On this bright Feminism Sunday, let's talk about one of the most misunderstood terms in feminism discourse today: White Feminism.
Let's start with what White Feminism isn't: It's not the feminism of all white people, or all white women. It's not "feminist" + "white" = "white feminist." It is also not "you are trash."
White feminism, or cis white feminism, is the version of feminism that is willfully ignorant of intersectionality. Feminism that is down for the fight for cis white women, and not for the specific issues faced by women of color, women with disabilities, queer women, and so on.
Amy Schumer has often been accused of this attitude. Lena Dunham certainly wants to be intersectional, will say that it's important, but has often been accused of failing at it. And also at actually being a feminist.
You'll notice that say "been accused." This is not me being unable to commit to a position. It's just that criticizing white feminism is not my lane, for the reasons outlined in my previous posts. For that reason, I deliberated whether to write this post. Is it my place to explain this issue? Probably not. Point me to a steemit post by a woman, preferably a woman of color, explaining this, and I will happily make it the first thing people see in this post.
Image source: Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay
But I also know I am likely to get a lot less crap for it than a woman of color, and I know it's incumbent of me to take some of the load.
So if you've been accused of white feminism, or of being a white feminist, remember that it's not just about the color of your skin. You can't be a white feminist without being white, but you absolutely can be white and a feminist without being a white feminist. Know that your tribe is bigger and more diverse than you may think.
So what can one do about one's own white feminism? It's about awareness. If your making a list of important feminist voices, and it's all white, consider reading some Audre Lord. And then dig deeper. Because no matter what MRAs say, feminism is about freeing all of us from patriarchy.
" In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction."
Audre Lord
Disclaimer: I am not an authority on this topic. I am not a scholar of feminism. I'm just a dude trying my best to understand and do better. I am very open to informed corrections. I am much less open to corrections from MRAs. If you come at me from the "feminism is bad, yo!" position, I'm just gonna mute and move on. Cool? Cool.
Previous posts on feminism:
Ban Men
Let's talk intersectionality
You Are Not An Alpha
I Don't Want Ally Cookies
