Intersectional feminism unites women
By Sylvie Koefoed-Nielsen, Reporter

  You probably hear people frequently throwing around the word “feminism,” but many misinterpret what it means to be a feminist in the modern world. In order to be a feminist, one cannot expect women to conform to their own expectations of them, and they must be aware of the various experiences of sexism for different women in different cultures.
  Feminism is a movement advocating for all genders to receive equal rights. This includes allowing women to make their own choices surrounding their bodies, to do what they feel empowers them, rather than following rules set by others. Intersectional feminism is the effort to make feminism more inclusive, and give everyone a space to advocate for gender equality.
  If feminism focuses on letting women lead themselves, then the expectation for women to conform to society’s ideas of what they should be goes against the idea of feminism itself. For example, when women bring each other down due to their own personal decisions — particularly when it comes to sexual promiscuity — they are actually buying into the roles established for them by men many decades ago.
  Historically, women in the Western world were expected to stay ‘pure’ until they married and decided to start a family. This gender role stuck, largely because it provides an opportunity for some members of society to have control over others.
  Emma Watson, known for her activism in gender equality, has been labeled a ‘hypocrite,’ and attacked many times for modeling in pictures that show off her body. A photograph exposing Watson’s chest was featured in the March 2017 edition of Vanity Fair magazine, causing widespread controversy among people claiming to be feminists. They argued that Watson was acting hypocritically, and taking such pictures with the intention of appealing to men.
  These criticisms are opposite to the feminist viewpoint in that they instantly assume the act of showing a women’s chest is done for sexual reasons. It is in this mindset of expectations that the comments are flawed — women should be allowed to make their own decisions based on what they are comfortable with, not what others dictate for them.
  Not only are women controlled and judged about their own personal choices, but they also face discrimination due to their other personal identities.
  Characteristics such as race, sexuality, class, and religion all play a part in a woman’s experience, and influence the way they lead their lives.
  A low-income woman will struggle more with the gender-wage gap aspect of sexism than a woman who has grown up in the upper-middle class. In this way, although it would be easier for an upper-middle-class woman to take a stand on the sexism found in the wage gap, she may be less inclined to because she is less affected by it.
  When discussing and advocating for feminism, it is important to remember that women from different backgrounds experience prejudice in many different forms, and although one’s encounters with sexism may be completely different from another’s, both are valid.
  All women struggle with sexism, and it is impossible to compare the intensity of people’s experience. Something that one woman deals with every week and has grown accustomed to could be another woman’s worst moment.
  In order to be a feminist, one must advocate for equality for women in all situations, not just the injustices that affect one’s self.