4 min read
By Dr. Maria K. Jimmy
Sunita Williams landed in Kozhikode a few days ago for the Kerala Literature Festival, and the response was instant.
Headlines. Pride. Applause.
A shared feeling emerged: one of ours has arrived.
Kerala welcomed her warmly, as it should.
But beneath the celebration sits an uncomfortable contradiction we rarely pause to examine.
The same public space that celebrates Sunita Williams, the NASA astronaut, often scoffs at the word “feminism.”
This irony deserves attention, and this article exists to sit with it.
Sunita Williams: A Woman Worth Celebrating
Sunita Williams is admired for what she has done.
She is:
- A NASA astronaut
- A former U.S. Navy pilot
- A mission commander
She has spent over 300 days in space, performed multiple spacewalks, and worked in environments where precision decides survival. Her career was earned through training, endurance, and competence.
We are applauding excellence, and deservingly so, while dismissing the idea that women achieving at this level is something worth defending.
The Curious Gap Between Belief and Applause
In mainstream public debates across cultures, feminism is often dismissed as unnecessary, exaggerated, or even laughable.
Some women themselves proudly say they are “not feminists.”
The word is mocked, softened, turned into a slur.
Yet when Sunita Williams walks into a hall, the applause is unanimous.
No one asks her why she chose ambition, or about raising children, or whether space travel suits a woman.
Her success answers all of that before the questions can even form.
She Did Not Succeed Despite Being a Woman
Sunita Williams succeeded because she was able to train, compete, lead, and rise in a system that, at least in her case, trusted competence over gender.
That freedom to aspire and be evaluated by skill alone grew out of long struggles for equal opportunity, fair access, and the removal of limiting expectations.
Let’s Get This Right
Sunita Williams stands where she does because of her own discipline, intelligence, and years of earned excellence. Her journey speaks of training completed, risks taken, and leadership proven under pressure.
Her life also reflects a world where ability mattered more than gender, where ambition faced fewer ceilings and competence carried weight.
Her achievements borrow meaning from no label at all. They simply show what becomes possible when women are free to rise, compete, and lead on equal ground.
When Feminism Becomes a Question
In everyday public conversations, a curious pattern often appears.
Popular television shows, including programmes like Annie’s Kitchen, have hosted conversations where women openly admit they do not understand what feminism means — or question whether it is even needed.
In one such episode, the word feminism is questioned, laughed around, and framed as distant from everyday life.
This sentiment resonates widely.
It’s a snapshot of how the term is often perceived in everyday conversations: distant, abstract, or irrelevant.
Or even as something to be laughed away.
At the same time, public admiration flows easily toward women who have built their lives in demanding, merit-driven fields where their achievements speak for themselves.
Yet in everyday language, the same society often uses slurs like feminichi to dismiss outspoken or opinionated women.
This shows that being comfortable with women’s success does not always mean being comfortable with equality.
Pseudo-feminism, which borrows the language of feminism without its values, has added to this mistrust. It replaces accountability with outrage, and justice with noise — leaving real equality harder to recognise. When such distortions surface in public life, they weaken the very trust that genuine feminist movements depend on.
The Outcomes Are Accepted. The Word Is Not.
What makes it striking is simple.
Admiration for Sunita Williams rests on the same principles feminism has always argued for:
- Equal opportunity
- Non-restrictive expectations
- Respect for competence, regardless of gender
If people can celebrate a woman leading space missions and thriving in male-dominated fields, their discomfort seems less about equality and more about the word “feminism” itself.
This juxtaposition reveals something important.
Most people intuitively value the outcomes of feminism — freedom, opportunity, respect, achievement — even when they reject the term used to describe that struggle.
You might think it’s “less” to call yourself a feminist.
But when you celebrate women who rise beyond expectation, you are standing on feminist ground — whether you name it or not.
In simple words, people like what feminism makes possible, but feel uncomfortable with the word itself.
One Truth That Needs No Debate
Let’s not forget:
Capability is not gendered.
For a brief moment, Sunita Williams — a woman who touched the stars — walked our land, reminding us how far women can go when ability leads.
In that shared pride and effortless admiration, we celebrated everything feminism has long fought for.
Even if the word itself was never spoken.
Image note: The image used in this article is AI-generated and symbolic. No real individuals are depicted. It is meant to evoke the idea of a woman who has travelled far beyond Earth and returned to stand quietly under familiar skies.
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