I AM A MAD FEMINIST!
“MAD FEMINIST” isn’t this what society calls the modern-day feminists! Mad? Because we question. Because we know how to stand for ourselves and we don’t follow the rules that patriarchy wants us to follow.
Yes, I am writing about the ‘F’ word! The word that people belittle, make fun of, and are even scared of. Not everyone, but these people are afraid that they will lose their power if women rise to equality. Feminism has come a long way and yet we have to cover several miles. It will take generations till we reach the equality that we women crave. But wait! according to some people aren’t men and women already equal?
Sorry to burst your bubble, we are not even halfway. We live in this bubble because we are sitting on a privileged chair. We assume this because we somehow have access to BASIC EQUALITY. There is a huge chunk of women who don’t have access to sanitary pads, still have to pay dowry, are not allowed to go to school or college, are not allowed to work and the list continues. Sexual harassment, eve-teasing, and domestic violence news we hear daily. IN NEWS: Man stabs wife 25 times in New Delhi. Covid patient raped in ICU ward, Patna. Just two out of hundreds.
Now, coming back to MAD FEMINISTS, we have a magnifying glass fixed in our vision that enables us to see inequality, oppression, biases, and double standards. We can see how deep patriarchy has penetrated us, in our daily lives, in small things, in our rituals and when we question, we are labelled as MAD.
Then comes online bullying, trolls, and a group of people who blame feminism for everything. Even you must have noticed it, whenever a girl does something wrong, feminism is blamed. People call out feminists for no reason. FYI, feminism doesn’t support criminals be it a man or woman. These people pull down feminism for no reason at all, so my fellow MAD feminists, ignore these people and keep on with the good work.
They may call us whatever they want MAD, CRAZY, OVER THINKERS. But the truth is we are strong, opinionated, truthful humans who know their worth and the power of their voice. We believe in change because we are the change. We have empathy, we want equal rights for women all across the globe. We are sensitive for others, we believe even if one woman is in a cage then we are all without wings. Someone rightly said angry women will change the future, or in this case maybe MAD ones. And yes we are MAD and angry about systematic oppression and patriarchy but we won’t let it take over us.
Now, I believe feminism is beautiful, it uplifts us, gives us strength, and makes us own our bodies, our desires, and ourselves. And here my friend, I refer to ‘us ‘ for all genders and not just women. Feminism understands how men are a victim of patriarchy too, the way society puts pressure on them. It is not anti-men, it is pro-equality. A man can be a feminist too. It is pro-queer community. All we want is equality and freedom for all. It is a voice for people.
Feminism as I mentioned earlier has a long way to go, let us learn more, be a little more compassionate, and spread love. Understand and support each other. Now, it is up to you, what you want to call us, but we will not stop!
Thankyou