Our Feminist Utopia

This is our feminist utopia. This is what our feminist utopia looks like. These photos, pieces of art, and quotes compose the stories, hopes, and visions of ten individuals.

Inspired by the moment in time in which we live and the beautiful friends, family, professors, public figures, and strangers that give it color, I wanted to have conversations with students about what their ideal feminist worlds look like. Oftentimes, our thoughts are so limited by what we believe is feasibly possible– what can be accomplished within our reach– that we don't allow ourselves to visualize what should be done to attain a world we should have. I wanted to provide a space for us all to imagine– to think deeply and creatively about out conception of feminism and its intersection with an ideal, utopian society. In doing so, I hope to highlight the contrast between our realities in today's gendered society and our dreams of what our world should look like so that we can, together, begin to re-envisage our lives as we know them and our futures ahead.

To Feel: To Be Human

“In my feminist utopia, I would want to be able to feel the range of my feelings and not feel like I have to bite my lip and not feel the embarrassment or the guilt that comes with reacting—reacting in our human way. I want all people to be able to do that—to feel whatever the heck they feel—and still be able to be amazing, excellent, and intelligent people without someone saying, ‘you’re acting like a girl.’” -Mayeesha Galiba

Beauty in Resistance

“In my feminist utopia, people would have a beautiful combination of human traits because we’re all essentially human. Race, class, and sex wouldn’t matter because we would be liberated from the oppression that is currently tied to each of those constructs. We would be our genuine, authentic selves in whatever way is most fulfilling for each of us. 23 It comes down to when all those labels and identities are stripped away, who are we really?” -Sam Almon

Metamorphosis

“In my feminist utopia, everybody would be able to do what one wants without fear of judgment from anybody. It is a place where the expectations of being gay and straight would not exist on a strict binary, but rather in a fluid manner where there would still be space for diverse individuals to come together as a community.” - Graham Ritter

Two Worlds Apart

“In my feminist utopia, expectations wouldn’t be different depending on what your gender is—they would be very neutral. Women wouldn’t be judged for certain things they do that currently seem fine for men to do, whether that’s playing basketball, doing something sexual, trying to get a leadership role, or having ambitions and goals for which women, today, are sometimes deemed incapable of achieving.” - Alia Kawar

Deconstructing Gender

“In my feminist utopia, gender roles would be eliminated entirely, which would therefore remove power dynamics and any sort of gender expectations. In this much more level playing field, everyone, regardless of gender, would feel equally comfortable in every environment. This would require

Symmetrical Empathy

“In my feminist utopia, there would not be an information asymmetry; everyone would understand the circumstances of everyone else perfectly so that they could act in accordance with what somebody else is dealing with. Empathy is the most important part of being on the same page—of having everybody be in a flat social hierarchy.” - Owen Shome

A World Out of This World

“In my feminist utopia, a holistic space that’s not based in patriarchy, we would fight for equity, not just equality; create new systems by tapping into knowledge bases that aren’t conventional and embracing people we’ve historically deemed nonhuman; and be more inclusive by rethinking what feminism is, embracing a womanist approach, and understanding that not all women are feminine.” -Sebastien Pierre-Louis

A Shattered Ceiling

“In my feminist utopia, any career field—specifically business, which is so male-dominated—would not be a scary place for women. Anyone, regardless of gender, would have the opportunity to succeed. A woman would be able to go to class or work without thinking ‘my voice isn’t going to be heard.’ Rather, a woman would think, ‘what I have to say is as valuable as what the men I work with have to say.’” - Claudia Chen

Freed

“In my feminist utopia, women would not be limited in school to perform certain roles in society and would be free to aspire to what they really want to do in life. There would thus be an equal distribution of responsibilities among partners, both financially and emotionally. Women, as contributing members of society, would be able to fully take advantage of their true capabilities, making the world a better place for all.” - Alejandro Lesmes

One with Nature

“In my feminist utopia, we would have no competition—or at least no losers—and a healthy relationship to the earth and our natural systems. To me, nonbinary folks embody that; it’s about respecting your intuition about yourself. If more people did that, we’d be more open to ideas of more winners. It’s a communal and relative process to me—defining 25 myself—and I think that process would also belong in my utopic world.” -Mackenzie Foy

By Laurie-Maude Chenard, Resident Creator