Culture, Feminism, Preen

Here’s an Easy, No-Jargon Guide to Feminism

BY Isabella Argosino

July 5, 2015
3:25 pm

Ah, feminism. It’s the gasoline that fuels centuries-old debates, and a revolution that has shaped the world we know today. Even Kim K. wants that ‘F’ label.

Much has been said and done about this ideological movement. And while it sparks a lot of blabber from “critics” who don’t even know what they’re talking about (cue: meninists), we’ve rounded up a list of culture classics and pop paraphernalia that do.

FILMS

Thelma and Louise

When it was released in the summer of 1991, the movie went down in #girlpower films history. But more than just encapsulating female badassery, it also successfully preaches its politics under the simple guise of two BFFs going on a road trip.

Starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, the plot revolves around two friends as they escape town and become outlaws after Sarandon’s character shoots a would-be rapist. It’s the perfect revenge film against exploitative men, and it’s the ladies who get the last word here.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Dubbed as a “Feminist Playbook For Surviving Dystopia,” the George Miller masterpiece surprises viewers with the focus on Furiosa, the one-armed bandit queen who leads the escape of an evil ruler’s sex slaves in search of a matriarchal promised land.

In their tracks, they leave behind a message that reads, “Women are not things.” While the film garnered a lot of praise, it also drew intense criticism from misogynists who attempted a boycott, citing it as a “feminist piece of propaganda posing as a guy flick.”

LITERATURE

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

It’s every woman’s guide to sexuality and its politics. Eve began an open discourse on issues that women were afraid to talk about in the ’90s like sex, rape, abuse, and menstruation. It’s what you’d expect from the woman whose politics was consulted for the latest Mad Max. While she wasn’t the first to raise concerns, she attracted a wider audience that academic jargon couldn’t.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
One of Neil’s most groundbreaking works features a world that thrives in the absence of patriarchy. There, the women are not defined by the lack of a father figure, as they are able to run a farm on their own while wielding powerful magic and kicking serious ass.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Its premise might sound cheesy now—no thanks to a surge of vampire novel disgrace—but Buffy saved the female TV protagonist from diving deep into her stereotypical pretty bimbo role. While its feminism isn’t perfect (come on, whose feminism is?), the show championed a complex portrayal of the female hero, who can be all emotional, kick-ass, professional, and flirty when she wants to.

Orange Is The New Black

This 2014 Netflix favorite boasts about a 10 to 1 ratio of female-to-male characters.The show’s a cultural touchstone for featuring what other shows have never told about women. OITNB celebrated female diversity—be it in looks, age, race, body type, and even sexual orientation. Litchfield Penitentiary is an estrogen playground.

MUSIC

Practically every Beyoncé song

You already saw this coming anyway. Almost all of Queen Bey’s albums are a feminist call to arms that are fierce from start to finish. Whether it’s sticking it to the haters, breaking standards for women of color, or showing everyone “who run the world,” it’s clear they don’t call her “Queen B” for nothing.

“21st Century Girl” by Willow Smith

She’s only 14 years old, but Willow is fast-becoming one of the leaders of modern feminism. When she’s not wearing her topless shirt, the singer reminds us what kind of woman we’re allowed to be in this modern day and age: “I set the boundaries/ rules don’t own me/ I’m living life on the edge,/ I choose my path.”

ART

Cut Piece by Yoko Ono

One of the earliest pieces of feminist art staged in 1964, performance artist Yoko Ono sat onstage and laid down a pair of scissors. The audience was invited to cut off any piece of her clothing. What started out with hesitant responses, ended on a more threatening note as her fabrics were tattered and torn, leaving her nearly bare. There, gender was directly addressed as Yoko was reduced to a sexual object rather than a subject of her art.

Petra Collins

Tavi Gevinson’s artist in crime, Petra famously dabbles with female nudity, image, and sexuality in everything she touches. She makes her viewers take stuff like pubic hair, period pains, and stretch marks at face value, without giving two fucks over what conservatives would think. After all, it’s reality—why don’t we face it?

Finish your servings of these, and you’ll find that feminism is a mix of varying views. From issues of identity to sexuality to personal hygiene to image, feminist politics simply aims to empower women, their choices, and their reality. Here’s the catch: it involves men, too.

At the end of the day though, feminism is not just about women. It’s about us all.

Art by Mon Tan