Response to Zharkyn's Post: "To be or not to be a feminist?"

Thanks for raising this issue. I agree that there is a lot of negativity attached to being "a feminist" these days, not just in the developing countries but also in the developed world. Another emerging trend has been that feminists have become the butt of satirical jokes and mockery and their work or views are not taken seriously.

But my question is what does it mean to be "a feminist"? Feminist theory, feminism, and feminist are such broad umbrella categories that is difficult (and unfair!) to differentiate and draw conclusions without a thorough understanding of the nuances of each category. Is being feminist equal to fighting for women's rights, participation, and equality (the spirit in which feminist discourse originally started)? Or having anti-male sentiments? Or being a lesbian? Or rejecting traditional male-female roles? Or all of the above?

The problem is that these days people are very quick to apply (and accept) the "feminist" label without an understanding of what it is and what it signifies. I definitely do not like to be labelled as a feminist because I probably do not deserve it, I do not like the way the term is used these days, and I have to provide clarifications to people after they label me as a "feminist": "well, I am not a feminist in the way you're imagining it...". This is because I do not hold the views that many people think feminists hold these days. I have no anti-male sentiments, I believe in "live and let live": if someone is happy in their traditional male-female roles, let them be!, and yet I believe in giving women opportunities, income, skills, freedoms, choices, and increasing their participation and representation.

Am I a feminist? I really don't know.