A Brief and Incomplete Introductory Guide to Feminist Terms

Compiled by Libby Robbins Bevis

Ableism Discrimination in favour of able-bodied people. It is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. Ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability.

Binary The use of binary in discussions around gender and sexuality relates to the belief that there are only two genders. Often used to discuss gender stereotypes or characteristics typically seen as either male or female. Gender exists on a spectrum and we should move away from this limiting ‘binary’ idea. People who are ‘non-binary’ don’t identify as female/male or a woman/man. Many nonbinary people (but not all) prefer they/them pronouns to identify themselves.

Cis/Cisgender Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex. To be cisgender (commonly shortened to ‘cis’) means that you have body parts that are categorised as female or male and you identify with that gender from birth. It’s a term often used to highlight the privilege of those who are cisgender compared to trans or gender diverse individuals.

Cultural Appropriation When a person or group of people take an element from a culture or race other than their own and use it outside of its original context, or, in a way that ignores its cultural significance. Elements appropriated often include (but aren’t limited to) traditional dress, dance, music, art, forms of celebration, and religion.

Feminism The theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes, and it’s manifested in organized activity on behalf of all women’s rights.

1st Wave (1830’s – early 1900’s) Suffrage movement, 1st Wave Feminism focused on legal issues, primarily on gaining the right to vote.

2nd Wave (1960’s-1980’s) The second wave of feminism focused on the workplace, sexuality, family and reproductive rights. During this time women were fighting not only for gender equality, but also civil rights and freedom of sexuality.

3rd Wave (1990’s – present) The main issues of feminism today are similar to those of the 2nd wave, however feminism has gained popularity and is now more widely accepted in the mainstream. Though we are yet to achieve full gender equality, in terms of reproductive rights, equal pay, ending violence against women, and more.

4th Wave (present) Many believe we are living in a new wave of feminism which has been enabled by the growing online feminist community. The new wave is sex-positive, bodypositive, anti-misandrist (men hating), intersectional queer and trans inclusive and primarily digitally driven.

Gaslight/Gaslighting A form of psychological abuse where the perpetrator makes the victim believe that they are imagining things, when in fact the perpetrator is manipulating the situation to gain control. This occurs frequently among marginalised groups who are told that they are just “imagining” the oppression that they face.

Heteroormative Denoting or relating to a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation.

Intersectionality A theory founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw in her 1989 paper “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Anti-Discrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics”. The theory relates to the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

Privilege A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. In feminist discussion, we often talk about male privilege, meaning that men and boys do not face the same struggles as women such as sexism and gender-based discrimination. It’s also used to refer to white privilege, cis privilege, able bodied privilege, heterosexual privilege, class privilege, and more.

Rape Culture A society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalising or trivialising sexual assault and abuse. Rape culture is very real in our society, as rape and assault are not only prevalent, but normalised and excused both in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated by the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorisation of sexual violence in film and TV.

SWERF Sex Worker Exclusionary Radical Feminist. SWERFs believe that anyone working in the sex industry should be excluded by feminism, suggesting that they are contributing to the objectification of women. This belief denounces women’s right to have control over their bodies, actions and sexuality.

TERF Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist. TERFs self-identify as feminist but wish to exclude trans women from the feminist movement. They hold the belief that trans women are not ‘real women’ and have benefitted from male privilege.

Toxic Masculinity A social science term that describes narrow repressive type of ideas about the male gender role, that defines masculinity as exaggerated masculine traits like being violent, unemotional, sexually aggressive, and so forth.

White Feminism While Feminism prides itself on advocating for the rights of ALL women, ‘White Feminism’ focuses only on the ideals and struggles of only white women. While it is not always deliberately exclusive, its constant focus on the problems faced by the “average woman” is often alienating women of colour, lesbian, queer, intersex, and trans women, as well as women belonging to religious or cultural minorities.