The list of celebrity feminist has just been growing- Emma Watson, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Viola Davis, Natalie Portman, Priyanka Chopra. And now, we find ourselves in a world with two groups on the extreme ends, one that wants to do everything to acquire the title of feminist, and one that want nothing to do with it.
Some of these celebrities are actually doing some good work. Take Beyoncé, for example. She runs The Sugar Mamas, a band that employs only women. She’s also a cofounder of Chime for Change, an organization that funds projects to advance women’s rights around the world. She also penned an essay for The Shriver Report on the gender pay gap, backed a campaign promoting girls’ leadership called Ban Bossy, and frequently writes songs celebrating women’s empowerment (for example, “Run the World (Girls),” “Independent Women Pt. 1,” and “***Flawless”).
However, sometimes, feminism just becomes a shield to guard not so feminist actions. For example, the recent gaslighting incident of Priyanka Chopra. It is a clear example of how celebrities calling themselves a feminist doesn’t make them one.
However, sometimes, feminism just becomes a shield to guard not so feminist actions. For example, the recent gaslighting incident of Priyanka Chopra. It is a clear example of how celebrities calling themselves a feminist doesn’t make them one.
There is nothing wrong with celebrities claiming feminism and talking about feminism. If anything, it broadens the message of gender equality and reduces the stigma around the feminist label. But it could become an issue when we start to glorify the celebrity feminism, instead of focusing on the actual feminist work that needs to be done. When you use the word feminist in your brand, and don’t actually take any action to do anything about gender inequality, then embracing the title just becomes an excuse to stand still. Feminist isn’t just a title; feminism is a movement that requires action.
Also read: Priyanka Chopra Called Out For Her Hypocritical “Peace Activism”
Roxanne Gay, author of Bad Feminist, in her own post for The Guardian, says, “So long as we continue to stare into the glittery light of the latest celebrity feminist, we avoid looking at the very real inequities that women throughout the world continue to face.” There are issues faced by women worldwide that need to be tackled. Celebrity feminism brings out one aspect of it. It makes it easy for people to identify with these gender issues. But the work that celebrities put out also cater to certain audience.
There are issues faced by women worldwide that need to be tackled. Celebrity feminism brings out one aspect of it. It makes it easy for people to identify with these gender issues. But the work that celebrities put out also cater to certain audience.
Like intersectionality says, feminism is not a straight road. People coming from different class or region would have different problems. It is not to say that the issues that we see in the mainstream media are not valid. But we have to understand that media generally comes from a place of privilege, and unprivileged voices often go unnoticed.
Also read: Gaslighting: Priyanka Chopra And Her Not So Good Will
So, we need to understand that although celebrity feminism is a part of it, that is not all feminism stands for. Feminism is not just a buzzword. It is a movement that has spent decades working for equality of women. Celebrities, and hence their fans, owning up feminism is a beginning of the movement in the present scenario. Let’s not make it the end.
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