The rise in feminist films has been steady in the past decade. Hollywood is producing more female-driven movies, and women are also taking the lead in directing, writing, and producing. However, the media and society have failed to recognize how intersectional feminism is.
What is Feminism?
Feminism is a concept that has baffled many due to the countless definitions that exist. Feminism is a multifaceted concept with layers and complications. I think that Emma Watson perfectly defined the term in her 2015 interview with Elle, “it really just means you believe in equality,” said Watson. “And if you stand for equality, you’re a feminist. That’s it.”
Why is the Current Feminist Narrative in the Media Problematic?
While it is fantastic to see the entertainment industry finally evolving to empower its women, the conversations surrounding feminism in films are restricted. Let’s take the 2019 film Little Women as an example. Greta Gerwig’s film advocates for women’s growth and their right to choose a life outside of domestic duties but fails to further the conversation on the feminist front for all women. The film’s main cast of women is all white, and no people of color are in leadership roles. We see many instances of white feminism at play throughout the film. The film creators are aware of the racial problems that exist in the world of the film but do little to confront them.
Films like Little Women, Lady Bird, and Moxie are big names in this age of feminist films. The problem is that these narratives are all about white women and their stories. While that is excellent progress for white women, it is a narrow approach that does not facilitate conversations on intersectional feminism and its struggles.
When people speak of social change and action in media, white women benefit the most. The narratives of white feminists dominate the media, but what about the others?
Feminism is not just about white women; many other marginalized groups are involved. Other than flipping the script on some glaring sexist issues and toxic masculinity, many white feminist films fail to bring about new changes to the overall conversation on representation. At times, white feminist films feel like more of a response to patriarchal issues, which only scratches the surface of the myriad of the problems at hand.
Feminism is an intersectional concept because it is layered and complicated. There are structural, systematic, and systemic issues at play that are completely ignored in many feminist narratives.
What is White Feminism?
Fundamentally speaking, white feminism is exclusionary. It keeps women of color from reaping any benefits of the feminist movement. White feminism is not a new concept; it has been around for a while, but it is rarely critiqued. Throughout the various waves of feminism, many groups of women of color, like Native women and African American women, called out the problems with the white feminist model as it wasn’t attainable for most women. White feminism sustained for so long because it is a palatable concept that does little to challenge our society’s oppression and patriarchal systems.
How Can You Help?
Society cannot claim to be feminist-friendly when only white women are progressing, sometimes at the cost of other marginalized women. While it is true that most of society treats women as second-class citizens, it is almost always the white women who get a platform to voice their concerns. Brown women, Black women, Native women, and all other women of color are ignored and brushed to the side.
Feminism is an intersectional diversity issue, and we need to treat it like one. We cannot achieve equality or justice if we don’t address the root cause of our problems. Feminism, as it stands today, is flawed at its core because it is biased towards a specific group of women.
Some organizations that follow an intersectional approach to feminism include Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, MANA, A National Latina Organization, Ramp Your Voice, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, and The Feminist Press.
Does feminism in your world empower all women, or are you being illusioned to believe it does?
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