Here, we’ve compiled a list of the best Feminism Quotes from famous authors such as Nellie McKay, Robin Morgan, Desi Lydic, Petra Collins, Steven Pinker. Let’s look at these pieces of wisdom. We definitely have something to learn from them!
1
I really don’t care what people say. It’s amazing that feminism continues to exist at all, considering how much counter-feminism is out there.
2
Feminism is experiential; it’s comparing notes. And when those stories get told, and you realize it’s not just you – it’s bigger – there’s just a huge sigh of relief. Otherwise, you think you’re crazy.
3
I think there’s a misunderstanding that feminism is about bringing men down to bring women up and it’s certainly not that.
4
Feminism is a lens I see the world through and what I believe in. I don’t ever use it as a tool of promotion.
5
Equity feminism is a moral doctrine about equal treatment that makes no commitments regarding open empirical issues in psychology or biology.
6
I’ve written about women’s lives, and I just want to write about them from being a woman. I don’t need feminism on top of that when I’m writing.
7
I often feel failed by feminism.
8
When I started at the ‘Guardian,’ though, I couldn’t think of anything we saw eye to eye on, except feminism, and even this would soon be arguable as ‘Guardian’ writers queued up to drool over Eminem.
9
It’s an amusing idea to some, this feminism thing – this audacious notion that women should be able to move through the world as freely, and enjoy the same inalienable rights and bodily autonomy, as men. At least, that’s the impression given when feminism and feminists are all too often the targets of lazy humor.
10
Feminism means, basically, are you in favor of equal opportunities for men and women? It’s hard to argue with that.
11
I do not subscribe to a feminism that demands perfection or super heroic nobility of women. But I do insist that putting women at the service of patriarchy is no victory for us.
12
First I would probably place men at the bottom of the food chain. On a grander scale, I would say they’re reacting to change. Feminism has got to be part of that.
13
I don’t disown feminism, but I don’t believe in such labels.
14
Feminism is not about girl power. It is about equal power.
15
The point of feminism is you shouldn’t have to be a man to be treated with equal respect.
16
What, do you think that feminism means you hate men?
17
After feminism, I suddenly realised: not everyone has to live the same way. Imagine that!
18
We all live in a time where we’re supposed to have choices and how do we wrangle that and how do we make the best choices for ourselves and our families. It has nothing to do with feminism.
19
My generation fought very hard for feminism, and we fought very hard to not be labeled as you had to have a husband or you had to be in a relationship, or you were somehow not a cool chick.
20
I think that instead of feminism being a political thing, it should be an act of creativity. It’s more of a rock n’ roll thing.
21
I have never felt oppressed by women or that feminism is a problem. I do think boys find it hard to like things seen as feminine. I want my son not to feel self-conscious he likes ballet and my daughter to carry on playing Han Solo; that’s all.
22
I actually have a peculiar feminism that does not involve the idea that women shouldn’t be sexy. Female characters written in comics have always been pretty damned sexy, and used their sexuality. And I don’t have any problem with that.
23
Feminism means something – legislation, cultural change – but ‘Girl Power’ meant nothing more than being friends with your friends.
24
We need everyone to be a feminist. Feminism is the fight for the equality of sexes, not for the domination of one sex over another.
25
I think the world is ambivalent about feminism. So I can’t blame college students. I think they’re reflecting the greater culture’s attitude toward feminism. So what I can do is, in ways that are appropriate, advocate for feminism and help the students learn what feminism is about.
26
Feminism is so subjective. Because of the generational divide, and because we’re living in a completely different world than someone in Africa or even Scotland.
27
‘I hate discussions of feminism that end up with who does the dishes,’ she said. So do I. But at the end, there are always the damned dishes.
28
No, feminism isn’t ‘over.’ We need it not only to challenge injustice but because the whole gender expectations thing is bad for men, too.
29
The word, and the concept of feminism, was a gift because it gave me a sense of identity and a way of defining how I wished to live my life.
30
I never really considered myself much of a feminist until I left Wall Street. I did all the right things – such as put together gender-diverse teams – but feminism wasn’t deep in my bones.
31
I was 15 when my family moved to Jidda from Britain in 1982. Living in Saudi Arabia was such a shock to my system that I like to say I was traumatized into feminism.
32
Feminism is an entire world view or gestalt, not just a laundry list of women’s issues.
33
Should we tolerate debate within feminism’s ranks? Undebatable! But it’s not so simple: women are socialised to avoid conflict; when we do differ, especially on politics and in public, it’s still tediously labelled a ‘catfight.’
34
Feminism is not just about women; it’s about letting all people lead fuller lives.
35
Feminism has never been sexy, but let me assure you that it never stopped me from flirting, and I have seldom suffered from lack of men.
36
Some men feel threatened by the idea of feminism. This comes, I think, from the insecurity triggered by how boys are brought up, how their sense of self-worth is diminished if they are not ‘naturally’ in charge as men.
37
Whether on guns, race, culture or feminism, there really are two Americas.
38
Out with stereotypes, feminism proclaims. But stereotypes are the west’s stunning sexual personae, the vehicles of art’s assault against nature. The moment there is imagination, there is myth.
39
I believe that it is our human right to be parents and women. And there’s no contradiction between feminism, which means women should have all that they are entitled to, all that they can do, all the opportunities that they can take advantage of they should have.
40
The true meaning of feminism is this: to use your strong womanly image to gain strong results in society.
41
As I started to think about how I can claim feminism while also acknowledging my humanity and my imperfections, ‘bad feminism’ simply seemed like the best answer.
42
I understand this fear of the word ‘feminism,’ and I understand the fear of saying it because it becomes as divisive as ‘sexism’ has become. But I know a lot of male feminists.
43
I discovered the idea of feminism when I watched the film ’10 Things I Hate About You.’ It’s a classic.
44
I’m writing a review of three books on feminism and science, and it’s about social constructionism. So I would say I’m a social constructionist, whatever that means.
45
If feminism has receded in visibility and prestige, it is precisely because its vision of life’s goals and rewards has become too narrow and elitist.
46
I think feminism has had a major impact on anthropology.
47
If feminism wasn’t powerful, if feminism wasn’t influential, people wouldn’t spend so much time putting it down.
48
Feminism isn’t simply about being a woman in a position of power. It’s battling systemic inequities; it’s a social justice movement that believes sexism, racism and classism exist and interconnect, and that they should be consistently challenged.
49
Feminism is very much a part of a lot of my student’s lives, but they’re not going to march about it or take a public political stance. And I think more and more young women are claiming that they’re not feminists – even though they are.
50
I think feminism’s a bit misinterpreted. It was about casting off all gender roles. There’s nothing wrong with a man holding a door open for a girl. But we sort of threw away all the rules, so everybody’s confused. And dating becomes a sloppy, uncomfortable, unpleasant thing.
51
One of the greatest gifts of Black feminism to ourselves has been to make it a little easier simply to be Black and female.
52
Feminism is dated? Yes, for privileged women like my daughter and all of us here today, but not for most of our sisters in the rest of the world who are still forced into premature marriage, prostitution, forced labor – they have children that they don’t want or they cannot feed.
53
I have grown up in an environment of equality, so feminism is equality for me.
54
Feminism is just an idea. It’s a philosophy. It’s about the equality of women in all realms. It’s not about man-hating. It’s not about being humorless. We have to let go of these misconceptions that have plagued feminism for 40, 50 years.
55
We’re never going to come to a moment where all of us who claim to be feminists can agree about what the first priority of feminism is.
56
To me, feminism is believing in women’s equality, and I ardently ascribe to that belief.
57
I’ve always been interested in the history of radical feminism – what happened to those women of the 1960s and ’70s.
58
Feminism is cancer.
59
Feminism is being able to have the choice – the choice to be a CEO, to be an executive, to be a journalist, to be a congresswoman, to be a mother, a stay-at-home mother, to be a wife.
60
Feminism has always been a theme that I’m very interested in.
61
I consider myself a feminist because I believe women should have equal rights. Of course. It’s just that the term ‘feminism’ conjures up other things for people.
62
Feminism is just about equality, really, and there’s so much stuff attached to the word, when it’s actually so simple. I don’t know why it’s always so bogged down.
63
Feminism is dead. The movement is absolutely dead. The women’s movement tried to suppress dissident voices for way too long. There’s no room for dissent.
64
It’s only that we live in a patriarchal society, and therefore, the word ‘feminism’ has to be used as a counter to patriarchy. But feminism is about being equal. The word used should be ‘equalist,’ as it is about all humans being equal and respecting each other for that.
65
I think Julia is defining a new feminism. It’s the power of the open heart. And its ok to be sexual.
66
I don’t think feminism, as I understand the definition, implies the rejection of maternal values, nurturing children, caring about the men in your life. That is just nonsense to me.
67
Although I often find that the feminist rhetoric – not feminism – can come across as simple-minded, self-regarding, nuance-averse and reductive – biology to physiology, history to psychology, procreation to gynecology, and so on – I have come to realize that we should all be feminists.
68
Feminism is universal. You can’t just fight for one type of freedom or one type of female power. You know what? Muslim women want to cover up, and we have to fight for our right to do that, too.
69
Feminism is sort of like God. Many people profess to believe in it, but no one seems to be able to define it to everyone’s satisfaction.
70
I get so many questions in interviews about feminism, and I think the second you start separating femininity and masculinity and giving one more power than the other, that’s like – everyone is a person.
71
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ is an idealized, fun comedy world in which feminism is an underlying value that all the characters have. Equality is a value all the characters have. I mean, I want to live in that world. I’d like to make the world feel more like that, but I understand that it’s a fantasy.
72
Feminism is being broken open, to welcome more people than just white women of a certain class.
73
It’s like with feminism. We talk a lot about feminism meaning complete freedom, and for some people, that means, like, ‘Free the nipple!’ But there’s another end of the feminist spectrum, and that’s where people like me are.
74
I used to think feminism was a liberating force – now I see many of those people are just censors under a different name.
75
So, obviously, on International Women’s Day, we are honoring the achievements of women, but gender equality and feminism cannot evolve in our humanity if we’re not bringing our boys and men along.
76
I personally feel like the conversation around feminism has advanced a lot. People are starting to realize privileged white feminism isn’t cutting it. We have to look at the holistic experience of all women, or assigned women, on the planet.
77
Women are not stupid, but they were not clever enough to realise that feminism did not bring freedom, but the opposite. That’s why I’m glad feminism is dead.
78
I think the history of western feminism is one that is fraught with racism, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that and, at the same time, to say that feminism is not the western invention, that my great-grandmother in what is now south-western Nigeria is feminist.
79
I think the problem is that there has been a kind of backlash against feminism. I think women just didn’t really see themselves winning that fight, and I think that probably led to a lot women feeling trapped in a perpetual cycle of disappointment – trying to be feminists and failing to be.
80
I am trying to make art that relates to the deepest and most mythic concerns of human kind and I believe that, at this moment of history, feminism is humanism.
81
Though it’s safe to say there are a whole lotta American gals who agree with the core ideals of feminism, they are somehow nevertheless watching ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ by the millions.
82
Radical feminism is still threatening.
83
Penicillin and plastic bags help a lot, fridges and hot water make manliness more comfortable and Tom Ford’s fragrance range makes it smell better, but the idea that has pushed our lives into the light more than any other -ism or -ology is feminism.
84
The endless definitions for feminism are exhausting. It’s this, it isn’t this, it’s only this if you’re this, etc.
85
Being a feminist means asking for equality. But people take it the other way at times. It is looked down upon is because it is seen as man-hating. But, feminism is a really crazy idea that suggests men and women are equal.
86
When feminism does not explicitly oppose racism, and when anti-racism does not incorporate opposition to patriarchy, race and gender politics often end up being antagonistic to each other, and both interests lose.
87
I was guilty of appropriating when I did a video called ‘Hard Out Here.’ I was guilty of assuming that there was a one-size-fits-all where feminism is concerned.
88
I think feminism is the worst thing that ever happened to women. Our job used to be no job. We had it so good!
89
Words like feminism or democracy scare me. They are words with barnacles on them, and you can’t see what’s underneath.
90
Watching the progression and backlash against feminism even since 1970 will give you a serious case of whiplash.
91
The rise of women and feminism is well documented. What is equally fascinating – and less talked about – is the impact this has had on men.
92
I think it’s foolish to interview someone who’s just promoting a movie that they’re in and ask if they consider themselves a feminist. That’s not about feminism; that’s about the journalist wanting to gauge how much this person is aware of the world or is aware of the feminist movement.
93
Anyone who hates something feels threatened by it. A guy who says he hates feminism (a) doesn’t understand or know feminism, and (b) is scared of powerful women. Most attacks come from fear.
94
We’re still stuck in male, female, feminism. I don’t believe in, you know… I believe in gender equality.
95
I think a big part of feminism – and this is something I’m sure a bunch of women will take my head off for – but a big part of feminism is women allowing other women to just be the kind of women that they are.
96
Environmental concerns and feminism are locked together. Generally, women have closer connections to the organic nature of our lives.
97
Sexual harassment law is very important. But I think it would be a mistake if the sexual harassment law movement is the only way in which feminism is known in the media.
98
You can’t market or commercialize feminism as an entity. One has to be careful. I aim to be about powerful women in my clothing.
99
Like George Sand, the feminism of the present day asserts the right of free thought against the creed of authority in every field; the solidarity of mankind and the cause of peace against the patriotism of militarism; social reform against the existing relations of society.
100
In their ideological zeal, the feminists of the illiberal left don’t seem to realize how they’ve given feminism a bad name.
101
The issues that matter to women also matter to communities… and these issues have a ripple effect all across the country. And the purist sense of the feminist tradition – feminism is not anti-man. It is pro-humanity.
102
My feminism, as intended by me, extends to empowering women to make legal choices, not to judge the legal choices they make. My fight is for rights.
103
I am a sworn atheist and therefore from my point of view the Talmud or the Koran don’t constitute works of political philosophy but rather writings that stand in utter contradiction to concepts like logic, freedom, feminism, secularism, brotherhood – which are my ideals.
104
I think that men need to have a little bit of manism. You have feminism. I don’t have a problem with that.
105
Feminism is doomed to failure because it is based on an attempt to repeal and restructure human nature.
106
Women’s behavior in handling beauty, even before feminism, was to deny they had any. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.
107
Feminism is the best movement that’s happened in the 21st century, and it benefits everyone.
108
I try not to write songs in which men glamorize their own need for approval from women. That’s kinda a bogus way to go out. But I try to do this quietly. I’m not about to go around telling people how they should or shouldn’t think. My feminism is for me.
109
I’m a pretty avid reader, but I missed feminism in college. I did take an intro course where I read Mary Wollstonecraft, but I didn’t read a lot of the seminal writers. Then I had two teenage daughters and was reading books on development and different issues.
110
Feminism began to dawn on my brain belatedly in life.
111
I think feminism is about the spirit.
112
I don’t like this word, ‘Feminazis,’ or ‘libtard.’ I don’t like these words, because I feel there’s no true understanding of the word ‘feminism,’ there’s no understanding of the word ‘liberal,’ and I find these very derogatory and insulting.
113
Contrary to myth, ‘The Feminine Mystique’ and feminism did not represent the beginning of the decline of the stay-at-home mother but a turning point that led to much stronger legal rights and ‘working conditions’ for her.
114
Feminism remains something that needs to be explained to people.
115
I see many more men who are feminist, or at least who have learned about life in the context of feminism.
116
Having a daughter has reawakened my sense of feminism. I want to protect her.
117
This is the problem with modern-day feminism. It used to be about equality. Now, it’s about bashing men, asking for free stuff, and tearing down other women for refusing to play victim to the trumped-up, B.S. ‘War on Women.’
118
I don’t belong to any clubs, and I dislike club mentality of any kind, even feminism – although I do relate to the purpose and point of feminism. More in the work of older feminists, really, like Germaine Greer.
119
In little more than a generation, feminism has obliterated roles. If you wonder why so many men choose not to get married, the answer lies in large part in the contemporary devaluation of the husband and of the father – of men as men, in other words.
120
I came from this very traditional background and I benefited hugely from feminism. I felt privileged going to university and doing a PhD. Most people of my background don’t get to do that.
121
Blogs with feminist content, from ‘Feministing’ and ‘Jezebel’ to ‘Racialicious’ and ‘Shakesville’ and ‘Feministe,’ have opened up and changed the scope of the feminist universe for women who might never have encountered contemporary feminism.
122
I think the influence of contemporary feminism has been very unhelpful to the current generation of girls. They are constantly being encouraged to speak out about how they feel victimised.
123
I believe that the ‘believe all women’ vision of feminism unintentionally fetishizes women. Women are no longer human and flawed. They are Truth personified. They are above reproach.
124
My definition of feminism is a social, political, economic system by which all genders are valued, respected, and can live dignified lives.
125
We work to create a new wave of feminism that is more inclusive. I want others to feel equal. It’s so great to see women in positions of power, which is why other artists, such as Marilyn Minter, are so inspirational to me.
126
When I make a film about a woman, it is possible that my feminist politics surfaces somewhere but it is not with the intention of propagating feminism.
127
The problem with feminism in the second wave was that we fought so much among ourselves, and I think we did so much damage to the movement… and I think the next wave, the third wave, is women mentoring younger women and women helping younger women to enter the political process and the writing world.
128
Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
129
Like many traditional feminists, I became one of the boys, only better. For a while it gave me a buzz to win at their game, but ultimately, that kind of power just goes nowhere. Traditional feminism excludes men and so perpetuates conflict. I am not interested in warring about power.
130
I think of feminism as a socially just and imaginative world.
131
People feel feminists are aggressive, men-hating women with a little moustache. I think it’s got a bad reputation because when feminism came into being, we were facing so much opposition that we had to be strident and aggressive.
132
We all fight over what the label ‘feminism’ means but for me it’s about empowerment. It’s not about being more powerful than men – it’s about having equal rights with protection, support, justice. It’s about very basic things. It’s not a badge like a fashion item.
133
Men need to understand, and women too, what feminism is really about.
134
My feminism does not demand that a woman have an equal opportunity to torture, alongside men. Torture is no less wrong because a woman, not a man, carries it out.
135
Everyone thinks of the roaring twenties and associates it with decadence and flappers, female sexual liberation, the freedom of women to express themselves, the beginning of feminism. But it was also a time of huge, huge change.
136
French existentialism is an unhelpful philosophy in which to couch modern feminism: born from the ravages of the Second World War, it is a cynical, individualistic school of thought that posits the self and personal choice as the measure of life’s entire meaning.
137
I see feminism as a massive party. It’s cool, the idea that 50% of the population can now start doing things and having fun and experimenting with their hair and makeup.
138
‘Feminism’ is such an incredibly awkward word for us these days, isn’t it? Not to be feminist would be bizarre, wouldn’t it?
139
From Mozambique to Chad, South Africa and Liberia, Sierra Leone to Burkina Faso, feminism is the buzzword for a generation of women determined to change the course of the future for themselves and their families.
140
Why are we not valuing the word ‘feminism’ when there is so much work to be done in terms of empowerment and emancipation of women everywhere?
141
Feminism is rooted in racial rights and gender rights, and all of those things intersect, and to say that that’s not something you can stand behind – it confuses me. I think it’s a really great word.
142
Feminism wasn’t really at the top of my vocabulary. I think what’s been interesting for me – let me say this delicately – when I’ve been surrounded by men who don’t believe women are equal, I didn’t think women were equal, including myself.
143
Feminism is a good venue for getting yourself across as much as for getting your point across.
144
On YouTube, there’s a right-wing extremism funnel. You start by watching a college student ranting about how dumb feminism is. It’s wrong, but it’s not especially sinister. And then, three suggested videos later, you’re hearing about why we need a white ethno-state to save the race from a third-world invasion.
145
Writing a novel about feminism can be a thankless task.
146
Feminism isn’t just for women. It’s for men.
147
Hebrew School was my first introduction to real feminism. I remember that much more than I remember any kind of actual religious teaching.
148
Feminism in some ways has become quite dormant.
149
I feel like as a teenager making music, I had a lot of internalised misogyny, a need to be one of the boys, and a lot of self-hatred. As I discovered what feminism is and what it meant to me, it definitely took a hold of my life in a big way.
150
We have to give feminism a shot. Out of sheer self preservation, we have to stand aside and let women run the show.
151
It can’t be articulated enough, that feminism means the desire to have equality between men and women. I believe that, and I act on those beliefs by going to marches and making a difference where I can.
152
As with ‘feminism,’ not to mention ‘liberalism’ and ‘conservatism,’ ‘political correctness’ tends to mean what you want it to mean, which also pretty much amounts to utter meaninglessness.
153
My mum fought for feminism in her day so instilled in me the importance of equality. She taught me so much about women.
154
There’s many women now who think, ‘Surely we don’t need feminism anymore, we’re all liberated and society’s accepting us as we are’. Which is just hogwash. It’s not true at all.
155
I’m a proud feminist, people get irritated with that word… but we need feminism in our country.
156
I’m very proud of being a woman, and as a woman, I don’t even like the word ‘feminism’ because when I hear that word, I associate it with women trying to pretend to be men, and I’m not interested in trying to pretend to be a man. I don’t want to embrace manhood; I want to embrace my womanhood.
157
You know it’s very important, the role of a mother… I don’t know, but it’s feminism to me to love your kids.
158
If you look at the 1960s, Hemingway was viewed on the basis of the myth of his lifestyles rather than viewing his work. Machismo was badly viewed; feminism was becoming a more noble cause. I think the feminists took him apart and assumed he mistreated women.
159
Horror stories give us a way of exhausting our emotions around social issues, like a woman’s right to an abortion, which I always thought was the core of ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ or the backlash against feminism which I always thought was the core to ‘Stepford Wives.’
160
As a man, having a conversation about feminism can be tricky – the best I can do is to have assumptions and ask questions. You always run the risk of putting your foot in it.
161
The young women in my classes are feisty and clever and believe, often with the passion of youthful optimism, that feminism is a battle already won. I worry for them – and for my daughters, too.
162
One’s enemies are always talking about ‘post-feminism.’ It is a word invented by people who would like to do away with feminism.
163
When you talk about feminism, you’re talking about the rights of all women and their families to live in dignity, peace, and security. It’s about giving women access to health care and other basic rights.
164
I really admire Ana Mendieta. She was a Cuban American artist who died the year I was born and whose work examines violence, feminism, and belonging. Her art is always brave and visually arresting and vibrates with meaning.
165
Feminism is just an overused term and people make too much noise about it for no reason.
166
Feminism doesn’t have a particularly constructive image, although I think there was time when it was relevant.
167
I believe that feminism needs to teach more girls about how to make institutional changes and how to further engage men and boys into being our allies.
168
I’m sure a few marriages broke up because of feminism; it doesn’t make feminism a cult.
169
Feminism’s agenda is basic: It asks that women not be forced to choose between public justice and private happiness.
170
Feminism is for all women and girls, not a privileged few or one ethnicity, religion, age, sexual preference, ability, region or hemisphere.
171
Going to school and learning feminism is one thing and living feminism is another.
172
My mother saw nothing inconsistent in her traditional desire to look after her husband and children and her radical politics. She began her civil rights work before most people had ever heard the word ‘feminism,’ and in those early years, she was focused on racial justice.
173
What is feminism? We are just asking for equal opportunities, nothing beyond that. It doesn’t mean that you cannot be pretty or you cannot cook or you can’t do a whole lot of things. Feminism’s got a bad rap; that’s it.
174
Conservatives still attack feminism with the absurd notion that it makes its adherents less attractive to men; in truth, it is feminism that has made forty-two-year-old women so desirable.
175
Multiculturalism and academic feminism started disparaging works of genius on the basis of their authors’ sex and race.
176
Fault lines run along color lines in American public life, and the women’s movement is no exception. Over the years, feminism has become more inclusive but there is still hard work to be done to include LGBT women and communities of color.
177
I wish feminism wasn’t so scary to people. It should be an evolving concept. I think it’s an umbrella term to embrace conflicting ideas.
178
People have accepted the media’s idea of what feminism is, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right or true or real. Feminism is not monolithic. Within feminism, there is an array of opinions.
179
I think that, unfortunately, people who are maybe threatened by feminism think that it’s about setting your bra on fire and being aggressive, and I think that’s really wrong and really dangerous.
180
Feminism is liberalism, and look at what it’s doing, look at what it’s promoting, look at what it’s condoning. All the while, we have to live in this lie that there’s some sort of Republican War on Women. We don’t do this to women! We don’t objectify women like this.
181
In every generation and in every intellectual sphere and in every political moment, there have been African American women who have articulated the need to think and talk about race through a lens that looks at gender or think and talk about feminism through a lens that looks at race.
182
I think feminism means what it has always meant – women want to use all their gifts, all their talents and be judged impartially for them. I don’t think feminism has ever meant anything else.
183
My feminism is humanism, with the weakest being those who I represent, and that includes many beings and life forms, including some men.
184
I would like to see the gay population get on board with feminism. It’s a beautiful organisation and they’ve done so much. It seems to me a no-brainer.
185
I get why feminism can be intimidating; sometimes it can seem like this exclusive club.
186
This is the real problem feminism faces. Too many people are willfully ignorant about what the word means and what the movement aims to achieve.
187
Women’s issues have always been a part of my life. My goal is to bring the word ‘feminism’ back into the zeitgeist and reframe it.
188
The stereotypes of feminists as ugly, or man-haters, or hairy, or whatever it is – that’s really strategic. That’s a really smart way to keep young women away from feminism, is to kind of put out this idea that all feminists hate men, or all feminists are ugly; and that they really come from a place of fear.
189
I bleed feminism. I get equal pay to my male costars on a big show; I have my own home. I’m as independent as you could possibly be.
190
I think that there have been a lot of fear-based assertions that feminism is about aggression, and that is incorrect and untrue. Feminism is about equality; that’s what it’s about.
191
What is feminism? Simply the belief that women should be as free as men, however nuts, dim, deluded, badly dressed, fat, receding, lazy, and smug they might be.
192
But feminism isn’t served by simply promoting women over men. The winner needs to be the best candidate for the job, not the best candidate of a certain gender.
193
I talk about feminism being a spectrum.
194
The Left can have transgenderism or feminism, but it can’t have both.
195
It’s hard for men sometimes to talk about feminism, just as it’s hard for people who aren’t from ethnic minorities to talk about racial prejudice. It’s a difficult conversation to have, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have it.
196
I got more and more politically active and just followed the course of feminism and sexual liberation.
197
While women were powerfully liberated both externally as well as internally by the feminism of the 1970s, we made some serious mistakes as well.
198
I’ve thought about what is an alternative word to feminism. There isn’t one. It’s a perfectly good word. And it can’t be changed.
199
Sadly, a lot of what passes for feminism these days is just moaning about men, congratulating ourselves on nothing in particular, and mocking them for being big kids while doing everything we can to keep them that way.
200
Some of the biggest advocates for feminism seem to believe that in order to feel powerful you have to make another woman subservient, and that is not what feminism is about at all.
201
Yes, the ’60s went too far, but we were trying to find new ways, better ways, to do things. And great seeds were planted: civil rights, the peace movement, the environmental movement, feminism. They’re big seeds. They take a long time to come to fruition. Please, let’s stop fighting, and get out our water cans.
202
For women in, say, Alabama, ‘feminism’ is a dirty word. They would never march in the streets. But although they don’t think of themselves as the beneficiaries of feminism, they are.
203
There’s nothing more mainstream than equal pay for equal work. I mean, it’s completely obvious that’s what feminism should be for, and for women’s right to choose what happens to their own bodies.
204
The left ask people to believe that there is no conflict between feminism and the family.
205
Feminism was a dirty word for a while.
206
I don’t think I’m inherently feminist. I think the universe wants me to be feminist, and I think I resonate with that. I think it just chose me to be this female energy… thing. And I’m very drawn to female energy, but I don’t really have any prerequisites in feminism. I just roll with it.
207
There are so many problems with feminism, as women spend a lot of time telling other women what to do, and that distracts from the actual problem.
208
When I was growing up, the current of feminism was strong. You just had to step off the bank, and you’d be swept up. There was an active women’s movement. My mother was a part of it.
209
Feminism is so pertinent – it affects all of us. As a woman you have an instinct to question sexual politics, we have a responsibility to care.
210
I remember my dad saying to me, ‘But Fiona don’t you want to go and do the dramatic society. You can still do your women’s groups as well.’ And I said, ‘Dad, feminism is a way of life! It’s not a hobby!’
211
When you read about the real history of where feminism comes from, it came from a very political point of view. I don’t believe in bringing any politics to an idea like feminism. I love the idea that women should be celebrated, but I also believe men should be, too. We need both – yin and yang.
212
I hope that by modeling feminism in my own life, work and relationships that it will haut become an organic part of my daughter’s life. But I’m also fully prepared for her to become a Republican as a way to rebel as a teenager – that would be just my luck!
213
I am for feminism. I stand up for women standing up for themselves in the same way I stand up for being black.
214
The Myth of Male Power dealt much more with the political issues, the legal issues, sexual harassment, date rape, women who kill, and those issues were very much more interfaced with the agendas of feminism.
215
Feminism needs a political program because gender inequality has been fostered by political decisions.
216
Feminism was about making women’s lives less constrained and giving them more choices.
217
It was critical to finding a way out. I had assumed young women knew the history of feminism and must have felt gratitude to the movement for the opportunities that the work we have done has afforded them.
218
It was actually having a son made me think about feminism.
219
To recommend that women become identical to men, would be simple reversal, and would defeat the whole point of androgyny, and for that matter, feminism: in both, the whole point is choice.
220
My generation was not only maligned in book reviews and attacked in graduate school but we lived to see our adored and adorable daughters wonder why feminism had become a dirty word.
221
Every woman, whether or not they’re comfortable with the term ‘feminist,’ probably wants to be equal to men, and that is fundamentally what feminism is about.
222
Feminism has been so co-opted, but the fact is, feminism benefits men as well.
223
Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
224
Feminism isn’t about hating men. It’s about challenging the absurd gender distinctions that boys and girls learn from childhood and carry into their adult lives.
225
I don’t like the word feminist. I don’t think women trying to be men is feminism. I also don’t believe in being outspoken for the sake of it, or just to prove a point.
226
I’m not a goddess, for crying out loud. I’m a regular person who took feminism – which I have a deep connection to – and mixed it with music, which I really love to do.
227
Sotomayor’s vainglorious lecture bromide about herself as ‘a wise Latina’ trumping white men is a vulgar embarrassment – a vestige of the bad old days of male-bashing feminism.
228
When I just decided to be myself, that’s when you get questions like, ‘How do you feel about feminism?’ And I have no idea; this is just when I decide what I’m not tolerating and what I genuinely think and a little bit in between.
229
For some reason, when I think feminism, I think, like, ‘Well, you can’t include men if you’re talking about feminism and being a feminist,’ so I get a little bit muddled. I find it to be a bit grey. Then if you say you are not a feminist, that means that you’re not pro-woman!
230
Feminism is teaching. I’ve gotten a lot of pleasure pushing younger writers that I’ve met and worked with.
231
There’s just as many different kinds of feminism as there are women in the world.
232
You know, my mum’s always encouraged me and never made my gender an issue, I guess. She brought me up to believe in equality, as opposed to feminism or sexism – so it just meant that my gender was not relevant to what I was capable of achieving.
233
Whatever feminists may say about their only advocating choices, everyone knows the truth: Feminism regards work outside the home as more elevating, honorable, and personally productive than full-time mothering and homemaking.
234
I, personally, do not consider myself to be some kind of Holy Mary of feminism.
235
Feminism should be about liberating women, all women, even Republican women, to be their true selves.
236
For me, feminism is a movement for which the end goal is to make itself no longer needed.
237
I’m a feminist; I grew up with feminism, but I also think there’s a way in which we need to shake things up so that we can push it further and in other directions.
238
The young women waking up to feminism now already wake up to more consciousness than my generation had. Even just simple things like equal pay – before you went, in my generation, and asked for a raise, you went through nausea and your palms sweating.
239
It’s very important for feminism for us to tell our daughters that they should be strong. But to tell our sons that they can be vulnerable, to have these characters on screen that are not perfectly masculine cowboys that never fail, for our boys to change their psyche as well, that’s equally important for feminism.
240
Like feminism, I want to create systems and structures for the equity for all people, especially girls and women.
241
I am not anti-men, I believe truly that we are meant to be equal. We should be judged equally and I think I am a living example of feminism.
242
I’m a little sad that they actually came up with the metaphor of waves for feminism. By definition, a wave goes in, and it comes out. I would really like it to be a tsunami that creates a flood that forever changes the landscape.
243
Would you rather your child had feminism or cancer?
244
The benefits of feminism for someone like my husband are fantastic. He can stay at home with the kids, he can take them to a park, he does the school run.
245
And the first commandment of feminism is: I am woman; thou shalt not tolerate strange gods who assert that women have capabilities or often choose roles that are different from men’s.
246
Every time a confident, successful woman like Marissa Meyer distances herself from feminism, I think of Athena. Athena women, with all their brilliance and strategy, are the ones smashing up through layers of glass. They tend to identify with men, keeping femininity at a distance.
247
To me, feminism is such a simple description: it’s equal rights, economic rights, political rights, and social rights.
248
As feminism becomes more integrated into mainstream publications and conversation, I feel weary of an obsession of celebrity culture masquerading as activism or as conversation or action. It’s clickbait.
249
I think of feminism as more of a political ideology.
250
I’m speaking for a bunch of girls when I say that the idea that feminism is completely natural and shouldn’t even be something that people find mildly surprising, it’s just a part of being a girl in 2013.
251
Feminism… I think the simplest explanation, and one that captures the idea, is a song that Marlo Thomas sang, ‘Free to be You and Me.’
252
Feminism will never reach the next stage until women stop competing with each other on the level of looks.
253
Has feminism made us all more conscious? I think it has. Feminist critiques of anthropological masculine bias have been quite important, and they have increased my sensitivity to that kind of issue.
254
I’d refer to myself as a feminist. I don’t think my music is overtly rooted in feminism. I’m a teenager, and 95 percent of my friends are boys, and that’s just the way I’ve always been.
255
I didn’t really understand the concept of feminism until the media started to talk about it surrounding my name.
256
Through the 1990s, ‘Reason’ was a voice of ‘dissident feminism,’ upholding the equal dignity of both sexes and supporting the rights of individuals against a government that had gone mad over sexual harassment.
257
Obviously, the anti-ERA people are tickled about my ordeal because it proves that the ERA breaks up families. When they point out that feminism is a dangerous thing, I just say marriage is pretty precarious too.
258
I had to unlearn everything, as Maya’s character is the essence of ‘Allama.’ She reflects feminism, an in-depth and powerful role where she feels that she can never lose.
259
Feminism justified female ‘victim power’ by convincing the world that we lived in a sexist, male-dominated, and patriarchal world.
260
When we talk about feminism – equality without apology for all – we can’t be talking about for all white women or all highly educated women but all women, regardless of color, class, creed, sexual orientation or identity.
261
He travels fastest who travels alone, and that goes double for she. Real feminism is spinsterhood.
262
I’m feeling in the earth a massive shift, in especially female consciousness, that is… slightly different than feminism. It feels like this mass reexamination of the stories we’re being told.
