Is feminism about choice?
Social distancing has been just one thing for me in the past 2 months: increased and untamed screen time. I had it all under control. I had my notifications off, Instagram screen time limit reminder and here I am, struggling to get my muscle memory to stop going from Instagram to WhatsApp to TikTok to Bumble. And, that means I have consumed enough content to overthink about and therefore, write about.
But, even with an existential threat like pandemic out there, we seem to still not get enough of #BoysBeingBoys. So, inevitably, almost like catching the virus, feminism is getting all the hate in the world. With it comes the avalanche of questions that discredit the movement. While most misinterpretations of feminism come from men, the one that pains me the most comes from women.
We all remember the iconic Deepika Padukone led Vogue video “My Choice”. The glorious backlash it received, the thundering applause it was met with and the questions it planted in our minds. I watch that video like a ritual every few months, like I do most things. Lenses shift causing newer perspectives to colour your vision of the world. Revisiting old ideas is a practice that excites me the most, like paying a visit to the pictures of your ex; suddenly that smile on their face looks like a smirk and all the red flags glare back at you (may or may not be inspired by real life incidents). A re-watching session of this video, recently, made me spiral with so many questions.
When did feminism become about choice? From the first moment that I read Simone de Beauvoir’s precious quote: One is not born, but rather becomes a woman, it was clear that choice was not the deal; a system of imposition was. Just like sexuality is not a choice, and one would not dare reduce the queer liberation movement to ‘the freedom to choose to be queer’. Choice is not the zero sum game we play when we talk about feminism.
Choice feminism is an extension of cisheteropatriarchal capitalism. It is, in other words, the way in which capitalism makes room for feminism within its oppressive system to keep dissent at bay. And that is the cleverness of capitalism, it has survived centuries without trouble because it has learnt to assimilate that which tries to resist. So when a woman demands equal opportunity at work, capitalism says ‘buy this pant suit to look like an equal’. One of the many ways in which capitalism tricks us into looking like we have made it, rather than making room for us to actually make it.
Feminism is not about my choice to be empowered by modesty or nudity (for the lack of better words). Feminism is a collective movement for our right to be seen, heard and treated equally. Making choice the end goal of this movement dilutes its essence — community and solidarity. The individualistic curse that upholds the idea of ‘choice’ has no place in a resistance that looks to empower an entire subset of the human race together, in unity.
Choice feminism is our divide and rule. And if we hope to leave the next generation a world that is more equal and empathetic, solidarity and community must stand before the individual.
