Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez, now going by the name Jennifer Lynn Affeck, has faced criticism for adopting her husband Ben Affleck’s last name. They both got married earlier this year.

I thought Feminism was meant to be the freedom to exercise your choice as a woman. But the more I look around me the more I find that Feminism has its own set of rules and diktats and there is very little freedom to speak about.

According to E! News, while talking to Vogue for its December issue she said “What? Really? People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs.Affleck because we’re joined together. We’re husband and wife. I’m proud of that. I don’t think that’s a problem.”

Answering whether she would want her husband to adopt the name Lopez, with a laugh she said, “No! It’s not traditional. It doesn’t have any romance to it. It feels like it’s a power move, you know what I mean? I’m very much in control of my own life and destiny and feel empowered as a woman and as a person”, reported E!News.

Jennifer added “I can understand people have their feelings about it, and that’s okay too. I just feel it’s romantic. It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I’m just that kind of girl”.

I say you go girl, more power to you! Be any girl you want that was what Feminism was originally meant to be.

I personally may or may not agree with Jennifer Lopez’s  choice but I must respect her choice nonetheless.

To question or follow tradition. To fly solo or with a partner in life. To be a homemaker or breadwinner being a real Feminist means to have the freedom to be the kind of woman one wants to be.

Though personally I think everyone, man or woman, should ideally be financially independent for purely practical purposes. But frankly this new fangled feminism is passive-aggressive, aggressive and certainly not helpful to women.

I have seen friends in my circle being bullied by so-called well meaning other friends for being a homemaker and not doing enough with their lives.

Surely we must empower and encourage women to stand on their own two feet but not by making them feel bad for being just a homemaker.

Or for that matter coming to the Indian context, wanting to fast on Karwa Chauth is both a personal choice plus the right to practice tradition and religion.

Women must stand together and not become Quasi-Chauvinists in the process. Feminism is meant to empower women and be who they want to be by making their own choices. Either let’s empower each other or just live and let live.

 

More power to Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck for all that she is and wants to be. Ben and she tied the knot in Las Vegas in July this year.

Wishing you a great life together!