What Kind of Feminist Are You?

A Short But Comprehensive Summary

Most people are feminists, whether they identify as one or not. A lot of people seem to believe that there is some kind of grey area between feminist, and sexist, where you can peacefully reside without worrying about the minefield that is gender politics. But actually, it's incredibly easy. If you believe that women are people, then you are a feminist. If you believe that women are mindless wind up toys who exist only to pleasure men, then you are sexist.

Because there are so many women and men who previously have had no idea that they were in fact, a feminist, I thought I might just leave a quick list on the types of feminism below. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I have previously don't great research to check that my facts were okay. Below is my no means all of the types of feminism, but they are the main types of feminism, and the ones that you, dear readers, are more likely to identify with. Enjoy xx

Liberal Feminist: Liberal feminism focuses highly on individual assumptions - that a specific woman should not be paid less than a specific man. It works within mainstream culture and society, without trying to change the patriarchal aspects of that society. They are renowned for "getting little done amongst the compromises until some radical movement shows up". One of the main criticisms of liberal feminism, is that the individualist assumptions mask the underlying social constructs and values which disadvantage women as a whole - meaning that even if individual women are not dependent on individual men, they still depend on a patriarchal state. It was described as offering women "a piece of the pie as currently and poisonously baked" by Catherine MacKinnon, a social activist. It has also been noted that mainstream liberal feminism reflects predominantly or only the values of middle class, white women and basically ignores other demographics.

Radical Feminist: Largely considered to be the window movers of the feminist movement, radical feminism has been the breeding ground for many feminist ideas. Radical feminism attempts to challenge and ultimately overthrow the patriarchy by opposing standard gender roles, and oppression of women. It calls for an entire re-order of society. However, radical feminism has been accused of being trans-phobic, as it does not accept gender roles, it does not accept the idea of changing gender easily as they do not believe there is any difference in the first place. A popular criticism of this strand of feminism argues that it provides a victim mentality amongst young women. Instead of promoting strength in women, it promotes the image of women as victims. Susannah Breslin wrote "[Radical] feminism claims to be about empowerment. In fact, over the years, it has increasingly devoted itself to promoting the image of women as victims. Victims of men, pop-culture, sexism, discrimination and other women.

"I" Feminist (new wave?): Ifeminists, or individualist feminists stay that the feminist slogan "a woman's body, a woman's right" should apply to every peaceful decision a woman can make. They respect all sexual choices, from motherhood to pornography. Ifeminists believe that freedom and diversity benefit women, even if the choices they make are not politically correct. Some scholars comment that the label feminist is often used cynically in this group, as a way to support feminism without actually being a part of the mainstream feminist movement.

Cultural Feminism: As radical feminism fades more into the ether of time, cultural feminism has spun from its legacy. In fact, many still use the name "radical feminism". Oddly enough, the difference between the two is striking - whereas radical feminism moved to transform society, culture feminists retreat into vanguardism, working to build a women's culture. This has had some social benefits, such as rape crisis centres. However, because cultural feminism is based on a view of the differences between men and women, it has led some feminists to retreat from public politics to an individual lifestyle.

Marxist feminism: This sub-genre focuses on the social institutions of capitalism to explain gender inequality. According to Marxist-feminists, public property gives rise to economic inequality and oppression. They believe that this is the root of women's oppression in the current social context. Gayle Rubin criticised Marxism for incomplete analysis of sexism under capitalism, without dismantling the principles. Radical feminists took issue with this strand of feminism, claiming that modern society and constructs were created by men and so have "patriarchal character." The best solution, they argue would to treat patriarchy, not as a result of patriarchy but as it's own problem.

I hope that somewhere in the above list you found yourself, but take note that it is only a short list of the most prominent forms of feminism. No one needs to subscribe entirely to the ideals of a single strand of feminism, and there is no need to entirely label yourself as such. Enjoy

Bella xx