Feminism can’t be put in boxes.

The more you dive into the breadth of human lives, the deeper you understand the living. It’s disheartening to see cracks in the feminist movement caused by championing just one’s own type of feminism, disregarding the other types. Or the comparison of who’s the bigger feminist. Disrespecting feminism in its own shade is just like saying some are more equal. There are no boxes for feminism that one has to check to prove themselves to be a feminist.

Feminism isn’t always about being bold or vocal. An uneducated woman educating her children while still financially depending on her spouse is no lesser feminist than a financially independent woman. Similarly, a volunteer spreading awareness on menstrual hygiene while still wearing a hijab or ghoonghat is no lesser feminist. Or someone signing a prenuptial agreement is no bigger feminist. Homemakers are feminists. So are working women. You can dress conservative or cosmopolitan. As long as it’s your choice, you are still a feminist. The moment you let somebody else define feminism for you, the essence is lost.

When in doubt, I go back to the roots. The very foundational stone of feminism is being normal. Equality, Fair Opportunity, and Free Choice are in-built into being normal. Maybe for once we can stop running behind the boxes and ask ourselves what this normal could be for us as individuals.