This self-reflexive piece seeks to address the question of what it means to be a feminist, as well as speak to my place in such a concept, movement, and lifestyle. In crafting this brief expression, I have decided to focus my attention on four feminist scholars: Jessica Valenti, bell hooks, Maria Lugones, and Patricia Hill Collins. The ideas and insights presented within their texts have truly enriched my thinking towards feminism. Thus, it is my aim within this piece to highlight how the perspectives of these women have shaped my feminist thinking, and end with the articulation of my own personal definition of feminism.
To open, Jessica Valenti text Full Frontal Feminism exhibits her arguments in a fiery manner throughout her book. Her ear-perking perspectives reveal that her book served as a “talking piece” in which its goal was to position the feminist lifestyle in a contemporary manner, while also seeking to motivate new audiences to take a step forward in feminism. From this, I am able to infer that one aspect of being a feminist is taking messages to people and places without any bias or discrimination, and doing so in a compelling and effective fashion. Thus, the first piece of what it means to be a feminist is playing the role of a courier, or messenger.
Next, I utilized bell hooks’ ideas surrounding the expression of love in her book The Will to Change. Hooks’ overarching point was that patriarchy has created a division between males and emotion. She contends that this division has led to a variety of problems in how men approach and manage their relationships with others, and even how the lack of emotion has caused men to conceptualize reality in problematic ways. The issue of male un-emotion cannot be solved through grandiose societal, structural changes. Such changes ought to be exhibited within the everyday lives of individuals through gracious words, gestures, and overall expressions of love. And it is from this that I have discovered that feminists are to be characterized as poetic painters. This is so because the most aesthetic images created are defined by its value in each stoke whisked upon the canvas. Even the smallest of strokes can have a large enough impact on the overall outcome of the picture. Therefore, feminists are poetic painters in the sense that their approach to change can be found in the smallest demonstrations of eloquence.
Maria Lugones further advanced my exploration of what it means to be a feminist through her discussion on the topic of anger in her book Pilgrimages. Being angry is perfectly fine, as Lugones suggests, and the experience of such ought to be encouraged indeed. Anger can serve as the driving force by which action can be provoked, and the experience of anger holds no benefit without proper form of expression. Differently phrased, merely being angry is not the key to change; rather, the key is what we do with our anger. Due to this, I gather that feminists are skilled at taking something and transforming it into something new and useful. Thus, we arrive at an additional characterization in which an element of being a feminist is that they are consummate artisans.
Lastly, Patricia Hill Collins’ text titled Black Feminist Thought presents the notion that it is not helpful to the achievement of change if we thrive solely off of our distinctions and individual bodies of knowledge. Instead, the mindset of convergence allows those of intersecting and similar oppressions to achieve change alongside one another. If intersectionality binds people together in ways that were once considered solitary and exclusionary, then what Collins highlights is another aspect of being a feminist, and that is the necessity to be a part of a larger community, to belong. From this, I gather that my last ingredient to feminist attribution is that we are very much so companions of all who value betterment.
Therefore, by taking into account and dissecting the notions of Jessica Valenti, bell hooks, Maria Lugones, and Patricia Hill Collins, I have been able to construct ideas to answer the question of what it means to be a feminist. From these theorists, I have determined that feminists are: couriers, poetic painters, consummate artisans, and companions. Thus, I define feminism to be a doctrine and movement of small actions demonstrated by individuals of similar passions who seek to influence an epic result of creating a better world by using the elements contained within its current state. The application of this definition to my personal life informs my association with others without a respective bias as well as the content that I impart upon them. Furthermore, in proceeding with life in the social world with this definition in hand, I understand that my attitudes, actions, and words serve as the tipping point between attracting others to feminism as well as causing them to be repelled by it. Therefore, I close this piece expressing and encouraging that feminists embrace the responsibility of being couriers, poetic painters, consummate artisans, and companions in our everyday practices of feminism.
Darrie Matthew Burrage was born September 25th, 1989 in Redwood City, California. He recently graduated from Colorado State University (CSU), studying Communication Studies as well as History and Women’s Studies. Throughout the walk of his undergraduate career, Burrage has been tremendously active in the opportunities made available to him and his fellow students within Communication Studies. He was the President of the Mu Sigma chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, which is his major’s honor society. Furthermore, he served as a Senior Associate within CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation in which he worked as a trained facilitator and convener, helping local citizens come together to address critical issues more effectively. Burrage will soon be entering into a Master’s program in Communication at the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado. Due to his passion for education, he aspires to one day obtain a vocation in the university environment as either a professor of Communication or a high-level administrator of some sort.