Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop

by Serene Khader

An incisive examination of why the pillars of feminism have eroded—and how all women, not just the #girlbosses, can rebuild them

After more than 175 years, the feminist movement, now in its fourth wave, is at risk of collapsing on its eroding foundation. In Faux Feminism, political philosopher Serene Khader advocates for another feminism—one that doesn’t overwhelmingly serve white, affluent #girlbosses. With empathy, passion, and wit, Khader invites the reader to join her as she excavates the movement’s history and draws a blueprint for a more inclusive and resilient future.

A feminist myth buster, Khader begins by deconstructing “faux feminisms.” Thought to be the pillars of good feminism, they may appeal to many but, in truth, leave most women behind. Her critical inquiry begets a new vision of feminism: one that tackles inequality at the societal, not individual, level and that is ultimately rooted in community.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics, Race, Audiobook, Philosophy

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[Corvus]

DNF. Got bored, reinvents the wheel which isn't a bad thing. We regularly need new books telling these stories. I've just read this already so much. Clincher was actually misuse of the word gaslighting that has become so popular and irritates the hell out of me. No, it's not someone disagreeing with you and trying to convince you of their side ffs. Otherwise everyone is gaslighting everyone all of the time, including the left. Gaslighting is a deliberate organized form of abuse where one orchestrates and manipulates someone's reality to make them believe they are going insane. Maybe it just means something new and I need to accept that though, idk. If it weren't an abuse dynamic being rebranded as "how dare you question me?!" I probably wouldn't be as annoyed.

[Madison Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of the most pivotal feminist texts I’ve ever read — pivotal in my own journey, that is. The first two chapters of this book were interesting in their own way, but it didn’t really pick up until chapter three. I’ve heard criticisms of what’s called “choice feminism” before, but Serene Khader directly challenged my beliefs about it, using the more expansive term “freedom feminism”, which I’ve never had explained or described to me before. I’ve never considered the contentious differences between “freedom” and “equality” in such a way before.

This is a dense book, and it would’ve overwhelmed me even a year or two ago. I’ve been reading feminist theory since I was a teenager, and I had to frequently slow down and really parse out sentences in this book to fully grasp what the author was saying. It was a mental exercise, and that’s fun when you already have a strong feminist foundation, but this is not a good starting point if you’re looking to begin an journey into feminist theory. But that’s what makes me love it. There are plenty of digestible, level-1 feminist texts that are essential to ones journey, but are ultimately pointless if you go no further. This book gets to the bitter root of inequality, and it’s not easy to digest, but it’s incredibly powerful and mind-expanding. I feel my own feminism has grown and changed as a result of what Khader has written.

The only reasons this is not a 5-star book are mostly stylistic. I don’t think the title of this book does it justice. Perhaps “The Freedom Myth” would have been more effective. There are also some clumsy metaphors and analogies, which make me think this text should’ve had one extra pair of eyes to trim some of the loose ends. Ultimately, though, this is an essential book for anyone who is serious about making the world a safe and equal place for all people. It is not cute, fun, or “empowering”. It is challenging, provocative, and necessary.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this one one the bests books I've read.

What's worse (or just as bad) as being openly misogynist? Being a bad feminist. What's a bad feminist? Someone who thinks they are (maybe they do mean well) or claims they are feminist but their actions end up helping the systems that oppress women.
There are many ideas, laws, cultural practices that perpetuate the patriarchy. This book aims to expose them and clarify what it is that they mean by real feminism.
The ideas in this book will be a tough pill to swallow for many people. White women specially. I hope that every person in this country could read this book and at least acknowledge what the author is trying to say. The problem is that it's easier to pretend to care, to signal the right posture, say the right words in order to show that you "get it" and that "you are one of the good ones" the difficult part is doing the work that will actually make a difference in people's lives, this involves investing money and resources to take care of all people. To be a feminist is to fight inequality and fight for justice. This is not free or easy. The fact that it's "trendy" to label yourself as feminist is a good thing, but it's not enough unless we are doing things to make a difference.

This book resonates with me, 100% it was an eye opener, it challenged my pre-existing assumptions. I love it when a book shows me a new way to think and reason about an issue.

This book is important and a must read for people of all ages and gender. Men specially. We have work to do.

[Alex Benach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viewing feminism as a collective goal is lit

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful, if not particularly pathbreaking, reminder that freedom feminism is a capitalist mirage and that feminists need to strive to solve the problems of the most marginalized to lift up everyone. Appreciated the many up-to-date examples of international initiatives, organizing, and activism. Could have troubled terms like “women” and “gender” some more.

[Idowu Odeyemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am rating this five stars for two reasons.

(1) It is, I think, one of the best books in feminist theory that I have read in a while—not so much because it goes against so-called “freedom feminism,” but because Khader shows, quite persuasively, why equality feminism offers a better world that feminists ought to strive for.

(2) The book is gentle on its readers (sorry to the folks who think the writing is dense! But you’ve got to pick up an Oxford University Press academic philosophy book!). The manner and grace with which Khader discusses the four myths of freedom feminism—the restriction myth, the individualism myth, the culture myth, and the judgment myth—are not only philosophically impressive but also artistically beautiful. The book carries the reader mindfully on a journey. Beginning with the restriction myth offers insights that illuminate the other myths—and each myth in turn enriches the one that follows.

However, I think one can object to Khader’s argument for "equality feminism." Here is what I think: all we have to ask is a simple question—what is the point of equality? It seems quite clear that the reason we want to build a more just and equal world is so that everyone can be free. So, Khader unknowingly return to the freedom myth? Or perhaps, we return to freedom—without its mythology. If the latter, then we are fine—but Khader didn't say.

[a human bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The structure of this book makes it easy to understand Dr Khader’s argument that feminism is — or should be — about more than individual women, and is rather about hierarchy and structures of oppression.

I recommend reading this book with a friend or group and discussing each of the different “myths,” both separately and as a whole.

I think my favorite chapter was about the culture myth, which is one I find most insidious when trying to discuss issues such as global poverty. If that chapter intrigues you as well, David Graeber would be a good author to read next.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of thought provoking good ideas, but because the ideas encompassed by feminism sometimes contradict each other, and the author is trying to get us to see that, she often gets bogged down in convoluted explanations. I felt like her ideas could have been conveyed better with fewer words.

[atom_box Evan G · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The call was coming from inside the house, my house to be precise “

Serene Khader is like Ezra Klein crossed with Trevor Noah! This book is the least boring analysis of Amy Coney Barrett imaginable.

[Briar Rose Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly r@c1st and incoherent.

[Romy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a little too drawn out and repetitive.

[Abbie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Erin O'Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very wise. Very well-reasoned. I now need more indigenous North American feminism asap.

[Mayar Mahdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book that draws on the findings of other books and synthesizes its arguments really well. It's also very readable and engaging.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful, insightful, and informative.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been challenging myself to be more intersectional in my feminism, and this one eroded several of my pillars directly. Tough pill to swallow, but necessary, and I'm grateful every time my understanding gets expanded.

Khader helped me see how an ideal for one can trap another - when it perpetuates the deeper problem of hierarchy and structures of oppression.

She calls for a more inclusive framework that tackles inequality at the societal, not individual level, that is ultimately rooted in community.

5 critiques that blew my mind:

The Freedom Myth: That feminism is about personal freedom rather than collective equality. Disputes the negative type of "freedom from restrictions" defended by capitalists, when equality asks only that women be the same level of unfree as men.

The Restriction Myth: That if oppression denies self-determination, or restricts individual freedom, we overlook that society functions thru restriction (morals, rules, etiquette.) That liberating from one set imposes sets on others. (Should we respect a woman's self-determination to cause societal harm? Do we respect a female CIA agent's choice to install the Taliban?)

The Individualism Myth: That success is measured by individual improvements, life experiences, and outcomes. It obscures the ways women rely on one another, and the way our fates are intertwined. When individual women are freed from social expectations, burdens shift to other women. Men get more out of the new arrangement than women do.

The Culture Myth: That "other/uncivilized" cultures restrict women’s liberation. That woman should purchase disconnection from natural cycles, domestic life, family responsibility, and cultural connection; pulling the ladder up behind them. It props up white supremacy by establishing colonial Western belief systems, and affirms Western innocence in the conditions of sexist oppression in the Global South.

The Judgment Myth: The attitude that silences women, absolving them from political responsibility; that judging women for their choices disrespects them. First interrogate their privileges afforded or denied, then excuse if there were no better alternatives. Social position grants no immunity.

Great examples:
• The celebration of consumerism as ‘self-care’.
• Service workers frustrated that their paycheck is tied to enduring harassment or conforming to social expectations about hair, makeup, and clothes.
• Middle-class women breaking the glass ceiling to better-paying corporate jobs, so they can pay lower-class women to cook their meals, clean their homes, and raise their kids. The lives of men have not changed, and there's nobody to care for the families of low-income workers.
• School dress codes are a tool of racial and gender hierarchy, setting up girls and people of color to receive less rewards of educational attainment over a lifetime.
• The dominant form of sexuality in the West is harmful, but instead of creating new sex-positive identities, the Indigenous insight is to criticize the idea of identity altogether. The Indigenous alternative is relating.
• “Women’s work” is poorly paid or unpaid, making women "one man away from welfare." Welfare is a threat to those who dare to complain or fight or try to go it alone. Upper- and middle-class women live in dependency with their sexuality restricted. Welfare is like a "super-sexist marriage," trading a man for the government to tell you who you can sleep with and what you can eat.
• New Mexico's victory for reproductive rights, led by women of color, using moral languages besides choice and freedom. Undermining women’s health was a favorite tactic of colonizers. "Many Indigenous communities were matriarchal, and a society where abortion was illegal was one that undermined traditions of respecting their mothers and grandmothers. Restoring reproductive control was a way of restoring to women a status that settler colonialism had violently diminished."

"Equality feminism seeks to dismantle hierarchies that constitute sexist oppression rather than focusing on securing freedoms for individuals. It is not preoccupied with individual judgments or cultural practices in isolation. Instead, it addresses systemic issues such as division of labor (e.g., demanding recognition of all women’s work—including motherhood—as work), the distribution of resources (e.g., reframing reproductive control as access to healthcare), and systems of value (e.g., critiquing the normalization of racist beauty standards). -- Ege Yumusak

Final Answer: Train our gaze on questions of hierarchy. Allies of white supremacy, colonialism, capitalist exploitation, ableism, cissexism, and homophobia will try keeping those systems of oppression in place.

[Ava Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly informative read and I encourage everyone to read it, but especially white people. Khader is brilliant at dissecting all aspects of the feminism we know today, where it started, and where it can go in the future. Every problem that exists within modern feminism is clearly detailed and Khader supplies the possible solutions to these and how to make a better feminism for everyone. She explains what has worked in the past, and what works now, and does so in a way that keeps you engaged. Illuminating!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough condemnation of girlboss feminism. Really makes you think about intersectionality