I want this to be a mostly reader generated post. So please comment freely!
Is it possible to be a "bad feminist?" If so, how? What constitutes bad feminism? Who decides who a feminist is? Each person individually (even if her/hir/his definition of feminism seems "bad" to others)? Or the collective group?
I'll contribute just a little two cents: taking on the term "feminist" doesn't make you one necessarily except perhaps by your own definition. But all social movements (and all words, really) are deeply open to interpretation (think about how "liberal" means something very different to Nana than it does to someone who identifies politically as a communist).
What say you, readers?
The Sheriff
I think that most people can agree that feminism is about sex and gender equality, though not everyone agrees on what that looks like. I'd say that the only way to be a "bad" feminist would be to use the label of feminism without having any idea of what it means, or to hide behind it while making choices that are expressly against that core belief in equality.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a BIG distinction between "Feminism" as a social movement and being a "feminist"; the two aren't mutually exclusive, but they ARE different.
ReplyDeleteOn the individual level, I think that there are many ways to be a feminist (re: Bell Hooks's book *Feminism is for Everyone*). This is because everyone's journey and association with labels is influenced by their own unique life experience. The best way I know to illustrate this is a cartoon/caricature I saw called "The Great Wall of Feminism": http://webpub.allegheny.edu/employee/s/swesoky/1995-09-02%20Great%20Wall%20of%20Feminism%203rd%20world%20750.JPG The differences in individual feminism can be this drastic or very subtle.
Feminism as a social movement is a separate entity (IMHO). The first two waves were clearly defined. The third wave, well, I'm not really well versed in feminist history, but it seems less defined and more intertwined with other movements (for lack of a better acronym, the GLBTQ rights movement). That could just be my experience informing my definition, but I also think that it's hard to define the third wave while it's still in progress.
Ok, so if I haven't confused people by now, let's move on to the idea of a "bad" feminist. Does anyone remember the spanking cartoon: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BlyxF63j334/SAUhnc1bMRI/AAAAAAAAAKc/ks6DJ6I8Mzc/s1600-h/PostSecretCard.jpg Well, this is where my ideas of individual feminism vs. Feminism as a movement come in. I'd say that consciously subverting a movements ideas, ideals, and goals while claiming to be a member/supporter of that group would make one a bad "*****ist". So subverting Feminism would make one a bad Feminist, but not necessarily a bad feminist (on the individual level). It's very hard, IMO, to be a bad feminist on an individual level, because on that level, you're the one who decides what feminism is and what it means to you. I suppose the only way to be "bad" is letting yourself down (excluding some situations where you didn't have much choice).
So yeah... my two cents (or dollars, jeez this got long)
I try to judge actions, not people (key word: try) so rather than call someone a "bad feminist" I'd probably say something like "Hir actions are inconsistent with what I've always understood feminism to be about." I use bell hooks' definition of feminism, which she gives in the book Maia cited: "Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." So, if an action seems out of line with that definition, I might declare it Not Feminist.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do feel comfortable labeling some people Faux Feminists. These would be those who, as Lisa said, "use the label of feminism without having any idea of what it means," or, those who appropriate it and misrepresent it for political gain, ie Sarah Palin. I think to be a bad feminist one would have to be some kind of feminist to begin with, which I don't believe she is.
To add to Maia's post about Femininsm as a movement (which I completely agree is different from being a femininist): The third wave feminist movement was primarily a response to the 2nd wave movement b/c the 2nd wave movement left a lot of people out, primarily women of color and LGBT people. The 2nd wave movement focused mainly on legal equality partially b/c the leaders (primarily White women) thought that legal equality (birth control, wages, marriage/divorce, etc.) would make everyone equal. The problem was that when these laws passed, most people didn't benefit (given that we still earn $.79 to the dollar!) Women of color responded by leading mass movements to fight poverty and other issues that we traditionally identify with the "ghettos" (poverty, violence, access to equal education, welfare) These women basically took these problems and said "hey, these are feminist issues too and here's why." If you're interested, there is a fantastic book called Storming Cesear's Palace about welfare and various issues surrounding it. But, remember these women had been fighting alongside the 2nd wave feminists or separetly, their movement just gained more prominence in the 1990's.
ReplyDeleteGiven this history, (clearly feminists have a hard time agreeing), I would say that a "bad" feminist is a woman who has only one definition of feminism that everyone must fall into to gain her respect or attention. I don't always agree with my fellow feminists on the cause of an issue or how it should be resolved, but I always try to listen to their point of view. And if I was trying to lead a mass movement to fight the patriarchy, I would try to incorporate as many points of view as I possibly could because along with the wage gap and rights to things, childhood poverty and maternal health are feminist issues too.
Lady Lola
Lady Lola,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you mention Storming Cesear's Palace... I *just* started reading that last week. And thanks for the clearer definitions =)
-Frances