Slut Walk Revisited

“We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result. Being in charge of our sexual lives should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence, regardless if we participate in sex for pleasure or work. No one should equate enjoying sex with attracting sexual assault.”

If you have been as involved or as in clue with what the women in India have been up to this past six months or more, this statement would have made its way to you much before than now. Inspired by the parent concept which originated early July in Canada, at the end of July 2011 women in Delhi organized the infamous Slut Walk  to protest against the daily violence, especially the ones of a sexual nature, against women in India. 

2011. Not 2012 when the case of Damini shocked the entire nation into first silence then aggressive action. Not 2013 when the embers of similar rape cases flamed the fires of a discontented female section of one of the largest populations. As early as 2011. Women have been vicimtized for eons and women have been trying to get your attention to make a point time and again. Sit up and take notice.

Why are women sluts?
As bold and shocking as this might sound, there are multiple reasons why women are branded as ‘sluts’:

-    She does not fear talking to men. She does not mind having an occasional male friend over. She openly confesses her need to be admired and appreciated.
-    She loves her body and she loves to pamper it. She dresses in clothes which make her look good. She is a slut because she according to the general male population is dressing to catch attention. She wants to be laid. Why should a woman dress up otherwise?
-    She enjoys having sex as her male counterpart. Why is it so criminal for a woman to enjoy having sex? Why is sex supposed to be pleasurable only for the Indian Male? Why is sex restricted only as a means to an heir for the woman?

What was the Slut Walk all about?
In all honesty it was about eve-teasing. It was about taking sexual harassment against women seriously – by the Government and by the rest of the people in this country.

It was about letting the Nation know that rape is not the only form of sexual harassment. Rape is sexual harassment at one extreme. Casually passing lewd remarks about a girl’s body, even for fun, is sexual harassment. Women and their bodies are not tools of entertainment for the males. You want a good laugh? Take a good look into the mirror. You will find enough to crack up about.

Sexual harassment is wreaking havoc with the woman’s mind. It is more about the psychological damage it causes as opposed to the physical wounds we see as proof.  Slut Walk was about people standing up against sexual harassment.

What didn’t happen then
Though there were more than 5000 registrations on the FB Page less than 50 people showed up. They were scared of being associated with something as controversial as a Slut Walk.  If I walk down with the parade of the Slut Walk am I branding myself a slut? What will people think of me? What impact will it have on my immediate family? These were a few basic questions running through every woman’s mind. Spouses were not supportive, families even lesser.

“I hope to God I am wrong, but I have visions of men taking photographs of these girls, ogling them, trying to touch them — and not getting the point at all. To be blunt, I don’t think Delhi is ready for this kind of in-your-face protest. Sad, but true,” remarked Christine Pemberton, a 70s feminist living in New Delhi.

Delhi could not understand the irony of using a controversial theme like Slut in a protest.

Times Change
Or so they say. Have we matured in these past years? Have real cases being reported almost every day help us come out of our cocoons? Do we want to stand up and once again try to get people more aware about making space for women?

A part of me believes we have. A part of me wants to believe it so desperately. It would mean that the world is changing. It would mean there is hope.

Feminism - Abused and Overrated

The very word ‘Feminism’ at once stirs up an interest in us; it’s been one of the most burning topics for the last two decades. Feminism – it’s a movement that started out as a way to fight for the rights of Indian women, helping them climb up the social ladder so they could enjoy gender equality in social, political, educational, professional and all other important spheres of life. However, today it has become an ambiguous term that seems to have lost its power, acting more as an irritant that has been over-used and abused for way too long.

The society throughout the world has always allowed men to enjoy a stronger position when compared to women, while women were always considered subordinate. The picture was grimmer in India and inhuman rituals and customs like Sati, Child marriage etc were practiced. With an iconic movement like Feminism, revolutionary changes came in to the society and the story of women repression and suppression could be managed to a great extent.

Unfortunately, today feminism is misinterpreted, and the hope & promise that it showed at its dawn appears to dim out. And the people who are responsible for this are undoubtedly the present day feminism activists. Today’s feminism activists lack the earlier spark, dedication & fervor. They are no more than fanatic feminists. Does that mean it’s time to put a stop to feminism?

Rise & Origin of Feminism
The Feminist movement originated in the year 1840 in the West and the sole goal was women liberation by rising over the patriarchy. The movement falls into 3 distinct ‘Waves’. The first wave also called suffragette movement (late 1800s-early 1900s) focused on securing women suffrage, right to property and some other vital Fundamental Rights for Women that would help them to achieve political equality and be at par with the men. The second wave (1960s-1970s) is a crucial landmark in the feminist movement. The entire Feminist Iconography is often believed to rest on the second wave. During this phase issues like rape, sexual harassment, reproductive rights for women were brought to the lime light. The third wave feminism with its top issues like Gender identity, class, race, queerness came up around 1990s.

Whatever gaps in the feminist movement were there were addressed in the third wave and this third wave ultimately broadened into the modern day full spectrum feminist movement that deals with gender intersection, sexuality, class, race etc issues with a more holistic approach.

Society preyed by Feminist Fanatics
In our society there is no end to fanaticism and Feminist fanatics is another addition to the list. They are hysterical man-haters who raise hullabaloo on issues that upset the natural biological, rather God-determined roles, of man and woman and these fanatics today are perfect examples of female hostility towards men. With the huge number of Feminist Fanatics today, it has really become difficult to implement the right Feminist theories or achieve the set goals.

Why is ‘feminism’ becoming more of an irritant?
In many circumstances or for many people ‘feminism’ today has become more of an irritant because the origin of Feminism was to teach a woman to be liberated, to be conscious of her rights and establish it. It taught her that she is equal to her man in all respects with only minor differences of stature and physical strength. However today, Feminists keep insisting that women should raise a hue and cry every time her rights are ignored, or she feels repressed, and often times this exaggerated affair is not really to help the distressed woman but actually to create more publicity and turn more and more women in to active feminists.

Fact is, In India there are many women who love their womanly duties, their family; their house and even within the bounds of a house they can live a liberated life provided they are happy with their husband and their children. They don’t need to be ‘liberated’ only because they don’t want to do the same jobs as the men in their lives. And this is a concept that many feminists do not respect. Additionally, instead of trying to resolve family matters that could be a result of misunderstanding between man and wife, most feminists want to take extreme measures. Rather than trying to restore family balance, they often encourage women to take extreme steps against their husbands and fathers, resulting in severed families and destroyed relationships.

Negative impact of abused feminism on peaceful relationships
Women who are motivated by the Feminist Fanatics of today need to realize that their actions are having adverse impact on peaceful relationships in many ways:

•    Some women start misbehaving and dominating their husbands, encouraged by feminists who misinterpret feminism and their rights, pressurizing their partners to fulfill all their unjust demands. This creates an atmosphere of utter disharmony in the family
•    Some suffer from soaring superiority complex and ego that ultimately gives a death blow to their relationship
•     Some if unhappy with their present partner and looking for an excuse to end the relationship misuse feminism by bringing in fake rape, domestic violence or other assault charges against their present partner. This is nothing but Feminism fraud.

Is it time to draw the line?
Today, modern feminists really need to revise their approach. Feminism is gender warfare for acquiring equal rights for both genders. It does not tell a woman to abhor a man. Feminists really need to draw the line where they start propagating Women’s rights to punish a man for violence etc. This is where the theory tends to be misunderstood or abused by the Feminist Fanatics.

In other words a true feminist is a woman who exercises her rights or uses the theory to the extent she is a humanist; her propagandas and campaigns should never tear happy families apart.