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All choices are not feminist. Many a times, we think that having a choice in deciding something is feminist. The truth is far from this.
All choices are not feminist. Many a times, we think that having a choice in deciding something is enough to make it feminist. The truth is far from this.
How often have you heard a woman say that I am choosing to do this, where this may refer to dressing type or a certain choice they are making such as taking on a husband’s surname after marriage, choosing to stay home after marriage or having a baby, accepting and defending some ‘traditional’ or ‘cultural’ values such as not entering temples while menstruating and much more. This comic strip, originally published at Everyday Feminism does a great job of explaining why all choices are not feminist.
While there is no one universally acceptable or applicable definition of feminism, it is equally true that feminism is not an umbrella term for any choice any woman may make. Some choices are not feminist because they are based on a gendered and hierarchical understanding of the world. A woman may believe she has choice and agency in her decisions, but it is good to pause at this point and ask: what is the full spectrum of choices offered? What shapes these choices? Very often, the answer is patriarchal structures reinforced continuously through family norms, societal values, career options and more. Read the strip to find out more.
Image via Shutterstock
I think of myself as a feminist development practitioner with a strong interest in issues related to gender and education. I enjoy writing about my interests, a happy step forward from the angst laden poetry read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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