New Kids On The Block: How Gen Alpha Is Embracing 'Micro Feminism'

It’s happening, bruh! Gen A is definitely going Fanum tax on Feminist philosophies of all the past six “living” generations to come up with a refreshing micro version of their very own that’s way rizzler than all the earlier belief systems put together. But naturally, I guess, for it’s after all a culmination of the activism, equality theory and freedom voices through the ages. 

Born into the digitized, culturally cohesive world Gen A’s charcuterie board of organic feminist concepts effortlessly aligns the drive of the Greatest Generation with the discipline of the Silent One; the strong individualism of the Baby Boomers with the adaptability of Gen X; the authenticity of Gen Y and the multi-culturalism of Gen Z to come up with a progressive set of feminist values. 

Micro-Feminism Is The Gen Alpha Way

We’re talking micro here, to acknowledge this integration of feminism into the lived family set-up that is the very foundation of macro changes in interpersonal relationships within the global fam. Talking about the shift, a new age mum wrote that her “son’s life is different… especially in how he will understand gender roles. He has two moms who work full-time outside of the home. He has a female paediatrician, a female rabbi, and a grandmother with a Ph.D.—experiences that were entirely unavailable to women just a few decades ago.” 

Who would have thought a day would come when stuff like a guitar-strumming toddler singing peans to his mum or a super chatty little boy meal-prepping his fav tofu rice would go viral? What’s happening here is the open celebration of the strong feminine role model. What’s happening here is the gradual demolition of sexist beliefs that the kitchen is girl turf. What’s happening here is micro-feminism. 

Why are we surprised actually? Aren’t we in the era of Zehra Gunes, feminist lit fan RM and the liberated Barbie where Loryn Brantz’s best-selling Feminist Baby gets a 4.6 rating!

For the unfamiliar, “Feminist Baby likes pink and blue. 

Sometimes she'll throw up on you!

Feminist Baby chooses what to wear

and if you don't like it she doesn't care!” 

She’s irrepressible, refreshing “a girl who's not afraid to do her own thing, and wants to make as much noise as possible along the way!” 

What a breath of fresh air! 

Feminism In The Futuristic Digital Era

This is the thing about Generation Alpha -- this “most tech-savvy, most materially endowed” generation ever according to futurist Mark McCrindle, who came up with the term -- it is THE “brand influencer” and “content creator” generation that’s impacting everything from economics to sustainability to DEI and LGBTQIA+ drafts of the future in a way that would do all the previous generations proud. 

These young “digital natives, who have never known a world without smartphones and social media” are willing to “think different” and keen to tweak everything from social norms to gender roles, education and entrepreneurship. 

The iGen or AI Gen is a whole new belief system that “questions assumptions and speaks out against injustice.” In a magazine interview, Meghan Markel said “I look at our son and what a beautiful example that he gets to grow up with a father who is so comfortable owning that (being a feminist) as part of his own self-identification.” 

It's only when “women are empowered, they immeasurably improve the lives of everyone around them – their families, their communities, and their countries,” Prince Harry has famously been quoted. 

Feminism Is For Boys Too

This challenging of the status quo is helping raise “feminist sons” by the likes of acclaimed author Sonora Jha who hopes to “change the world, one kind boy at a time.” Sharing of housework, exposure to healthy female relationships and the involvement of Gen A in women-led activities has flipped misogynistic misconceptions on their head. 

Renowned educator Jackson Katz’s outright slaying of the “boys will be boys” mindset is a case in point. 

“The argument that ‘boys will be boys’ actually carries the profoundly anti-male implication that we should expect bad behaviours from boys and men. The assumption is that they are somehow not capable of acting appropriately, or treating girls and women with respect.” 

That’s change. Major change. 

So we now live in an era of free expression where boys cry and it’s okay. Boys know how to take care of themselves and it’s okay. Toddler tees scream “Mama’s boy” and it’s okay. Men share housework and it’s normal. No means no. Skincare isn’t sissy. Boys are Swifties. Handsome is a gender-free adjective. A female embraces body hair for she is way more than the sum total of her anatomy. And pink? It’s a powerful colour. Periodt! 

I’m attracted to films that have strong female characters because there are strong female characters in my life.” -Ryan Gosling

This, this mom/sister/granny/wife/GF/buddy as MVP is the genesis of the micro-feminist phenomena in homes. 

We raise our girls to fight stereotypes and pursue their dreams, but we don’t do the same for our boys, Pulitzer Prize winner Claire Cain Miller had once lamented. Quoting Gloria Steinem she wrote, “I’m glad we’ve begun to raise our daughters more like our sons, but it will never work until we raise our sons more like our daughters.”

It’s happening, Claire! It’s happening! Slowly but steadily. The roaring success of I Am Enough by Grace Byers is proof. 

 As per one set of statistics, Gen Alpha are predicted to reach 2.2 billion in volume globally by 2025, which will make them the largest generation in history. Enough to shake up the qual and quant of concepts that do not evolve with the changing times. One such concept is Feminism, which “is not just about equal rights for all genders, but also about the pursuit to eradicate gendered stereotypes - allowing everyone to be their truly authentic selves.” 

It’s happening bruh! One micro step at a time… this Fortnite convo about the new rizzler! 

Views expressed by the author are their own