Witerati: #MeToo’s fleeing feminists and cosmetic chauvinists

#MeToo also showcased several species who stuck out in the sympathy narrative like a sore thumb.

With #MeToo becoming the modern Mahabharata, the hashtaggers’ metaphor for the battle of good versus evil, and the women spearheading it playing the digital-day Draupadis, unmasking new-age Duryodhanas, Twitter turned into the new Kurukshetra, hosting the hottest battle of the sexes. As virtually the biggest digital age dais for citizen activism, Twitter staged Feminism’s Day Out like never before, whilst other “isms” – Machoism, Chauvinism & Co – did crouch or go “ouch” on the sidelines of the spectacle in hope of some spotlight. #MeToo narratives now are the new “breaking news” for Twitterverse, triggering a spate of support and vociferous validation for the victim voices. Yet, in this din of survivor stories and their cheerleaders, there was heard the cacophony of counter-camps comprising jeer-leaders. #MeToo also showcased several species who stuck out in the sympathy narrative like a sore thumb.

Actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja opened her mouth to support #MeToo in a chat with Barkha Dutt at WetheWomenAsia, she ended up putting her foot in it. (Representative Image)

Fleeing Feminists

Whenever Twitter sees a battle of the sexes, be it over exes or over many an issue that doth the fair sex vexes, some B-town’s fashionistas-cum-feminists sport a brand of feminism that sounds somewhat gimmicky, spouted by size-zero silhouettes suffused with Nina Ricci. Bollywood’s brand of fashionable feminism is oft worn on the sleeve with layers of other “isms” – nepotism, insider-outsider schism & co. When actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja opened her mouth to support #MeToo in a chat with Barkha Dutt at WetheWomenAsia, she ended up putting her foot in it. While Sonam validated Tanushree’s tale, she cast doubts on the credibility of Kangana’s claims, saying it’s “hard to take her (Kangana) seriously”. She sure played the Half Feminist, somewhat on the lines of ‘Half Girlfriend’ of author Chetan Bhagat, who incidentally himself stood in #MeToo’s firing line. The tide of troll saw Sonam out of Twitter stroll. The curious case of ‘One Flew Over the #MeToo’s Slugfest.’

This is a tribe of Tweeple who toss up the most frivolous of concerns to trivialise a trending crusade. They are the contrary voices who put their foot in their mouths to blame or body shame the #MeToo mouths who broke their silence. The #MeToo narrative saw its share of contrarians cropping up like creepy insects infesting an army of ants plodding and proceeding to fell a rogue elephant. In the whole narrative, what concerned these cosmetic contrarians was not the courage of the survivors to speak out or the unmasking of the murk that doth lurk behind the gloss ‘n’ glitz of varnished workplaces, but the cosmetic quotient of the victims to qualify for male predatoriness.

These are trolls who had the pettiness to pitch potshots at the prettiness of the poster girls of #MeToo. Just as well, they were taunted by Tweeple thus: “And what are you, Angelina Jolie? And is #AlokNath Brad Pitt?” A curious case of a modern Grim(m) Tale about Ms Brown Sheep being body shamed for not being pretty enough for #MeToo’s Mr Wolf.

Gyaan Givers

This is a tribe of Tweeple with a propensity to play the pontiff. When it comes to a cause, they’re more concerned about delivering discourses on its many a “clause”. They bear an uncanny resemblance to stern ‘n’ sombre sports referees who’d rather reel off rules whilst a stadium full of people is cheering underdogs who’re taking on biggies in the field. Thus the Gyaan Givers were busy disseminating definitions of harassment to trivialise #MeToo feminism as not fitting in with legalism. A curious case of #MeToo’s Rebels with a Clause.

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