CTYA’s Blog has started a new feature every Thursday called ‘Thoondal’, meaning inspiration, stimulation, or inducement. Through these weekly features, the author hopes to inspire you, stimulate your senses and induce you to think deeply about the topics she addresses and finally, to use those thoughts to inspire many more wonderful youth like you.
Written By: Shayanika Suresh
I like to think of myself as a faithful supporter of feminism in its more liberal form, acknowledging that it is equality between men and women that we should strive for, and not dominance of women over men. However, I have to admit, that as a woman, it isn’t too hard to fall into the awful habit of blaming men. And I say ‘awful’ not because I do not think men are to blame, at least partly, for the generally oppressed state that women tend to find themselves in, but because I think blaming others is seriously damaging to our esteem, confidence and pride.
A friend of mine sent me a video link recently, featuring an interview of Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. Watching it really made me think about how damaging it is to our own self esteem to simply blame others for our state. Saying that we are where we are because men oppress us translates into thinking that we can never get to where men are in society. Thinking that eventually stops us from trying.
The statistics showing that fewer women are in positions of power and control are real, but maybe there are more causes behind those numbers than we like to admit. I think Sandberg has a point. Maybe as women, we need to aim higher. Maybe we need to set the same goals that men do. Maybe we need to stop thinking that ‘they’ will never let us and instead make the world believe that we can do the same. If feminism is fuelling this hatred for men, maybe we should bid our farewell to this so-called ‘feminism’ and embrace individualism? Everybody in support, say ‘I’!
Watch Sheryl Sandberg’s Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2u4qhWGdkE
About the Author:
Shayanika Suresh is a Law Graduate currently working on establishing her legal career. She is also a passionate writer and has self-published a collection of short stories, “Lips no longer sealed”. Shayanika’s passion to raise awareness of various social issues that affect individuals and society as a whole is evident in her work, leaving a message for the reader to take home.
