The Advent of Feminism
Feminism- a word often heard in the neighborhood of social media, politics and advertisement. However, the majority of society is still indifferent to the actual definition of the movement. And following the misconstrued use of the word, a whole world has been built up that nullifies the movement. This is pseudo-feminism.
What we know as a movement today is actually a revolution that started way back in 1895. In layperson's terms, it defines that no *** should be treated in a biased manner, and everyone should have equal opportunities. This started with the advent of the first wave way back in 1848 when women Suffragettes started demanding their right to vote. The movement was done with the idea in mind that if women were granted voting rights, it could lead to their ownership over other properties. This could lead to independence.
However, the movement did not stop there. The Second Wave started in 1968 when female authors like Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer wrote strongly about gender equality. The rights to vote were not the grounds anymore, and every gender should be given equal rights, irrespective of caste, creed and race. The Third Wave started with the advent of Rebecca Walker (the author of The Color Purple). The demand for inclusion of diversity, *** positivity and intersectionality within feminism was the cry of this age. “Intersectionality” was a term coined by African American legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. She recognised that people could be oppressed due to several reasons, like race, gender, *********, class, ethnicity, etc., so intersectionality was more of an experience than just a term, and the third wave demanded the bias be removed.
The Fourth Wave which started in 2013 and continues till this day is the Digital or Online Feminsim. This was brought in to shatter the idea of women not belonging in the field of technology and such. The rights to equal pay, the #Metoo movement, and a strong hold on intellectual and physical independence marks the feminism of this period.
It is rather apparent that feminism has grown and evolved along with the demands and changes of every period. What people do not know is the rich history of struggles and revolts that have led us to where we are today. And the saddest part? People do not care.
Nobody knows what the fourth wave will bring. Will it go into the fifth wave, or is this a far more difficult war? The answers to these get clouded when the advocates of feminism embrace the shallowness of faux-feminism. It endangers the real fight that began with our Suffragette sisters.
The Evolution of Pseudo or Faux Feminism
The Fourth Wave did bring up a new set of demands for the feminists. Indeed, the war is far from over, and equality has not been reached. However, there is a part of society that believes the female gender is better or superior to any other. These are the pseudo-feminists who believe that females should be prioritised over any other gender. They hide their demands subtly under the veil of feminism and are quite hard to detect.
Pseudo-feminism can sometimes be talked about as female chauvinism, too. This is mostly because pseudo or fake feminists believe that they deserve better than the other genders. It seeps into an idea of doing right by the wrongs in the past. However, this leads to just shallow advocacy in the name of advertising, taking advantage, and the real movement goes unknown.
Faux feminists can be seen utilising the “feminist” angle for their benefits, like taking an extra leave, promoting their brand, etc. Its manifestations are not only restrained in workplaces; they are present in hospitals, courtrooms, and even broader societal contexts. Anybody who believes in the simple fact that women deserve special treatment because they are somehow superior to other genders is promoting pseudo-feminism.
One recurring incident that brought forth the whole feminist agenda into view was the ****** violence against women. While the statistics are true and the cases of **** are very high in a country like India, it should also be remembered that the other genders are not absolutely rid of this problem. They are rare, for sure, but there are a lot of cases where men and non-binary genders face violence and even ****** harassment in different circumstances. So, it would be plain wrong to state that it is only women who face such issues.
In order to understand the behavior of faux-feminism, we have to look back into history. Indeed, the male-dominated section of society and the witch-hunting of medieval history have a lot to propagate the mindset of such women. However, it is strictly to be taken into account that those are not excuses to lash out at men, practice misandry and demean a whole gender. That defeats the whole purpose of feminism, which truly believes that all genders stand on the same straight ground.
Shallow advocacy and a danger to the movement
What do these faux feminists want? Do they want a world ruled by women? Is that how “ideal” is defined by them? Does that mean any woman will be ruled out instantly in legal cases just because of her gender? If that is the case, then it would pose a huge imbalance to the already flawed system that we live in today.
Feminism has been used by ad agencies, sales teams, and the whole catfishing gimmick on YouTube everywhere to gain an advantage. This only results in the objectification of women, another thing that feminism stands against. No gender and their body is a commodity to be exploited for. We can go as far as to say that there are separate yojanas for women only in India, while men do not have such. There are various cases where women have to pay less in order to sit for an exam or ride a bus. All of these fall under the sham that is faux feminism. Yes, women do need help. But it is gaining a place where the men sit too, not above them or below them(as had been for all these years).
For a country that accounts for almost 81% illiteracy, it is very hard to rely on this message on the other side. People look up to leaders, writers, and doctors who themselves are unaware of the subtle differences between feminism and faux feminism. We do not deny the amount of blood that has been shed in order to get the independence that we have today as women. But it is when people take advantage of that very movement and redirect it to square one that we, as women, fail in the sisterhood.
The centuries-old movement that started with the simple demand for votes has grown into a full-fledged war at this point with several demands from women. If listened to carefully, none of them strike as improper. Equal pay- why not? Inclusivity in workplaces- yes! Judge on the basis of degrees and not on attire- that’s a long fight. We still have not freed ourselves from living under the thumb of patriarchy. But we keep hoping that soon the sun will rise.
Feminism vs Pseudo feminism
There is a hairline difference between the ideals that feminists and pseudo-feminists follow.
Sometimes, when people opinionate on certain circumstances, it can be judged as faux feminism if you can spot these criteria lurking within:
Seeing through a coloured lens:
Everything and anything is a subject of feminism. These people see sexism prevalent in every sphere of every aspect, whether it actually exists or not. They refuse to accept the diversity of humankind or appreciate the culture. Every wrong is a negative point, and they are often blind to the little achievements that are actually taking place.
The difference between Males and Females:
The pseudo-feminist disregards all differences between the two genders, irrespective of anatomy, physiology, psychology, etc. The idea that feminism is based on equality should be applied to all layers or none. The fact that different genders cannot be equal biologically or sociologically does not resonate with them.
No help from the opposite gender:
First of all, in a society where more than just two genders exist, how do you define which is the opposite gender? And then, the faux feminists detest taking any sort of help from any other gender, believing this will harm the movement. In reality, this belief that humans can live without help is flawed and endangers the movement even more.
Female chauvinism or Matriarchy:
They distinctly believe that females are superior to any other gender. They do not believe the facts that men are molested, raped and faced with many threats similar to women, although less in number. They believe these do not exist and it is only the women who face difficulties; hence, they deserve special treatment. It is based on a prejudiced view of the movement.
Conclusion
In a society where words are like weapons, we should be aware of what we think and iterate to other people at all times. It is a difficult task, but it is rather important if we believe that we can be the change we want to see. Feminism is as complicated a concept as women themselves, and it takes some time to comprehend its profundity.
Just like politics, the revolution that is Feminism also has its shortcomings. The beginnings of other branches, like egalitarianism or Quasi feminism, have made it even more difficult. Faux Feminism advocates the selfishness of every individual who strives to benefit themself from this movement, not the society.
Taking the light from words like Gloria Steinem’s, we believe that Feminism is one that embraces diversity, promotes inclusivity, and strives for justice for all. It is a movement that is still in practice and is growing along with the expectations of society. It is almost as living and breathing as the humankind it fights for.
