An open letter to women who hate feminism

Feminism has never been about hate of any kind. Photo Courtesy: Pinterest/Amy Spalding

Just recently, I was going through a page on Tumblr called 'Women Against Feminism' that has garnered international attention. I laughed. The laughter was not an act of trivialisation, but merely an acceptance of the fact that this world still thinks women having a voice is a form of aggression. The page clearly calls out feminism and portrays it in a bad light. In fact, it somehow makes people believe that women hate men.

You Don't Know What You Are Saying

Clearly their facts are not in place. But we'll talk about that later. Today, I'm writing to all the women out there, who hate feminism. Dear sisters, this is why I'll still fight the fight, for you.It's funny, the weight of the things we take for granted. It's the first thing that pops in my mind when a woman defies the need of feminism. You might not know, but you're being such a hypocrite, dear sister. The fact that you have the right to call out feminism as bullshit, that in itself is something feminists before you fought for. It's because some woman, somewhere felt that expression should not be limited to men alone. She made the gigantic effort to fend off patriarchy; was called names you call other feminists now, and got for you the freedom that you're now using to renounce them.

Photo Courtesy: Unsplash/Roya Ann Miller

We're Not Haters, We've Never Been You're calling feminists man-haters, but why? Why are you attributing a completely different opinion with a belief that supports nothing else but equality? You call us savages, you call us loud, you accuse us of 'trying to prove to men we are better'. But that's everything we are not doing. Feminists throughout the world are held together and united through one common belief that women deserve a freedom of choice as much as any other gender. It's this movement that has spanned over decades. It's the voices of women across generations that has given you the freedom to choose to defy feminism. Else, you'd be sitting in a corner, doing kitchen chores or looking for a wealthy man to marry. 

Feminism was Never A Privilege

It really takes a lot of ignorance to think women do not need feminism. Look around you, women in most third world countries still have no access to basic education. Children are married off at a young age, widows are thrown out of their houses, little girls are raped--and you still say we need no feminism. The citizens of the first world aren't so far behind. You're subjugated with the need to look a certain way, to talk a certain way, you're still asked not to wear certain things, or asked not to go out too late. It all still exists! Women are still scared that men might kill them, gag them, rape them. All the fears of womanhood are right there--without even delving into the details--yet you claim to hate feminism, the one movement where women are coming together to fight it all off.

Photo Courtesy: Unsplash/Jerry Kiesewetter

It's Okay, I Hope You Come Around You know, when you're the first to demand the same kind of power that the claimed superior race enjoys, you're seen as an act of rebellion. Reason disappears, logic disappears. The fact that demanding equality is not a way to overthrow is pushed off into oblivion. Feminism has always been about living in peace and with respect. It's the idea that nobody can touch me without my permission. It's the belief that avenues should be open to all.

Photo Courtesy: Unsplash/Alexa Mazzarello

It's okay if you still think feminism is a word synonymous with violence and hatred. We've been soft-spoken for too long. We'll use the means that makes us a voice that's heard. Even if that's embarrassing for you, I'll fight this fight for you, dear sister. I'll not let your ignorance befuddle my beliefs. And I will always live in the hope that someday you'll see what your feminist sisters have always been doing. Till then, I'll keep fighting this fight, for you, for me, and for many others who're yet to come.