Feminism is a tricky one. Just saying that your are a feminist or indeed that you are not a feminist can illicit strong reactions. Not surprising really, as we are all women, and we are all different. One umbrella term for how we all feel about our gender was never going work, was it? Even splitting the evolution of feminism into distinct periods like First Wave, Second Wave and Third Wave is problematic. Just trying to define the individual periods is hard. I like to think of them thus: First Wave did the legalities, Second Wave did the issues, and Third Wave is all about the individual.
Then again I kind of hate saying much of anything about this subject. Not because I am not a feminist or don’t have strong views on the subject because I am, and I do, more because I can’t speak for any more women than just myself. Coming to a unified idea of feminism is impossible and to my mind, not necessary. So instead of trying to decide who is right and who is wrong and who the best feminist and who doesn’t get to call herself a feminist I’ve decided to celebrate what more than one hundred years of feminism has produced: ballsy women. Here are seven women who most probably wouldn’t agree on most things but have all contributed to the debate. I suspect that if this were a dinner party situation, while it might devolve rapidly into an ideological shitstorm, it would most definitely be fun.
The Thinker
“All societies on the verge of death are masculine. A society can survive with only one man; no society will survive a shortage of women.” Germaine Greer
The Artist
“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me, too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.” Frida Kahlo
The Twerker
“I feel like I’m one of the biggest feminists in the world because I tell women to not be scared of anything…I’m for anybody and anything, I don’t care what you want to do, what you want to look like.” Miley Cyrus
The Mogul
“I always considered myself a feminist, although I was always afraid of that word because people put so much on it, when honestly it’s very simple. It’s just a person that believes in equality for men and women. Men and women balance each other out, and we have to get to a point where we are comfortable with appreciating each other.” Beyonce
The Activist
“We enjoyed the struggle, at least at the beginning. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, the obstacles to women were incredible, ludicrous, and stood out like a sore thumb. Ireland was full of men in suits who never had to deal with the likes of us before and to see them challenged by someone as formidable as Mary Robinson – it was great. It is terrific if you are a revolutionary, and you can achieve the revolution in a short time!” Nell McCafferty
The Athlete
“It’s good for women’s football in Ireland but also for women’s football all over the world. It’s being seen at a higher stage…. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I’d like to believe I’m there on merit… I’d like for everybody to look at it as a goal — and not just as a woman’s football goal.” Stephanie Roche
The Rebel
“I may be dressing like the typical bimbo, whatever, but I’m in charge. You know. I’m in charge of my fantasies. I put myself in these situations with men, you know, and … people don’t think of me as a person who’s not in charge of my career or my life, okay. And isn’t that what feminism is all about, you know, equality for men and women? And aren’t I in charge of my life, doing the things I want to do? Making my own decisions?” Madonna
