Words by: Teddy, Ngāpuhi (he/xe/it/ia)
In the 1960’s, second wave feminism became a thing that happened. White women all over the world were campaigning for equal rights, but as usual, they forgot that they’re not the only kind of women.
Second wave feminism expanded on the debate that women were having surrounding equal rights, discussing sexuality, domesticity, reproductive rights and women’s spaces in the workplace. The feminist movement has been dominated by white women’s voices throughout its tenure, and second-wave feminism tends to focus on the lives of middle-to-upper-class cishet white able-bodied women, ignoring the large portion of women who are not those things. The truly radical, intersectional activism of the time suffered erasure at the time, and from our shared histories.
This is true, even for Aotearoa. In the 70’s and moving towards the 80’s, Aotearoa saw major social movements surrounding feminism, and around the place of Māori and people of colour in Aotearoa’s colonised society.
(Side note: it’s been noted many times that Māori women have been involved in feminism as far back as 1840, when at least three wāhine were involved in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which was dope because it was at a time where England didn’t care about women.)
By the 70’s, though, when second wave feminism was at a peak and the women of Aotearoa were rallying, wāhine Māori and white women began to branch off from one another, as they were moving towards different goals. White women’s interpretations of feminism were influenced by that of the UK and USA, drawing primarily on their ideals and values, (sexuality, reproductive rights, workspaces, etc.,) whereas Māori women were building upon Mana Wāhine, which is a movement that takes into account sexism, racism, colonialism, class and politics, which fuels their drive for change.
I’m not trying to say here that Mana Wāhine is better than traditional feminism, but also that’s exactly what I’m trying to say. Feminism needs to be refocused into a holistic lens that isn’t concentrated on the West, because feminism that is for women who are minorities, is feminism for every woman.
Second-wave feminism was a great start, and of course we’ve moved on to bigger and better things now, with third-wave feminism popping up in the 90’s. Third-wave started to shine the light on intersectionality worldwide, seeing the unfolding of modern feminist movements like transfeminism, postmodern feminism, sex positivity and more. Nowadays, we’re listening to Black and queer feminist ideals, and focussing on broadly dismantling gender inequality and the structures that uphold it.
Though feminism is getting better at embracing women that aren’t the West’s idea of “normal,” (eg: anyone that isn’t a white able-bodied cishet woman,) there’s still so much work to do. TERFs are popping up all over the place nowadays, and with transmisogyny at a high, (just look at what happened at the Olympics), it’s more important now than ever to remind our trans sisters, especially those who aren’t white, that we love them and that women’s rights are rights for them as well.
Aotearoa, much like the rest of the world, still has a lot of work to do in terms of the decolonisation of feminism. So! If you’re looking for ways to decolonise and “intersectionalise” your feminism, look no further! Here are a few ways to be better allies towards all women:
Use your privilege to uplift those who have less than you.
The more privilege you have, the more you need to listen. Donate your time, (and your money,) to those who need it. People will often join movements, and then leave most of the work to marginalised groups by being ignorant.
Learn how to cope with your guilt.
As someone who has transitioned and passes as a man, I must acknowledge that I now, at least on a surface level, have privilege over a lot of women. And yeah, that makes me feel shitty. But it’s not a woman’s job to make me feel better, it’s my job to help dismantle the system that has given me that privilege in the first place. (This goes for everyone, btw! Men, yes, but also white women who have historically required a lot of emotional labour for WOC to explain their suffering to.)
Don’t be complacent in a system which allows people to suffer.
Feminism is not the same for everyone: for some, it’s an act of defiance, it’s radical, it’s dangerous. To truly uphold feminism, you have to be willing to understand its intersections. It's not enough to simply advocate for marginalised women, you have to educate yourself on them and their struggles as well. Learning and unlearning never stops in the dismantling of a patriarchy; embrace it.
Comentários