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Many feminists are quick to define their squad by a certain set of ideological traits. Any woman who does not conform is simply not a true feminist. Yet interestingly, although “feminism” generally does not have room for conservatives, “womanhood” has room for transgender women, and “marriage” has room for gay, lesbian and polygamous unions. It’s a classic case of the limits of liberalism – every kind of diversity but ideology is welcomed. Here, we’ve compiled a list of ten quotes from feminists in news, politics and entertainment media. Some will make you cringe, but others will give you hope.
2. Jill Filipovic
When The Washington Post published 32-year old Kate Bryan’s personal essay about how her virginity as a single woman has allowed her to live a “fuller, better life,” Cosmo Senior Political Writer Jill Filipovic tweeted: “Sorry, if you think ‘sexual integrity’ only comes from chastity, you’re not actually a feminist.” Intolerant, much?
3. Joanna Rothkopf
Jezebel Features Editor Joanna Rothkopf ridiculed former HP CEO and early Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina by saying that her feminism “if measured in the relationship between social equity and her polices of choice—is about as substantial as a cardboard cutout of a suffragette, and whose political party is historically hostile to marginalized groups.”
4. Beyoncé
Grammy award-winning singer Beyoncé expressed her frustration with labels to Elle magazine, declaring that: “Everyone who believes in equal rights for men and women doesn't speak the same, or dress the same, or think the same. If a man can do it, a woman should be able to. It's that simple. If your son can do it, your daughter should be able to.” At least she seemed to touch on diversity of ideology with “think the same”!
5. Hillary Clinton
Can a woman be pro-life and feminist? When Hillary Clinton was asked this on The View, she responded: "The reason why being pro-choice is the right way to go is because it is a choice and hopefully a choice that is rooted in the thoughtfulness and the care that women bring to this decision," she continued. "So of course you can be a feminist and be pro-life." It sounds like Clinton is saying is that a woman can be personally pro-life and a feminist, but if she “foists” that view on other women, she can’t be a feminist. In an opinion piece written the day after Clinton’s statement, Cosmo’s Jill Filipovic confirmed my theory.
6. Rowan Blanchard
There’s lots of hype surrounding “intersectional feminism.” In an interview with New York Magazine, 14-year-old actress and 2015 “Feminist Celebrity of the Year” Rowan Blanchard explained its meaning: “Undoing patriarchal structures against marginalized people – structures that fight against people of color, that fight against women, that fight against disabled people, that fight against LGBTQ.” Yet although Blanchard’s brand of feminism appears to be inclusive, notice that varied ideologies don’t seem to be welcomed like varied race, sexual identity and gender are.
7. Priyanka Chopra
“That’s what feminism is. Don’t judge me for being me, just like you don’t judge the boys. That’s all we want — equality in treatment,” actress Priyanka Chopra told Refinery 29. If she means that, great. Unfortunately, feminists rarely live up to this mantra, claiming that women who don’t fit the liberal cookie-cutter are simply not real feminists.
8. Rose McGowan
After Glamour’s “Woman of the Year” ceremony, actress Rose McGowan slammed the winner of the award. "Caitlyn Jenner you do not understand what being a woman is about at all. You want to be a woman and stand with us- well learn us. We are more than deciding what to wear. We are more than the stereotypes foisted upon us by people like you. You're a woman now? Well fucking learn that we have had a VERY different experience than your life of male privilege." Jenner had stated that the “hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear.” Transgender and feminist don’t always mix.
9. Gloria Steinem & Amandla Stenberg
In a conversation recorded for women’s leadership platform Makers, actress Amandla Stenberg (who tied for 2015 “Feminist Celebrity of the Year”) declared: “I feel like right now, things are shifting so that feminism is getting broader and deeper, and I think people are more comfortable in identifying as non-binary.” To which famous feminist Gloria Steinem responded: “You’re right. I mean, you know, we made up gender, we can un-make up gender. We made up race, we can un-make up race. And it’s the natural course of a movement really.” Whaaat?
10. Natalie Dormer
When Elle asked actress Natalie Dormer about feminism, she gave a refreshing answer: “There's 130 million people in crisis in this world at the moment, in humanitarian crisis, and most of them are women, more than half of them are women. So can we all stop slinging mud at each other about definition? Feminist, whatever the definition, whatever you call yourself—I am, I'm not—none of us want little girls being forced into early marriage before they're 12 … So I just think that if we stopped playing on the superficial level and concentrated on women in real crises throughout the world, it would be a better thing…” Truth.
11. Madhuri Sathish
We’ll end on a good note. Not all feminists exclude conservatives, even if they feel inclined to. According to liberal Bustle writer Madhuri Sathish: “Women do not have to be liberal to care about feminist issues, and to ignore [Ivanka] Trump's policy proposals in light of her political leanings would not be constructive. It is not acceptable for me or for anyone else to take away her agency, or try to fit her into boxes of my own creation.” Yes!