The Future of Feminism
Naomi Wolf recently had a fascinating piece in The Washington Post about “Who Won Feminism?” In essence it was a review of Jennifer Scanlon’s book Bad Girls Go Everywhere: The Life of Helen Gurley Brown (the longtime editor of Cosmopolitan). The article is itself a glimpse at the differences between second and third wave feminism. Or more accurately, the opposition between “intellectual, ideological, group-oriented feminism against Brown’s pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps, girl-power style.” And it is this individualistic third wave feminism that the article proclaims as the winner. As the author writes, “The stereotype of feminists as asexual, hirsute Amazons in Birkenstocks that has reigned on campus for the past two decades has been replaced by a breezy vision of hip, smart young women.” But as Wolf points out, both waves have their issues. While second wave feminism was too serious, intellectual, white, and tended towards anti-male tendencies, the third wave feminism lacks substance. Merely proclaiming girl power and being self-fulfilled do little to change the world. Wolf writes – “feminists are in danger if we don’t know our history, and a saucy tattoo and a condom do not a revolution make.” She calls for a synthesis of the two waves – a third way between the personal and the political aspects of feminism.
Having become a feminist, ironically enough, through my faith, this article intrigued me. There are aspects of both second and third wave feminism that I name and claim (so to speak), but I am not at home in either world. And given that the intellectual arguments of second wave feminists are just now being heard within certain parts of the church, which then attacks them as the worst form of depraved third wave feminism, this whole discussion exists on a different level for those of us within the church. I mean there are still men in the church who argue that women aren’t made in the image of God or that we have no identity apart from the headship of a male. It’s hard to argue that empowering women in the church will make us too individualistic when we still have our identity denied in certain sectors.
But I wonder if that very alienation from the conversation that Christian feminists face places us in the perfect spot to forge this third way? Can we let our faith that cares for justice and ending oppression temper both the anger and apathy of second and third wave feminism? We can take the good from the second wave that brings freedom and hope to the oppressed while rejecting their denial of the body and the joys of family. We can as image bearers learn from the third wave to be comfortable in our skin while not using it to humiliate and harm others. We who are are accustomed to personal devotions and Kingdom work can step right into a life-affirming feminism that is both personal and political.
Perhaps if we stop being afraid of the word, Christian feminists can define the future of the movement – redeeming and restoring into a timely and powerful force for good.
Tags: christianity, feminism
May 14th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Great thoughts, Julie. I like the idea of the third way… I also came to feminism via Christianity and find little tension between the core issues of both. However, I make my home in Christ, so there are tenets of all feminist waves that get in the way. Christian feminists (both women and men, like my husband) have a tremendous power to empower people inside and outside the church by offering an alternative to a dogma driven religious or feminist existence.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:19 am
So if it’s a third way between second and third wave feminism, does that make it 2.5 Wave Feminism?
May 18th, 2009 at 7:02 am
I just finished reading “A Feminist Ethic of Risk” by Sharon Welch–written by a feminist, about feminists (predominantly African-American), and about just this sort of feminism [2.5]. Well, actually, not specifically about feminism. But it’s about how we can engage cultural, social (and other) injustices from a communal place, from a place of hope & joy and relationship.
The middle section’s a little heavy on literary analysis (which I personally enjoyed, but know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea) but otherwise the book’s incredibly helpful in forming a hopeful, creative commitment to staring down injustice.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I like Naomi Wolf. She spoke at my graduation from a small, liberal-arts women’s college 10 years ago. And I had to LOL at “a saucy tattoo and a condom do not a revolution make.” As a member of the generation of “third-wave” feminism, I have to agree about the lack of substance. I hear quite often that it’s about “doing whatever makes you happy,” and not enough passion for justice for women around the world who are brutalized nor women in our own backyard who are marginalized and also victimized.
I hope that Christian feminists (even those who refuse to refer to themselves as such) and Christians in general will throw off their complacency and become more passionate for those on the margins of society, including those in our very own churches.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
As a third wave feminist who reads Jezebel on a fairly regular basis, I’m going to post this answer to all the people calling us a bunch of substance lacking airheads:
http://jezebel.com/5259328/the-f+words-faux-outrage-over-slutty-feminists-is-f+cking-hurting-america
I’m really really tired of being shamed by older feminists about the work that feminists of my generation are doing, as if they aren’t working at low paying (or wage nonexistent) jobs at nonprofits in order to make the world a better place, or blogging about issues that older feminists ignore(d), or are trying to negotiate the difficult reality that is heterosexuality on their own terms. And a lot of us third wave feminists are interested in bringing or trying to bring feminism into the church, if we can even get in the door.
May 5th, 2011 at 10:03 am
Only wanna remark on few general things, The website layout is perfect, the articles is real excellent : D.