This week Women’s Agenda published an article that touched on the mainstreaming of feminism thanks to Beyoncé, one of many celebrities now lending their names to the cause in a way that introduces feminism to an entire up-and-coming generation who might have otherwise rejected it as unnecessary.
The point made by Conrad Liveris, the author of the piece – who I am acquainted with and very fond of – was that feminism is not a fashion statement or a fad, but about getting results to help produce sustainable gender equality.
I too was at the brilliant event run by the Foundation for Young Australians in Melbourne on the weekend. I was a speaker in the workshop, which Conrad was moderator of, entitled ‘Who Run The World? Girls!’ – a brilliant, rather ‘cool’ title for a workshop about some rather empowering and inspiring women’s initiatives.
Come Q&A time I was blown away by the calibre of questions from our young and almost entirely female audience, questions that centred on feminism and its accompanying challenges.
“Do you think men can be feminists?”
“How do you talk about feminism without scaring people off?”
“What can we do to make a difference?”
Pertinent questions, all largely revolving around how to make feminism seem more appealing, to as many people as possible.
I’m loathe to refer to the mission for gender equality as a ‘battle’ or a ‘fight’ – this is language people on the outskirts of feminism often recoil from – but if we look at it through such a lens it’s impossible not to acknowledge that a two-pronged ‘attack’ is surely the soundest strategy.
Of course, sustaining the movement is integral. But commitment to the cause has never been an issue for feminism: Once you start to notice the imbalance between genders it is virtually impossible to ever go back to not noticing them.
The PR problem of feminism has been much lamented and oft debated, but it is a problem that is finally being solved for us by celebrities like Beyoncé, Lena Dunham, Amy Poehler and even the controversial Miley Cyrus.
Girls look up to these women – for every one of them that declares herself a champion for her gender there is a hoard of potential future change-makers watching her and nodding along. A small push is all that is required, because whatever the gateway, once these young women step through the door of feminism it is unlikely that they will back out – instead, a mainstream introduction to the movement is likely to lead them down their own personal rabbit-warren of women’s rights that will see them finding their own way to make a difference.
Sustainability is not and never has been feminism’s primary issue, but being ‘cool’ may finally lead to the realisation of its mission.