Today, the female population of the world likes to associate itself with the word ‘feminist’. The word is used from UN to college debates to friendly discussions to Instagram descriptions.
Let me give you a shocker; it’s also used to mask hypocrisy, the great paradox that exists between convenience and injustice. It’s okay for a woman to rightfully defame a man who is seen sitting in any form of public transport but wouldn’t budge from her own seat despite seeing an old man standing to the side, hanging on to dear life after a hard day’s work. Is that what we want to associate ourselves with?
The only point here is; the word feminist has become the victim of misrepresentation, misinterpretation and most unfortunately, ignorance. Most of the women who proudly (and with a decent amount of arrogance) identify with themselves as a feminist don’t even know what the word truly means. And no, it does not mean that women want to take over the world. The meaning has come worlds away from what was truly intended. To put it in simple words, a feminist is someone who looks at the current scenario, realizes that there are gender inequalities on both sides, and agrees that change is in order.
There is a certain negative connotation to the word ‘feminist’ in pop culture today. It is not surprising that when people hear ‘feminism’ they picture Deepika Padukone saying ‘sex outside of marriage is my choice’. It is not their fault; it is the fault of how a powerful media figure is made to send out such a misleading message to the youth of the country. Well, the damage is done. The word feminism is disgraced, tainted and besmirched. Like every other cause in India, feminism needs to be served in a new, refreshed and palatable manner. Only then can we hope for change, which we all accept that India needs direly.
Amidst the gruesome stories of rape, prostitution, domestic violence and human trafficking that float up to the surface of the Indian conscience every single day, there is no better time to be an ‘equalist’.
Now let me present some massive benefits to this small little tweak. The word ‘equalist’ is much clearer and much more transparent in meaning. It literally means ‘to be equal’. Secondly, gender inequalities not exist only for the female population of the world, for whom the word ‘feminist’ was coined. Gender discrepancies like rape and domestic violence are as real for men as they are for women. In addition, false rape and dowry charges are also a concern. Gender conformities like the ‘pink and blue’ stigma affect men as much as they affect women. The word equalist will neutralize the movement and make its supporters more sensitive towards the gender inequalities on the other side.
Meanwhile, the word feminist will lose the sting of bias that it has towards women. It might seem like an insignificant little nitpick, but when the perception of a society as a whole is at stake, these are the little things that matter. The day that men stop stereotyping women as ‘Feminazi’, is the day that real change will begin. Having said that, when the word feminist itself has become a part of the problem, do we still want to drive such an important revolution by this word?
It’s time to revamp the image of a modern feminist. It’s time to change the archetype that a feminist is someone who is first and foremost a woman. Let’s make sure men are not afraid of admitting that they fight for women’s rights as well as their own. When the word connoting gender equality is by itself free of gender implication, half the battle is won.
It’s time for some change. And let this change begin with the country that worships women irrespective of religion. Let this change begin with India.
