Bad Feminist.
I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all.
FEMINIST A PERSON WHO BELIEVES
IN THE SOCIAL
POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL EQUALITY OF THE SEXES
Content 1. You may be a Bad Feminist 2. Bad Feminist 3. Misconceptions 4. Is the Kardashian-Jenner’s family feminist? 5. Things feminists can learn with the Kardashians
Feminism is a choice, and if a woman does not want to be a feminist, that is her right, but it is still my responsibility to fight for her rights. We don’t all have to believe in the same feminism. Feminism can be pluralistic so long as we respect the different feminism we carry with us, so long as we give enough of damn to try to minimize the fractures among us. Roxane Gay - Bad Feminist -
You may be
Bad Feminist if... You quite like to talk about the Kardashians You’ve been on a diet You read Cosmopolitan or Vogue You dance your ass off to music you know is degrading to women You “fake it” every so often because it’s easier and less time consuming You play dumb with repair-men because you cannot be bothered You believe some chores are gendered (like bug killing and trash removal) You shave your legs You worry about dying alone because pursuing a career and degrees got in the way of marriage and children You like the colour pink
A survey was held online and 45 young women answered the same questions presented on the previous page.
YES NO
Do you see yourself as a feminist?
Do you dance your ass off to music you know is degrading to women?
Do you like the colour pink?
You worry about dying alone because pursuing a career and degrees got in the way of marriage and children
You play dumb with the repair man just because you cannot be bothered?
“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.”
In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better. ’t look You don minist! like a fe
Go fuck yourself!
Misconceptions about Feminism by Brittany Hayles
“Feminist” is a code word for “man-hater.” This is probably one of the greatest misconceptions regarding feminism. Feminism, in its most basic form, is about equality not superiority. In fact, the idea behind feminism is about men and women working together to achieve this equality. As Emma Watson explained in her speech to the United Nations, the advancement of women in society isn’t a one-sided equation; the male ideologies surrounding women are equally as important in this process. You are not a feminist if you wear “revealing” clothes Feminism is primarily about making your own choices. Being able to choose what you wear and how you wear it is one of those choices. Wearing a low plunging neckline instead of a turtleneck does not disqualify you from being a feminist; it’s more about the idea behind your clothing decision. Feminists believe that low plunging necklines you sport on a Saturday night shouldn’t be a reflection of what society wants you to wear, but of what makes you feel beautiful and confident. So throw on those six-inch heels and that mini dress you’ve wanted to wear for the longest time. Just make sure you’re wearing it for you and no one else. Men and women are equal; we don’t need feminism.
Women have clearly come a long way from not being able to vote to now being Secretaries of State and CEOS of Fortune 500 companies. Although this advancement is great, there is still much more to be done in order to establish equality between men and women. The media’s portrayal of women is one that presents us in a sexual and negative light. There is also a clear pay gap between men and women.
Feminists cannot be housewives. This is a common misconception, even among feminists themselves. As a woman of the 21st century, you have as much of a right to be a stay-at-home mother as you do to be a CEO. In the past, being a housewife was automatically assumed to be a women’s role. Today we have the right to choose whether or not we want to go college and become the next president or stay at home and take care of our families. Feminism does not lie in what you choose to do, but why you choose to do it. Therefore, if no one is standing over you and demanding that you have dinner ready by the time they come home, and forcing you to wake up at 6 a.m. to make their coffee, then make that coffee and cook that dinner, girl! Feminists don’t like the idea of marriage Feminists question certain aspects of the traditional wedding, such as the vow to “obey” your husband and take his last name. In terms of marriage itself, to say that all feminists hate marriage would be an extreme exaggeration. Feminists believe that women shouldn’t aspire to marriage, but should instead enjoy the institution of marriage with someone they love. They also believe that the ideology about the equality of men and women should be expressed in marriage. Besides, there are many benefits that come with marriage. Bonus: Feminism is intimidating. Do you believe in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes? That’s feminism. Yes, it’s really just that simple.
Is the Kardashian-Jenner’s family feminist? The Kardashian-Jenner’s family became famous in 2007 after a sex-tape of the middle sister, Kim Kardashian, with a former boyfriend was “leaked” and its mother, Kris Jenner, carefully managed her daughter’s career. After negotiating a reality show produced by E! Channel, Jenner transformed her five daughters into some of the most recognisable faces in the world. It would be easy to make jokes about the Kardashian-Jenner’s discussing about the objectification of women in the media yet we’ve got to admit that they are experts on the topic.
“
I do objectify myself and think there’s power in that. I think I have the control to put out what I want and I’m proud of that. So even if I’m objectifying myself, I feel good about it. I do what makes me happy and what I need to get done, even though people have discounted my credibility because of my celebrity persona.” - Kim Kardashian
Although the family being extremely controversial, there is something fascinating, captivating even, about them that draws attention of avid feminists activist. The males of the family barely never goes on the media spotlight, and even Caitlyn Jenner started to be more noticeable after her sex-change, showing how important is the female presence in this family.
Things feminists can learn from
the Kardashians
by Erin McKelle
There is Power in Sisterhood: If the Kardashian-Jenner sisters represent anything, it’s sisterhood. They have a strong bond as sisters and support one another in their lives, work, and personal endeavours. They believe they are stronger together as sisters than they are on their own and practice that with their joint ventures and level involvement in each other’s lives. Feminists often, in my opinion, spend too much time and energy focused on who’s popular, what celebrity has become the spokesperson for feminism this week and also how to assure men that we don’t in fact hate them. Feminism is supposed to be about uplifting women as a group, which is basically sisterhood by definition. Can we get back to this?
There is No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: No one has stopped talking about the Kardashian-Jenners since they’re debut on the showbiz scene. They dominate the tabloids, news media, gossip blogs, and television. Not to mention all of their products and endorsement deals. My point is that the Kardashian-Jenners are everywhere and make no apologizes for it- in fact it’s a part of their brand messaging. It’s all Kardashian-Jenners, all the time. Feminists have been doing a better job lately of bringing feminism into all aspects of society, but we need to do more of it! We can only smash the patriarchy if everyone is aware it exists.
Kim is the Queen of Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Many people still like to focus on the fact that Kim’s leaked sex tape is a big part of the reason that she’s famous. Even if that is the case (which likely it isn’t, considering how many celebrities have been in sex tapes but were just a blip on our radar), Kim managed to turn this icky situation into a multi-million dollar empire and a pop-culture icon. You have to admit, that’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? A lot of people criticize feminists for complaining without actually doing anything about the problems they discuss. I don’t think this stereotype is true, but I do think sometimes that we can get driven down too much from the backlash. We have to rise up, take some names, and use our enemies as the fuel to our fire!
Everyone Makes Mistakes and it’s Okay to Own Up to: Remember when Kim was married to Kris Humphries for 72 days before filing for divorce? Remember the even bigger media circus that followed? What you may not remember is that shortly thereafter, Kim took a hiatus. She stayed at her mother’s home, didn’t wear makeup and took a good, hard look in the mirror. She wasn’t afraid to apologize and yes, reevaluated her priorities. I see a lot of people when they get called out acting in fear. I understand and on both sides, I think we, as feminists need to own our mistakes, but also not be so quick to judge and call out. I know we do it often out of fear, hoping the finger won’t get pointed our way next. But acting this way will never get us anywhere. Let’s learn how to mourn, make retribution, and move on.
Sometimes, We Just Need to Have Fun Self-care is critical to being productive and staying healthy and happy. The Kardashian-Jenners know this better than anyone, as they are constantly playing silly games and entertaining themselves just for shits and giggles. They aren’t afraid to look foolish and always know how to have fun.
“
There is this generation of young people - girls - that are beautiful but don’t have a strong work ethic. People sometimes think that with looks, things will come easy with modeling jobs here and there. But I really just encourage people to put in the work.” - Kim Kardashian
I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I am not terribly well versed in feminist history. I am not as well read in key feminist texts as I would like to be. I have certain interests and personality traits and opinions that may not fall in line with mainstream feminism, but I am still a faminist. I cannot tell you how freeing it has been to accept this about myself. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying - trying to support what I believe in, trying to do something good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself: a woman who loves pink and likes to get freaky and sometimes dances her ass off to music she knows, she knows, is terrible for women and who sometimes plays dumb with repairman because it’s just easier to let them feel macho than it is to stand on the moral ground. I worried that feminism would’t allow me to be the mess of a woman I knew myself to be. It was easy to embrace feminism when I realized it was advocating for gender equality in all realms, while also making the effort to be intersectional, to be consider all the other factors that influence who we are and how we move through the world.
Roxane Gay - Bad Feminist -
Juliana Robilard EDM14435144 BA (HONS) Design Management and Cultures December 2015 Projects and Practices 2 Danah Abdulla