AKA: How to be better feminists in 2018

By Virginia Reid

2017 was a tumultuous year politically and emotionally- we saw the dawn of a frightening new presidency for women, people of color, and immigrants, and a resulting uptick in extremist behavior coupled with seemingly endless sexual assault trials which revived the #MeToo campaign. As we approach the new year, I wanted to take a look back at the highs and lows of 2017 for women—and encourage us all to seek ways to be better feminists in the new year.

Following the election of Trump despite his blatant misogyny and plans to disadvantage marginalized communities further, it was not surprising that the left revolted—what was so shocking was that this revolt was centered under the banner of women. A seemingly fractured but pissed off party of females turned the idea of a March on Washington into reality, sparking marches across the globe. The message? We’re not going to be quiet in the face of suppression. The Women’s march was a powerful event, but brought up some important lessons to be learned about current feminism. Modern feminism has become “fashionable”, easily consumable, and often centered around the issues of white, middle class women who engage with feminism more as a brand than a movement. This so called “pop-feminism” was essential to making the feminist message more widespread, but raises the question: Why did it take the election of Donald Trump for white women to get angry? Black women and women of color have been fighting this battle for decades, and only now that the issues of middle class white women are at risk has there been somewhat unified protest. Although many white women embrace feminism because it gives us a platform to speak out and be angry at the patriarchy, we need to take a step back and think critically about whether the brand of “pop feminism” recognizes the work being done by marginalized women. Sometimes, (most of the time) women of privilege need to sit down, listen to the women who have been doing feminist work for years, and truly embrace “intersectionality” not just as another buzzword but as the pillar of our feminism.

The reports of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein and the revelation that dozens of powerful men, from Hollywood to Wall Street, have been using sexual misconduct to control women for decades, sparked an avalanche of victims to speak out against their perpetrators. This catalytic moment is shining the light on sexual predators and motivating workplaces to craft more stringent policies on assault. Sexual assault is an inherently isolating form of violence against women, and the #MeToo campaign provides a kind of internet-driven solidarity among women from all walks of life who have experienced it. This is important and powerful and necessary. But again, I challenge us to think about where we fell short and what we can learn. What assumptions does the #MeToo campaign make? Perhaps, unintentionally, that the experience of sexual assault is an equalizing experience for all women it has affected, regardless of race, class, and circumstance. The intersectional framework seems to be fading into the background, with the gender binary becoming the most important unifier. Removing men who are violent towards women from the workplace is a win for all women- but when we focus on their abuse without uncovering how it exponentially affects marginalized communities, it’s like picking the bad apples off of the tree without realizing that the disease starts at its roots. Roy Moore specifically abused marginalized women – this fact can’t be ignored by painting sexual assault with one broad brush. In 2018, let’s pledge #MeToo, but also understand the complexities of identity that play into sexual assault and other forms of gender violence.

2017 was heavy but revealed the solidarity of women and our increasing acceptance of intersectionality in all we do. It showed us that black women and women of color have been doing the grunt work of feminism, from ensuring Roy Moore lost the election to organizing against Trump, to creating the #MeToo movement. We have much to learn from listening. We have endless work to achieve. I’ll close this brief 2017 review with a mantra I hope you’ll keep in mind in the next year: “One whisper, added to a thousand others, becomes a roar of discontent, remember?” Stay unapologetically feminist in 2018.

[quote by Julie Garwood]