Short Story Club
In My View
- Living A Value Based Life
- Self-Care In A Crisis
- Baby Girl Expectations
- My Feminist Journey
- The Experiential Diary
My Feminist Journey
quitting feminism aged fifteen
You wouldn’t know it now because of my obsession with Maya Angelou, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Audre Lorde and Michelle Obama. I have a love for badass, females within history and in the present, a love which does not stumble or falter.
I have developed over the years and have been enlightened by the works of bell hooks and appreciated the activism of Malala Yousef. I am very appreciative of women; the women who work hard; the women who campaign and fights for the rights of others; the women that make space for other women; the women that see to it that other women are represented, and overall the women who make this world a better place.
In fact, I even wrote a whole dissertation inspired by the Women’s March movement, covering the 2018 march that occurred in London to be more specific – shout out to my protestors out there. I have written about feminist movements, read about them, analysed them, broken them apart and pieced them back together.
I hope this upcoming January to be in the streets of London marching alongside my sisters in order to fight to be heard and fight the good fight of equality. I am a feminist. I am a proud feminist.
So, you wouldn't know that I was ashamed to call myself a feminist, in fact, 7 long years ago if someone mentioned feminist, I would have laughed in dismissal and changed the subject, or skirted around the word, explaining that I was practically a feminist but stating that I did not believe in labels such as.
I have developed over the years and have been enlightened by the works of bell hooks and appreciated the activism of Malala Yousef. I am very appreciative of women; the women who work hard; the women who campaign and fights for the rights of others; the women that make space for other women; the women that see to it that other women are represented, and overall the women who make this world a better place.
In fact, I even wrote a whole dissertation inspired by the Women’s March movement, covering the 2018 march that occurred in London to be more specific – shout out to my protestors out there. I have written about feminist movements, read about them, analysed them, broken them apart and pieced them back together.
I hope this upcoming January to be in the streets of London marching alongside my sisters in order to fight to be heard and fight the good fight of equality. I am a feminist. I am a proud feminist.
So, you wouldn't know that I was ashamed to call myself a feminist, in fact, 7 long years ago if someone mentioned feminist, I would have laughed in dismissal and changed the subject, or skirted around the word, explaining that I was practically a feminist but stating that I did not believe in labels such as.
At age 15, the word feminist began to stink like a dirty sock in summer. Every time I saw feminism mentioned it would be as an attack on women. Feminists were women who hated men, they were lonely and to be one you had to free bleed, burn your bra and not shave your armpits. I didn’t really understand.
I initially thought feminism had been about equality, making sure we as women got what we deserved in relation to out male counterparts, making sure that we got justice for the violent crimes committed against us and our bodies and also making sure we were not subdued to a small number of roles in society.
This baseline of what I had understood feminism to be had been eradicated by the time I was 15 through engaging with social media. It was online where I quickly learned that not everyone was on the same page about feminism and to what seemed like the whole world, feminism was a bad thing. Therefore, I stopped calling myself a feminist.
Whenever I would harbour feminist sentiments, I would say “I’m not a feminist because I don’t believe in labels, I’m just for women’s rights”, because I was afraid of being associated with the unhinged, unhygienic men hating women that had been painted on my Twitter timeline.
I really began to disengage with feminist movements and even reduced the amount I spoke out because I really didn’t want the boys to think I was one of those crazies who hate men and burn bras.
I initially thought feminism had been about equality, making sure we as women got what we deserved in relation to out male counterparts, making sure that we got justice for the violent crimes committed against us and our bodies and also making sure we were not subdued to a small number of roles in society.
This baseline of what I had understood feminism to be had been eradicated by the time I was 15 through engaging with social media. It was online where I quickly learned that not everyone was on the same page about feminism and to what seemed like the whole world, feminism was a bad thing. Therefore, I stopped calling myself a feminist.
Whenever I would harbour feminist sentiments, I would say “I’m not a feminist because I don’t believe in labels, I’m just for women’s rights”, because I was afraid of being associated with the unhinged, unhygienic men hating women that had been painted on my Twitter timeline.
I really began to disengage with feminist movements and even reduced the amount I spoke out because I really didn’t want the boys to think I was one of those crazies who hate men and burn bras.
Very little that occurred in my life at the time could change my mind on calling myself a feminist. Once, it was clear to me what feminists were perceived to be, I could not possibly be one, so the word was barred from my vocabulary, unless it was to say ‘no, I’m not a feminist.’
However, this would begin to change when I had to do some research on stereotypes to aid a media project of mine. I was particularly looking on the stereotypes of the youth as I was producing a music video to the song Youth by Daughter.
Whilst doing this research, I encountered stereotypes about the race and gender as well, as the group of youths I was showcasing was multicultural and multi-gendered. From those, stereotypes I began to gather opinions pinned against feminists and I began to do some research that would allow me to get a clearer picture of feminism and how it works.
I realised like any group of people with something in common there was a spectrum and one could fall under the extreme end, whilst another cosied up in the middle. I had to decide what feminism meant to me, like I don’t hate men, but I hate when they don’t recognise their privilege as males or partake in sexism, misogyny and especially misogynoir. I was touching up then, on something that I know now.
However, this would begin to change when I had to do some research on stereotypes to aid a media project of mine. I was particularly looking on the stereotypes of the youth as I was producing a music video to the song Youth by Daughter.
Whilst doing this research, I encountered stereotypes about the race and gender as well, as the group of youths I was showcasing was multicultural and multi-gendered. From those, stereotypes I began to gather opinions pinned against feminists and I began to do some research that would allow me to get a clearer picture of feminism and how it works.
I realised like any group of people with something in common there was a spectrum and one could fall under the extreme end, whilst another cosied up in the middle. I had to decide what feminism meant to me, like I don’t hate men, but I hate when they don’t recognise their privilege as males or partake in sexism, misogyny and especially misogynoir. I was touching up then, on something that I know now.
The problem is patriarchy and as a feminist I am about dismantling the structures that allow for the abuse, violence and unequal treatment against women. I finally had an idea of what feminism could mean and the lack of confusion surrounding the topic and knowing that I wasn’t being pigeonholed made me feel more comfortable with the words, feminism and feminist. But still, the battle was not yet over, I still struggled to call myself a feminist.
Now this is where some people will fail to relate to me, but it’s okay, I understand that not every feminist experience is the same – the intersections of our identities prevent that from being the case. It is only in the past few years I have discovered this term and learned the importance of it, especially within feminism. It was something I always felt but could not quite articulate.
At the time, I knew a few females recognised in the media like Emma Watson regarded as feminists, but like many other white feminists I knew she had experienced life differently. She like myself was young and British – I have dual nationality so maybe it’s more like one and a half. But despite these shared attributes, she wasn’t a feminist I could relate to because at the end of the day, her interests did not seem to align with mine (I am not bashing her, just to be clear) and it was clear that there were things I faced as black woman in this society that she most likely had not encountered, therefore, her politics would not take into account for the experiences of girls like me.
Now this is where some people will fail to relate to me, but it’s okay, I understand that not every feminist experience is the same – the intersections of our identities prevent that from being the case. It is only in the past few years I have discovered this term and learned the importance of it, especially within feminism. It was something I always felt but could not quite articulate.
At the time, I knew a few females recognised in the media like Emma Watson regarded as feminists, but like many other white feminists I knew she had experienced life differently. She like myself was young and British – I have dual nationality so maybe it’s more like one and a half. But despite these shared attributes, she wasn’t a feminist I could relate to because at the end of the day, her interests did not seem to align with mine (I am not bashing her, just to be clear) and it was clear that there were things I faced as black woman in this society that she most likely had not encountered, therefore, her politics would not take into account for the experiences of girls like me.
At 16, almost content with feminism, but I couldn’t seem to find any black feminists in my world, so I wasn’t sure if I fit into the category of feminist. Because of this, I asked myself the following questions: Where are the people that look like me? Who gives a fuck about the colourism I have encountered in the beauty industry and general society? Who is going to stand up for a girl like me if I am assaulted? Who is going to call out the discrimination I will eventually face for not only being a woman, but also a person of colour? Who is going to understand the generational cultural trauma young girls like me are gifted with at birth? Who will allow me to be more visible, within a society where I and my experiences are often erased?
It was a long and extensive list of questions and it was the fate of one renowned author that would lead to the answer to some of those questions and the blooming of my curiosity to dig deeper and find my place in feminism that felt so white and middle class – just to be crystal/clear, acknowledging how race affects feminism is not an attack on white women i.e. don’t try me.
It was a long and extensive list of questions and it was the fate of one renowned author that would lead to the answer to some of those questions and the blooming of my curiosity to dig deeper and find my place in feminism that felt so white and middle class – just to be crystal/clear, acknowledging how race affects feminism is not an attack on white women i.e. don’t try me.
The Prodigal Return And Reframe
In the summer of 2013, I was a 16-year-old girl, into her poetry. One lazy summer day, I came across a poem called And Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou. It was so emphatic and wonderful, I just had to find out more about the woman.
After a few clicks on google, I found myself having order the first book in her collection of autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, also known as, the book that changed my life. This book was my first step in becoming a feminist and the first of many investments into black literature and art that portrayed the black female experience.
After reading this one book, I began to read more of Ms Angelou’s work and others. Then I began to discover activist movements of black women within society and eventually I found spaces where I could insert myself. I could easily call myself a feminist by the time I got to age 17, but of course now I have a great sense of pride in being a black feminist, because we need more at the end of the day.
I have discovered self-expression as a black woman and the confidence to talk to others about the experience of being me in this particular society and understand how feminism can be method of healing for black women.
After all the research and soul searching, I was led to where I needed to be by a book by the late great Maya Angelou. In addition, I now know more about feminism in the academic and experiential sense thanks to the bell hooks, Reni Eddo-Lodge, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hazel Carby, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Audre Lorde and more.
Feminism is something that now excites and something I am proud to represent in my own fashion. I know that we all differ, but I hope that those of you reading this, female, male, non-binary, transgender – I hope you can all take something away from my experience and we can stand as feminists together, fighting for fairer treatment for each and every one of us. It's easier to understand what it means to be oppressed, than for us to think of all the ways in which we can be the oppressor. Let's recognise the tools we have and use them for the greater good.
To close, I am going to leave you with an extract from an essay I wrote aged 22, I won’t bore you with the context, but if you are curious, send me a message. I hope you enjoyed what I had to say and enjoy the excerpt.
After all the research and soul searching, I was led to where I needed to be by a book by the late great Maya Angelou. In addition, I now know more about feminism in the academic and experiential sense thanks to the bell hooks, Reni Eddo-Lodge, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hazel Carby, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Audre Lorde and more.
Feminism is something that now excites and something I am proud to represent in my own fashion. I know that we all differ, but I hope that those of you reading this, female, male, non-binary, transgender – I hope you can all take something away from my experience and we can stand as feminists together, fighting for fairer treatment for each and every one of us. It's easier to understand what it means to be oppressed, than for us to think of all the ways in which we can be the oppressor. Let's recognise the tools we have and use them for the greater good.
To close, I am going to leave you with an extract from an essay I wrote aged 22, I won’t bore you with the context, but if you are curious, send me a message. I hope you enjoyed what I had to say and enjoy the excerpt.
(just after the intro)
Feminism and Intersectionality
Audre Lorde (1984) suggests feminism thus far has not been intersectional. She suggests that the workings of Second Wave feminism did not consider the experiences and struggles of women that were not heterosexual, middle class and white. Intersectionality refers to the analytical framework where socially constructed categories such as race, gender or class overlap in relation to systems of power, discrimination and oppression (Crenshaw 1989). As a term it has developed outside these social categories to include other factors, but primarily it was used as a way of examining the oppression of women of colour within society. Following on from Second Wave feminism is Postfeminism which Gill regards as a sensibility that ‘re-centres both heterosexuality and whiteness’ (2007, p.163). Postfeminism can also be described as Western feminism, the exclusive form of feminism that assumes ‘a commonality in the forms of women’s oppression and activism worldwide’ (McEwan 2001, p.96). It is a feminism that contains a bias that assumes that the tools necessary for combatting oppression are similarly applicable to all and such tools are suggested by White Western Women (Carby 1982). These descriptions of the feminist movements thus far suggest that the functions of modern feminism have been beneficial to predominantly straight wealthy white women, and the movements developed from typically erase women of colour, homosexuals and those of poorer backgrounds. When discussing the frameworks of feminist movements Crenshaw argues that ‘Black women are theoretically erased’ (1989, p.139) and the workings of the #MeToo movement and its discussion in mainstream media suggest the same. The idea that Surviving R. Kelly was instrumental into bringing black women into the conversation of sexual assault and abuse suggests that the elimination of these women is a result of the systems of domination such as White Western cultural imperialism that has been reinforced and perpetuated in the discussion of feminism (hooks 1989).
…
(part of conclusion)
It is clear that intersectionality within feminist movements is still afflicted by structures of racial that undermine these movements (hooks 1989). In order for there to be progress and true intersectionality, there is a requirement for dismantling the original framework which feminism operates and the creation of new conditions that will allow genuine progress (Lorde 1984). White women within feminist movements are required to reject the racial hierarchy, that allows them to become oppressors of women of colour as “the master’s house will never dismantle the master’s house” (Lorde 1984, p.123).
(RC Gwaze, 2019)