Feminism on its face is about all genders having equal rights and opportunities. The start of the feminist movement was all about voting, liberating female sexual freedom, jobs, and more, but as the world has evolved the plight of feminism has changed, although still fighting some similar fights.
A lot of the time, the idea of the original feminist is a white woman of upper to middle class, however, that is not how narrow the scope of feminism is today. The true form of a modern day feminist, is one who is able to look at the current society and understand the plights of different women are different, and that some are harder than others but still very worthy of being fought. It is hard to sometimes separate from the original feminist who would not necessarily have been supporters of people of colour and the queer community, but the modern day feminist is about equality through equity.
We are far too aware of the plight that women of colour and the queer community have to go through, as well as those in the lower socio-economic, compared to the original idea of a feminist.
Feminism can not be selective about what it is fighting for, and who it is fighting for.
Although, yes, straight cis white middle class females have struggles compared to their male counterparts, that does not mean they do not occupy a position of privilege that’s can be used to build up other communities to create equity through modern day feminism.
As a feminist myself, I reject anyone who tries to claim they are a feminist but refuses to accept the rights of people of colour and the queer community. The idea of feminist in 2022 is now, more than ever, about a united front against the patriarchal and capitalist society we have found ourselves stuck in. Standing together though, also means pushing the issues of those with less voice (due to the harshness of society), to the forefront of these matters.
The modern day feminist does not have a stance of anti-abortion, they do not have a lens that only sees the pay gap to white women (as opposed to the even larger pay gap of black women), they do not make someone fit into a gender box, and they don’t say “but, like, just don’t hit on me” to their lesbian and bisexual friends. The feminist movement can not be selective on what is regarded as a feminist notion, because the idea is the equality of all genders – it does not say “the equality of all white genders” or “the equality of all cis and binary genders”.
Some people separate themselves from feminism due to the actions of the few who realistically are anti women who are ‘not their own’. I don’t blame them for that. I know some very feminist minded people who refuse to accept the label, and as much as I struggled with that, I can completely understand why this is. I chose myself, to own the label back, and keep it as a progression towards a society where all women, all gender diverse, all men, are equal, because feminism being selective makes my heart break.
