It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly feminism achieved the attention it deserved from Hollywood.
Was it a year ago? Two years ago? Or 10 years ago? It’s hard to say. Regardless, feminism needed to be acknowledged in Hollywood because it does influence the public, in small and big ways.
However, there comes a certain point in time where you must realize that celebrities, actors, and actresses, singers harm the foundation that feminism stands firm on.
A lot of times it seems that stars use feminism only when it benefits them. I find that they feel most comfortable calling themselves feminists to either fit the “fad”, or to detract from the negative attention they may be receiving.
If that’s not the case, then they use feminism by twisting and morphing the actual meaning of the term. Coining yourself as a feminist means that you advocate for equality for both men and women.
So why is it that when a woman critiques another woman, that automatically means they are pitting women against each other, that they are anti-feminism?
If I feel that a woman is in the wrong, that she disrespected someone or an idea, or anything, and I critique her, I am not critiquing her strictly because she’s a woman. I’m critiquing her because I felt that she was either dishonest or downright wrong. If the sexes were switched, or if the person did not identify with any gender, I would still criticize them because I found them disrespectful. Not because of anything else.
From my point of view, it appears that celebrities enjoy this narrative. If one female star criticizes another female, even if it may be true, the “critiquee” can easily say:
“Why are you letting the press, pit us against each other?”
Completely ignoring the original issue.
My fear with Hollywood and feminism is that Hollywood makes it seem as if women can never be wrong, that’s incredibly dangerous. Especially since we live in a world where pure and true feminism is needed more than ever.
Perhaps in Hollywood, those mindsets and narratives work. However, in my world, my world as a college student, while also being a minority woman and feminist, that narrative is dangerous. It can easily destroy and demolish the strong standing of feminism.
It becomes even more threatening when the stars that make those comments and brand themselves as feminists don’t necessarily do something to help the feminist movement. Just by calling themselves feminists and posting a 140-character word tweet they feel as if they have done their part.
I look to Taylor Swift as an example. She considers herself a feminist, but in 2016 and now 2017, the whole world saw her stay oddly quiet as the United States lost its balance and fell.
Perhaps, we, the rest of the world, are wrong for looking to her as a spokesperson for feminism when there are arguably better alternatives.
Yet I couldn’t help but feel cynically amused when I saw her Women’s March tweet and wondered where her presence was. Or how she didn’t denounce one candidate over the other. I wondered why I cared. Then I realized, it was because she was one of those stars, who will take the name but not play the game.
Maybe she does so behind the scenes. She could be doing a lot more than the public sees. However, in the era we live in, seeing things out in the open rather than behind closed doors, is much better for the public than the contrary.
I am feminist, and I’m proud to be one. Yet, I find I’m not proud of the feminism Hollywood promotes.
