The trailer for the film “Miss Representation” seems very promising in its exposure of media’s harmful effect on young women. I hope to see it in Montreal theatres soon. This also seems to have come at an appropriate time, right when I’m starting to doubt my own feminist orientation after an incident like the photo below:
Image from Racialicious.com
The recent controversy surrounding the NYC Slutwalk involved a white woman marched with a sign that said “Woman is N***** of the World” – after the John Lennon/Yoko Ono duet. According to this Racialicious post, a black woman did ask the protester to take the sign down – but not before many pictures had already been taken.
Lots of good responses have been circulating on the internet already, like this one from Crunk Feminist Collective, so I’ll try not to be redundant.
It’s disconcerting to me that it took a woman of colour to point out the problem of the message. It also troubles me to see that some people are defending the sign because apparently John and Yoko had no racist intent (and here we are, talking about intention again).
Ever since I was 19 I’ve been calling myself a feminist. Yet, these days I find myself qualifying that word – I’m a feminist interested in anti-racist work, I’m a feminist interested in LGBTQ rights also, etc. If mainstream feminism is so race-blind that it takes a woman of colour to correct it, then where is the hope? If I continue to call myself a feminist will I just be a smattering of “diversity” at the mostly-white table of big-league feminists? I also see the insidious mark of capitalism seeping in, where feminism is now about book deals and speaking engagements at universities and/or luncheons that aren’t very accessible to those who might need it the most. Has feminism been co-opted so much that it’s only about expanding one’s social capital rather than growing a strong society? The proliferation of faux-”empowerment” books for women that has not translated into more representation of women in leadership positions in society certainly seems to indicate that. What have I, a 1.5-generation immigrant woman of colour, have actually done for women like me in the times I’ve called myself a feminist? Is it time to frame myself in another ‘-ism’ to actually give back to the community, rather than pat myself on the back for coming this far?
Colin
/ October 13, 2011Im getting tired of the categorical world we live in.
Maybe…. We should all just be. The world would be much simpler if we were brainless and fed on dirt and grass
Jordana
/ October 14, 2011So true, it’s frustrating to see these different movements walking along seemingly blind to each other when they all have the common goal of equality. Why is it that people cannot see past the blinkers?
rubybastille
/ October 21, 2011I find I’m still having trouble saying I’m a feminist without conjuring up images of the old-school anti-chivalry bra-burners, never mind all the racial and socioeconomic facets. I try to stick with the barebones definition – a la those “this is what a feminist looks like” t-shirts – but just like every situation, it’s hard for people to see past the label and get to the real issues. Now there’s the “straw feminist” trope and “empowering” women & characters who are not empowering at all and new anti-abortion laws and it seems like we’re backsliding.
So don’t give up – you’re contributing to your community and the whole spectrum of feminism just by having this blog, and we need voices like yours.
Remi Daviet (@belernaor)
/ November 7, 2011Don’t worry Rosel, you can still be a feminist.
Remember the fundamentals:
“Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women” (Wikipedia).
If you still agree with this sentence you are a feminist.
The problems come from the fact that there are several feminists ideologies and theories.
Some of them are going against the others. You just have to find and define what kind of feminist you are and what social model you support.
Keep on being active!
Magdalena O!
/ January 12, 2012FEMINISM! It is all kinds of things, and well, it’s a tremendously political and needed act.
I am not going to comment on this sign because I haven’t read all the stories surrounding it, but I think it is even more reason to take feminism and not shy away from it. If we start backing away from feminism, then what’s left? A smug look on the part of those that believe there’s no need for it; that it’s flakey; that it’s misguided; that we are all *shudder* equal…
Not that equality should ever be a measure. I am a firm believer in equity. We are not all the same, we are not equal, and promoting equality only assuages the embedded racism, classism, sexism, etc. in the world in the most superficial way. It just reminds me of the concept of ‘color blindness.’
Proud feminist.