"It was so good until the feminists came."

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Zalina Marshenkulova - about why there is little fun and fashion in the fight against gender stereotypes.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the "trend" towards feminism and about the fact that publicly joining the topic of protecting women is fun and youthful: supposedly it is socially approved and sells well (look at the body-positive brand campaigns!).

In fact, even an ordinary statement and broadcast of the scientific fact "woman is a man" turns into discussions, and even harassment "Your place in the cemetery": how public feminists and other activists are harassed in Russia who dare to open their mouths. Moreover: at the same time, at the official state level, one can hear that Elena Mizulina is performing an abortion: Abortion is a social problem that demonstrates the level of morality only for immoral women, and those who have given birth, breastfeed; on thirty-year-old women they put Mistake of choice: Why "after 30 money is not needed" insults women cross and calls them shriveled "Shriveled women" backfired Astakhov with "toads". All over the world, some kind of "cute" type "let's lock up these female animals at home during menstruation" constantly pop up, thereby broadcasting absolute heresy and obscurantism. Can we then say that feminism is just a trend?

Now I'll tell you why being a feminist in today's Russia is like nailing your genitals to paving stones. And I will analyze popular stereotypes and misconceptions.

Is feminism fashionable?

The funniest thing is that “everyone has become feminists,” because it allegedly has become fashionable and profitable.

What else has become "fashionable", friends? Ride in the same elevator with blacks? Send messages in a messenger, and not with a dove? Consider a woman a human?

It’s really, really, a strange fashion - to call to treat a woman as a person, and not as a "decoration of the collective" or an incubator for the reproduction of sons.

“Yes, everyone treats women like a person”? No, not all and not everywhere. To do this, you don't even need to go to distant countries, just look at the statistics Violence against women: the experience of the countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Russia of domestic violence in Russia and the statements of politicians in the spirit: “Your husband beats you because you are not beautiful enough and you give birth a little.

Why have women started to speak loudly about their rights only now? Because people had more access to information in general, and victims dared to talk about the violence, the Global Gender Gap Report 2015 salary inequality and the glass ceiling Glossary of Gender Terms.

Women have become more and more at Developer Survey Results 2018 in the "male" professions. They began to occupy truly leading positions, and not nominally leading ones. And from the pages of media and advertising, they continue to talk to us like idiots or an attachment to a man. We don't like this. That's all. You haven’t heard about it, and suddenly you heard it simply because you accidentally stuck your head out of your … patriarchal concerns.

Over the past 50 years, women have actually received rights and officially began to be recognized as people, although not everywhere. For example, look at how things are in IT, one of the most progressive industries: women are offered a lower salary than men, girls are taught that programming is not their business, and the developers themselves say that it is more difficult for them to develop in the profession. I love Girl Digital Power's Netology study on this: it has a ton of statistics on women's inequality in the industry and dispels stupid stereotypes.

And then scientists suddenly decided to finally check whether a woman is a retarded species - and studies of How Decision-Making Is Different Between Men And Women And Why It Matters In Business show one after another: no, not retarded, but very powerful, complex and interesting, in no way inferior to men in intelligence TAU research: no such thing as "male" and "female" brain. That's all. It is a pity that for centuries I had to live under the boot of a peasant, without education and access to human rights. Well, okay, with whom it does not happen.

From time immemorial, women have silently cooked borscht, and nothing. And then some "femki" came. They want freedom for people and fight gender heresy.

Here we are insolent - we want to live as we like.

It's also funny that some condescendingly declare, "But this fashion will pass." Yes, again we will ride in different elevators, we will segregate. And we will send messages with a dove (the Internet is just about to be closed).

Is feminism profitable?

No. Russian brands still benefit from chasing a sexist blizzard rather than supporting feminists. It is in Europe that advertisements for pads with blood are being released and menstrual cups are pushed, and in Russia the media broadcast old patriarchal advice in the spirit of "How to Marry a Programmer." Companies and brands constantly refer to the fact that we have a "conservative country" - this is one where it is customary to believe in telegonia, psychics, astrology, but not that a woman is a human being.

That is, a very conservative country for such a radical idea. The beauty industry, for example, is very afraid of such a radical idea as "even a plump and not meeting the standards of a woman is a human." They get rid of the words "body positive" and "slut shaming".

Brands will gladly donate budgets to an agency that makes good old-fashioned ads like “don't be fat, serve your man!”. Just think, women are depicted as objects. These are folk braces.

And "femkami" who can suddenly come up with something other than the appeal to customers "Hey you, sheep", few people are in a hurry to give something. Those who, despite the general obscurantism, still managed to monetize their ideas in the form of "a woman is also a man", are fiercely bullied and accused of all earthly sins, as during the Reebok campaign.

Of course, it is better that only those who make posters "Pump on new panties" are engaged in advertising.

And for some reason no one counts the money for the next advertisement with female bodies. Everything is ok here. These "values" can be sold.

Nastya Krasilnikova has a permanent column on the "The Robber's Daughter" channel, and the photos in this article are just a small part of the creativity. There is more of it than it seems.

I also have a Telegram channel. And I can say that you will not earn mountains of gold on feminism: either I myself cannot take more than half of the advertisers who promote the idea of "inspire the man", or they themselves do not come to me, thinking that I have gone and eat men and children. Advertising has to be rejected in four cases out of five.

Feminists owe something to someone?

It would seem that when you wholeheartedly try to dispel the darkness of ignorance and do something useful, you can feel like a great person. Maybe that's why they become feminists? But in reality, self-esteem does not grow: instead of support, for some reason you are blamed for all the troubles and sorrows of the planet, and not only men, but also women who are prone to misogyny.

Conducting educational activities and trying to help people become freer and happier turn out to be the fact that you live in the midst of constant bullying and bouquets of demands. You voluntarily help the victims of violence (without bragging about it), bring knowledge and light to the masses, and they say to you: “What are you doing there, femmes, in general? Why aren't you going to the Caucasus to save women? What are you talking about feminitives and sexism? Maybe you can get down to business?"

But here's the thing: I am not obliged to report to anyone for what I do in my free time from work.

How wonderful it would be if the fighters against feminists got down to business on their own. Repair the sidewalk at the entrance. At a minimum, start making claims to the address: ask, for example, officials, where is the money for roads and schools, where are teachers' salaries? I wish you could direct your hatred of harmless (and actually, useful) feminists to something really important! You look, Russia would have risen. But no, you are too busy talking about how and what activists should do.

Are feminists scary and lonely?

Bookstores and channels about "psychology" are inundated with manuals on how important it is to be a "good and wise" girl: then you may find your happiness - a prince. The main thing is to strictly fulfill the "destiny" of a woman.

If suddenly you say that happiness does not end with the prince and you are not going to be comfortable, they start looking for a problem in you. You must be so angry because you are ugly?

Today they often write to me: "Die, you frightened." And the same guys who previously wrote to me, how beautiful I am and how they want me. They sent hearts, invited on dates. After all, I was in my place. Pleasing to the eye, the decoration of the team. Now look: she has gone beyond the established social framework, let's spread rot on her.

She wanted human rights! Encroached on our masculinity? Our dominance?

Respect for women is just that kind of test for a strong masculine character, but they somehow do not pass it very well and take offense at literally any joke (remember those who vomited curses and threats to me for a joke about their face). For many, to stop considering men superior to women is like hating men. Apparently, this is the famous male "logic". But this is not at all the case: I really love men, and I have everything okay with them in a relationship (shock!).

Another "plus" of protecting women is insults from women themselves, who do not want to get out of the cage of patriarchy, because they are already well fed for emotional and physical service. This is such a paradox of Russian society: you are being bullied for the fact that you voluntarily educate people for free and tell them: "Free yourself from prejudices and attitudes - and be who you want to be."

But why then all this is necessary?

Society will always be unprepared for something, which is why it needs madmen who are ready for anything. For example, before, society was not ready for a woman to wear trousers. And now everything is fine with this, though not in all countries.

Society needs crazy people to highlight problems in this society. But what kind of normal person would do this? No. What normal person cares about the problems of the abstract masses and the fact that someone is being oppressed there? None.

Therefore, we, the blessed enthusiastic activists, exist to bring you important news and fumble with decaying values. The Lord sends those who have gone, who for some reason do not give a damn that girls in schools are taught housekeeping and house building, and these girls are not even my children. It happens that one does not give a damn about other people's children.

It happens when no one oppresses you personally and you succeed in everything in life, but you want others to succeed too.

I receive thousands of reviews that I help people change their lives for the better - and it helps to keep going. For example, women often write, whom relatives forced to live with an unloved husband, and thanks to my channel they pulled themselves together, got a better job, got divorced and freed themselves. It is worth it to endure the bullying and misunderstanding of the majority.