“Feminist” – Time for a new word(s)….
August 3, 2009
by Amy Siskind
|Last November, I wrote a piece for this blog titled “Feminist” – Take it back, or Leave it back???. The piece drew over 100 comments with varying points of view and suggestions for alternative names. At the time, the rationale for the piece was a poll commissioned by Tina Brown of The Daily Beast which found:
Only 20% of women are willing to use the word “feminist” about themselves. Only 17% of all voters said they would welcome their daughters using that label.
I wrote a piece for The Huffington Post in June about the next wave of feminism, including the need for updated words:
It’s not your mother’s feminism. In fact, it’s so revolutionary that the word “feminism” is being updated.
In response to this article, my inbox was flooded with emails from women and men thanking me. A New York Times and international bestselling author wrote me to say:
Thank you! I’ve been thinking for some time now that we need a new word to replace feminism. You’ve definitely put us on the right track with your definition.
Further evidence came our way in July. A demographic that we would have thought to be the natural constituents for keeping the term “feminist” — women over 40 (mostly white and college educated)– instead had negative associations with the term and thought “feminist” carried significant baggage.
We all know the importance of words. Let’s think about it: the brilliance of “pro-life” or “a bridge to the 21st Century” or “family values.” And updating a word does not, I repeat does not, change the intensity or desire of this organization to move forward and be a voice for all women as we make our country better for the next generation. No, rather it means we want to update and freshen up words as part of our work together to attract the masses to women’s advocacy, as well as encourage young women to join for the first time.
Now we need your help to make history together! We need a replacement term for “feminist”. Something original and inspiring. Something positive and inclusive. It can be a word, or more than one word.
Please leave your suggestions in the comment area below, or email your suggestions to editor@thenewagenda.net.
Finally, we want to express our deepest thanks and gratitude for all the hard work and dedication of our sisters before us who have taken us to where we are today. The freedoms that we enjoy in every day life did not come without significant sacrifice from those of past generations. Onward!
Pro-woman. ALL WOMEN, no matter what. Period.
How about “heroines” or some other word(s) utilizing “her.”
After all, we all our everyday heroines, aren’t we?
We should get the term “women’s libber” back and also “the women’s liberation movement”. It puts the focus on liberation from oppression.
I guess I am confused about what TNA believes should be done by community groups, politicians, business leaders to decrease domestic violence, increase representation in politics, business and corporations and to reduce sexism in society.
Is the solution simply to elect women politicians, even if those women do not believe is government activism in support women’s rights (e.g., equal pay, affirmative action, child care, etc.)?
Every poll I’ve ever seen shows women are significantly more progressive than men. It follows that the more women in office, the more support there will be for activism on behalf of women and other oppressed groups. That explains to me why the present power brokers, those entities who benefit most from a testosterone-heavy center-right government, and the media they pay for, are so quick to trash all women. Because a major shift in the number of women in government would lead to a major shift in political ideology.
As to wording, I like pro-women, because the alternative – anti-women – is hard to defend. The pro-lifers were smart about that. I think the pro-women movement’s main focus should be on equality of representation. People are shocked when they are shown how under-represented women are in EVERY leadership sphere compared to our share of the population. The disparity is indefensible.
*****A
LVL,
This thread of for “feminist” replacement suggestions.
If you are interested in reading a comprehensive study done in 2008 by UNIFEM on women’s representation in gov’t worldwide and the resulting impact on women’s rights, check here:
http://www.unifem.org/progress.....l_Text.pdf
This should answer your query on the necessity of having women in government leadership.
gender equality movement – gender equalitists!
How about “new agendans”?
Movement slogan: “Shequalism”
Protest signs: “She the People”
As a long-time feminist, I agree the term has negative connotations/baggage, whatever. But it just occurred to me that no other oppressed group that I’m aware of seems to feel a need for a descriptive word that describes a protest movement, e.g., blacks, Hispanics, gays, Jews, seniors – you get the picture. Maybe we should just say we stand for equal rights for women?
I don’t have anything to offer, but I like pro-women.
Only thing is, it also suggests anti-men.
Okay I’ve wracked my brain, and came up with this: refemist. Combination of reformist and feminist.
(Sorry, racked not wracked.)
I also like “Pro-Woman” – for the reasons Adrienne mentions -
The term puts those who don’t want to identify as “pro-woman” in the very awkward position of being indentified as “anti-woman”.
The term invites introspection (as opposed to the knee-jerk denial response that the term “feminism” triggers).
“Pro-woman” is clear, direct and positive – it’s beautiful.
What term was used to refer to the members of the civil rights movement? Civil rights activist?
We could be called
gender equality activists
pro-women activists
women’s rights activists
gender opportunity activists
anti-discrimination activists
anti-sexism activists
VB,
That’s not true. People of color were called “colored people” when I was a young girl – then became “black”, now “African American” – terms change all the time.
LGBT is also a new term.
We can consider it an act of empowerment that we are moving ahead again after women’s advocacy seem to have stalled for a bit.
jbjd,
Like those – keep going….
I like Feminist.
Amy,
I am not disagreeing of the necessity of having women in government leadership. So, is this TNA primary goal, regardless of the views of those women and whether or not those women support women’s rights?
Geithner’s a piece of work…using expletives to possibly intimidate the women?
“The newspaper said Geithner told attendees that the administration and Congress set policy. It also said the Treasury Secretary, without singling out officials, raised concerns about regulators who have questioned the wisdom of giving the Fed more power.
Schapiro and Bair have argued that more authority should be shared among a council of regulators.”
Geithner loses his cool at regulator’s meeting:
http://www.reuters.com/article.....CG20090804
I don’t know if I would change “feminist” but perhaps women’s groups no longer need to focus on this word. I think the buzz words and talking points that are repeated over and over again are more important and I think you have a few going at New Agenda already.
I love the word representation. 52 percent representation. Fair representation. In politics, in media, in movies, in theater, etc.
At Femisex I read something that I really found fascinating and I think ti should become a talking point: That “bitch” is the word rapist use most while they rape. This is why using the word “bitch” – in politics, in the media, etc. matters. I think this would be a great talking point in terms of getting the public to take this word seriously.
On a global level I think feminist should use the word “slavery” and “enslaved” to describe the plight of so many trafficked women and girls. Enslaved women and girls. Repeat this again and again.
One term that I learned from Violet Socks that really stayed with me is “sex class”. That women are the “sex class.” This is relevant in terms of how young girls and women are treated. And is relevant in terms of violence such as rape and more subtle forms of opression such as how women and girls are represented in the media.
Speaking of women and girls – I like this. “Women and girls”. Instead of just mentioning women, putting girls into the talking points when appropriate.
Okay, I don’t think this is what you were looking for but I guess it’s the same topic!
Good job, New Agenda. Some of these buzz words and talking points I’ve gotten from reading this blog.
So because feminism has gotten a bad rap (due to institutional and cultural sexism), WE should change what we call ourselves to appease the very people who either actively work against us or are too embarrassed by stereotypes of the word to be vocal about the oppression women experience?
No thanks, I’ll stick to being a proud Feminist. Anyone who thinks that this implies I am anti-man or that I think women are superior doesn’t actually know what feminism is about and therefore I feel no need to placate them.
I have always admired the word feminist because it sounds nice, it’s short, easy to remember and the “fem” includes women and girls. One of the problems with naming feminists is the word “women” used exclusively like the term “women’s rights.” People tend to have more sympathy for oppressed girls than oppressed women so feminists have done damage to our group by calling ourselves the women’s rights movement because it makes people less likely to support us and it’s not accurate. A replacement word should be able to describe an individual, the philosophy and the group as a whole, i.e. feminist, feminism and feminists.
Herculean (emphasis on her)
It’s been all over the news about Geithner’s expletive-laced meltdown. Apparently, he is growing frustrated with the regulators’ opposition to giving the Fed more power.
Is it Schapiro and Bair that he is really has a problem with?
Hmmm…women who dare to challenge “The Boys” and who don’t go along with the “Group-Think” don’t last long…
How about a word or words using the base of “her” like “heroine” as opposed to “femme” as the basis?
aren’t you white, over 40 and college educated?
How about “progress-women” and it could be pro-women.
Or Women’s new deal? Something new and positive, a new step.
You are all getting bogged down in junk. PRO-WOMAN. That’s ALL this is about, no goddamned cute political term, no weird thing that can be argued as to what it means, no cute cheez-whiz type term that screws with spelling, no ideology, no nothing. Pro-WOMAN. Like I’ve said before, if she’s got a vagina, VOTE FOR HER. Case freaking CLOSED. Jesus.
Yallz are overcomplicating this crap — pro-femi-progresso-reformo-ist.
PRO-WOMAN.
stefania,
I am yes – and if you asked me a year or two back, I would be part of Tina’s 80% and 83%.
This organization is not about preaching to the converted – we’re trying to cater to the uneasy.
Check on Dr. Lynette Long’s research on membership in women’s orgs – btw that and the polling, well, numbers don’t lie.
White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said compensation on Wall Street shows a “huge disconnect” from what most Americans are paid and “checks and balances” are needed to prevent another financial crisis.
“There’s a huge disconnect between what the average American worker receives in terms of compensation and some of what we’re hearing about on Wall Street,” she said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend.
“She said President Barack Obama’s proposals to revamp oversight of the financial-services industry would help ensure “we have the kind of regulations in place and checks and balances so that it doesn’t run amok again.”
“Jarrett, 52, said the administration has “a great deal of confidence” that a health-care overhaul, Obama’s top domestic priority, would be approved this year. ”
She seems to have A LOT to say about A LOT of things–EXCEPT issues concerning Women and Girls…
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