White Feminism

Feminism is defined as, “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” The thin line that separates feminism from white feminism is exclusivity. Feminism, in theory, is a movement for equality of all women. However, the lack of intersectionality that white feminism demonstrates seems to be not only indicative of social hierarchy in America, but of how the oppressed often times are oppressors themselves.
White feminism is the push for white women’s equality to men, which is often non-inclusive of women of color, disabled women, trans women, etc. The problem, and the solution, is that white feminism will never succeed on its own.
There is strength in numbers, and the white feminists movement with failure to fight for ALL women will leave the group fighting for equality long before they are able to achieve it. True equality requires sacrifice. In order for feminism to succeed, the idea of white feminism must be eradicated, and egos must be set aside in order to focus on the goal at large.
Historically, blacks in America have had to fight more than any other group on the path to equality, which still has not been entirely reached. However, the considerably effective fight for civil rights provides excellent framework on how minority groups can implement positive change for themselves.
The systematic existence of social hierarchy and class in America is embedded in the very concept of white feminism. From the top down, society operates as: white male, white female, black male, black female. To put it into perspective, the white feminist capitalizes off of minority women’s struggles to increase advocacy, all while ignoring and excluding them from the same equality they hope to gain.
Simply, white feminism is anti-feminist, manipulative, and discriminatory by practice.
Feminism is inclusive of all kinds of women, from prostitutes to Ivanka Trump. A true feminist is embodied by the person who believes women are equal to men, period. Regardless of lifestyle choice, ideals, or physical appearance, a feminist believes all women deserve equal opportunities as men, and that the discrimination women face is greater than the differences they have. Sacrificial of their egos for a greater cause, a feminist can be white, but the one who claims to be a white feminist is no feminist at all.