Feminism. It’s a word that’s become a part of our daily vocabulary. A word that most people now use, without really knowing what it means. To many, feminism is a word that women who hate men hide behind. In reality, feminism is an idea that campaigns towards equal rights of the sexes.
Fighting to be allowed to wear what we want to isn’t hating on men. We simply want to have the freedom to wear our favorite outfits without having to worry about people judging us, men catcalling us or other people telling us that it’s our favorite pair of shorts that cause men to misbehave with us. We just want people to give us the freedom to wear what we want to. The same way, there are so many women who are stopped from working. A woman’s role is to take care of her husband and stay in the kitchen. Women who work are looked down upon. People automatically assume that they aren’t good wives or mothers. A woman could be doing an extremely taxing job, yet come back home and take care of her family. She can be a terrible cook, yet a great entrepreneur. That won’t make her any less of a woman. We just want to go to work and earn our own money to support ourselves. Is that too much to ask for?
However, there are so many people who twist these simple ideas to change the meaning of feminism. A modest woman isn’t being oppressed; a woman who chooses to stay at home isn’t being oppressed. Feminism isn’t just for girls who want to wear short skirts and work late nights. It’s about women having equal rights. Wearing a hijab won’t make a woman’s life any more regressive than wearing a bikini. A woman who’s at home, locked in her kitchen isn’t tied down by society. It all comes down to her choice. If she wants to wear a bikini, she is allowed to. If she wants to be a homemaker, she is allowed to. That is the real definition of feminism. Women being allowed to do what they want to do, just like men in society are.