Most of you will be confused by the title, let me explain. Feminism, very simply, is the belief that no sex should be treated unfairly?... They ought to be treated equally. But now, a new form of feminism known appropriately as pseudo-feminist has emerged. Pseudo-feminists frequently lash out and degrade men in an effort to address all the injustices done to women. What they overlook is equality, which is the cornerstone of the feminist movement. Pseudo-feminism is all around us, covertly lurking behind feminism, though we frequently are unaware of it.
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The goal of feminism in India is to define, develop, and
defend equal political, economic, and social rights and opportunities for women
in our country. It is the fight for women's rights in Indian society.
The history of feminism in India can be divided into three
distinct periods: the first, which started in the middle of the 19th century,
when reformists started to advocate for women's rights by changing laws
involving women and education; the second, which started from 1915 until Indian
independence; the third, which started after independence and which was marked
by the emergence of independent women's organizations.
Women in modern India still experience a lot of prejudice
despite the advancements made by Indian feminist groups. Due to India's patriarchal
culture, it is still difficult for women to get property ownership rights
and access to education in some parts of our country. A tendency for sex-selective
abortion has also arisen in the last two decades. These are perceived by Indian feminists as
injustices that need fighting for, and many people frequently mistake feminism
for female dominance rather than for equality.
When a 1968 New York Times story by Martha Weinman Lear
appeared with the headline "The Second Feminist Wave," people started
to talk about feminism as a sequence of waves. The wave metaphor gained popularity because it
was a good method to show that the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and
1970s was not an odd historical outlier as its critics mocked it, but rather a
fresh chapter in a long history of women working together for their rights. The wave metaphor evolved to become a tool to explain and differentiate across various feminist eras and
generations over time.
The first wave (1848 to 1920)
First-wave feminism is not the term used to describe the
earliest feminist thinkers in history. It alludes to the suffragettes of the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, who led the first long-lasting political
campaign in the West to bring about political equality for women.
The second wave (1963 to 1980)
It questioned what women's place in society ought to be and
built on first-wave feminism. Activists concentrated on the systems that held
back women, drawing inspiration from the Civil Rights movement and anti-Vietnam
War demonstrations. This
required a closer examination of the causes of women's oppression. Traditional
roles for men and women in the home were questioned. More ground was
established for queer theory.
There
developed three primary subgroups of feminism: social, radical, and
mainstream/liberal.
The third wave (Started in 1991)
Few individuals agree on what the third wave is, when it
began, or if it is still occurring, making it nearly impossible to discuss it
in any detail. Race
consciousness increased in third-wave feminism. In their speech, attire, and actions, many
women showed their sexuality more openly. Second-wave feminists, many of whom
had opposed conventional femininity, found this to be confusing at times.
During this period, there were several ideas and little movements, but there
was only one "rule": there weren't any rules. The way a lady lived
her life should be her choice.
The fourth wave
Since the fourth wave is more about the movement's
continuous expansion than it is about a transformation, some individuals
believe that we are still in the third wave of feminism. But many people think
a new phase has begun with the MeToo movement and a revival of assaults
on women's rights. The movement has moved fully into the technology era thanks
to social media activism.
Types of Feminism
Traditionally, there have been three primary lineages of
feminism: radical
feminism, socialist or Marxist feminism, and liberal/mainstream feminism. Many of the more recent
feminisms that have evolved after the turn of the 20th century are seen as
offshoots of the three main lineages.
Liberal Feminism
Generally speaking, "mainstream feminism" refers
to feminist groups and views that do not belong to either the socialist or
radical feminist camps. The
first-wave liberal feminism of the 19th and early 20th centuries served as the
inspiration for the mainstream feminist movement, which has historically
concentrated on political and legal transformation.
Radical Feminism
Comparing radical feminists to other feminist movements and
philosophies, they frequently take a more aggressive stance. It views the
male-dominated, sexist capitalist structure as the primary source of women's
subjugation. According
to radical feminists, the patriarchal system is fundamentally repressive and
domineering, and only by abolishing it will women be freed.
Marxist feminism
The oppression of women is tied by socialist feminism to
Marxist concepts of exploitation, oppression, and labor. According to
socialist feminists, women are held back by their unequal status in both the
personal and professional spheres.
Prostitution,
domestic work, child care, and marriage are all seen by socialist feminists as
ways in which women are taken advantage of by a patriarchal society that
undervalues women and the important labor they undertake.
Also, we have
Cultural feminism
The idea of a "female nature" or "female
essence" that seeks to revalidate what they view as devalued feminine
characteristics is known as cultural feminism. While highlighting the differences between men
and women, it holds that these differences are psychological in nature and were
created by culture rather than being inborn characteristics of men and women.
Post-modern Feminism
This type of feminism integrates postmodern and
poststructuralist philosophy.
Post-modern
feminists start with the idea that the modernist notion of feminism overtly
emphasizes gender distinctions between men and women while neglecting those
within each gender. Post-modern
feminists assert as well that our understanding of gender is primarily shaped
by the discourse we come to accept through time. Therefore, gender is not
innate or natural.
Feminist literature
Feminist literature includes the canon of works that
address women's equality in all spheres, including social, political, and
domestic, covering nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and essays. The classics in this category
include works from the second wave of feminism, which occurred in the 1960s and
1970s, as well as essays and novels from those decades.
Mary Wollstonecraft (The first feminist writer), Anais Nin,
Jane Austen, Maya Angelou, George Sand, Arundhati Roy, and Anita Desai are a few
famous feminist writers.
Feminist Art
The social and political disparities that women face in
their daily lives are highlighted in feminist art. The goal of this type of art
is to alter the world for the better and foster understanding, with the
ultimate goal of achieving equality or liberation. Through the use of new mediums
and a fresh viewpoint, feminist art has acted as an innovative force for
extending the meaning of art.
Most women were unable to dedicate time to making art
because of the historical role of women as caregivers. Women were also rarely
admitted to art schools and were practically never permitted in live-drawing
workshops due to a perceived impropriety.
Feminist art, according to Lucy R. Lippard, is
"neither a style nor a trend but rather a moral system, a revolutionary
tactic, a way of life," she said in 1980. This quotation demonstrates how
feminist art has an impact on all facets of life.
Judy Dater received some recognition for her work by having
feminist images on show in museums.
Dater
featured artwork that emphasized how women were defying traditional gender
stereotypes, such as how they should dress or pose for pictures. Due to their unusualness and
previously unseen scenes that may not be acceptable in society, the photographs
caught the attention of the viewers.
Feminism and Business
Women are defying gender norms, taking more leadership
positions, working in business, and participating in politics, sports, and
entertainment. From
5% in 1992 to 40% in 2000, India saw a steady increase in the number of rural
women leaders. Even
if there is hope for more modern feminism on the social and legal fronts, there
is still a long way to go before obtaining the same openness in the economic
sphere. In the
corporate sector, feminism is more of a taboo subject. Due to the low
percentage of female entrepreneurs in the nation (only 14%) and the
predominance of the "bro-code" in corporate settings, fewer women
lead collaborative efforts to ease the difficulties experienced by aspiring
female entrepreneurs.
Is Feminism becoming Toxic?
Toxic feminism is the belief that white women are
frequently portrayed as the face of feminism and as the main targets of sexism. This, however, neglects the
dangers that women of color confront every day, including those brought on by
systemic racism in addition to patriarchal regimes.
Let me remind you of a recent incident in which a fashion
influencer claimed that a Zomato delivery person had attacked her due to delayed delivery. She
wrote a long social media post about the same sobbing and bleeding incident,
and quickly everyone started to rage at the delivery man and even detained the
youngster before hearing the boy's side of the story.
I question "Why". Why isn't anyone interested in
learning about the other side of the story. When the delivery guy filed the lawsuit against
her, she was unexpectedly out of town. After a few days of the TV interview,
she repeatedly revised her narrative. She established a following on social
media, became well-known, and dubbed herself a feminist. Seriously? Do we know
what happened to the other person? He was humiliated, mistreated, arrested, and
fired. Don't
we as citizens realize that we should treat them equally if we don't
know the whole truth? There
are several instances like this where persons who identify as feminists enter
the scene and undo years of hard work by others toward the empowerment and
equality of women. The above-told story is a perfect example of how pseudo-feminism works.
Women's superiority and men's animosity are linked to pseudo-feminism. It's not about equality; it's about getting back at society for the horrors, abuse, and supremacy that it subjected women to. The most alarming truth, however, is how these so-called feminists hunt for flaws in all males, finding methods to make them appear bad, painting them as suspects if nothing works for them or based on their decisions, then playing the victim card.
Women have a right to feminism, which no one can take away.
A pseudo feminist goal is to establish a world regime made up entirely of
feminist women who want respect on par with that of other people.
Many pseudo-feminists claim that males cannot be feminists,
yet you already know who is a feminist—a man, a woman, or a trans person who
supports women's equality. A
father who treats his daughter and son equally is a feminist. A male feminist
or a husband who supports his wife's right to make her own decisions and
does not impose his own preferences or ideas on her. In a way, a transgender
woman is a feminist because, like any other human being, she seeks to respect and
equality.
Conclusion
So I end my blog with the quote “Half-baked knowledge is
worse than nightmare” by Thomas Babington Macaulay.
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