What is Intersectional Feminism?
Feminism that concerns:
RACISM / SEXISM / HOMOPHOBIA / RELIGION BASED BIGOTRY / TRANSPHOBIA / CLASSISM / DISABILITY
Intersectional feminism is a feminist theory that recognises how multiple forms of discrimination within society do not act independently from one another. Many feminist theories ignore that women experience oppression in ‘varying configurations and varying degrees of intensity’ – further adding to institutionalised oppression.
“MY FEMINISM WILL BE INTERSECTIONAL OR IT WILL BE BULLSHIT” -DIrty girls
This zine aims to challenge the perceptions of women and feminism within society, by presenting and adducing intersectional feminist theories while debating through text and original artwork. The format of this zine reflects the theory behind the feminist debate, and shows how artists have responded to these socio-political topics.
The text, imagery and design of these pages have been carefully created to be stylistically consistent with the issues being tackled.
Footnotes
1 Crenshaw, K. (1995). Critical race theory. 1st ed. New York: New Press.
page3&4
A History and Introduction to Feminism
The majority of feminist theories represented in the patriarchal mass media are mostly those concerning white middle-class women. Initially, the feminist movement had basic key objectives – such as equality within the workplace and home, and establishing equal pay for women. Once these objectives started to be met, a divide became apparent between those experiencing a version/degree of equality and those who were being left out due to the class and race divide.
“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression” bell hooks ‘Feminism is for everybody’.
bell hooks’ ‘Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center’ (1984), discusses how the patriarchal mass media did not perpetuate the importance of abolishing sexism for all women. The dominant social paradigm saw white privileged women benefiting from the progression of the gender equality movement in the workforce, and thus enabling them to separate themselves from women who were still being oppressed by society. The tasks and roles that they did not want to do (in order to be equal to a man) at home and in the workplace, were left to women of lower class and/or women of colour to do instead. Notably, at the same time, the Civil Rights movement was also challenging the barriers of societal prejudice and suggests that therefore, why white men were more likely to support equality for white middle class women, as it served their interests of white supremacy. Hence, widening the social, class and racial divide even greater, as some women’s demands were being met whilst some were finding themselves bringing up other women’s children, cleaning their homes and cooking meals for their families as well as having to provide these needs for their own families.
Intersectional feminism identifies that oppressions within society do not act independently of one another and that ignoring these multiple forms of discrimination creates a system of oppression. For example, women of colour and bi-sexual/lesbian/transgender women cannot separate the oppression of their race and/or sexual identity from simple gender oppression. The term itself, intersectionality, was coined by Professor Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989. She started the conversation about how factors of our identity intersect and the marginalisation many women felt through traditional feminist discourse. Although there isn’t one type of feminism that can encompass every individuals needs or wants, intersectional feminism begins to address an awareness of these differences.
Many women feel like they can’t relate to the traditional objectives of the feminist movement or don’t have an awareness of what it means to be a feminist today. Leading to women shunning the label of ‘feminist’ as they typically view it as something negative and something that denounces their femininity as a whole.
In March 2016 Rebecca Bradley, a Supreme court justice, described feminists as “angry, militant, man-hating lesbians who abhor the traditional family”. It is immediately implied that feminism means believing men are the enemy, and by wanting equal rights for women supposedly denounces the rights for men. Painting all feminists as lesbian, man hating, abhor the traditional family and body hair loving, is a way of diminishing the strength of women’s voices by stereotyping them in a particular way.
Feminism can be practiced by people who respect and want the idea of the traditional family life (being a mother and/or housewife), this doesn’t mean they don’t perpetuate the idea of respect and equality within the household and society. However, the western world is a “largely Christian” society whose beliefs state; that God ordained women to be subordinate to men, by being in control of the domestic household. Showing the contribution religion may have to the oppression of women. Many religious practises are expected of women, and can in some cases be used to diminish the status of these women and impose rigid gender role oppression.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk ‘We Are All Feminists’, mused the word feminist is “so heavy with baggage, negative baggage. You hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture”. It has been a popularised idea that feminism must mean you hate everything that is traditionally feminine such as make up, heels, dresses and even the colour pink. “Feminism and femininity are not mutually exclusive. It is misogynistic to suggest that they are”. There is an expectation that women do these things to ‘impress a man, by suggesting this is a factor highlights the existence of sexism in society and reverts back to the traditional ideals of patriarchal society. Do we feel like we are losing the battle with equality by admitting that we enjoy wearing make-up or clothes? In Adichie’s 9,000-word guide on how to bring up a feminist daughter, she revealed when she first started teaching she would dress in a very serious manner, like a man, in order to be taken more seriously, but shunning her individuality as a person and a woman. When men get ready for work or for a business meeting do they question what they wear says about them as a person as well as their gender? Women should wear and do what they want to if they feel comfortable, confident and empowered in doing so.
Diana Press’ “Class and Feminism” proposes confrontation of the women dominating and exploiting other women through sex, class and race, in order to realise all of our objectives for equality. Many individual black women were active in the early contemporary feminist movement but their ideas for feminism and equality were not given attention in the mainstream press. The patriarchal mass media instead painted feminism as women wanting something that men have and thus reinforcing the idea that women are lesser. Gender equality became easier to accept as a result of changes in the economy, however men were more willing to consider women rights when it could serve the interests of maintaining white supremacy.[4] Reformist feminism was an avenue to class mobility. White women with privilege relied on the fact there would be a lower class of women to be exploited and do the humdrum work they were refusing to do. Aligning themselves with patriarchy and sexism – reinforcing the oppression of working class and poor women (as well as immigrants and women of colour).
Lifestyle feminism removed politics from feminising – meaning women could be feminists without challenging or changing themselves or the culture. A woman could label herself as anti-abortion, but still a feminist; despite this being completely contradictory to the very idea of feminism.
Footnotes
2, 5 hooks, b. (2000). Feminism is for everybody. 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.
3 hooks, b. (1981). Ain’t I a woman. 1st ed. Boston, MA: South End Press.
4 Crenshaw, K. (1995). Critical race theory. 1st ed. New York: New Press.
6 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2014). We Should All Be Feminists. UK: Harper Collins.
7 chimamanda ngozi adichie dear … (essay to her daughter)
page5&6
Race and Gender
When I first started reading into feminist theory I quickly discovered the very limited perspective that is abundant in bookstores and theories. Betty Friedan’s ‘The Female Mystique’ was a book heralded by feminists as one of the classic and ultimate feminist theories. The Female Mystique focuses primarily on the suppression of white middle-class housewives in the States. The main objective of the mainstream feminist movement, at the time, was about seeking equality in the workplace and the home. However, it ultimately only addressed the sexist discrimination of white women with class privilege.
At the time Betty Friedan’s book was being written; black women across America were challenging the sexism within the black civil rights movement. Not only were they feeling oppression for their race from general society, but also their gender within the movement trying to denounce the racism towards black people across the nation. These women were experiencing marginalisation across all avenues of their identity. Yet, the feminist theorists were publishing books about the oppression that the white middle class women felt because they were unfulfilled at home looking after their families. [1]Whilst we can appreciate they also needed a voice for their marginalisation, their issues were garnering more attention than the women who were being ignored by both movements.
“All white women in this nation know that their status is different from that of black women/women of colour. They know this from the time they are little girls watching television and seeing only their images, and looking at magazines and seeing only their images. They know that the only reason nonwhites are absent/invisible is because they are not white. All white women in this nation know that whiteness is a privileged category” bell hooks, feminism is for everybody.
The privilege of these white women meant they could define the issues they wanted to change in society, which led to the marginalisation of other groups of women as they simply could not even begin to relate to these problems. The Socioeconomic status of these women meant they had the best access to universities, funding and the media – meaning their voices got heard and thus creating a hierarchy in the feminist movement for those who did not have access to these privileges. (‘Socieoeconomic status refers to an individual’s or groups’ location in the structure of society, which determines differential access to power, privilege and desirable sources. It is typically assessed by education, income or occupational status.’ p136 intersections of race, gender and SES, Gender, race, class and health intersectional approaches.)
The benefits of white female privilege also extends to the reactions of white middle class men who were more likely to listen to these white women and make the changes they wanted in the workplace as it meant dealing with one small intersection. They were more willing to help women who were also white and continue to discriminate against women of colour. [2] The white middle class women also continued to discriminate against women of colour and working class women. Leaving them to do the jobs they were too proud to do in pursuit of their own careers. i.e, if they no longer wanted to be stay-at-home mums and wanted a career, they would employ these women to take care of their children whilst they went out and chased their careers. For these women this would involve looking after someones children and home whilst neglecting their own.
Furthermore, these white women saw firsthand the civil rights struggle. Meaning they were aware of the political, social and economic disparities between white women and black women. However they continued to participate in a society where white supremacy was prevalent. Despite making claims of being ‘anti-racism’ due to their ‘involvement’ in the civil rights movement, their experiences did not seem to inform their feminist theory. By removing race from the conversation, they could claim both ignorance and the title of the movement. It suited their agenda to remain quiet as it meant they only had to discuss their own problems in the media. Individual black women were reluctant to introduce the racial issue as they were also just learning how to interact with white people as peers. With no-one feeling comfortable having this conversation meant that it strengthened the divide in the feminist movement, leading many women to denounce feminism.
Although there are a variety of theorists that identify racial discrimination alongside gender discrimination, it is much harder for that to be incorporated into day to day society and improving interactions between women of colour and white women. Dissolving these outdated segregations in society is important to create a world where we can exist as “sisters” and for feminist rights for all women to be properly discussed. These barriers are beginning to be broken down, but they still exist even in contemporary feminist movements, where there remains an environment of segregation or exclusivity. When talking about feminist movements often it is women of colour bringing up the conversation of lack of diversity in feminist theory, I don’t think there are enough white women involved in this discussion. This is something I try to discuss in my own art practice as I think often white women feel like it is not something they can be involved in as they are not personal experiences or “it is not their battle to fight” but I think until we truly have an intersectional environment – where white women feel comfortable discussing and dissolving the discriminations of women of colour, there will still be this separation in society and feminist movement.
[1] bell hooks, margin to centre
[2] bell hooks, feminism is for everybody