A struggle that took place during WW1 over many years ago to pave the way for equality in social, economic, political and cultural rights for women; feminism raised all the right questions. But after so many years why are we still celebrating this women’s day?
The question here is not about what women have achieved over the years. All the glass ceilings she has broken and all the hurdles she has crossed, but the question is: Has the mindset changed yet? Is she still someone’s wife, sister, daughter and so on? Is she still the property of the father and pride of the husband? Women’s day should be about the de- objectification of women in your own home.
In a world that is still mostly patriarchal and the women who are on top are still the 1% of the population, I feel that the world needs a Man’s Day celebration, where the roles are reversed. The idea is not to feel sorry for the woman who has a lot on her plate and poor soul still needs to fight for her rights and against a lot of hate and crime.
We all need to introspect how we treat ourselves and how we treat other women? Are we our advocates or are we so lost in this patriarchal society? The pseudo feminists have advocated that women need to be heard and the world needs to help the women. The world does not need feminism, what it needs is a self-realization. We are worthy and we are enough!
There is no need for any movement or a day to celebrate being a woman. A day to celebrate our own achievements is everyday when we strive to compete with our own self. When we fight to make our own place and a voice to vocalize our belief systems. The world (read man dominated) no longer needs to take pity on us and accept us as we are! Even if they don’t (coz no rebellion is required) we must derive confidence from what we can do and who we are rather than political campaigns. Knowing one’s rights is one thing but exploitation because of those rights is another. A wife is not a trophy to show, a daughter is not a property that is transferred in marriage, a woman is not for pity!
The world needs to stop celebrating womanhood and start celebrating one’s own self! No more pity, no more poor soul! Equality does not only mean equality in rights or opportunities. Equality also means that this is the time to stop celebrating a day that is a symbol of a gender that was once oppressed! This is a day that we all take charge of yourself and become rational human beings.
A mother of two, Preeti Bhandari is a colloquial writer. She believes in simple living which reflects in her writings. As the Editor of Narisakti, she intends to use her vast experience to propel this platform to a cult status among entrepreneurial networks.
When not writing she is quilling, both with paper and thoughts.
Thoughts aptly expressed.