The Space Race

JGL. Feminist. Image: Dorothy

Since Beyonce has announced her feminism Taylor Swift has realised that feminism is not a girl vs boys playground fight but a great way to court publicity, while fighting for equality. She's not the only one, recently a number of celebrity men have aired their feminist views, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ryan Gosling are among the young Hollywood set who happily discuss their support of equal rights and feminism. However, considering many a feminist has been hostile to Beyonce's feminism you might be wondering if, when a woman of colour is not accepted because she's too married, too private and too glitzy, we can possibly accept a high profile male getting on the feminist bandwagon... 

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Now, it is well known that a lot of high profile feminists feminism doesn't match up. It's why we have the current TERF wars and SWERF issues. It means that there is a lot of valid debate and nitpicking within the movement. It means that many groups are very protective of the ideology/ies and such division results in high levels of a form of protectionism. It's why many feminists have rejected, or been cynical about Beyonce's declaration of feminism. She got it from YouTube videos you know, rather than enrolling in a women's studies MA programme. You know she still wears sequins cut to HERE right? And she chose to call her last tour after her married name. I even bet she shaves. I just, I can't even...

It seems there isn't much room for Beyonce in the world of feminism. Using her platform to constantly talk about it and introduce it to young women and men who otherwise would only hear the term feminism in negative tones is somehow invalid apparently. 

So women feminists are really going to lay into the men praising feminism, right? Well there is some debate over whether a man can call himself a feminist (yes) or only a pro-feminist (eurgh). But what we are dealing with here are men who refer to themselves as feminists. 

It's good to get excited about men displaying an interest in feminism and even better to see them try to act on it, beyond just saying how much they love their mother.

In an interview recently Joseph Gordon-Levitt told the slightly breathless Time Magazine: "What [feminism] means to me is that you don't let your gender define who you are - you can be who you want to be, whether you're a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever. However you want to define yourself, you can do that and should be able to do that, and no category ever really describes a person because every person is unique."

Gordon-Levitt cannot really help that Time Magazine described this as an "incredible definition of feminism". When John Legend said: "If men care about women's rights the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered - it leads to a better society." He might not have anticipated the congratulatory response from the feminist media (it's worth noting that Legend has been active in fundraising for Chime for Change, a charity that aims to improve women's lives across the world). Ryan Gosling perhaps didn't think that speaking positively about his ex-girlfriends and his mother would result in a feminist meme frenzy. 

It's good to get excited about men displaying an interest in feminism and even better to see them try to act on it, beyond just saying how much they love their mother. Feminism is right to allow them into the feminist circle, provided male feminists understand the concept of respecting space and lived experience. 

It's not so good to give these men a free ride with their perhaps slightly under-examined feminism but tell Beyonce there's no space for her in feminism. 

Squeamish Kate