The ideals of mainstream or “white” feminism are almost as old as the movement itself. As defined by Huffington Post Senior Women’s Editor, Emma Gray, in a crash-course video on white feminism, white feminism is “feminism that ignores intersectionality”. What this means is that white feminism separates issues of gender from all other matters of identity, resulting in a movement exclusive to the white, cis-gendered, heterosexual, and able bodied, and exclusionary to people of colour (POC), people with mental illnesses, the disabled, the LGBTQ+ community and many, many, more. 
What does Mainstream Feminism Look Like? How does White Feminism Take Place in our Society?
Well, the answer to those questions are everywhere, especially the places we wouldn’t expect. For instance, a primary goal of mainstream feminism is to solve the problem of the wage gap, where women earn $0.78 to the man’s dollar. Now you may be wondering, what’s so bad about that? Ostensibly, it seems like a perfectly reasonable and widespread issue to want to solve. However, if examined from an intersectional point of view like Laci Green and Franchesca Ramsey do in the video below, you will find that while the average white woman makes $0.78 to the man’s dollar, a black woman makes $0.68, and a Latina woman makes $0.54. Most people don’t take these statistics into consideration when addressing the issue of the wage gap, making what is supposed to be a movement to improve working conditions and salaries for all women, limited to a very select few. Additionally, while the struggle against women’s sexual harassment and assault is an ongoing one which most feminists continue to fight for, the fact that women with disabilities are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than able bodied women is often overlooked, again relating back to white feminism and the concept of creating a type of feminism which is intersectional and inclusive to all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-nmxnmt_XU
To further understand how white feminism looks like in the media, let’s take a look at the Angry Black Woman™ trope. A short while back, Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg called out Kylie Jenner for appropriating and exploiting black culture for her own advantage in an Instagram photo where Kylie donned cornrows. For expressing her opinions and standing up for her culture, Amandla received a lot of backlash from the media, where people were quick to label her as erratic and temperamental. All too familiar with this process of dismissal and marginalization, Amandla took to twitter where she addressed those who wished to silence her:
“End the ‘angry black girl’ narrative. It’s just another attempt to undermine certain perspectives. I have strong opinions. I am not angry.”
Similarly, Nicki Minaj’s attempts to address the racism in the music industry have been dismissed by proclaimed feminists Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. According to the media, the expression of her views as a black woman in the music industry are just another petty catfight, another instance in which she lets her attitude blind her. In an another article, Serena Williams is identified as a “human volcano” while Maria Sharapova is portrayed as the more likable “ice queen”. Over and over again, black women are forced into a box, a harmful stereotype which allows people to dismiss and antagonize them for simply expressing their points of view. This overarching archetype of the Angry Black Woman™ is the perfect example of how the ideals and beliefs of white feminism negatively affect the people who do not match up to the standards of what mainstream feminists have put in place. When feminism is defined as “organized activity in support of women’s rights and interests”, isn’t it only reasonable that it should include all women?
How Can I be an Intersectional Feminist?
Being inclusive and intersectional in terms of feminism isn’t as hard as you would think:
- Examine and be aware of your privilege: Just like Laci Green and Franchesca Ramsey explained in the video earlier, it is crucial to be aware of your own privilege and how it connects and relates to others in order to better understand where they are in terms of oppression and how you can help and empower each other.
- Avoid silencing and marginalizing other points of view: Of course all lives matter, not all men are bad, not all cops kill black people, and not all white people are “white feminists”, however, by supporting and promoting things like the #AllLivesMatter movement or saying that you don’t “see” race, you are silencing minority voices through generalization and avoiding discussion that results in a difference of views.
- Learn and listen: Finally, just listen and learn from others’ experiences. Don’t consider yourself an expert on matters that you have not personally experienced, as there is always more to learn. By educating yourself in how others struggle and deal with certain issues, you gain a better understanding of perspectives that differ from yours, hence allowing you to broaden your horizon and see things from a point of view that you may not have originally considered.
Overall, it’s pretty clear to see that the current mainstream feminism has its many flaws. However, if we work together to make feminist spaces more inclusive and intersectional, maybe we can eradicate the concept of “white feminism” and stay true to the most simplistic values of feminism that cater to the wellbeing of all.