Tag - Feminism

I have been tagged by Usha Ma'm on Feminism. I cannot completely draw out an opinion of whether it makes any difference to the society, for I still fight for my rightful stand as a professional, day in and day out, to fully comprehend the beauty of being a woman, for in the rat race of winning and proving that I am as good as my counter part if not better, I have lost the charm of being a "female". :), I guess, the post conveys as much, with my half baked ideas (:D).

Feminism is rather a loaded topic for me to write, though I was many a time playfully jabbed as a feminist (:O), for I fundamentally believe in living life the way I want to and nothing can deter that fact, though sometimes, which is the usual case with every well laid plan that there should be an alternative, I tend to compromise on my “principles” or so I call them, succumbing to circumstances only to be mocked by self in some definite future about the integrity of my thoughts. Well, that was some opening statement :D. So what does feminism mean to me? I guess people call me a feminist because I tend to question the rationale of every statement that says, girls are not supposed to do that and mock every statement that says, girls are now threatening the chauvinist society by breaking the barriers of every myth and axiom. Well, it is bound to happen! Sometimes feminism is confused with female dominion. Feminism to me is being paralleled to our alter ego, in thought and in freedom.

I am a proud female living in a modern world which is much too liberal with the women and glad that I am not born four or five decades ago, barring me from the disadvantages of being a girl in a male dominated society. I did not have to fight the wars that my mother or grand mother had to fight to balance their personal, societal and professional lives. Though I did not have to fight the war of proving myself that I am capable of being a son to the family as this is NOT expected of me, which I do not tend to heed, I did have to fight many a war to be accepted for what I am and that came only through the sheer confidence of believing that I can stand and see a guy in the eye and believe that I am their equal. (not a superior but their equal, though the world now is taking a different shape in that a female counter part wants to be superior, not just equal. Hmm, well, one of life’s brilliant strokes.. pendulum doesn’t always swing one way and time has a way of levelling things, for having fought long and hard for the well deserved status quo, the female population of the world want their share at the top of the plum cake). As a kid, I used to wonder why mom or grand mom ever told me to be in the house by a sane hour, not to talk to guys and blah blah, which at that moment felt a little daft, for the only reason I ever got is that I am a girl and a girl had limitations, in terms of freedom and in terms of thoughts that can go in her mind. But then, being a rebel that I am, I refused to be a goat, listening to people’s authority however biological it may be and set on to carve the world I dreamt of with my set of rules. As days passed by, though I could understand the rationale of their worries, their reasoning was not something I appreciated. And thus began my journey into a fascinating world of feminism.

Today, though there are chauvinists who still believe that women are given too much of a freedom and that they should only be home makers and not front runners of the family, earning a humble pie, the time has changed in that there are supporting guys out there who understand the reasoning behind dreams and are encouraging their counter parts to fulfil their dreams, be it in career or be it in making a house - a home, accepting the responsibility of being a husband in the true sense of the word, FINALLY ;). Feminism to me is a thought that can understand THAT dream of a girl and a voice that counter argues with every other voice that says, “this is the maximum you can dream of, because you are a girl”, or “enough of running around the world, time to settle and take care of a family for that is your responsibility ("I earn the bread, you cook the bread", days are soon disintegrating, glad that they are!)”. Feminism to me a theology that respects the female counter part’s right to live their life, the way they want to, following or going against the well laid logistics of the cultures and traditions.

I am a girl, with a certain set of boundaries and I am proud to work around them, but just being a girl does not mean I need to fight for my own survival in the world, proving every minute that I am significant and worthy, just as my counter part is. Feminism to me is that unbiased openness to understand and respect the contribution that I, as a female make to the society. I tend to hear statements day in and day out,
“She is a girl yaar, leave her alone” or “she is a girl, what do you expect?” (they call themselves professionals, hmpf!)
“You are a girl” (as though I require a reminder! Duh!)
Or a change in body language or the off handed replies sometimes that I tend to hear and I keep asking myself, if I am living in this world that seems to respect the career woman and in some cases fear the career woman and still undergoing a challenge to prove myself to the chauvinists who still exist, I wonder what the generation, a couple of decades ago would have had to endure! (In one of these situations of having to prove my mettle to the Oxymorons, I run on an emotional roller coaster of pity to anger :).)

To me, feminism is that freedom that appreciates female for all her flaws, just as she has accepted the chauvinists with their glaring egos and irrational ideologies. Feminism is that tolerance that can accept a woman’s voice and appreciate it in all its implications. Feminism to me is that courage to accept the rising passion of a female and learn to meet her eye and not be diffident or threatened by it. Acknowledging my presence for who I am, rather than for being a girl and giving me MY freedom to manouevre my life but not think I require a support, just because I am a girl, accepting the emotional and physical differences, not judging the way I talk, dress, walk, eat, and so the list goes, in short - Me for being a girl, that is feminism to me.

DISCLAIMER: MY VIEWS AND MY IDEAS, NO OFFENSE MEANT TO ANYONE.

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