Author, presenter and former Kevin Rudd press secretary Jamila Rizvi penned a column for The Age on Friday about the innumerable challenges of raising a feminist boy.

Rizvi gave a stunning take on the trials and tribulations of emasculating her son. In her column, Rizvi stated:

My husband and I have been more than conscious about raising a feminist boy, we have been deliberate. Where possible we buy clothes that are gender neutral, regularly shopping in the girls’ clothing section as well as the boys.

What I always find humorous about gender-neutral-feminists is they believe it’s a ‘hip’ new movement they created themselves. The fact is gender-neutrality has existed for centuries, whether we are talking about fashion, pronouns, art or literature. Delve into the history books ladies!

But the big joke is that ‘woke’ feminists such as Rizvi have to do their gender-neutral shopping in the ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ sections of department stores — which kinda defeats their end goal.

Rizvi continues:

Our AFL obsessed kid is encouraged to watch the women’s matches as well as the men’s and loves to put on a tutu for “twirling”. Like all three-year-old kids he parrots back what his parents teach him. My son calls himself a feminist, but his actions don’t reflect that.

Let me get this straight. You’re judging your three-your-old son because his ‘actions’ don’t reflect your feminist ideals? He’s THREE. Give the kid a break and stop politicising his childhood.

But Rizvi’s personal attack on her little boy doesn’t end there. She rabbits on and on:

Rafi moved child care centres a few months back and since then the names of the kids he plays with are exclusively male. His interest in girl playmates has all but disappeared. It breaks my heart. He is no longer keen on dressing up or playing house. It’s all dinosaurs and footy and Transformers and outer space.

WTF? You’re disappointed because your SON doesn’t want to twirl around in a tutu anymore? Build a doll’s house? Or hang out with the chicks? Has it ever occurred to you that he just isn’t interested in being a girl? But like a religious cult leader, you keep pushing your ideals and beliefs on him?

Your heart is broken? Why? Because your son’s interests are – surprise – male? Because your son wants to hang out with other little boys? Because your son wants to play with Transformers and dinosaurs? Dear Rafi, how dare you disappoint Mama by being yourself?

But the most gob-smacking paragraph of Rizvi’s column is this gem:

None of these things are inherently bad and I want to encourage his passions whatever they might be. Yet, I question how many of Rafi’s interests are genuinely his own and how much is being imposed by the structures and settings around him.

I mean, really. Who needs entrenched societal stereotypes when little boys have parents brainwashing them?

Rizvi concludes proudly:

Feminist fathers are going to help save us, and the day.

Has anyone got a bucket? I’m about to retch.

Vanessa de Largie is a freelance journalist and sex columnist who divides her time between London and Melbourne. You can find more of her work here.

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