it obviously isn’t Feminism!

I understand that feminism is a subjective concept and narrowing it down to black and white or binaries could be a task but it certainly doesn’t qualify for undue use of it.

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Adding up everything, the essence of this write-up is to terminate the adulteration of feminism. Feminism is a pure concept and ideology, precisely came into existence, for the motive of bettering the lives of women. It doesn’t intend to suppress others who aren’t females or inculcate Matriarchy.

In the light of this, you’re either a Feminist or Not-a-Feminist. Let’s NOT CONTAMINATE Feminism!

Image source: Still from Helicopter Eela

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About the Author

Mehar Juneja

A writer, who writes for a cause. Deeply committed to raising awareness and advocating for critical social issues, aiming to inspire action and positive change through my work. Whether it's through thought-provoking articles read more...

5 Posts | 5,386 Views

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