As a self-proclaimed feminist, I know that this movement gets a lot of backlash on its own. However, I still wanted to bring this issue into the light and make an attempt to stop this kind of "exclusive equality."
I want to preface this by stating the obvious – you can be white and be a feminist that is inclusive of all races, genders, etc. On the other hand, many celebrities who are part of this movement will only bring up the hardships of white people, thus leaving feminists of colors out of the loop, which is the exact opposite of what feminism is supposed to be about. Feminism is all about equality. In this day and age, POC, the LGBT+ community, and the disabled are included – and that's exactly how it should be. But this movement of white feminism is taking steps back instead of forward, and continuing to leave out anyone who isn't white, heterosexual, or cisgender. For example, many know the (sadly) age-old phrase: women make 82 cents to a man's dollar. This fails to mention that Black and Hispanic women make even less (69 and 60 cents, respectively), for every dollar a white man makes.
On top of this, many white feminists tend to mainly focus on the issues pertaining to Western white women. Yes, dress codes and cat-calling are obviously problems that need to be solved, but if you only focus on fixing the issues in your own society, other countries and cultures aren't going to get the extra help and attention that they need. Many celebrities who speak openly about feminism (Lena Dunham, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson, to name a few) know that their voices are being heard by thousands. Why don't they speak about the issues happening around the world, or what more marginalized groups have to go through? These actions, that they may not even realize have the effect that they do, are harmful and exclusive. (I know that these celebrities obviously don't mean to be hurtful, but I believe that they should choose their words carefully in order to be inclusive of everybody).
To sum it all up, feminism is a movement that I think everyone should support. However, many tend to only see this exclusionary form of so-called "equality" that instead creates obstacles that minorities have been trying to get across for the past 50 years. If you read this and realized that you fall into the category of being a white feminist, don't worry. There is a simple solution. Instead of projecting a warped version of feminism, simply support those who aren't in your exact same circumstances. It isn't that difficult.
