Can We All Be Feminists?: Seventeen writers on intersectionality, identity and finding the right way forward for feminism

by June Eric-Udorie

Why do some women struggle to identify as feminists, despite their commitment to gender equality? How do other aspects of our identities - such as race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, and more - impact how we relate to feminism? Why is intersectionality so important?

In challenging, incisive, and fearless essays - all of which appear here for the first time - seventeen writers from diverse backgrounds wrestle with these questions, and more. A groundbreaking book that elevates underrepresented voices, Can We All Be Feminists? offers the tools and perspective we need to create a 21st century feminism that is truly for all.

Including essays by: Soofiya Andry, Gabrielle Bellot, Caitlin Cruz, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Brit Bennett, Evette Dionne, Aisha Gani, Afua Hirsch, Juliet Jacques, Wei Ming Kam, Mariya Karimjee, Eishar Kaur, Emer O’Toole, Frances Ryan, Zoé Samudzi, Charlotte Shane, and Selina Thompson

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Essays, Politics, Social Justice, Womens, Race

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2018

About the author

June Eric-Udorie is a twenty-year-old British writer and feminist activist. Named Elle UK’s “Female Activist of the Year” for 2017, she has been included on lists of influential and inspiring women by the BBC, the Guardian, and more. A co-founder of “Youth for Change”, an initiative that works to combat female genital mutilation and forced marriage around the world, her advocacy has taken her to classrooms, the Southbank Centre's Women of the World Festival, the United Nations, and more. In 2015, she spearheaded a successful campaign to overturn the British government’s decision to remove feminism from the nationally mandated A-level (high school) politics syllabus; more recently, she raised funds to take five hundred underprivileged girls and young women of color to see the film Hidden Figures. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, New Statesman, the Telegraph, ESPN The Magazine, and Fusion, among others. She is currently in her first year at Duke University, where she is a recipient of the University Scholars merit scholarship, established by Melinda French Gates, and a Human Rights Scholar at the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Can We All Be Feminists? will be published by Penguin Books in the fall.

Reviews

[Măriuţa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very much looking forward to reading this. Started, but stopped dead in my tracks during the intro alone. The authoress chilled me to my bone with her feelings of superiority. She feels that her feminism is the only correct type of feminism and everyone else who is not doing what she does is wrong.
She wastes no time in impaling white women for not picking up her cause and says "The problem with mainstream feminism, again and again, is the frivolity of the issues it is concerned with: manspreading, “girl power” and female “empowerment.” She shockingly calls them 'lesser battles' not even coming close to what she's going through as an African-American, disabled, queer woman.
While I agree that her problems are severe and that our society causes her to suffer needlessly on a daily basis, I must say life has taught me, as a woman, never to say others fight 'lesser battles.'
Apart from that, from a writing point of view, she appeals to extreme claims just to get her point across. She says white feminists concern themselves with articles like "CAN YOU BE A FEMINIST AND WEAR MAKEUP?" This is an absurdist view as clearly this is not what feminism, even mainstream one is all about.
A few pages later, I am confused as she speaks about intersectionality, but fails to be so herself, all in a very tone deaf paragraph. "white feminists (...) Do these so-called feminists ever stop to consider the fact that there are women who can’t even get through the door—whether because of racism, fatphobia, homophobia, or transphobia—let alone into the boardroom?"
She seems to labor under the impression that all white, mainstream feminists are women, skinny, straight, and have no bigger problems than makeup and manspreading. And i am sitting here reading this shocked.
Major fail on other two accounts - no men exist in her world. As if there are no feminist men. Where is your equality and intersectionality now? Secondly, without being ageist, this absolutely comes across as the point of view of a 20 yo (which she is) freshly off her teenage years who thinks her personal problems are the biggest thing in the world.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does anyone else do this: decide that somebody you need to buy a Christmas present for would like a book you've been meaning to read, so you order a copy, but you can't give it to them without checking they'd definitely like it, so you must read it yourself first. Such a self-serving approach to Christmas shopping resulted in me reading the whole of 'Can We All Be Feminists?' last night. The person I've bought it for doesn't have a goodreads account, incidentally, which makes it difficult to determine what they have and haven't read. Ideally everyone I buy presents for would either log everything on goodreads, or send me comprehensive photos of their bookshelves and kindle library. Sadly this does not happen, so I have to guess as best I can. I think that all of my close friends and relatives might appreciate this book - in fact, one of them recommended it to me. It's a compelling and mind-expanding collection of essays on intersectional feminism, including the experiences and theories of various different women.

All the essays were eloquent and polished, without a weak one among them. Topics considered in conjunction with feminism include health, disability, migration, race, trans identity, and religion. Most if not all within the collection discuss the meaning of the term 'feminism' in the 21st century and their mixed feelings about it. I really appreciated the range of perspectives and learned from them. Compared to the fast-moving and adversarial twitter discourse on feminism that I periodically notice, I found this book's nuanced and considered exploration really refreshing. Although the essays have differing emphases, none of the points they make are mutually exclusive. The point is to listen to and take into account the full diversity of women's perspectives, considered in the context of wider social justice issues, in order to make feminist activism better. The rest of this review will consist of quotes I found especially memorable.

I really liked this paragraph on the ambiguity of feminism, from the first essay by Charlotte Shane:

The tension is long-standing and perhaps inevitable given that feminism is assumed to galvanise people under the banner of a gender rather than a shared ideological and moral commitment, as a formal organisation, like a political party or a local activist group would. There's no explicit platform for feminism because it's an idea, ownerless and atomised, based on the observation of one specific, persistent source of imbalance in a stunningly unfair world. It can be invoked (cynically or sincerely) by anyone, which is part of why it's been so easily co-opted by corporations who use superficial gestures of pro-woman sentiment for brand management, and by a mainstream media that anoints celebrities like Lena Durham, Taylor Swift, and Amy Schumer as the vanguard of righteous, pro-lady politics.

The third essay by Selina Thompson is a brilliant and moving analysis of fatphobia as a feminist issue:

In our society a fat body is one perceived as deeply out of control, as primitive, uncivilised, and animal. These are all things we are encouraged to despise and fear.
We enforce this othering with interrogation. Fat bodies are endlessly asked to explain themselves. Why? Why are you so fat? Why?
Is it trauma? Did you eat too much? Not exercise enough? Is it depression? Your genes? The way you were raised? The labels on your food? Why?
Each question stands in for the real question: How do you fix it? And even that question stands in the place of the primary concern: How do I, the corporation, make money from fixing it? Or perhaps more accurately: How do I fail to fix it while making it look like I am succeeding and the failure is your fault?

The eighth essay by Emer O'Toole discusses how campaigning on feminist issues, specifically Ireland's abortion referendum, can sometimes use strategic approaches to achieve progressive ends. Since right-wing politicians employ much more misleading emotive and populist rhetoric for regressive ends, there is something to be said for this as long as the situation and implications are carefully considered:

What seems most realistically at stake in adopting what I will term 'strategies of subterfuge' - in which the fears of the powerful are assuaged (or suavely omitted) in situations where is much to gain from doing so - is the personal integrity of activists who want to be of their word, who want to speak their truth. But I also think the record can be set straight later - once we've won.

Without militant activism from groups like the Sexual Liberation Movement in the 1970s, LGBTQ rights would never have been on the agenda in the first place; still, at a certain vital juncture, activists played Mr Nice Gay. I'm as wary of tone policing as the next woke gal. But there's a difficult logic that dictates that sometimes the best feminist tactic is to be no feminist at all; to become, rather, someone to whom the word is irrelevant, even anathema, someone to whom the basic tenets of feminism - remedying female disadvantage, ensuring bodily autonomy, and equality of opportunity - are suspicious demands.

It's worth noting that the campaign she's discussing was highly successful: Ireland's 2018 referendum resulted in a 66.4% vote to overturn the abotion ban.

The tenth essay by Aisha Gani considers minority representation:

For me, one of the most powerful motivations in being in the public sphere as a journalist is being reminded how a young person may see you and be inspired to dream their own particular dream. An intersectional feminist myself, I believe this is crucial. But at the same time, I see the ways in which representation can be a double bind. The way in which women of colour are expected to explain themselves to white feminists, sometimes even reinforcing the dominant perception, is where representation for representation's sake becomes problematic.

When we do anything remotely different, or are successful and perceived to be 'breaking stereotypes', we are thrust into a spotlight, but these stereotypes are placed on us by someone else. We then have to be ready with answers for the dominant group, who never have to explain themselves or their existence. There is an expectation that we have an emotional story, with exotic embellishments, about overcoming cultural or religious pressures and trauma, which we will then recount for the benefit of the white gaze.

Essay number fourteen, by Afua Hirsch, analyses cultural appropriation's particular impact on women of colour:

The context is so significant a factor that this is not even about the hairstyles themselves, or Jamaican jerk chicken, now commonly served in restaurants with no Black owners or staff, or African print clothes, so often seen on the catwalks of European designers who continue to show little interest in using Black models. 'Ethnicity,' bell hooks reminds us, 'becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream culture.'

This type of rampant cultural appropriation is a symptom of a commodity culture within a capitalist system, with implications that are predominantly based on race and class. But it is consumption that has special consequences for women. 'When race and ethnicity become commodified as resources for pleasure,' writes hooks, 'the culture of specific groups, as well as the bodies of individuals, can be seen as constituting an alternative playground where members of dominating races, genders, sexual practices affirm their power-over in intimate relations with the Other.'

Essay fifteen by Wei Ming Kam gave me sharp insight into the cruelty of the UK immigation system that I'd been blithely unaware of:

As I learned more about the details of each visa that might allow her to stay and the policy decisions behind it, it became clear that despite mainstream feminism's general neglect of it, immigration is also a feminist issue.

How could it not be when the majority of immigrants arriving in the UK on much-sought-after Tier 1 category and Tier 2 work visas are men? How could it not be when those on the overseas domestic workers visas are mostly women?

The disparities in numbers of men and women immigrating in different categories matter because these visas differ hugely in terms of the rights they give to their holders.

[...]

Irony aside, the Home Office is making it as difficult as possible for the most vulnerable women (the majority of family migrants are women) to stay in the UK with their partners. Once it approves visas, it strips back non-EU partners' rights as a condition of their probationary residency. Making British citizens responsible for their non-EU partners is a state abdication of social responsibility, a conscious decision from a country that views particular non-citizens as both threatening and less-than, and one that leaves the vulnerable open to destitution and abuse.

'Can We All Be Feminists?' is titled in an eye-catching but slightly misleading style. As a collection, it makes clear that feminism needs to become more intersectional and inclusive, by listening to and supporting the most vulnerable women rather than celebrating the most privileged. Nonetheless, all of the essay writers are determined that feminism can and will evolve positively. I really appreciated their energetic and vigorous tone throughout the book, which made it a hopeful as well as engaging, informative, and thought-provoking read.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful collection in defining the scope of intersectional feminism. The concept of intersectionality has been bubbling up to "mainstream feminism" for the last 5 years or so, but has really started to be seen & heard in the Trump era. I really appreciated having a single volume provide so much clarity as to exactly WHAT we're talking about with respect to intersectionality- for instance, I really appreciated having "immigrant" added to my thinking about intersectional feminism re:race or nationality. I really liked the essay on fat feminism, in particular. I do think some of the arguments in here are a little flat; however, I suspect this is mostly because this is still an emerging area to be formally explored (at least in recent years- the authors do a great job of raising up voices from throughout the history of feminism to show just how long these issues have been raised & ignored).

Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in expanding their understanding of intersectionality- this is such an important conversation as we move towards more freedom, fairness, justice, equality, etc. for EVERYONE

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this essay collection. Illuminating, uncomfortable, important, and the epitome of intersectional. Each essay broadened my perspective and taught me something new. This was absolutely another case where I feel like I nearly highlighted the whole thing, there was just so much to take away. I definitely recommend this for anyone who calls themself a feminist.

[Zsa Zsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me open my eyes to what it’s called intersectional feminism which seems logical for any feminist to be, yet when we see ourselves from its criteria, makes us realize most of us don’t even make the cut.
They way we slight other people’s experiences because they’re different from ours, because of their race, gender, weight, hair, sexual orientation and instead of helping them surpass their own oppression, we turn a blind eye, it’s infuriatingly sad. This is why many women hesitate to call themselves feminists because they don’t feel included.
Reading this book put me across the beginner of the path to empathy if I ever want to call myself a feminist.
I have made zillion notes to look up and reread and the more to read list will go in to my reading list.

[Liesbeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, it was a very interesting read for me. I am glad that I read it and would still recommend it to my friends. A few of the authors were really on point and made very strong arguments. I really liked some of the articles and would like to read more on their subjects. What the editor and authors are trying to do is something I strongly put myself behind it. We should indeed unite all feminists (With that I also include male feminists), in one feminism that is inclusive, intersectional and does not differentiate whenever it comes to gender, colour, preference...

However, I had some personal issues with the overall tone of the book and sometimes it became very cringy to me. Throughout the whole book there was this slight undertone of bashing on white women. The authors are talking about how they don't want to be put in stereotypes... Then why do I get the feeling that as a white straight cisgender feminist, there is only one way I can be: 'a racist, pretentious, hypocrite that cries about manspreading' (To me 'the crying about manspreading dilemma' is a total disgrace and a waist of time that we could use on more important dilemmas like the growing fascism in USA and Europe)

As every woman, I don't like to be put in a certain box either.So instead of the countless times of bashing on white feminists, and crying that white feminism doesn't work for you, maybe we could start working on building bridges? I am well aware of the fascists women that call themselves feminists, maybe let's just ignore them?

Also, choosing Taylor Swift as a poster girl of white feminism, is like choosing Donald Trump as a poster boy for the average president of the united states. The article about the Moana princess and the fact that white girls are not allowed to dress up like her, because its not politically correct, disturbs me. Isn't it cool that a white girl sees a hawaiian princess as a role model? Or is she rather to be forced in an Elsa costume? As many times showed, we are not born with racism and hatred, some people get brought up that way. (unfortunately) Let's make a thought here: I am a belgian girl in a relationship with a turkish guy. If I were to have a girl that identifies as one: Should I dress her up as Jasmine from Alladin, or Elsa?

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We must build a feminism reliant on community rather than on hierarchy. I urge all feminists, put gender-nonconforming people at the heart of your work; with alliance and empathy we can truly move toward radical change. Let us speak; give us platforms; ask us to write, talk, and lecture, we can share, create, and thrive if given spaces to do so.
— Soofiya Andry, "Deviant Bodies"

This excerpt from the final essay of the collection speaks to the crucial work editor June Eric-Udorie has done with this body of work. In Can We All Be Feminists?, the reader is exposed to a wide breadth of perspectives, priorities, and concerns in compelling essays written by those who identify as feminists, those who do not, and those who live somewhere in the middle ground. One thing they all share is their focus on intersectionality. These writers offer their thoughts on a dizzying number of topics from the lens of feminism, many of which are often ignored from the confines of mainstream feminism. I found myself agreeing vehemently with things I've felt in my own life while also learning from first-hand experiences that I did not share. Given how many things were covered over the course of the 200+ pages, I felt like I learned something new in each essay and received the language to be a better, more compassionate, and more empathetic person in my own life.

The strength of this collection comes in allowing each writer to self-identify, voice the complexities, nuances, and challenges associated with those identities, and offer a perspective on "the way forward for feminism." There is some repetition in some of the concepts shared, but this only affirms that the topics being discussed are so related and interwoven. On top of bringing these topics to the forefront of conversation, all the women writing are just GOOD A** WRITERS. I knew of a few of them before starting the collection, but left with new names, faces, and people to look up and read more from (my favorite perk of reading anthologies).

If you're seeking a book that gives light to intersectionality at work, this is a fantastic place to start. I urge anyone reading this review to make the active choice to read this book. I already know I'll be adding it to my personal collection and engaging with the voices spotlighted in it again and again through rereads and beyond.

[Melanie]

Utterly brilliant!

[Amal Bedhyefi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend these brilliant essays . They will not only broaden your definiton of intersectional feminism but will also give you a lot to questionand and think about.

[t. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can We All Be Feminists? does what I’m sure it set out to do: it makes the reader question many of their own assumptions, ideas, and biases. This, in turn, can be uncomfortable for the reader – how uncomfortable? I guess it depends on the reader’s willingness to listen to experiences, ideas and voices that the general public doesn’t often get to hear or engage with.

"We are now in an era of feminism as a buzzword, which is tokenistic and minimizes the struggle and everyday oppression that women face." – Aisha Gani

I don’t know when was the first time I read the term intersectional feminism (and I say read because I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it in my day to day life), but it can’t be too long ago. Once I read the definition, I was confused – I thought that was already what feminism is about, I didn’t know the feminism I was vouching for has a history of ignoring and even suppressing the women I thought it was supposed to protect and uplift. Every time I heard someone dismissing feminism or its importance, I thought they didn’t understand what feminism means, I thought they had bought into the idea that feminism is nothing more than victim-playing, man-hating or bashing “girly things”. I didn’t know that there are others out there who understand feminism so well, they can’t even see themselves as being part of it.

"How can we call ourselves feminists when the feminist movement does not know we exist?" – Eishar Kaur

Back then, finding out about there even being a branch of feminism that calls itself intersectional was already eye-opening, but my understanding remained on a superficial level. Some of the essays in this collection shed light on aspects I hadn’t even considered, and some on other aspects I had considered, but not quite as in depth.

As with any collection or anthology, there are some essays I "liked" better than others – not because of their particular theme, because I found each and everyone relevant in its on way, but because of differences in style or approach. These 17 essays are enlightening, thought-provoking and utterly necessary for anyone who wants to learn (or continue learning) about the kind of feminism that we should all be striving to practice: one that leaves no one behind.

“It is my belief that before we can successfully dismantle patriarchy, we have to learn to pledge allegiance to ourselves, and empathize with each other as women" – Nicole Dennis-Benn

[Alisa Cupcakeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started to identify as a feminist around 7 years ago. However, in the past few years, I've realized how feminism has become mainstream, and even if at first it was something I celebrated, now I question that feminism which became dominant in our culture: cis-white feminism.

I started to question calling myself a feminist as I saw how feminism was becoming trans-exclusionary, sex-work exclusionary, etc. and I no longer knew if I belonged there. Later, I discovered the concept of intersectionality and since then I knew I wanted to dedicate part of my time on this earth to practice an intersectional approach in my life.

This collection of essays reminds me of how I still embrace feminism, while at the same time I am constantly questioning and that's ok. I thoroughly enjoy reading this anthology. Besides, I bought in London, which was the last city I visited with my boyfriend before the COVID era started, so it brings me memories of us being together and now far apart, which makes me nostalgic sometimes in good sense and sometimes in sadder sense.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I N T E R S E C T I O N A L .
If your feminism doesn't aim to support all kinds of vulnerable people, then you might as well call it what it is: selfish.
This collection was really informative for me, as I was aware of many of the ways "feminism" failed to be inclusive, but this highlighted and articulated some of the specific ways it fell short as well as ways in which to educate the reader on how not to be selfish. The recommended reading list at the end is a prime example of the fact that this book does not encompass everything but it gives the reader tools to go forth and learn.

[Maryam Fr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only should we all be feminists, we should all be intersectional feminists. There is so much we all need to learn and pay intentional attention to when it comes to being feminists.
Some of the essays in this book are simple, some are deep, some are beautiful, and some are intricate and complex, but all of them are thought provoking and absolutely necessary to read.
I would recommend the book to anyone who identifies as a feminist, ... or as a human.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of essays that highlighted some known to me key issues of intersectionality in feminism but also pointed to many aspects that I had not yet considered to be of importance. I made many notes, learned a lot, and also love the recommended continued reading list at the end of the book.

[Piyusha Vir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book I can review easily without being reduced to tears.
A collection of essays by marginalised voices, each essay is searingly honest and heartfelt. It only expresses the writer's thoughts and feelings, but also informs. A must read for those wanting to become better allies and feminists.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It is my belief that before we can successfully dismantle patriarchy, we have to learn to pledge allegiance to ourselves, and empathize with each other as women."

"Mainstream feminism's refusal to take intersectionality into account and to advocate for a group of women who are among the most threatened has devastating consequences."

"Sometimes I wonder: What would my life be like if I had more power and privilege? Imagine not having to worry about whether a professor will accommodate you in their classroom; not needing to brace yourself for the cost of prescriptions you need to manage your mental health. Imagine not having to pass on attending a queer feminist meeting for fear of racism. Imagine how luxurious it would be not to have to navigate the daily microaggressions that come with living and studying, or working, in a predominantly white environment."

"In the UK, an organization called Women's Aid found that one in two disabled women will be abused in their lifetime. Half! What has mainstream feminism done to bring attention to that?"

"Do these so-called feminists ever stop to consider the fact that there are women who can't even get through the door - whether because of racism, fatphobia, homophobia, or transphobia - let alone into the boardroom? And when we fail to think of these women - to advocate for them, to rally for them, and to listen to them - it's the equivalent of saying that their lives, their experiences, and their struggles aren't important."

"I still believe that feminism can improve, can be so much better, and has been and will continue to be a powerful framework for women to achieve so much. But I know that many other women feel excluded by feminism, or see it as useless because it is not concerned with the issues that affect them."

"Even I struggle to believe such a world could exist, where a trans woman could be America's president, where bigotry against both women broadly and trans people specifically has become so scarce that we could be considered viable candidates at all."

"I turn, always, to books because reading is the ultimate act of leaving your body, writing the ultimate prayer. You send words into the world and hope that someone is there listening, someone willing to leave their body to meet you halfway in the space between language and air. I have always found hope in this space..."

[Tommy Oddo · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this collection and would recommend! each essay captured a different perspective of intersectionality and what feminism can and ought to be. so much powerful testimony and theory, but i especially appreciated a few pieces: “Body and Blood,” “Ends, Means, and Subterfuge in Feminist Activism,” “The Machinery of Disbelief,” “Imperial Feminism,” and “Deviant Bodies.”

[Amir Sarabadani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Collection of essays, some great, some bad, this is my personal view as average of all.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies of this kind usually struggle with two challenges: variability in the quality of the pieces, and how to avoid every other chapter restating the same arguments and assumptions. June Eric-Udorie's collection handles the first challenge more successfully than the latter. Emer O'Toole's is the only piece in here that isn't good, and that's because its assimilationist, concession-making argument seems to stand in opposition to the rest of the book's politics (it does at least make a very cogent argument though, even if I'm not convinced).

The latter problem for anthologies isn't as successfully dodged, and I found myself wishing that the book had defined a few concepts (such as intersectionality) once in the foreword and then cut any repetition of that from the individual essays. Still, this is an essential gift for your well-meaning liberal friend who isn't very online, and a very comprehensive guide to what mainstream feminism (and other liberalisms and leftisms!) tend to leave out of their analysis, from fatphobia and ableism to anti-Blackness and imperialism, and the best essays here, from authors like Juliet Jacques, Zoé Samudzi, Charlotte Shane, Selina Thompson, and Frances Ryan, are worth anyone's time.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really stellar collection. Highly recommended!

[Maraia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read this!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this collection. So thoughtfully written and thought-provoking. A great primer for intersectional feminism, and also helpful for continued learning. Not too theory heavy and I learned a lot.

[Emily✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are now in an era of feminism as a buzzword, which is tokenistic and minimizes the struggle and everyday oppression that women face. (144)

[Western feminism] is rooted in the concerns of white women, and its parameters are set by said women. […]With this context, it comes as no surprise that feminist is an exclusionary term. (95)

Can We All Be Feminists? is an important and thought-provoking essay collection about the ways in which mainstream ("white") feminism doesn't account for the needs of women who embody multiple spheres of oppression-- such as women of color, immigrant women, disabled women, queer and non-cis women, fat women, and sex workers (or various combinations of these). One of the essays investigates the pitfalls of identifying as a feminist during political campaigns; that maintaining a personal principle of identifying as feminist could mean that feminist policies are rejected, while catering to the sensibilities of the non-feminist majority can result in feminist policies being enacted. Another questions whether it is more feminist for women to have power ("Lean In" feminism) or for power structures to be broken down to the benefit of all genders. Another examines ableist sentiments that often go hand-in-hand with conversations on reproductive rights, and the ableism inherent in the devaluation of less "active" activism, the denigration of so-called "keyboard warriors." Yet another exposes modern imperialism in white self-proclaimed feminists who engage in cultural appropriation.

The more I learn about the intersecting, oppressive forces that continue to shape the Western world—colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, xenophobia, and racism—and the network of cruel social machinery to which these systems give rise—incarceration, crippling debt, disenfranchisement, deportation, and so on—the less sense it makes to use gender as the primary lens through which to regard human-engineered suffering. (1)

This is a strong collection that gave me-- a white, abled, cis woman-- a lot of insight into topics that aren't often highlighted in mainstream feminist media, and goes much farther than simply defining feminism as "the belief that men and women are equal." 4.5 stars

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title threw me a little when I started reading this book. I assumed it would be an admonition for men to become feminists, but the book instead advocates for feminists, specifically white women, to broaden their fight to advocate for women whose rights are limited by elements of their identity other than gender. Reading this book gave me a clear understanding of intersectionality as it relates to feminism. These essays illustrate how race, class, immigrant status, sexual orientation, culture, ability, etc. define women’s lives, and these women’s stories clarify why feminism needs to fight to eliminate structural limitations that affect the varied aspects of injustice that impact women, not just injustice based on gender.

[Lili · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two instances of Taylor slander in this book…THIS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved this book! really enjoying these anthologies as a way of getting an introduction to a diverse array of topics. as a bonus, this anthology is written by a variety of different authors, allowing for a much greater variety of perspectives and topics. i also really appreciated the order of the chapters - felt they flowed into each other quite nicely. there were definitely some weaker/stronger chapters in this collection but regardless, i was annotating nearly every page and leaving with so many more questions and things i want to look into further.

some key points (managed to keep this quite short this time lol)
- no wave feminism: dealing with how i interact with feminism. i am obviously a feminism but this quote resonated with me, and i think is why i dont identify with feminism as passionately as i do other causes: “the more i learn about the intersecting, oppressive forces that continue to shape the western world….. the less sense it makes to use gender as the primary lens through which to regard human-engineered suffering…. misogyny is rarely the dominant motive” (of course, this isn’t me saying feminism isn’t important - indeed it is still vital, but needs to work alongside all the other movements)
- unapologetic: black women and the tensions with black men being ‘favoured’ - but also highly policed, and often ‘favoured’ because of the racism they experience. “and god forbid we turn against our bothers and admit they hurt us. we risk bringing down the whole race with an allegation like that” - the expectations of solidarity even to the detriment of black women
- fat demands: the intersections of race and fatness was something i’d never considered before - “i was emeshed in the colonial fantasy that in other cultures fat is allowed to exist”; “expectations that a fat black body be giving and nurturing”... “there are few things more flawed than the idea that one body type can represent health for the billions of human bodies that live on this earth… it is easier to ignore the fact that that body’s default is to keep us alive”
- borderlands: “the bigger question of why socialisation - a simplistic, essentialist idea - is used to discredit the science of gender identity, which, like sexual orientation, is simply an internal sense of self” - i had never considered socialisation as essentialist before and is something i really want to explore more
- intersectionality and the black lives matter movement: again about how black women have been ignored and black men focused on
- no disabled access: the importance of “acknowledg[ing] the value of nontraditional forms of activism disabled women may adopt… there’s some snobbery around less physical forms of campaigning” - i found this really interesting as we debated what ‘counts’ as activism in one of my classes last year, but never once was this perspective raised
- a hundred small rebellions: feminism differs in different contexts/cultures etc, but this often isn’t recognised by mainstream feminism - “but by the rule of western feminist, they would not be considered feminists… progress is determined according to the white feminist values imposed on these issues”
- the unique feminist issues experienced by the diaspora, and how this is often distinct from that in india
- ends, means, and subterfuge in feminist activism: i found this essay so interesting as i didn’t really know where i stood. on one hand, we are constantly reminded of the dangers of compromise, watering down our politics, assimilation and rights-based approaches dont lead to real change…. but equally, i agree with the author - if we aren’t strategic, “we might lose. and the stakes are high” - maybe we do need to be realistic and strategic, no matter how much it sucks
- afro-diasporic feminism and a freedom in fluidity: how to balance your culture with your identites/politics, especially when you are told these cannot align. “my black feminism and my queer identity, which have been described to me as "western" things, are not antithetical to any notion of africanness because africanness is not in a state of arrested development, entombed at the moment of european arrival. that is a logic held by both our former colonizers and the masculine gatekeepers of tradition empowered by them. there's an irony in how so many africans reject colonially imposed notions of who and what we are, yet cling tightly to systems of rigid gendered organisation and oppression that europeans forced upon colonised subiects”
- representation as a feminist act: i found this chapter a bit disappointing unfortunately - felt it missed some important points/was quite surface level. but still made important points about the pitfalls of representation when it is commodified, treats marginalised groups as monoliths etc.
- in search of gender troublemakers: this chapter also fell short for me, i felt it didn’t really have a central thesis either. i would have loved for it to explore the generational tensions, how terms/ideas etc have evolved more.
- body and blood: “flesh is not neutral. different bodies carry different cultural and political meanings”. also found the history of black people strategically assimilating and how this ties into the movement distancing blackness from queerness - would be really interested in learning more about this, and the other issues discussed in this chapter.
- loving two things at once: on bisexuality, feminism, and catholicism: reconciling queerness and religion - are they compatible?
- imperial feminism: found bell hooks’ discussions of “race and ethnicity becom[ing] commodified as resources for pleasure” interesting - i didn’t fully understand it all (linking to cultural appropriation though?) but want to learn more about this.
- the machinery of disbelief: i’d never considered how gender inequalities and domestic violence play out in terms of immigration and the visa system before so this was really interesting to learn about
- brown on the outside: white people microaggressions
- deviant bodies: ultimately it all comes back to the panopticon, assimilation, and self-surveillance doesn’t it? found this chapter very interesting. beauty being linked to whiteness (amongst other things) liked the distinction between good and beautiful bodies, and how for me, i may never have a beautiful body but i am perceived by society as having a good one without trying

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is incredibly thoughtful and extremely well-written. The inclusion of so many diverse voices really makes this a powerful collection, one that is essential for people to read in order to understand some of the main issues in today’s feminist discourse and what needs to be included in the future of feminist politics.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection. Must read.

[Vanessa Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for any self-professed feminist.

[Dilek Sayedahmed, PhD · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding compilation of essays that promises to push everyone, including myself, out of their comfort zones– and for all the right reasons.

My top 3 essays:

1. Ends, Means, and Subterfuge in Feminist Activism by Emer O'Toole (Concordia University). ➡️ This particular essay was exceptionally thought-provoking and mind-expanding.

2. No Wave Feminism by Charlotte Shane.
3. Fat Demands by Selina Thompson.

(4. No Disabled Access by Frances Ryan).

"If you work with the most disadvantaged, you will automatically be able to provide a service for all people. If you only work with those people who are deemed to have rights, you will only provide a partial service." — from Wei Ming Kam's essay on immigration policies, 'The Machinery of Disbelief.'

In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw, a prominent civil rights activist and scholar, introduced the term "intersectionality" in a groundbreaking paper that dissected the complex web of power structures and their disproportionate impact on black women. Over the years, this term has evolved to encompass a broader spectrum of marginalized communities.

Perhaps you find yourself identifying as both Muslim and queer, or navigating the intersections of being black, plus-sized, and living in poverty. You might be disabled and embrace a nonbinary identity. In such a world, you're not only confronting the inherent challenges of a patriarchal society but also grappling with the burdens of racism, ableism, classism, xenophobia, transphobia, and various other forms of oppression.

This is where feminism comes into play. By now, we should all acknowledge the historical exclusion of black women from the suffragette movement. Even after Betty Friedan, renowned author of "The Feminine Mystique," co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966, she publicly distanced herself from queer activism. While feminism has gained mainstream traction over the past decade, it has often done so through cringe-worthy and sometimes even detrimental avenues, such as the "Lean In" mantra, Taylor Swift's brand of "girl power," and TIME's #MeToo cover, which notably omitted the movement's founder, Tarana Burke. The history of mainstream feminism is riddled with imperfections, misdirection, and exclusion. So, where do we go from here?

This thought-provoking anthology introduces us to a cohort of reluctant feminists who remain tethered to the movement primarily due to a lack of alternatives. They earnestly yearn for its evolution. The book compellingly argues why intersectional feminism should supplant the prevailing feminism, which predominantly caters to white cisgender women, neglects the unique needs of marginalized women, and ultimately falls short in serving us all.

Throughout its pages, the book illuminates the multifaceted directions that intersectional feminism explores. It provides a vivid portrayal of what feminism should aspire to be—an inclusive, dynamic force that acknowledges and uplifts the experiences of all marginalized individuals. In short, it offers a vision of the feminism we should strive for.

Appendix:

In the essay titled 'Ends, Means, and Subterfuge in Feminist Activism' by Dr. Emer O’Toole, she explores the use of strategic approaches in feminist activism, particularly in the context of Ireland's abortion referendum. O’Toole suggests that, in contrast to right-wing politicians who often employ misleading, emotive, and populist rhetoric for regressive purposes, feminists may find value in employing similar strategies, provided they carefully assess the situation and its implications:

"What seems most realistically at stake in adopting what I will term 'strategies of subterfuge' - in which the fears of the powerful are assuaged (or suavely omitted) in situations where is much to gain from doing so - is the personal integrity of activists who want to be of their word, who want to speak their truth. But I also think the record can be set straight later - once we've won.

Without militant activism from groups like the Sexual Liberation Movement in the 1970s, LGBTQ rights would never have been on the agenda in the first place; still, at a certain vital juncture, activists played Mr. Nice Gay. I'm as wary of tone policing as the next woke gal. But there's a difficult logic that dictates that sometimes the best feminist tactic is to be no feminist at all; to become, rather, someone to whom the word is irrelevant, even anathema, someone to whom the basic tenets of feminism --remedying female disadvantage, ensuring bodily autonomy, and equality of opportunity --are suspicious demands."

Note: The campaign Dr. O’Toole is discussing was highly successful: Ireland's 2018 referendum resulted in a 66.4% vote to overturn the abortion ban.

On the ambiguity of feminism, from the essay 'No Wave Feminism' by Charlotte Shane:

"The tension is long-standing and perhaps inevitable given that feminism is assumed to galvanise people under the banner of a gender rather than a shared ideological and moral commitment, as a formal organisation, like a political party or a local activist group would. There's no explicit platform for feminism because it's an idea, ownerless and atomised, based on the observation of one specific, persistent source of imbalance in a stunningly unfair world. It can be invoked (cynically or sincerely) by anyone, which is part of why it's been so easily co-opted by corporations who use superficial gestures of pro-woman sentiment for brand management, and by a mainstream media that anoints celebrities like Lena Durham, Taylor Swift, and Amy Schumer as the vanguard of righteous, pro-lady politics."

The essay 'Fat Demands' by Selina Thompson is an analysis of fatphobia as a feminist issue:

”In our society a fat body is one perceived as deeply out of control, as primitive, uncivilised, and animal. These are all things we are encouraged to despise and fear.

We enforce this othering with interrogation. Fat bodies are endlessly asked to explain themselves. Why? Why are you so fat? Why? Is it trauma? Did you eat too much? Not exercise enough? Is it depression? Your genes? The way you were raised? The labels on your food? Why?

Each question stands in for the real question: How do you fix it? And even that question stands in the place of the primary concern: How do I, the corporation, make money from fixing it? Or perhaps more accurately: How do I fail to fix it while making it look like I am succeeding and the failure is your fault?"

The essay ‘Representation as a Feminist Act’ by Aisha Gani is on minority representation and how it can be a slippery slope and should be mindfully handled with care as a feminist issue:

"For me, one of the most powerful motivations in being in the public sphere as a journalist is being reminded how a young person may see you and be inspired to dream their own particular dream. An intersectional feminist myself, I believe this is crucial. But at the same time, I see the ways in which representation can be a double bind. The way in which women of colour are expected to explain themselves to white feminists, sometimes even reinforcing the dominant perception, is where representation for representation's sake becomes problematic.

When we do anything remotely different, or are successful and perceived to be 'breaking stereotypes', we are thrust into a spotlight, but these stereotypes are placed on us by someone else. We then have to be ready with answers for the dominant group, who never have to explain themselves or their existence. There is an expectation that we have an emotional story, with exotic embellishments, about overcoming cultural or religious pressures and trauma, which we will then recount for the benefit of the white gaze.

The essay ‘Imperial Feminism’ by Afua Hirsch analyses cultural appropriation's particular impact on women of colour:

"The context is so significant a factor that this is not even about the hairstyles themselves, or Jamaican jerk chicken, now commonly served in restaurants with no Black owners or staff, or African print clothes, so often seen on the catwalks of European designers who continue to show little interest in using Black models. 'Ethnicity,' bell hooks reminds us, 'becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream culture.'

This type of rampant cultural appropriation is a symptom of a commodity culture within a capitalist system, with implications that are predominantly based on race and class. But it is consumption that has special consequences for women. 'When race and ethnicity become commodified as resources for pleasure,' writes hooks, 'the culture of specific groups, as well as the bodies of individuals, can be seen as constituting an alternative playground where members of dominating races, genders, sexual practices affirm their power-over in intimate relations with the Other.' "

The essay ‘The Machinery of Disbelief’ by Wei Ming Kam gave me sharp insight into the cruelty of the UK immigation system that I'd been blithely unaware of:

"As I learned more about the details of each visa that might allow her to stay and the policy decisions behind it, it became clear that despite mainstream feminism's general neglect of it, immigration is also a feminist issue.

How could it not be when the majority of immigrants arriving in the UK on much-sought-after Tier 1 category and Tier 2 work visas are men? How could it not be when those on the overseas domestic workers visas are mostly women?

The disparities in numbers of men and women immigrating in different categories matter because these visas differ hugely in terms of the rights they give to their holders.

Irony aside, the Home Office is making it as difficult as possible for the most vulnerable women (the majority of family migrants are women) to stay in the UK with their partners. Once it approves visas, it strips back non-EU partners' rights as a condition of their probationary residency. Making British citizens responsible for their non-EU partners is a state abdication of social responsibility, a conscious decision from a country that views particular non-citizens as both threatening and less-than, and one that leaves the vulnerable open to destitution and abuse."