Yet another video pops of Ms.Trivedi pops up on Instagram talking about why she hates modern-day feminism. She very easily compares it to misandry. Her point being that feminism is the superiority of females over males. After a quick google search, she finds out that it is the advocacy of women’s rights, and thus, having the word “feminine” does not mean equality.
She vehemently denies that she’s against feminists of the past and says that she has a lot of respect for them, but goes on to say that we don’t need feminism anymore since now, we are equal to men. After my research and study of feminism, both in college and on my own, I made sure that google feminism and, as usual, means the equal rights of males and females. Given the discriminatory practices against women, it is stupid to assume that we are on the same pedestal as men.
It is even vile to discount any form of affirmative action to uplift the sex. Trivedi talks about how women in rural areas are not also aware of the feminist movement and only care about “Roti, Kapda and Makaan,” and those who provide it for them. This statement is not only false but full of apathy for women who face abuse from the men in their family and have no recourse. It undermines the power the women who have spearheaded the movement hold.
They have suffered double discrimination, one from their class and the other from the upper classes. It is our duty then to educate them about their rights. She also points out how a lot of North Eastern states are matriarchal, thus showing the imbalance of power. However, it is again a logical fallacy as these communities are matrilineal with only inheritance laws bound by the matriarch and not the decision making of the family.
Most of these practices have now been obsolete for more than a decade. Having the reach and power she holds, instead of forming an uneducated opinion, she could choose to talk about anything in the book, but she decides to attack feminists. Women like her are also part of the problem and uphold patriarchy as much as men. Her snarky one-liners and her smugness show a condescending attitude towards those feminists still fighting every day for their rights.
She gains a following from a group of men who purely exist to criticize feminists. Feminism not only helps women but aids men as well. It helps them to be who they are, unburdening them from the pressure of being the economic head of the family. It allows them to move away from their normative gender roles and performative gender traits by letting them embrace their emotions and feelings. Feminism is a spectrum, and there are as many feminisms as there are females. To discount a movement still not reached its end goal of dismantling patriarchy is problematic.