Monday, August 26, 2013

Feminism needs "bitchy little fights"

I found this recent Neko Case interview via Jezebel. I'm happy when any entertainer demonstrates even a modicum of feminist knowledge, but the quote in question makes me cringe:
"Tell them that our momentum is huge. Keep it going. Don't stop here and fight about why you're calling yourself a feminist or not. Don't get into these bitchy little fights about who does what, where. Because the women who marched and fought so we could vote, they didn't do it so we could sit around bickering about what we called ourselves. Move. Forward. Move forward. Decide you're equal. Don't take anything less. And don't stop."
Just once I'd like to see a famous someone acknowledge that many women don't call themselves for very valid reasons. Gendered slur aside, "bitchy" little fights foster discussion.

I'm going to guess she's referring to the feminist hierarchy -- that's there's some sort of perfect feminism and everything else isn't. And I agree with this: no one should prop their feminism up as better than or "correct." But she fails to mention that feminism has failed a lot of women, and they're the ones often told to "stop bickering."

1 comment:

  1. My heart sank a little when I read that interview. Agree with you completely.

    Such a good album though.

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