Being a millennial, born and brought up in Bangladesh in the 1990s, I heard very little about feminism and had to make an active effort to learn about it as I got older. Growing up, I witnessed people being hesitant to say ‘I am a feminist’. It is still a controversial statement in many pockets of my society but I have felt a shift with Gen Z (those born between 2000 to early 2010s). Being a feminist was not a taboo anymore. Instead, for many, although not universally, it is now a cool identity to have. 

But this shift in attitude towards feminism was not sudden. It was the years of work done by feminists in my country and all over the world.  

Gen Z feminists 

Gen Z was born into a world of the internet and globalisation. Access to information was a given for this generation. So, access to the feminist ideas and concepts from around the world could be found in just a few clicks. It also opened so many doors for them from a very early age.  

Awareness is one of the key elements that has enabled this generation’s feminist thinking. Especially awareness about national and international politics. Another key element of Gen Z's feminist movement is using the internet to express themselves. Gen Z has utilised social media to be outspoken about important issues by writing and making videos. These two new additions to feminism have resulted in a big change. I would like to believe that young women of this generation are more political and less hesitant to express their political views than millennials. At this crucial point, I see more Gen Z women being vocal about justice for Palestine on public platforms. I have learned from them to voice my opinion. Because it matters. This also highlights the importance of an inter-generational intellectual exchange.  

The problems with ‘girl boss’ feminism 

The most vibrant form of feminism embraced by a significant portion of young women in South Asia is characterised by the concepts of ‘girl boss’ and ‘girlie feminism’. These concepts are characterised by being outspoken, confident, prominently displayed on the internet, and easily embraced by popular culture. While it may initially appear empowering, at its essence, it is driven by capitalist ideals. 

Girl boss and girlie feminism do not represent the interests of everyone. The idea of intersectionality is completely missing from these feminist approaches. These feminist concepts are mostly influenced by the Global North and western pop culture. The nature of these concepts is classist, casteist, consumerist, and capitalist. Neoliberalism is at the core of this feminism.  
 
A girl boss is widely viewed as a superhuman woman who is financially independent, multitasking, who has a witty personality, a ‘nothing can stop me’ attitude and an aspiration for world domination. This feminist approach is a capitalist trap for women to take up a double burden. Also, it does not consider the needs of women with care responsibilities, women who are from minority communities, and women who are living under the poverty line.  
 
At times, like most of the women I know, I have felt the pressure of being a perfectionist and a multitasker. There is a popular hustling culture which aligns with girl boss feminism. I went through the anxiety of being a well-balanced woman who can fight all the obstacles. To be the strong-independent version at work and the feminine-caregiving version at home. We are all familiar with narratives of these apparently empowered women, including: 

‘She gave birth and bounced back to work within a month.’ 

‘She breastfed her baby in the parliament.’  

‘She leads a team and fulfills her duty as a perfect daughter, wife, and mother.’ 

The view among many is that women achieving these types of examples are hustling and ‘girl bossing’. However, when we indulge in these kinds of narratives, practical elements and support for women that we should be strengthening, such as workplace maternity leave policies and care policies take a backseat.  

Girlie feminism might also feel like a relatable and acceptable concept, but it is serving the hidden agendas of consumerism and capitalism. In this narrative of self-care, it has been structured in such a way that we feel the need to buy luxury products to feel good. Spending money in the name of self-love to feel worthy is the central concept of this idea.   

Most of the feminist ideas that Gen Z women from South Asia are getting to know are from social media, books, films, and pop culture etc. which are mostly collected from the experiences of women from the Global North. This brings us to the conversation about intersectionality, inclusivity and postcolonial feminism, because the feminism of South Asia has had its own journey.  

Intersectional Approach 

Feminism cannot be about universal sisterhood because sisters who are from different backgrounds have different issues to deal with. Taylor Swift can be the feminist idol for most of this generation but Taylor Swift's fights are different from the women around us. Her struggles are different from the young girls around the world. For example, a Muslim woman from Kashmir, a Hindu woman from Rangpur, a woman from Sundarbans, an upper class and upper caste urban woman from Mumbai, a woman with care responsibilities living under the poverty line in Dhaka, or a Buddhist woman from Ramu, all have their own struggles and their own journeys. All of us are fighting our own and very different battles.  

While I think Gen Z women in South Asia are brave and political women who speak their own mind, I also think their practice of feminism is crossing paths with neoliberalism. This approach to feminism risks leaving a lot of women behind. I believe that feminism can never be a one size fits all concept and that ‘universal sisterhood’ does not exist. We do not all share the same struggles. But we are and should be allies. The success of feminism comes from supporting each other to have agency, to pursue our own individual struggles and to make our own choices.   

Author: Simin Ibnat Dharitree (Class of 2024)

Simin Ibnat Dharitree is studying MA Gender and Development at IDS, exploring dimensions of South Asian Gen Z women’s idea of feminism, it’s key elements and criticism.