Hiding behind feminism allows the problematic girlboss to rebrand and remain unanswerable to the harm she has caused. Inclusivity is worn as a skin to deflect bad behavior. TW: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Abuse By Gloria Oladipo Nadya Okamoto has been described as “inspirational” and a “leader of the menstrual movement” after founding the non-profit “PERIOD”...
Category: 100 Years Of White Feminism
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Pink Pussy Hats, Pantsuits, and Beyond: The Symbols of White Feminism
Among the different symbols of white feminism, we see common themes of selfishness, co-option, and faux allyship emerge. CW: Sexual Assault By Gloria Oladipo Throughout history, white women have used a variety of symbols to define their “feminism” and commitment to dismantling the patriarchy and other violent systems. Here are seven of those symbols that...
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The 19th Amendment Did Not Give All Women The Right To Vote
In an effort to correct the narrative that the 19th Amendment gave all women the right to vote, here’s a glimpse into when the (written) law actually allowed other women to vote. By Vanessa Taylor Often hailed as giving American women the right to vote, the 19th Amendment celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. However,...
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White Women Are Complicit in Rape Culture Too
White women are either ignorant or indifferent to how white supremacy uses sexual violence to maintain the oppression of racialized bodies. This essay contains discussions of r/pe and sexual violence It’s not that I don’t like white women, it’s that I can no longer fully trust them. It’s a hard lesson I’ve had to learn...
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White Feminists Built a Narrative of Innocence To Mask Their Racism
The violence of white feminists relies on the carefully constructed myth of white womanhood’s innocence, purity, and righteousness. An important yet overlooked scene of the 2004 movie, Iron Jawed Angels, was the disservice of Ida B. Wells (Adilah Barnes) at the hands of suffragette, Alice Paul (Hilary Swank), who asks Wells to march at the...
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White Suffragettes Chose White Supremacy Over Collective Liberation
White Suffragettes were ready and willing—as their successors are—to abandon BIPOC to advance their own interests. White women love saying some variation of, “We are the granddaughters of the witches you could not burn”—even though no “witches” were actually burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials. It would be more accurate for them...