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I’m confident that I’m a “good” feminist.
I’ve spent years fighting an intersectional fight for women’s rights. I’ve marched, blogged, and crafted campaigns to advance equality for marginalized people around the world. And I’m committed to growing and expanding my idea of feminism into one that’s more inclusive, radical, and far-reaching.
But I am not every shade of feminism. And I am not perfect.
I’ve made mistakes, found myself at odds with the mainstream feminist movement, and done work that doesn’t always align with what people think of when they think of “good feminists.”
We’re feminists, but we’re not all the same. And we sure as hell aren’t always going to fit what the ideal of a “good feminist” is.
We’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to veer from the mainstream. And we’re going to take our own pathways to educating ourselves, organizing and rallying, and immersing ourselves in the movement.
And that’s okay.
A lot of times, the feminist movement and media at large seem really interested in “good feminism.”
You’ve probably seen it yourself: Is Miley Cyrus a good feminist? Does liking a certain musician or movie make you a bad feminist? Is it possible to be a feminist and also like xyz?
And what these questions do – what they’re really saying and what they make us believe – is that there is only one way to a feminist, and especially to be a good one.
But that isn’t true.
If any of these five statements apply to you, someone may have accused you of being a “bad feminist.” And that’s bullshit.
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