Feminism Is For Everybody Analysis
In the beginning of chapter 8, in Bell Hooks’ Feminism is for Everybody, she clarified that white women weren’t the first to rebel against male domination. However, with their Western culture neocolonial thinking, which focuses on conquering territory, privileged-class white women took charge of the feminist movement and declared their ownership in the movement. That being said, they expect working class and lower class white women and all women of color to be their followers. When feminist leaders of United States proclaimed the need for gender equality, they did not bother to determine if there were similar movements that are active in other parts of the world. They assumed that they were the first to seek for gender equality to liberate their sisters especially those in the third world. At the same time, these feminist leaders forced women of color and white radicals to the background to make conservative/liberal white women be the representative of feminism. When Hooks said, “No wonder then that the "power feminism" of the '90s offers wealthy white heterosexual women as the examples of feminist success”, it immediately shows how ironic feminism was. For what I understand, while leaders of feminism seek for gender equality, they did not acknowledge class and racial equality since most of them are keeping women of color and white radicals behind. They also think that they could establish the
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feminist agenda for other women of the world, especially those in the third-world countries, which shows the attitude of a racist and sexist powerful man.
In chapter 10, Hooks discussed how the demand of acknowledging the reality of race and racism changed the face of the movement more than any other factor. All white women know that they have a different status compare to colored women. They know their superiority to colored women at a young age. Television shows and magazines only advertise white women and the only reason colored women are not in the media was because they are not white. The only white women who understand the struggles of black/colored women were the politically conscious white females who were active in civil rights struggle. Yet, when these same women shifted from civil rights into women's liberation and feminist movement, they suppressed and even denied the struggles of the black/colored woman. As Hooks said, “Just because they participated in anti-racist struggle did not mean that they had divested of white supremacy, of notions that they were superior to black females, more informed, better educated, more suited to "lead" a movement.” In addition to this quote, Hooks also mentioned, “ when faced with the possibility that black males might gain the right to vote while they were denied it on the basis of gender, they chose to ally themselves with men, uniting under the rubric of white supremacy”, this just show that although feminist leaders are seeking for equality, they are mostly seeking for power. Power to lead colored women, and power to overrule colored men.
All in all, Bell Hook’s criticism of feminism was that privileged-class white women who lead the feminist movement are women who seek for power.
They wanted equality for all women in the world yet expect working and lower class white women and all women of color to be their followers. They try to understand the struggle of black/colored women yet deny them once they lead the movement. I believe that Bell Hook’s criticism shows how even in feminist movement there is inequality among women. That gender is not the only problem but also each and everyone’s racial
group.
feminist agenda for other women of the world, especially those in the third-world countries, which shows the attitude of a racist and sexist powerful man.
In chapter 10, Hooks discussed how the demand of acknowledging the reality of race and racism changed the face of the movement more than any other factor. All white women know that they have a different status compare to colored women. They know their superiority to colored women at a young age. Television shows and magazines only advertise white women and the only reason colored women are not in the media was because they are not white. The only white women who understand the struggles of black/colored women were the politically conscious white females who were active in civil rights struggle. Yet, when these same women shifted from civil rights into women's liberation and feminist movement, they suppressed and even denied the struggles of the black/colored woman. As Hooks said, “Just because they participated in anti-racist struggle did not mean that they had divested of white supremacy, of notions that they were superior to black females, more informed, better educated, more suited to "lead" a movement.” In addition to this quote, Hooks also mentioned, “ when faced with the possibility that black males might gain the right to vote while they were denied it on the basis of gender, they chose to ally themselves with men, uniting under the rubric of white supremacy”, this just show that although feminist leaders are seeking for equality, they are mostly seeking for power. Power to lead colored women, and power to overrule colored men.
All in all, Bell Hook’s criticism of feminism was that privileged-class white women who lead the feminist movement are women who seek for power.
They wanted equality for all women in the world yet expect working and lower class white women and all women of color to be their followers. They try to understand the struggle of black/colored women yet deny them once they lead the movement. I believe that Bell Hook’s criticism shows how even in feminist movement there is inequality among women. That gender is not the only problem but also each and everyone’s racial
group.