It has been an age-old habit of patriarchy to suppress strong and independent women all around the world. Women are supposed to be strong but not so much that they start taking up space. It’s a disheartening situation where self- sufficient women are hated, brought down by harsh words and put into situations where they can do nothing but back down.
Women have been labeled too needy when they know what they want, stuck up when they don’t make compromises for the sake of others regardless of the fact that the particular choice may not be good for their own self.
Social Media is a relatively new factor in this play. While it has benefitted many feminist movements and brought like-minded women together, it has also led to many pallbearers of patriarchy being able to spread hatred without showing their faces.
Megan Markle is one of the many examples of strong women who have been hounded by the media for making their choices and sticking to them. She is blamed for ‘making’ Prince Harry leave the Royal Family and thus, labeled as a home-wrecker. She was a successful actress who married into the Royal family, only to be orchestrated as an outsider from the start.
Why is she to blame for the choices that Prince Harry made? Is it that wild of an idea for a man to want to be with her wife more than to be in the public eye that words such as manipulative and narcissistic are thrown about to describe her? According to the media, Prince Harry was a kind and nurturing person who was manipulated by her. Is everyone forgetting that Harry is an adult who can make his own decisions?
Another example is the actress Kalki Koechlin, who has had to deal with a lot of backlash for being a single mother. People seem to dislike the fact that she can keep up her career and be a single mom at the same time.
Millie Bobby Brown was a fan-favorite but had her fan-base turn on her since she started having opinions and taking space. She launched her make-up
company and partnered with people, and so media likes to call that ‘the fame got to her’.
Billie Eilish is a famous singer who recently showed more of her skin than usual in her new music video. She has been receiving hate over her decision. Is that the price you need to pay for trying something new? She had made it perfectly clear that she felt comfortable in her skin now, thus her decision to do the above-mentioned. Still, people feel the need to vilify women on social media for their decisions that don’t affect anyone.
There is a never-ending list of independent women who constantly have to deal with faceless accounts on social media talking about their lives and decisions. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but when the opinion hurts others and is expressed with vile intentions, it is better kept to yourself. I often ask myself this question, when will the world understand and tackle the real issues?