Somewhere between Beyoncé’s light up “feminist” backdrop at the VMAs, Karl Lagerfeld’s feminist-themed runway show and Emma Watson’s viral “HeForShe” speech, the term “feminism” got a makeover, rendering itself hip, hyper-relevant, and far-reaching. Among Emma Watson, Lena Dunham, Lorde, Queen Bey and the rest of the red carpet, so-called “celebrity-feminism” is clearly in the air. But is the movement gaining attention as a pervasive, relevant phenomenon, or is it merely a name-driven fad, like the “Juicy Couture” logo on our butts in seventh grade?
On Wednesday, March 25, Dr. Kirsty Fairclough-Issacs from the University of Salford spoke to Bucknell students about this very issue. Her work focuses on “celebrity feminism,” particularly related to Beyoncé, and the way post-feminism meshes with pop culture today. Her studies look out how celebrities like Beyoncé weave together traditional feminine roles with anthems of female empowerment. According to Fairclough-Issacs, Beyoncé’s self-proclaimed feminism, though more overt in her latest visual album, only promotes female empowerment through a very limited scope. Other critics have emerged from Hollywood, like Annie Lennox, who claim that Beyoncé is merely adopting vague notions of feminism as a marketing tool, while feminists like Belle Hooks take an even more vehement approach, calling Queen Bey a “terrorist.”
It seems natural that protesters have spoken out against this new wave of feminism. Academic feminist thinkers were, in a one sweep, shown up by Beyoncé’s bold “feminist” assertion, which, although eye-catching, was heavily de-contextualized and stripped of any deeper meaning. Critics argue that this new “trendy-feminism” exists inside an echo chamber, replacing substantive action with flashy lights and great outfits. Are celebrities’ suddenly radical crusaders? Or, are they just crusading for Instagram likes? And what does it mean for the rest of us – the nameless, young girls making their “celebrity-feminism” go viral?
It is prudent to view these mass-market assertions of feminism with skepticism. However, celebrity backing of the movement is not just empty-advocacy, masking marketing strategies. Though many celebrities may claim the word with a somewhat-vague understanding, their support for the long-stigmatized movement brings feminism to the forefront of our attention, in a definitively positive light. Their backing allows for an expanding network of thinkers to share in the evolution and authorship of feminist ideas. Since Hollywood has sprung up in support of feminist beliefs, others have joined the media, offering greater legitimacy, nuance and multiplicity to the dialogue.
Maybe Karl Lagerfeld’s feminist inspired fashion show is not a manifesto for the movement. It seems unlikely that Beyoncé’s “flawlessness” will ever nuance womanhood like Wollstonecraft or Cixous once did. No, feminism is not a pop culture icon, and it is not a fashion trend. But it sure is trending. Though hyper-stylized, this celebrity-endorsed idea of feminism, running rampant in 2015, is reaching a greater scale of people and making the difficult act of self-identifying as a feminist a little more palatable to a wider and younger market. When looking at feminism’s growth as a relevant, chic, and “celebrity-approved” movement, we must remember the deeper roots of this newly fashionable interpretation. A little endorsement from Hollywood’s elite does not hurt in spreading the word.