Yes, I Am A Feminist. No, I Don't Mind These 15 Things

Of all the misconceptions in the world, the biggest is about what feminism is. In the baldest of definitions, the feminist movement strives for gender equality. That is the core, preserved within layers and layers of discourse that have countless offshoots differing in ideology grown over years of protest. With all its many renditions, feminism is hardly a straight road today.

Some are seeking retributive justice for the years of oppression women have faced in a male dominant society. Others proclaim there's a gender that's better and one that's trash. Several blindside the role of intersectional identities that contribute to feminist identity besides gender.

In fighting for our rights, women often have to expend energy to ward off 'feminazi' stickers that people who hold pre-conceived (likely false) notions about feminists slap us with. 'Feminists are stuck up.' 'They are extreme.' 'They hate men.' Does it hold true for what the movement stands for?

There's a lot happening on the road to equality; traffic jams are common too. While we're all on our own journeys, it's key to not lose sight of the feminist goal, which prizes individual choice, freedom and opportunity above all.

You Define What Feminism Is. For Me, It Is Inclusive Of These Things I Don't Mind:

1. A guy holding the door open for me. It's etiquette and I would do the same for him.

2. Parents or siblings asking me to bring a glass of water.

3. Women partaking in rituals, festivals, traditions

4. My partner paying for dinner... on the condition that I pay for the next.

5. Taking advice from a male elder on &t=1s">financial matters.

6. Cooking for the household, provided it is not seen as my 'duty' alone.

7. Reading well-fleshed women characters written by male authors.

8. Women choosing to be homemakers.

9. Learning how to sew or clean, skills seen as 'feminine.'

10. Receiving compliments for who I am.

11. Wearing pink, blue, black, yellow - all shades of clothes. Colours don't have gender.

12. A man offering me his jacket when I'm cold.

13. Watching films with male leads - given they aren't Kabir Singh-like toxic douchebags.

14. Applying makeup and shaving your legs for a party.

15. Being approached by a chatty male stranger at the bar.

Views expressed are the author's own. 

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