Feminism is for Everybody is a feminist text by bell hooks, first published in 2000. Tracing its name, the idea of the book is to educate everyone, regardless of their caste, class, colour, and gender, about the importance of confronting sexism, both internal and external, and that’s what true feminism is.
The book is a good feminist text for readers, historians, and especially for men, who can be potential allies in the feminist movement if they let go of the sexism in them.
A new definition of feminism in hooks’s book
“Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.“
This is how hooks defined feminism in her book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Centre, around ten years before this book. hooks wanted this definition to become a common definition of feminism. This definition was directly attacking sexism, which, as per hooks, is the core of the problem. This definition did not show men as enemies but as a possibility that they can be equal participants in the feminist movement.
hooks further argues that slowly it is believed that political ideologies play no role in determining if one is feminist or not. It is believed that a woman can be conservative as well as feminist at the same time. hooks says that to eliminate such wrong beliefs, one needs to reclaim the original definition of feminism. She says,
“Feminist politics is losing momentum because the feminist movement has lost clear definitions. We have those definitions. Let’s reclaim them. Let’s share them. Let’s start over. Let’s have T-shirts and bumper stickers and postcards and hip-hop music, television and radio commercials, ads everywhere, and billboards, and all manner of printed material that tells the world about feminism. We can share the simple yet powerful message that feminism is a movement to end sexist oppression. Let’s start there. Let the movement begin again.“
The first step towards feminism: Attack internalised sexism
“Feminists are made, not born,” says hooks in her book. As per hooks, one slowly becomes a believer in feminism through choice and action. You are never born a feminist. Hooks says that to start your journey as a feminist, the first thing one has to do is confront internalised sexism. She gives the example of the Consciousness-Raising (CR) groups that women formed in the contemporary feminist movement. This meeting used to happen at any one woman’s house, and one by one, every woman used to confront their internalised sexism.
Through CR groups, women started challenging patriarchal forces at work and at home. She suggests that such a setting should also be for men since men can be the best allies if they confront and act against their sexism.
The banner contemporary feminist movement needs: Sisterhood is powerful
With the feminist movement proceeding further, some women have stopped believing sexism is the actual problem, says hooks. As per hooks, women across race and colour need to form a political solidarity to make this movement successful. hooks believes, women are forgetting the importance of sisterhood, and they need to be retaught. The young women should be told that we can achieve equality without dominating each other.
A feminist-informed fashion: The need of the hour
As mentioned in bell hooks’s book, early feminists challenged restrictions on the clothing of women, where they achieved victory to some extent. The movement emphasised self-love by women for their bodies. It also demanded a better approach to women’s health concerns, which were growing due to the pressure of beauty standards emphasised by the media.
hooks argues that while the feminist movement has been victorious in many fields, the fight against sexist beauty standards still goes on.
Decolonising feminism
As per hooks, women across the globe should come together considering their shared struggle against sexism. This idea of sisterhood should become a reality, acknowledging that different women have had different experiences, and the Western imposition of the experiences of white Christian women on everyone should not be accepted.
The intersection of race and gender is still important to the movement
bell hooks further talks about the importance of Black women’s voices in the feminist movement. In the initial stages, the movement remained centred on the struggles of white women, neglecting the experiences of women of colour. When Black women initially resisted this, they were not accepted very well. Still, the intersection of race and gender has made its way in theory but lacks in practice. There is a need for an anti-racist feminist movement. To sum up, we need sisterhood.
Patriarchal violence: A term that can effectively replace domestic violence
hooks provides us with a term called “patriarchal violence,” which means any form of violence that those who want to maintain their authority use to maintain the power structure. It can be by a husband on his wife, by a partner in a same-sex relationship, and by adults on their children. The term “domestic violence” connects violence with a private connotation.
However, it should be realised that more heinous murders and crimes against women happen in the houses. The term “patriarchal violence” provides the clarity that the above-mentioned forms of violence are connected with sexism.
The book is a good start in knowing hooks’s idea of feminism. It is a good read with simple and concise language to know the intersectionality of gender with race, class, religion, etc. The book keeps you engaged throughout. The book truly defines how sisterhood is still powerful.
