After Beyoncé performed in front of a large backdrop that read “Feminist” at the 2014 VMA's the Internet had a bit of a crisis: finally, celebrities can be feminists too! But celebrities aren’t just feminists, they’re brand ambassadors for the movement, according to Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist.
Of course, Beyoncé is not the first female celebrity to identify herself as a feminist, but to many millennials, she is the first celebrity of their era to spearhead a movement that has otherwise been mired in controversy and confusion. Does feminism mean I hate men? Can one be feminine and feminist? Suddenly, the questions that flummoxed young women for decades seemed to have been erased by a pop singer in a black leotard.
Since this seemingly groundbreaking move, the celebrities that have "come out" as feminists has been numerous: Taylor Swift, Emma Watson, and Demi Lovato are just a few of the celebrities that have risen to the ranks of feminist prodigies. But what happens when feminism has become so entrenched in pop culture, that celebrities have become the only mascots for feminism worth talking about?
When Taylor Swift proudly identified herself as a feminist after years of eschewing the label, her “girl squad” became the ultimate expression of feminism. Many marveled over the diversity of her “squad,” but seemed to confuse the idea of having a female friend network with championing the political goals of the feminist movement.
But being a celebrity feminist comes with the caveat of being scrutinized for your version of feminism where there’s an imaginary checklist for feminist triumphs and a competition for whose feminism is the most inclusive. Countless listicles titled “best celebrity feminists” intimate that celebrity branded feminism is less of a political statement than it is a competition. This competition is perhaps best illustrated when Demi Lovato allegedly called Taylor Swift out on Twitter for her silence regarding Kesha’s assault by Dr. Luke when she tweeted, “I'm also ready for self-proclaimed feminists to start speaking out or taking action for women's rights.”
While celebrities can be effective brand ambassadors for the feminist movement, more often than not, they arrive at simplistic understandings of feminism, failing to use their influence to incite substantial change. The extent of celebrity feminism is calling oneself a feminist, and stopping there, demonstrating that their definition of feminism has no substance and at times, can be contradictory.
In her book "We Were Feminists Once", Andi Zeisler writes about the incongruity between celebrities’ actions and beliefs regarding feminism. She wrote that shortly after Emma Watson gave the famed He For She speech for the UN, she later announced her latest role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. The paradox of championing the feminist movement and then accepting classically sexist roles can be recognized for its ridiculousness, but serves as larger commentary on the celebrity-endorsed brand of feminism we have come to know and love. The commentary being, that their definition of feminism is often hollow and superficial. Moreover, Roxane Gay author of Bad Feminist wrote that although the He for She campaign was well meaning, “Emma Watson wasn’t saying anything feminists haven’t already said for more than 40 years.”
In this vein, celebrity branded feminism often regurgitates the same mainstream feminist ideas that have been rattled off for years, arriving at nothing new and novel about our current feminist movement, and failing to address serious issues that span beyond the hackneyed statement all celebrity feminists make: ”I’m a feminist because I believe women are equal to men.” This is certainly a good starting point for feminism, but the feminist movement doesn’t stop by simply identifying oneself as a feminist. Feminism is also a political movement, and when we give short shrift to championing and working to achieve its goals and aims, we arrive at a hollow version of feminism, a version celebrities seem to know best.
