Bad Feminist-"Bad Feminist: Take One"/Roxane Gay/2014
http://www.roxanegay.com/bad-feminist/ (SY)
Roxane Gay has an exeptional view on what it truly means to be a feminist. She brings light to the many misconceptions of feminism and ways that we can stray away from the inaccurate depictions that many associate with this powerful word. In the chapter, Bad Feminist: Take One, Gay basically summarizes her main points behind her essays in Bad Feminist. One of her main points was no matter if women are standing up for gender equality or adhering to society and being the "good" woman they are expected to be, we seem to face judgment either way. "The thing is, I am not all sure that feminism has ever suggested women can have it all. This notion of being able it have it all is always misattributed to feminism when really, it's human nature to want it all--to have cake and eat it too without necessarily focusing on how we can get there and how can make 'having it all' possible for a wider range of people and not just the lucky ones" (Gay 309). I think the main point that Gay is trying to get at is that it seems there is no way for women to win.
I agree that feminism has definitely been misinterpreted throughout history; I once had a completely inaccurate view of what it truly means to be a feminist. The sole meaning behind feminism continues to be overshadowed by those who go on believing that there is a particular way to be a woman and a feminist. One thing that Gay takes issue with is “essentialist” feminism which basically means that there is a right or wrong way to be a feminist. Essentialism, as Gay calls it, suggests that there is a prescribed set of rules on how to be a "good" feminist and creates a stereotype that feminists hate all men, don't shave, hate sex and only focus on their careers. This narrow perception of feminism prevents people from having multiple points of view which creates a false portrayal of what truly being a feminist means and continues to warp the image of feminists. It is unfortunate that there seems to be expectations that are impossible for women to adhere to no matter what role we choose to play in society. What I personally got out of this chapter was there are no “good” or “bad” feminists. Although Gay percieves herself to be a bad feminist, I don’t agree. There is no right or wrong way to be a feminist just as there is no right or wrong way to be a woman. To be a feminist, in my opinion, you simply just have to believe in the sole meaning behind the movement.
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