As a woman, one cannot deny that I face patriarchal oppression, but I am also white, straight and able-bodied. The reality is that there are women across the world who are being oppressed in more ways than one. Women of color (WOC), disabled women and LGBT+ women all face a double jeopardy situation that further prevents them from achieving equality with men.
Intersectionality illustrates the way that people face discrimination due to race, class and gender and how these discriminations overlap. According to the American Association of University Women, in 2014, white women earned 78 percent of what white men earned, while African American women earned 63 percent and Hispanic and Latina women earned only 54 percent of white men’s earnings.
What many white women refuse to acknowledge is that our experiences are in no way equal to those of more marginalized groups. “White feminism” is a set of beliefs through which the issues of WOC are excluded. Though white feminism does not include all white women who are feminists, the vast majority of those who do support these beliefs are white women with no recognition of the advantages they hold in society because of their race.
An incident involving Taylor Swift is one of the more well-known examples of white feminism. Though Swift has not hesitated to show her support for the feminist movement, her disregard of racial issues has been problematic. In July 2015, rapper Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” music video was not nominated for MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, while Swift’s “Bad Blood” video ended up taking home the win.
Minaj expressed her disappointment on Twitter, stating that the contributions of black women to pop culture are often overlooked. Swift then directly contacted Minaj.
“I’ve done nothing but love and support you,” Swift said. “It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot.”
Swift centered the situation around herself, and in typical white feminist style, cut off an important conversation about race. Minaj, who was trying to bring light to racial discrimination in the music industry, was silenced by her white counterpart.
I’ll admit it: it can be difficult to remind myself of the adversity faced by others when it does not affect me directly. The oppression of others is not always easy to see. Those holding privileges in society, including myself, must train ourselves to be aware of these injustices.
If we refuse to acknowledge the additional oppression of WOC, LGBT+ women and other marginalized groups, equality can never be achieved. True feminism encompasses all types of women. It acknowledges their experiences and the adversity they’ve faced, and it acknowledges the privilege of many white women at the head of the movement.
– By Sara Heilman