White Feminism: What it is & Why We Should Talk About It

Feminism for all its great moments has had a troubled past. This past has included an overall exclusion of women of color and LGBTQ women. This is completely opposite of feminism today that focuses on intersectional feminism a movement that recognizes that barriers to gender equality vary according to other aspects of a woman’s identity; such as her age, race, ethnicity, class, and religion, sexual identity and sex assigned at birth. 

White feminism, on the other hand, is when feminist efforts and actions uplift white women but exclude or otherwise fail to address issues faced by minority groups, especially women of color and LGBTQ women.

Generally speaking, the first two waves of feminism are considered the epitome of white feminism. The first wave being the suffragette movement fought for the right to vote for women (but infamously excluded women of color) and the second wave in the 1960s that focused on white women’s equality.

White feminism is all over twitter; with critiques about the dangers of excluding people from a conversation about equality. Excluding others from the conversation is just a form of oppression. 

From a movement that values dismantling systems of oppression like the patriarchy, it should not take part in the oppression of others. Recognizing our own parts in the oppression of others is a good first step to stepping away from acts of white feminism.

• history
• intersectional feminism
• white feminism