Feminism: The Strong, Unwavering Voice Inside

In a dark abyss where the only ray of light springs from the almost-silently thumping heart, the new One lies in peaceful contemplation of an afterlife: one she knows nothing about; one she can only dream of in dancing hues and colorless shadows. Encoded somewhere in her intrinsic gene sequence is the key to her somewhat predetermined fate. A smaller sex chromosome with its misshapen shape can, with all its wonderful might and brawn, kick open the double-doors of opportunity and lead her new male-gender-ed self into a life where her actions would be accompanied with less fear, less repercussions, less expectations and less stigma associated with her sex.  He is brave, he is strong, and he is a man. His life has, is, and will always be one that conquers challenges head-on, and that marks differences between his strength and the surrounding weakness that stands in dour contrast with his manliness. A longer double-stranded X chromosome will, on the other hand, lead our heroine into a life that is just as challenge-filled, if not more so. And she will walk tall; she will hold her ground; she will be a woman. She is just as strong, just as fair, and just as human as her male counterpart. 

The trees sway with the silent yet resounding scream resonating from the collective voice of the inhabitants of a world where their lives are led, if not dictated, by their births. 

First-Wave Feminism: A reminder that equality is just 'round the corner

There…you are frowning. Let me lighten things a bit. I do not mean to scare you off; feminism does not mean to as well. We are only trying to coax you into the peaceful embrace of equality for all. No, our world is not post-feminist. Two centuries ago, we asked to be educated. We asked for common genderless rights, and we asked for our soft feminine voices to be heard.

Our voices have evolved into a million, no, seven billion different, distinct, diverse voices. The One in her cocoon now knows nothing of a predetermined gender: she questions. Feminism is not dead...not even close.

We can identify ourselves as a gender other than our "natural" gender; we seek ways to break gender stereotypes; we live together in non-traditional family units. Our voices have evolved. And so has our definition for equality:equality does not come for one, one sect, one sex, one family, one land. Equality comes for all. And with it, tolerance, respect and love. But I digress. Also, while I stroll back from my digression, tell me, tell me what you think about this little cartoon segment. 

I am a feminist. I am no Goddess, no sex kitten, no tomboy. I am .

What makes up a feminist? A woman? An egalitarian?
You?
Me?
All of us, really.
We fight together...for a higher purpose: equality, love and everything that is good and true.
Feminism is bigger than we think it is. It encompasses the world like a mother would her child; feminism is about everyone receiving their share of love, respect and planet Earth.
A radical feminist. A liberal feminist. A socialist feminist. A quiet, dreamy-eyed little girl. A beautiful woman in a remote village in the backwaters of a developing country, fighting her extremely patriarchal  society. She sits there in an almost-bare room with a thin bed, a ceiling fan, a mirror on a desk and her only cosmetic: a fairness face cream. One that will "magically lighten" her beautiful olive skin...one she was born with. Beauty is a luxury. Women fight everyday. To fit in, to voice out, to stand our ground. We have far higher expectations to fulfill, and far heavier repercussions.

"We really appreciate our men, we do. But it's what God wanted, so."

You can't kill reason. You can blind it...temporarily. Much like the truth

For a species so concerned with doing the right thing, we are failing.

We are molded into what we are by the world we live in. A world unbalanced by gender and gender-related disparities. We slut-shame and put down anything that is not "normal", "decent" or "accepted" as per societal norms. And in that instant, we forget about the importance of acceptance and tolerance on our own side. More often than not, we place the blame of a sex crime and/or rape on the victim, especially if she happens to be "asking for it". Sometimes, we accept that freedom is something that comes to women...at a price. The world is turning into homosexuals! If we allow marriage equality, everyone will want to be gay! A man does not shed tears! A man feels no pain. He pays. He works. "Personally, if you asked me, I would never date a transgendered human being...it isn't that they are undeserving of love, it's...just me, I guess." "We rule the world." "No, we do." "No, WE do." Feminists nowadays only want control, not freedom.

And in the midst of all these voices, we fail to hear the one that resonates with the truth, with love and with tolerance. If we all just paused to take a deep breath, and focus on the greater inequalities in our world, we would see that the key is in 'live, and let live'. If we could stop and hear exactly where the other person is coming from, we would not be so mad, so seething, so hurting...so wrong. If we could stop fighting over differences in opinions, views and religions and all the other million possible things you could fight over, and fought instead for equality for everyone...for unity and as a collective human race, the One in her little cocoon would feel the love emanating from outside.
And maybe then, she would sleep with little to fear, basking in the warmth of the world outside.

I am a woman. I am a feminist. I am also one among many who do not fully understand or feel the weight of inequality we live under.