https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogCbwU4KGEY

Not that I see these as criticisms of Beyonce herself, but of a music industry which appears to contribute more than any other medium to defining women by their body parts.

I enjoyed the interview that you embedded at the bottom of this piece, but I bristled a bit at your use of the pronoun “they” when referring to “the patriarchy.” My understanding of the word patriarchy is that it refers to a system that in general privileges men over women, not a cabal of powerful people dictating our lives–not a “they” in other words. Online I’ve found that the misconception of “patriarchy” referring to a specific group of individuals leads many people to misunderstand feminist theory, and leads to the assumption that feminists are indeed “anti-man” even if it’s understood as “anti-some-men.” This can still be very alienating to some people, and I try to make it clear through the language I use that feminism does not oppose any *people*, but rather the gendered aspect of an oppressive system.

Its very sad that you don’t know the history of trans people. It is the radical feminist movement that has done more than anyone else to take away the rights and humanity of trans people. Sheila Jeffreys is responsible for the murders of more trans women than any street thug who commits them.

Today, because of the empowerment found in books and music and from people like yourself, and Laverne Cox, and many other strong trans women I follow on Twitter, I am comfortable not only accepting the label feminist but also wearing it as a badge of honour. I spent my entire life dealing with my own gender struggles and I have seen the bias first hand; call me feminist, I will simply smile at you and say “Damn right I am!”

What really emboldened me was that phone conversation where I was told that feminism was mine; it’s ours. No one gets to tell us we do not belong, regardless of our genders, our sexualities, our occupations, our work. As a former sex worker and trans woman, I understand your struggle — and thank you for sharing so openly.

Twitter, just like literature, has been such a resource for me as a young feminist. For me, there is no hierarchy in the sharing of information, truth and knowledge. Thank you for bringing this up. And yes, Beyonce is not above critique — none of us are. I believe in being a critical fan, in calling out Beyonce (out of love, and in the sake of pushing her to be better) for some of her work which does not necessarily align with my feminist principles (Jay-Z’s line in “Drunk In Love” for example).

Thanks Mark for sharing your own coming-to-age as a feminist. I, too, have always said I championed feminist ideals but wouldn’t necessarily label myself a feminist. I am glad that my journey and the work of so many others have led me to a feminist siblinghood with you!

Thanks for sharing your own journey with feminism. I think it’s vital that we share our experiences of coming to political awakening as people. And yes, you can embrace it all while fighting for equality + justice!

It’s awesome to hear that I’m not the only one to have found strength in that album and decided, in part due to it, that I will carry that label as my own. Thank you for your kind words as well.

Sheilah

The prof. challenged us to think about how we viewed feminism and it was because of her that I realized that while I never claimed the title or fully understood the label, I always held the belief that all individuals, regardless of gender identity or expression, should be treated equally and just both socially and politically.

So this may be your proclamation, you publicly claiming and embracing the term “feminism” but your work, your book, and your talks have shown your feminist perspectives all along.

You are a woman of the modern day! Pop culture has a lot of influence both socially and politically so anyone who decides to down play its importance, well they are out of touch with this generation.

Xo

Mark

The scholarly work will always matter. I think those outside of academia living their lives as feminists matter as well. It’s why I love reading the thoughts of the feminist women I follow on Twitter. We all need to see people walking the walk as well as talking the talk. It’s also is why I’m generally not here for people policing Beyonce’s feminism. We can question, critique, or engage her about it. However, saying “You can’t have this because you’re not worthy” is a problem.

Thank you so much for this research, Ethan. I will add it to the piece now!