Feminists that walk the talk don't talk the talk


There is a barrier between feminist theory and the people who need it the most. This is something that academia needs to realize and amend. The strongest performers of feminism, that I know of personally, are women that don’t identify with feminism and feminist theory even though their lived experience says otherwise. These real-life feminist heroines that I speak of are women who enter disputes with their late husband’s families over their rightful inheritance that they need to raise their kids. I am talking about women who resist forced marriages to relatives after the passing of a spouse. The women who make ends meet against all odds and resist oppressive traditions are feminist champions that walk the talk having never talked the talk. However, if you speak to these women about feminism, they often misinterpret your views and have no interest in learning about feminism even though they represent everything that feminism is about. This means that there is a disconnect between the theory of what feminism is and the real-world application. That marginal error needs to be corrected if societal progress in favour of the feminist movement is to be made. This is often a class issue that is prevalent in academia. Many academic fields and humanities theories are exclusionary through language, access, and gatekeeping. Access to true feminist theory that properly explains the roots, purpose, and execution of feminism is often reserved for humanities students and those with access to specialists; be it through relationships, books, or digital content. Regular civilians often encounter feminism thirdhand through subjective interpretations and as a reaction to an injustice that has occurred. Only encountering feminism through tears and anger is not conducive to the acceptance and adoption that needs to be made by the masses. Gatekeepers also cripple the movement through weaponized outrage directed at women who do not conform to mainstream feminist ideals. To attack women for choosing to conduct their lives in a certain manner that you deem contrary to the feminist movement is self-defeating for a movement that is about self-determination and empowerment. The language used is often advanced and jargon-rich thereby causing those who encounter feminist material for the first time to be lost, finding it difficult to grasp concepts and ideas. This phenomenon, for first-time listeners, can cause them to lose interest in learning and appreciating feminism theory. It is easy to sit in conferences and condemn those with internalized misogyny, due to centuries of patriarchal indoctrination, get dopamine overloads over how much better than them we are; meanwhile we have not done anything to advance the movement or enlighten them, because that is the work that matters most. Preaching to the converted so you can get a resounding amen and a ‘pat on the back’ is futile and tantamount to mental masturbation. The people whom history will remember fondly are those who can explain to sister Gladys that she is in fact a hero to all women and her fight against her husband’s family is at the heart of what feminism is about. The face of feminism needs to be someone who the target audience can identify with, so the things that feminism is fighting for can be explained in a manner that they can easily relate to. My mother does not know what patriarchy or misogyny is, but she knows that if she had a daughter, she would teach her independence because the world is a harsh place for women. It is she and her peers that need the knowledge and platform that is hogged by academics and think-piece specialists that have had every opportunity that the world has to offer.

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