Fairer Sex

Saturday, 01 September 2012 07:09
By Sarah Leonard, Jacobin | Op-Ed

There's been a lot of bullshit written lately about what is or is not feminist. Notable bones 
of contention include: ladyblogs, working in finance, doulas, "having it all," housewifing, rioting, protesting, protesting in lingerie, getting married, watching Girls. Essays in publications ranging from mass-circulation glossies like the Atlantic to small literary magazines like n+1 appeal to a widespread fascination with the confused meaning of the term. The narcissism underlying the debate is parodied by the blog "Is This Feminist?" featuring stock photos of people shaking hands, walking the dog, and doing laundry. The pictures are rated as either "representing feminism" or "problematic."

With no sense of what feminism is, these writers turn to personal experience. With each step and gesture, they wonder what they're contributing to feminism. Is navel-gazing feminist?

Let us borrow a definition from bell hooks: feminism is the struggle to end sexist oppression.