Guest article by Dikshita Sur, a Delhi, based Painter, Voice Over Artist and Content Writer. Find her work here

‘Men are disgusting, filthy pigs. I will do whatever the hell I want. Men are born rapists. No man can be trusted. I will sleep around just because he can. I will have an affair outside marriage because it is my choice. I will show my cleavage because it’s my choice (because showing cleavage is the answer to everything right?).’

What happened to you ladies?

What propelled you one fine morning to wake up and hate all the men in the country?

Do you still call yourself feminists? Feminism to you has become about male bashing and crushing them, putting them down, and labelling them to be un-evolved, under-developed species.

When I was in college, feminism used to be about female equality, not female superiority or hatred towards men.

It was about standing up for your self-respect, your integrity; it was about demanding to be treated as an equal contributor to the society.

Feminism stood against not allowing a woman to have a right to progress, it stood for not letting a woman’s intelligence, capabilities and intellect be undermined because she is a woman and therefore generalised as incapable.

That is the feminism that I came to understand and respect.

How then ladies, did you replace that noble movement with such an unapologetic besmirching of men?

Feminism used to be about structural change, not cultural change.

The agenda of modern feminists is to change certain men’s view of women as sexual objects.

How is that not contradictory if 90 percent of the times you post yourself all over the social feeds with either your bottoms out or the cleavages out and shove your bareness on everybody’s faces all the time?

These days feminists are projecting themselves as - I’ll shove my cleavage down a man’s face and walk out bare and do what the hell I want.

That’s not feminism. That’s desperation for attention and validation. You feminists want to be treated as individuals but have a problem if you are not sexualized as well…and when men do it, why then go on this male bashing rampage?

How is that nothing but hypocritical? Switching sides with convenience much? Let me clarify, I say this for only feminists on a blatant, hostile and misguided rampage.

Men are human beings too, ladies. They are not animals. They work hard as well. They are loving, affectionate, spiritual souls as well, just like you.

They are emotional and sensitive just like you. Yes, they have been on the better side of decision making and power; and the unfortunate truth is that a percentage of men have committed unthinkable crimes towards women.

No woman should tolerate a crime or abuse of any sort, mental or physical be it at home, work space, general relationships etc. However, at the cusp of 2016, I refuse to accept what you are trying to sell in the name of feminism, which seems nothing but a masked and diluted platter of personal hatred or a self crowned holier-than-thou attitude.

Be a rebel, but for a real cause. Cheating on your partner because it is ‘your choice’ doesn’t make you a feminist, it makes you unfaithful, whether you are a man or a woman.

Wearing the tiniest clothes is not empowering, it’s just wearing lesser clothes than others.

Be known for your work, for your merit. Hating men doesn’t prove anything; it just shows you hate men.

That is hardly empowering. It is as simple and true as a rose flower being a rose flower or the sun being hot. It is what it is.

Fight those who deny you your deserved space because you earned it on your merit. The movement of feminism is not to show who is superior, it is to show you are equally capable.

This is of course, my personal take on this issue. Feel free to disagree.