Some time ago, the case of Pooja (Pujarini Pradhan) was in the news on Instagram. She is a content creator from rural areas of West Bengal, who creates content on village life and books, feminism, society etc. When her popularity increased rapidly, questions were raised on the authenticity of her content and it was said that a village girl cannot make such good videos alone, perhaps there is some agency or brand support behind it. Gradually it became a debate of selective feminism versus genuine empowerment. It was said in favor of Pooja that can’t a village woman speak good English and is it the privilege of urban women only? One thing that becomes painfully clear from this entire incident is that ‘Toxic Feminism’ is as bad as ‘Toxic Masculinity’, perhaps even more so. Somewhere in the fight for equality, we have made the mistake of considering appearance as value. At some places we go far beyond the real meaning of feminism. We have started promoting a form of femininity that is very loud, but which is hollow from within. In which there is rebellion, but no introspection. Frankly, drama spreads faster than common sense. Stupidity attracts attention quickly. And algorithms love anger. But an uncomfortable question the country should ask itself is whether only those women, from villages to cities, who are resourceful and well-groomed will become the voice of Indian feminism? Because the truth is that most Indian women do not win in the world of Instagram. They are murdered for dowry every hour and raped every 13 minutes. 20 crore women are victims of domestic violence. They live in such houses, where even today they have to struggle for education. One has to struggle for equal pay in offices. And every day they fight for freedom in the institution of marriage. For them, feminism is not a matter of show, it is a fight for their existence. Yet, the loudest voices representing Indian women today often come from a small section of society, who are urban, English-speaking, digital-savvy and ‘algorithm-approved’. This is not completely wrong either. Representation keeps changing. But when this representation glorifies toxic behavior, when women are happy to tear each other down, then we need to stop and think. Feminism was never meant to be a spectacle. Nor was its aim to become just a noorakushti, where there would be a competition to prove who can defeat whom in just 30 seconds. What we are seeing is not progress, it is a sham. What is worse is that this pretense strengthens the very systems that feminism wants to destroy. The male chauvinists laugh at this. They spread it further, because there is nothing better for the patriarchy than women trying to humiliate each other in public. It is true that there is room for all types of voices in Indian feminism, whether angry, outspoken, complex or conservative. Feminism doesn’t have to be ‘good’ to be right, but it does have to be responsible. He must feel the big fight. And that fight is not over yet. What should be meant when small online battles in the name of feminism dominate public discourse? The most dangerous meaning of this is that we are limiting the breadth of feminism to one brand. A brand that is based more on the potential to go viral than on reality. This is not at all an appeal to women to close their mouths, but rather an appeal to show wisdom and depth. It’s an attempt to remind us that the goal was not just to be heard, but to be heard for something that could make a difference. Feminism should perhaps stop and ask itself whether we are building a movement, or merely creating content? It is important for Indian feminism to realize its responsibilities and bigger battles. (These are the author’s own views)
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Meghna Pant’s Column: Are urban and affluent women the only voices of feminism?
