What is intersectional feminism?

Many feminists believe feminism only supports gender equality, however, this often leads to one sided and biased feminism, also known as "white feminism." However, intersectional feminism believes quite the opposite. Intersectionality believes that feminism should be body positive, anti racism, anti ableism, anti classism, and LGBT+ inclusive, and recognizes that different groups face different issues that all affect each other, and that all issues should be addressed. For example, a WOC (woman of color) can both experience racism and sexism, while a caucasian woman is oppressed as a woman, but not oppressed as a caucasian.

The History of Intersectionality

The concept of intersectionality became popular in the late 1960's. The movement became especially common, as women of color were often excluded from the feminist movement at the time. Initially, the intersectional movement only incorporated racial issues in feminism as well as gender issues, however, as the movement spread, it expanded among many issues, and the intersectional concept began to include more social systems. Today intersectionality includes body positivity, anti racism, anti ableism, LGBT+, and anti classism.

The concept of intersectionality theory was coined by legal scholar and intersectional feminist Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. Crenshaw incorporated black feminism into her work, or the belief that the sexism women of color face is affected by their race and that a white woman cannot experience the same kind of sexism. In the 1990's, more social systems were incorporated into intersectionality when sociologist Patricia Hill Collins adapted the idea of intersectionality, arguing that different kinds of oppression were not just interrelated but bound together by social systems such as race, gender, class, and ethnicity. This means that all form oppression can affect each other.

The Principles of Intersectionality

Intersectional feminism and regular feminism are quite different. Intersectionality opens up your feminism to a wider range of people. It seems simple, however there are some standards you must follow to enforce intersectionality.

Understand your privilege. There is nearly always an area in which you are not oppressed. (ie: white privilege, male privilege, straight privilege, able bodied privilege, etc)
Don't just include gender related issues in your feminism. Incorporate other issues as well, as these issues are all linked.
When promoting female empowerment, don't just represent white, straight, CIS, skinny, able-bodied women. Empower women of all races, ethnicities, body-types, religions, and sexualities.
Don't bash women for doing things like wearing makeup, getting dressed up, or being feminine. However, eliminate the stereotype of women getting dressed up for men. Enforce the idea that women are independent and do not depend on the approval of men.
Fight against stereotypes of all social. Men do not have to be masculine. Women do not have to be feminine.
Although intersectional feminism promotes female strength and independence, don't exclude men from feminism. To spread feminism worldwide, we must get the most people possible to advocate feminism.

Why is Intersectional Feminism important?

Many feminists argue that intersectional feminism divides us as women, however true intersectional feminism does not exclude privileged feminists, but recognizes the "one size does not fit all" factor in feminism.

One of the biggest feminism issues in is domestic violence. However intersectional feminism acknowledges that some people are much more likely to experience domestic violence, such as women, people of color, the LGBT+ community and people with disabilities. Plus, in many cases, wealth privilege shields certain people from domestic violence. Time.com emphasizes how black women are much more likely to face domestic violence, "Black women are almost three times as likely to experience death as a result of DV/IPV than White women. And while Black women only make up 8% of the population, 22% of homicides that result from DV/IPV happen to Black Women and 29% of all victimized women, making it one of the leading causes of death for Black women ages 15 to 35. Statistically, we experience sexual assault and DV/IPV at disproportionate rates and have the highest rates of intra-racial violence against us than any other group"

The overall goal of intersectionality is to live in a world where someone's gender, body, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality is not held against them. With intersectional feminism we can achieve that goal, therefore it is necessary to have as many people as we can to support the movement.

What is Intersectional Feminism?

Vanessa V.

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