INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM: The belief that every woman - regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity or social class - is an equal and the movement to prove this to society. The kind of feminism that acknowledges and includes all forms of issues and not just those that directly affect them.
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In the summer of 2015 I stumbled across a Twitter account for feminism run by Alexis Isabel that was my first real introduction to the world of intersectional feminism. This was the start of me referring to myself as an intersectional feminist, while I had always believed in the fact that every woman from every walk of life should have equality I was reluctant to use the feminist title.
I remember before this I literally had a friend that asked me if I was a feminist and when I proceeded to answer with a simple 'of course I am' she went quiet for a while and then blushed as she responded to my answer with the question of 'so..... do you shave your legs then?'. Things like this were always why I felt strange about this title, these little stereotypes were everywhere. If I was a feminist I would have to stop shaving, I would have to be going to every protest possible and I would have to be screaming at all men, right? It was that summer that I learnt how wrong this all was. Feminism is something that is multilayered and built up upon more issues and things than just simply not shaving and hating men.
Over that summer I began to further educate myself on the vitality of feminism in a twenty first century world, because we have come a long way since the suffragette movement however we do still have quite a way to go until equality is achieved. This is something that I have come to realise a lot of people are ignorant about, this usually comes from middle class, cisgendered white people who haven't ever really faced any kind of prejudice in their, clearly, sheltered lives.
I learnt about reverse racism (which is as real as the friend zone) and how vital the intersectional feminist movement is for people of colour and every other minority that women in this day and age fall into. It is so much more than just wanting equal pay (which might I mention that in the UK around 7795 companies still pay men more than women that work the same job - statistics that were uncovered in the 2017 round up of pay gaps). I realised that intersectional feminism includes fighting against the discrimination in the LGBT+ movement, against those who have disabilities, and also fighting for the issues that men face. We aren't just fighting for women.
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Three years on I believe I have managed to grow into a person who is more accepting and likely to speak out about issues that we are facing in the world. I have grown into someone who will stand their ground and speak up for women, argue openly in class against sexist remarks and stay true to what I believe in no matter the situation. Feminism has for sure been one of the key factors in helping me to grow into and become the person that I am today.
No one woman fits into the same mould that another woman will - each and every one of us is a multi layered, complex person with out own struggles and personal battles. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' cure for these issues and for this reason your feminism shouldn't be one size fits all in the way that white feminism is. Personally, I identify as a white bisexual woman and have faced sexism and discrimination against my sexual orientation. Yet being from a middle class upbringing means that I was incredibly sheltered from a lot of issues that other women face, intersectional feminism is me accepting that I was lucky for this and accepting that while I didn't go through something it doesn't mean that other women aren't. And it sure as hell doesn't mean that I can't help in the fight to stop these things happening in the future, it makes me an ally within the communities.
Intersectional feminism is about acknowledging your privilege and understanding that not everyone experiences the same privilege that you do, and asking the questions you need to in order to understand what they experience. By asking these questions you are able to understand, you are able to begin to close the gap between the minorities and understand what needs to change and the struggles that are faced by other people. I will obviously never be a person of colour, I will never experience racism and therefore I can only empathise, understand and listen when my black friends speak of their struggles. The same goes with my trans friends, and anyone else I may know within a minority that I am not a part of.
Listen, learn and adapt. Grow as a person and understand that change will not happen if you don't speak out about these things.
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