The F-Word Everyone Gets Wrong
Feminism this, feminism that-
Feminism is not yours to define as per your convenience. It's not a trend, not subjective and certainly not a tool for criticising perspectives you don't understand.
Today, people often invoke feminism for two main reasons: to criticise women and—unsurprisingly— to criticise women who stand and dare to speak for themselves. In its simplest form, feminism means equality — not discrimination against men nor coercion of women, just equality. Sounds simple right? Yet even influential, educated figures such as Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sonam Kapoor have made headlines for declaring “I am not a feminist, but I believe in equality”.
When you hold immense influence, and occupy a position of power with millions looking up to you, it becomes your responsibility to understand the difference between misandry and feminism.
Disappointingly—but again, unsurprisingly—men have managed to make even this conversation about themselves, often saying things like “If you want equality, try lifting as much as we do”. How hard is it to grasp that men and women are biologically different, yes, but that difference doesn’t justify women being harassed, underpaid, or undermined for performing the same—or often greater— amount of labour?
As Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra once said, “Physiologically, men and women are different. When we talk about equality and opportunity, we talk about cerebral opportunity.”For instance, when a man successfully balances family and work, he’s praised. When a woman does the same, she’s questioned , “How are you managing it all?”
Feminism simply demands that women be allowed to work, breathe, and live — without being questioned, ordered, or forced to justify their existence. Yes, it’s that simple.
Yet with each passing day, we encounter increasingly distorted and uncomfortable perspectives on feminism — especially from women themselves. Patriarchy has been deeply rooted in the minds of women that many have grown comfortable with their own oppression, mistaking it for normalcy. They have internalised patriarchal ideas to an extent that they oppose the weapon that empowers them in the first place.
It’s deeply ironic to see women dismissing feminism while simultaneously enjoying the freedoms it fought to secure for them. Usha Uthup once claimed she isn’t a feminist. Nora Fatehi went even further, saying “feminism has messed up our society,” while describingwomen as natural nurturers. Sara Khan remarked that she’s “not today’s feminist” because she prefers staying home and not paying bills.
If they truly understood what they were saying, then by that logic, they should stop working, choosing their own clothes, and expressing their opinions publicly—because their rights exist because of feminism.Every freedom they take for granted — like education, employment, speech, and autonomy — is the direct result of the feminist movement they so easily deny.
And if you want to know what happens when feminism takes even a single step back, look at Afghanistan.
Infantilising women —who are not allowed to speak, to see, just existing in a cloak of oppression. If their voices are heard, they are punished, and in many cases, killed. Around 1.4 million girls have been banned from attending school. The Taliban has banned books written by women, and blocked 18 academic subjects, including “Human Rights.” Women are denied care because there are no female doctors, and men are prohibited from treating them. Women are denied education, and males are prohibited – how is a woman supposed to be treated medically or should she be left to suffer more? The Taliban has even reinstated the public stoning of women to death. We live in a barbaric age!
These are the horrors of patriarchy, and this is happening while feminism still exists in the world. Women are fighting in Afghanistan, Iran, and countless other countries just to reclaim the right to live freely. And yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg, barely one percent of the violence and silencing that occurs behind closed doors. The real horrors are still hidden: unspoken and ignored. Because everyone has something to say about feminism, but very few truly understand why it exists.
So, the next time someone claims we no longer need feminism in today’s society, remind them feminism has given them this voice – the freedom to not be killed for speaking their mind. Remind them of the rising rates of assault, the silenced girls, the punished women.
Remind them how easy it would be for them to be in the same position; how easy it would be for the safety and privilege they take for granted to disappear, if feminism ceases to exist.
The reality is simple—you only have to be indifferent to the cause to become its victim.
About the Author
Alviya Faisal
Alviya has always been drawn to stories : the ones tucked in the pages of history books and the ones hidden between the lines of literature. She studies History and English Literature, not just for facts or fiction, but for the way both reveal how deeply people feel, love, and change over time. Her writing often comes from small moments, a sentence that stays, a silence that lingers, or a feeling that is stubborn enough and refuses to go away. She loves exploring emotions that don’t have easy explanations and finding words for things most people only feel. When she isn’t reading or writing, Alviya can be found gazing at the moon, lost in thought. It’s her quiet ritual, a way to slow down, to listen, and to remember that beauty often hides in stillness. She writes for those who find comfort in words, and for anyone who believes that even the smallest stories can hold entire worlds.