Nigerian female celebs should not denounce feminism
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Florence Otedola A.K.A DJ Cuppy told City FM, Lagos that she is not a feminist.
She goes on to tag some feminists, “hypocrites” and says that while she used to consider herself a feminist, she has dropped the tag because she does not really understand its purpose.
Her claims stretched to how some women preach empower in public, but go out “but behind closed door, are doing crazy things.”
Interestingly, she claims that being in a male dominated industry means she needs men and should not bash men.
Is she right? Is she right about the male dominated industry thing?
Tiwa Savage
On Wednesday, August 29, 2018, a video of ace artiste, Tiwa Savage surfaced in the Internet where she vehemently denounced feminism in an interview with Beat FM 99.9.
Savage believes that a man should be the head of a home and that she would like to submit to a deserving man, even though submission does not mean slavery and derogation.
For the sucker punch, she says, “I don’t believe men and women are equal. I don’t think that’s how God created us, especially in the household anyways.”
Days earlier, reacting to making the BBC Top 100 Women List, she dropped a charge to women not to let their gender hinder them and claimed she still has to work extra hard to be appreciated.
Are they mutually exclusive? Are her comments wrong?
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
In 2014, legendary Nigerian thespian and known female empowerment activist , Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, pulled a non-committal on feminism and reiterated her values and beliefs on equality.
She all but stated that she believes a man is leader and that equality might be a myth that will never be a reality.
Is she too African? Have her views been warped by terrible realities?
One thing we cannot deny here is that, some women of relatively differing backgrounds, but similar profiles, with sufficient powers to influence the feminism have disassociated with it.
There is a pattern; a worrying trend by strong women who are role models to the younger generation and who engage in empowerment activities to lift women and the girl child are dissociating with the word, ‘feminism’.
Why are they disassociating from feminism?
Cumulative factors, common to all their claims; choice, prerogative to decide and profile of empowering women.
Known advocates of #MeToo like Judith Butler and Rose McGowan backtracked in the standards with which judged and advocated justice against male sexual harassers when women were getting accused.
It might not be enough to criticise feminism
There have been criticisms of the mob mentality of feminists and the aggression of the fourth wave of feminism. Every movement will be judged by its model and success. Every movement that also needs a voice requires empathy, reason and critical reason to thrive, lest it attracts criticism.
However, we humans are emotional beings and on those metrics will we act most of the time, but if we are to achieve success against an established adversary, critical reasoning and empathy are weapons required to succeed.
However, will we judge many by the publicised actions of a few?
No movement is perfect. Nothing is about faults and judging an entire global movement on the actions of a few would occasion incredible injustice. Nothing is perfect.
It however seems they are denouncing the word, feminism and not what it means.
What exactly does “feminism” mean?
Feminism is basically a movement that seeks to empower women, create equity, fairness and equal opportunities as well as freedom of expression.
Feminism has come in four waves — we are currently in its most vocal and aggressive. It is fostered by Internet activism and largely opinion activism, fostered by demographics that agree.
Women are rightly tired
Let’s get one thing straight, women are tired. They have a right to be angry and tired. When something gets abused for so long, it turns back and fights tooth and nail with everything it has, damn the consequences.
Critically, the anger should be expected. Worse, the abuser sometimes does not realize his damaged, so he reacts in phony ways to the anger expressed by the abused.
It somewhat explains why a lot men perceive feminism as nothing but a movement of angry, heartbroken women who just want someone to vent to and unload on.
Men are privileged
Nonetheless, men have to be understood. They are privileged, that’s what they were taught to believe and act like.
Women expect them to evolve and see reasons to abandon those principles for more reasonable ones where nobody is slave to anybody. It’s a valid theory.
Cuppy basically intimating that she would conform to a male dominated industry so she could prosper and Tiwa’s quip on how men are naturally above women might be problematic.
While for Cuppy, a known fighter for her cause, it does not mean she would take the misogyny or denial of her entitlement on the grounds of gender slide, it might connote the wrong message to the upcoming generation.
No movement for a struggle has ever achieved liberation by conforming to the dictates of the majority or privileged regime.
For Tiwa, it does seem equality is a myth as men and women are fundamentally different, with different roles to play on earth. Each role is important.
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