Gender & Sexuality dictionary
white feminism
[wahyt fem-uh-niz-uh m]
What does white feminism mean?
White feminism is the label given to feminist efforts and actions that uplift white women but exclude or otherwise fail to address issues faced by minority groups, especially women of color and LGBTQ+ women.
Where does white feminism come from?
It tends to describe a brand of feminism largely practiced by white women that, while supportive of feminist ideals, might ignore the plight of minority or lesser privileged groups within the feminist movement. Examples could include a white woman telling a Muslim woman that she’s being oppressed by her religion, or a white woman dismissing concerns expressed by a Black woman.
The first two waves of feminism (the first dealing with suffrage, the second fighting for increased equality on all fronts) have sometimes been described as examples of white feminism because they were thought to primarily reflect the experiences and priorities of white women while not always addressing the specific concerns of women of color and LGBTQ+ women.
The phrase white feminism was used as early as 1986 in Paula Gunn Allen’s text Who is Your Mother? Red Roots of White Feminism. It continued to be used throughout the third wave of feminism (concerned with diversity, identity, and intersectionality) beginning in the 1990s. Writers like bell hooks notably wrote about the struggles faced by excluded groups, challenging white feminism.
White feminism experienced a major uptick in 2016–17, especially during the 2017 Women’s March protesting Donald Trump’s first presidency. Critics felt that many of its organizers and marchers, while well-intentioned, overlooked or undervalued the concerns of marginalized communities — concerns based on race, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
On the 3rd anniversary of the I realize that looks like she is from the future.
Happy Anniversary! s/o
— Kevin Banatte (@afroCHuBBZ)
Examples of white feminism
Who uses white feminism?
Of course, not every white woman who identifies as a feminist practices white feminism, but only white women engage in it.
White feminism is the LaCroix of social movements. No substance.
— I-love-my-friends-somuch (@Ilovemy85760014)
The counter-weight to white feminism ľ±˛őĚýintersectional feminism, which calls for total inclusion of different types of women within the feminist movement.
white feminism is the idea that things are good because I’m not oppressed while intersectional feminism is the idea that we still have a long way to go because, while I might not be oppressed, that doesn’t mean others aren’t. and we aren’t truly equal or free until everyone is.
— sai (@Saisailu97)
During the late 2010s, many think pieces were published about celebrities who were thought of as white feminists. Taylor Swift, Lena Dunham, and Miley Cyrus faced criticism for what some perceived as attacks on, tokenizing of, or cultural appropriation of women of color and queer women.
White feminism remains a bona fide academic term in sex, gender, feminist, and cultural studies.
Condemnation of “academic feminism” or what today we would call white feminism: feminism reliant on and benefiting from capitalist patriarchy at the expense of marginalized women.
— Writing in slow. (@jvinopal)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of white feminism like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of white feminism that will help our users expand their word mastery.