| When 'feminism' doesn't fit
Feminists sometimes don’t call themselves that, either out of respect for non-Western women’s rights to define their own needs or out of the belief that it might detract from their activist work. Danielle Sered, an Oxford student and Women’s Officer for her college puts it simply: "I think we have to be willing to let the labels go to be respectful and effective activists." Yet, for many, it’s not a matter of when to use the label "feminist"; the label doesn’t fit. The historical exclusion of working class women and women of color from the white middle-class movement is why feminists like bell hooks refer to women’s movements rather than the singular Movement and why Alice Walker has coined the term "Womanist" to denote "a black feminist or feminist of color." As late as 1976, Anna Nieto Gomez was defending her application of the term feminist to herself as a Chicana: "I resent the usual remark that if you’re a feminist you have somehow become an Anglo or been influenced by Anglos." Aisha Gayle, who helps lead her chapter of the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha in its outreach to the New Haven community prefers the term womanist, arguing, "Black women don’t have the luxury of being feminists…We were never…‘stuck in the kitchen.’" In her own eyes, Aisha’s gender plays a large role: "I would say I’m a woman before I’m black." But she finds the world sees her as black first. Because of this, she feels solidarity between black men and women is important, something white middle-class feminism doesn’t value. The stereotypes Aisha battles are based on the combination of her race and gender. She says, "I’m not Aunt Jemima, and I’m not a Black sex kitten, so where do I fit in?" Calling herself a feminist wouldn’t address these issues, and might also ostracize her from the community she works in. For Aisha, the term "feminist" simply doesn’t apply, is important "not at all" to those she helps, and as she says, "has historically not included people like me." Ari Holtzblatt, working in support of labor unions and against sweatshops, also doesn’t identify as feminist, not because of his race, but because of his political beliefs. He sees feminism as demanding special consideration for women and worries that it "shortchanges women on the one hand (women don’t need special treatment) and shortchanges everyone else on the other (who deserve the same vigilant respect)." Believing that "women are just as capable as men at achieving success in our society," Ari finds classism and racism rather than misogyny to be the main targets of his activism. His work is based on his belief that, "Everyone has the right to human dignity and the right to the means to achieve a dignified life." Feminists, for Ari, distinguish women from Everyone, a move working counter to what he strives to do through his activism. The worry that feminists represent a special-interest group that competes with other groups rather than benefiting society as a whole is a common one. Boston College Professor Mary Daly’s barring of men from her feminist ethics class in the name of freedom of thought was an example that alienated many would-be supporters. Cultural feminists such as Carol Gilligan who has posited that women’s mental and psychological development is different from men’s may have added to the general perception of feminists as an exclusive group. Michelle Mayoraga has felt the divide. She’s a Nicaraguan-American student whose current involvement in politics is fueled by her work with the homeless, adults learning ESL, and victims of domestic violence. Others tagged her with the label early on, a move she didn’t accept: "I refused to let others label me as feminist just because I am ambitious and hard working." But after her Spanish teacher gave her an article on women’s oppression in the Middle East, she reached a different conclusion: "a feminist is anyone, male or female, who has a sense of the shared fate, recognizing gender inequality is a burden for all of society." It’s not surprising to Michelle that people outside of the white middle class mold often have a problem with the term "feminist." In her experience, "Most people of color will tend to identify with their ethnicity or race over their activism or feminism…because they live in a society where they are first identified as such." Michelle links the tags "activist" and "feminist," seeing both as problematic labels for those not allowed to choose how they will be identified. She also sees them as marking those with "a sense of shared fate," people who see in others’ oppression, their own degradation. While Michelle has defined "feminist" as well as "activist" to suit her, she shows why many people haven’t made that move. In a society where different aspects of identity are seen as competing rather than cooperating, those who occupy multiple spaces will be forced to choose between them. Undercover feminists: diplomacy in activism When "feminism" doesn't fit |