It’s a Sunday night and I’m, as usual, sitting on my phone scrolling through Youtube. I come across a video by one of my favorite YouTubers, Estee LaLonde. It’s a #FemTalk all about the books she’s been reading lately. I excitedly click on it and listen closely. As I continue to watch the video I slowly get more and more disappointed. She pulled out book after book by the White Women of our time. She discussed Lean In, Not That Kind of Girl, #Girlboss, and etc. I was suddenly so aware of how White her feminism was, how White my feminism was until recently, and how dangerous this White Feminism is.

I am a white woman. There’s no denying that. My Irish-Scottish skin is white as a piece of paper and turns bright red after just a few hours in the sun. Even so, I am also proudly Latina. I am the proud daughter of an immigrant. Raised by my Abuelos while my mami worked her ass off each day in the Bronx. My first language was Spanish and my middle name is Bonita, no matter how much I denied it when I was younger.

Living in a predominantly and unapologetically White town for most of my life, the majority of what I read, saw, and listened to was by White People. I took these stories and related to them because they were what I had. Recently, I’ve realized that there are other stories out there for me to relate to. There are people out there like me. There is Latinx media that I can read, see, listen to.

I’ve realized and internalized that white women, black women, Latina women, East Asian women, Middle Eastern women, Indian women, Trans women, lesbian women, bisexual women, all women, really, move through this world differently. We all start at different places and occupy different spaces because of something we can’t control. Each of our experiences in this world are different and complex. And this is important. And there is no need to try simplify this. There is no need to condense, package, and present our feminism as the same because it isn’t.

"Much of intersectionality is about acknowledging that everyone's identities affect them in different ways; your ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic status, ability, and a range of other characteristics are inextricably tied to the way you exist in the world."

I’ve found POC and Latinx women that I can relate to and look up to. I’ve committed myself to reading more Latinx authors. I’ve committed myself to listen to podcasts that aren’t just by White Men (shoutout to The Unfriendly Black Hotties). I’ve committed myself to diversifying my newsfeed both with the people I follow and the content that I share.

Jasmine Cephas Jones. Gina Rodgriguez. Simone Biles. Jenny Lorenzo. Renee Elise Goldsberry. Phillipa Soo. Elizabeth Acevedo. Roxane Gay. Beyonce Knowles. Audra McDonald. Laurie Hernandez. Leslie Jones.

I've committed to making my feminism intersectional. I've made my feminism intersectional because if it isn't intersectional then is it really feminism? The definition of feminism "is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." So, if we're not advocating for ALL women, then what exactly are we doing?

By making my feminism intersectional I'm not undermining my own struggles as a white, Latina woman. Rather, I'm acknowledging the different struggles of women of all different races, sexual orientations, ethnicities, gender expressions, and socioeconomic statuses. I'm making myself aware of the wide and varied reach of the patriarchy in order to understand how to better smash it, for everyone.

This isn't to say that I won't watch anymore of Estee's videos. This isn't a personal attack on her or her videos. This isn't to say that because she hasn't recognized her White Feminism she's automatically evil. Simply, this video is an example of the issue of White Feminism in the feminist community. It was a catalyst that got me thinking about the importance of intersectionality.

This is just to point out how easy it is slip into this dangerous pattern of White Feminism, even if you're Latina, Asian, etc. This is also to point out how dangerous White Feminism is. How dangerous it is to assume that every woman moves through the world exactly the same. How dangerous it is to assume that every woman experiences oppression in the same way. Women of color, queer women, trans women, and lower class women all experience multiple forms of oppression at once. To ignore all of those other factors that affect how the patriarchy and oppression are manifested in the lives of different women is not okay, even toxic.

I hope that I've inspired you to make your feminism more intersectional, too. To read Lean In (or maybe don't), but to also read Bad Feminist, and Women Hollering Creek: And Other Stories. To retweet Gloria Steinem's tweets, but also to like Jazzy Jones' Instas and laugh at Jenny Lorenzo's 'abuelita' videos.

I hope that from now on you embrace your sisters, whether they be black or white, Latina or Filipino, lesbian or pansexual. I hope that this inspires you to see the beauty in inclusion, the beauty in diversity, and the beauty in intersectionality.