Does anybody else feel like they’re hearing the word “feminists” a lot lately?
In the 70s, second-wave feminism was the hot topic discussed on college campuses by educated women immersed in counter culture movements that aimed to challenge the status quo. Using the word “feminist” as their weapon, these women took to the streets and demanded equal rights for women while lambasting current social structures that relegated women to the class of “just women” who were therefore “less than” their male counterparts.
In this wave of feminism that lasted until the early 90s, the major issues at stake were sexuality and reproductive issues, and amending the equality clause in the Constitution to guarantee rights to all sexes. The atmosphere of this wave was perfumed with defiance and outright exclamations of “We Are Feminists!”, exclamations that died down in the third-wave and have been resurrected in the fourth.
In the 90s, third-wave feminism formed as a counter-movement to the feminist counter culture movement that, upon further examination, seemed to exclude the voices of women of color and lesbians, portraying a middle-class white point-of-view on equality between the sexes. Unlike second-wave feminism, this period renounced the word “feminist” for its exclusionary properties that applied to only women, therefore making it impossible for men to identify with its principles. Third-wave feminism also differed in the sense that it embraced what second-wave feminists defined as “degrading” and strove to eradicate — terms like “slut” and “bitch,” revealing clothing, lipstick, and overt sexuality.
These characteristics that were once used to identify the lowly state of woman as sexual object for man were now appropriated and used to empower women to embrace their femininity and individuality. The word “feminism” was dissolved to incorporate unique, individual experiences of what it means to be “a woman” as well as who could identify with the movement.
Unlike in the 90s, the word “feminist” has been resurrected to define ourselves, values and the period of tumultuous, exciting change we find ourselves in in regards to gender identity, equality and inclusion. Much like in the 70s, we find ourselves chanting from the highest peak of the internet mountain, “WE ARE FEMINISTS and we are proud of it.”
So, what is fourth-wave feminism? Put simply, fourth-wave feminism is the period of feminist thought and action in which we currently find ourselves. Defined by technology, fourth-wave feminism has become a universal, pop culture phenomenon in which gender fluidity, inclusion and action make up its main pillars. In this wave, gender roles have been entirely deconstructed with gender and sexual orientation fluidity becoming the norm. Given the universal nature of technology, social media specifically, feminism has now spread to include both women, men, transgender and those that don’t identify with a gender, and has transcended race, age, income level, and religion. Lastly, social media has also made it easier to address injustices through calls to action that have the power to garner the support of millions around the world in a matter of seconds. In addition to these characteristics, fourth-wave feminism’s other defining factor is its presence in pop culture. Pop culture starlets such as Beyonce, Grimes, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and others have become the face of the fourth-wave feminist movement.
Over the past several years, we’ve seen fourth-wave feminism grow into a massive beast that has seeped into every aspect of the modern woman’s life, manifesting itself in movements that range from the everyday, such as growing out your armpit hair, to the global, such as voicing support to strong women in the world who are advancing the cause of women’s rights. We’ve also seen this wave of feminism manifest itself in body-positive messages of empowerment in which ads, internet trolls and public personalities are publicly shamed for objectifying women by ridiculing their personal appearance.
So what does this mean for the women of today? Have we finally achieved equality? Have we entered an age in which transphobia is no longer an issue? Or, has social media, through slacktivism, desensitized us to feminism’s real message? Has it devolved into a pop culture phenomenon, one as ephemeral as a songstress’ career? Or a fashion trend?
On paper, fourth-wave feminism seems like the perfect culmination of everything our predecessors strove to make a reality. It’s inclusive, it has the potential to create change within days, and it’s redefined what it means to be a man or women, proving that those definitions are truly unique to the individual. However, in regards to determining whether fourth-wave feminism will bring about any real changes or is just another trend to take the internet by storm is yet to be determined.
Leave a Reply