Expand your feminism

We all know about Susan B. Anthony, but do you know Alice Paul? Gloria Steinem? What about Emma Goldman or Mary Wollstonecraft?

There are so many different feminist writers and thinkers who were key to the early feminist movements. We can’t just focus on one or two to get our ideas about feminism.

We must expand our knowledge of these women to expand our definition of feminism.

The women listed above represent only a few of many incredible thinkers and reformists. Each one of them had different views and different ways of going about change. Learning about both their ways of thinking and their personalities will greatly increase our understanding of feminism.

We were given an over-simplified version of the feminist movements. Most of us have probably heard of Susan B. Anthony, the face of the Suffrage Movement of the United States.

Voting rights is probably the thing that you think of when you hear feminist movement. Maybe you think of the sexual revolution of the 1970s.

What if I told you that there was so much more to the feminist movements than what you have been taught.

First, let me establish that there are many different feminist theories and theorists to go along with them. There is Liberal Feminism (the one that most people would consider themselves), Radical Feminism, Marxist Feminism and Anarchist Feminism to name a few. These theories and ways of thinking were essential to propelling feminist movements forward, as well as creating discussion between the theories.

The feminist movements, or waves, as most people know them, are so much more nuanced than what we are taught. The first wave is mostly known for the suffrage movement, but there was also a sexual revolution that was taking place at the same time. This movement is usually attributed to the movement in the 1960s and 70s, but it was happening in the decades before that.

Marxist Feminism looks to “fix” class oppression, which would then “fix” gender oppression. These theories are often not mentioned in classes, or they are mentioned briefly without digging deeper.

Many times, there are events or people left out of discussions of feminist movements, but these events and people are essential to fully understanding the concept of feminism and what it means. It has many different definitions, and even thinkers within the feminist movements disagree and have their own separate definitions.

And each theory is not a one-size-fits all. You could follow Liberal Feminism but adopt certain aspects of Radical Feminism to create your own personal feminism. But this can only happen if you understand the different theories.

I encourage everyone reading this to look into the different theories or women mentioned and further your knowledge of feminism.