FEMINISM. This word has evolved over generations into having different meanings and its ideologies are viewed differently by different people owing to their gender, class, and race. When Mary Wollstonecraft (who is considered the ‘first feminist’) was writing A Vindication of the Rights of Women, probably the first piece of work considered to be unambiguously ‘feminist’, back in the 18th century, all she was advocating for was education and property rights for women.
As generations came to pass, ‘Feminism’ started holding a different meaning according to the needs of the age. It is because of the Feminist movement that women (again, just a section) earned the right to education, employment, and vote.
A few weeks back, a girl named Divyangna Trivedi stirred a lot of controversies online after her video on ‘I am against today’s Feminism’ went viral. In the video, she argued against something she called “today’s feminism” – male-bashing, women supremacy, and gender bias.
For a complete idea of Divyangna Trivedi’s stance against Feminism, have a look at her video here, which now has more than a million views:
After receiving a lot of hate from people online, including popular social media influencers, she made another video addressing opposing comments. She responded to people who claimed that Trivedi is mistaking ‘pseudo-feminism’ and ‘misandry’ for Feminism and those who highlighted the plight of women coming from rural areas.
Have a look at the video here:
After watching both her videos, people online are finding it hard to digest her opinions. Many took to Twitter to highlight how Divyangna is young, misinformed, and is lacking in her idea of the feminist movement as a whole. While many outright slammed her, some tried to reason that her views come from a place of “upper-class privilege”.
My two cents on the joke that Divyangna Trivedi is. pic.twitter.com/0r5bsBYqsI
— Nanaki Randhawa (@nanqui_) June 3, 2020
our sister divyangna trivedi just said that women in rural areas just need roti kapda and makaan to lead a happy life. 2 mins silence for her dead brain cells please 😩
— mitali (@mitxlii) June 3, 2020
woke up to see that 13 people sent me another Divyangna Trivedi's video. Please I cannot listen to her uneducated ass talk.
— muskan🌈 (@pastaaawhoreee) June 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/DevanshiVaidya2/status/1268237247486164992
Divyangna Trivedi 's Insta Handle is my favourite meme account.
— AgrimAghhhh (@scrantonicity69) June 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/riyaspeaksblunt/status/1268093607749185536
#divyangnatrivedi i know everyone has the right to have an opinion but if your opinion engages to this much people, then its just spreading your ideology which is not even correct, proved by facts and misinforming people
— shrutika jha (@jha_shrutika) June 4, 2020
#divyangnatrivedi Girl, please go back to school. “Aapko bahaar khula nhi chhorna chahiye”. I’m half afraid that next you’ll come up with a video bashing all climate change organisations on how they care more about the planet than the people. Yeah, that’s how irrational you are.
— Moumita Kar (@MoumitaKar_) June 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/singhisqueeen/status/1268014796743544833
i fell into the web of divyangna trivedi followers and to this one girl who said “i today can do every damn thing a guy can which is why feminism is unnecessary” i’d just like to ask whether she can walk on a road at 9pm without the fear of being raped, cause guys can do that
— sunflower (@salzuuuuu) June 2, 2020
A message to women who think feminism is wrong (Divyangna Trivedi) in Kusha Kapila words-
"Today if you think you are being treated equally, remember that before you there have been many women who have fought for your rights! and you cannot ignore their work"— PranavXmaniac💫 (@pranx403) May 30, 2020
Divyangna Trivedi said "we have the basic equality we deserve."
Can someone please send links of unequal wages and idk sex ratio at work places etc to her?— Arushi Singh (@arushi__singh) June 3, 2020
you just did the exact thing you stood against 10 secs ago: generalising and biasing. talk about contradiction. her whole 9 minute video is just her being salty about getting called out for being uneducated. you do not stand for humanity ma’am, you stand for hypocrisy.
— lanat del ray (@JasmineJabbal) June 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/doughnutcult/status/1266308250967748608
You don’t have to be an anti-feminist to be a humanitarian. #divyangnatrivedi you need to educate yourself first .
Stop brain washing omggg https://t.co/B9bE6i9iEE— Payal (@Payalbulbule) June 3, 2020
Ms divyangna trivedi said that feminism is not about equality right from the fact that it has the word ‘feminine’ in it. Then HOW TF is ‘humanism’ for equality when it has the word ‘MAN’ in it ??? The 🤡🤡
— Aishwarya.C #BLM (@Aishwarya_C09) June 3, 2020
Just imagine divyangna's reaction when she realises it is mentos and not womentos 💀💀💀#divyangnatrivedi ahahaha 🥰🙈🤪🦋🧚♀️
— lysandra… (@OinamLysandra) June 3, 2020
Divyangna Trivedi claiming that feminism is solely for females because of the name sounds eerily similar to pseudo feminists saying “why 'mankind?' Why not 'womankind'? English is sexist!"
— Rhea Coelho (@CoelhoRhea) June 3, 2020
im sorry but divyangna trivedi needs to educate herself. with all due respect, men and women do NOT have equal rights even today. not every woman is as privileged, divyangna. "gareeb se gareeb ladki ias banne ka sapna dekh sakhti hai" haan, but that sapna may never be her reality
— Nandinim (@Nandinimony) June 3, 2020
Considering that an overwhelming number of people have similar views like Trivedi, here’s highlighting that today’s feminists in India are fighting against female infanticide, dowry, domestic abuse, marital rape, unequal employment opportunities and wage, female genital mutilation, sexual stigmatization, sexualisation and defamation of women in politics, and many others which goes unnoticed by the public.
To say that “today’s feminism” strives for female supremacy based on the actions of few privileged women is undermining the actions of millions of those across the world fighting for a better, safer, and truly equal society for all sections of women.