Melbourne, Australia has made headlines recently with its effort to show support for gender equality. How did they do this you ask? By putting actual time, effort and money into installing new traffic lights that display a female silhouette. Well, we’ve done it. Put away your pussy hats and fold up your “this is what a feminist looks like” shirts because gender inequality is over for good.
Of course I’m not being serious but, unfortunately, to some, this is what feminism is. Now don’t get me wrong, I support the idea of equal representation for all genders and I do think it’s important to an extent. But if your idea of feminism only goes so far as to advocate for things like traffic lights and free the nipple, then your feminism is limited. Feminism is so much more than that. When so called feminist, especially celebrities, only support that form of it, the whole movement is hurt.
White feminism is a term that describes a part of the feminist movement that solely focuses on the problems and struggle of white, middle or high class, cisgender women. This form of feminism excludes women of color, trans women and any women who may not fit into societal norms that restrict the definition of what a women is. True feminism is inclusive of all races, ethnicities, religions, and gender and sexual identities.
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Eyler Werve
And contrary to popular belief, feminism is not just for women. Feminism challenges stigmas and social norms that are detrimental to all genders. When the committee of Melbourne simply change their traffic lights and claims it is a step towards gender equality, they disregard the millions of other women without a voice. Changing the traffic light fell short of making any actual impact on those who desperately need help like the homeless women in desperate need for feminine hygiene products and the women and men who feel helpless in abusive relationships. These situations only make up a fraction of the many problems that must be addressed.
Now at this point you may be getting defensive and even annoyed but please hear me out. I understand, you have good intentions and you mean well which is great but there’s always room for improvement. If you want to be an advocate for equal representation of genders don’t just focus on men and women, but also those that are non-binary. If you want to support the free the nipple movement, remember to emphasize the way it ties into rape culture and how the aim is to desexualize the way we view the human body. And when you want to wear a shirt in support of the movement, avoid those made by exploited women in sweatshops.
Changing traffic lights is the equivalent of sharing a feminist post on Facebook, it’s a nice message but is it actually doing much? In a society consumed by social media, it’s easy to fall into the routine of simply retweeting and liking posts that convey a message you support but that is the laziest form of activism. I will say it’s a start but if you really want to make a difference you have to look at feminism from a different view. Are you preaching feminism for women around the world or just for yourself? Feminism is more than a knitted hat or a shirt or a Facebook post. It is a movement that can incite change when we give those who have been neglected and ignored, a voice.
If your feminism isn’t intersectional, is it really feminism at all?