White Feminism Is Not Feminism

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angry, black woman”? Would she be dead?

White feminism ignores the role that whiteness is portrayed in creating things such as beauty standards. For example, when Miley Cyrus (who claims to be a feminist, even though she is the “definition” of a white feminist!) wore dreads while she was hosting the VMA’s, not only did she get away with it but she was even praised for it! “Miley Cyrus’ VMA Hair- Host Rocks Amazing Blonde Dreadlocks on Red Carpet” (Benoziolio, 2015). But when pop artist/actress/dancer wears dreadlocks to embrace her culture and make a stand on feminism, she is trashed for it and is accused of doing drugs. In USA TODAY, Giuliana Rancic made a disgusting comment on her dreads stating, “Zendaya probably smells like patchouli oil or weed” (Oldenburg, 2015). These are the standards that white feminists are portraying and it is because of these actions white feminists take are part of the reason why white women are most often the faces of feminism. Women such as Tina Fey have been able to break into industries that have been dominated by cis, white males. Although that is a remarkable thing to do, women of color face barriers that white women will never have to face, women of color have had a much harder time becoming rich and successful; Beyonce or Oprah Winfrey. Even when women of color from foreign countries are acknowledged, most of them are very “whitewashed” and aren’t recognized for the things that the “women behind the scenes” are. For example, why is Sonam Kapoor the face of India, when Bina Agarwal isn’t? Although Sonam Kapoor is a beautiful and very talented actress, Bina Agarwal is a prize-winning development economist and has written many prize winning books on the political economy of gender, poverty, and equality. Yet how much is she being recognized? Another example includes the public face of Brazil, Adriana Lima. Adriana Lima is a gorgeous Victoria Secret model and recognized as the public face of Brazil. The private face of Brazil is a woman whose name one might not have even heard of until now, Maria da Penha. Maria da Penha is a Brazilian bio pharmacist and women right activist. In 2006, the president of Brazil sanctioned the Federal Law, known as Law Maria da Penha, in which the severity of punishments for crimes against women was increased, when occurring domestic or family violence. Why does society bury the feminists who have accomplished so much and replaced them with “whitewashed” models and actresses who haven’t to social injustices whatsoever?

Feminism is not just for the privileged, white, cis women who pick and choose their beliefs but it is for the demand for full equality for all women. White feminism is an insult to feminism. When one critiques a white feminist, one isn’t trying to silence those women but rather try to open up space for even more diverse voices to be heard which will then benefit everyone, not just one group of people. Being a white feminist doesn’t make one a bad person. All it means is that the white feminist needs to be heavily educated. To educate oneself without being silenced is very important.