THE F WORD.

I know what some of you are thinking,”oh no. Not again. Please! Not another article by one of those annoying,radical,men-hating,blood-thirsty,evil feminists!”.Well, I am not exactly sure what dictionary people have been reading these days,but feminists are not to be feared.

According to the oxford dictionary, feminism is “ the advocacy of the quality of the sexes”. In my own words, I believe that women deserve fair treatment and respect. No i do not have “flower power” buttons on my backpack, I am not a die-hard Hillary Clinton groupie,nor do i believe in the whole “Free The Nipple” movement(we live in India for god’s sake), But i do not have to do all these things to be a feminist. Feminism, my friends is about classic principles of human morality. Everyone should believe that women are equally deserving as men of a life of opportunities and happiness. This is so not a controversial political statement. Do you respect yourself as a woman? Do you respect your mother and sister or for that matter any woman in your life? If so, you should most certainly be called a feminist too. Feminism I feel, is not about women refusing to shave their underarm hair, hating men or believing that women are superior. It is about gaining respect and rights that will assist women in achieving a more equal chance to live a sustained life.

You might fear the word “ feminism” but you should be aware that it is based off the simple notion that you should treat all other people,including women, with integrity if you wish to be a decent human being. In the inspiring words of my favourite R&B artist, Kehlani, “every man somewhere in his mind has the fear of a strong woman”. I can't deny the fact that this statement does have some truth. Some men are afraid of seeing women succeed, because it becomes a threat to their own masculinity. Thus, they refute feminism as a defense mechanism. Women have been systematically oppressed because the possibility that female strength can overpower or even accompany masculinity was far too terrifying for some. It is easier to establish male dominance if women were subjected to lack of authority on a social, economic and political level. Yet the most crucial level of degradation is that of the psychological level which women themselves have created.

Women like you and me have created damaging views of themselves because of factors that reinforce the negative,inferior image of women in the society. I have seen it happen with my own eyes and i am sure you would have too- young girls torturing themselves to look a certain way or act a certain way to gain approval from others. Without self-confidence, young girls can't simply feel worthy on their own. This lack of self esteem starting in women at a young age is imperative for the male dominated culture to remain intact. We need feminism because we can't allow one young person to believe that someone else should determine their self worth or that one person is inferior to other simply because of their sex. In an ideal world, equality would be a reasonable goal, but unfortunately equality in all aspects is a lot to ask for right now. For now, all i ' m asking for is equal consideration. When I apply for the same job as a young man, I pray they consider me for the same degree as they would his. When a young woman has a dream, I wish no one crushes her enthusiasm. I ask for men to speak to me, a female, the same way they would want to be spoken to. No more objectification. No more telling women they should “know their place”.

I want to live in a world where I will be able to speak my mind, without people labelling me. Where my merits speak louder than my sex and where no one tries to kill my spark. Is it too much that I ask for?