First off, every woman has different experiences and identities. Modern-day intersectional feminism recognizes these dissimilarities and has the goal to separate itself from white feminism. It acknowledges the fact that the feminist movement should encourage diversity among its members. In this case, it would be to have more non-white leaders and influencers. It confronts all the reasons discrimination takes place.
Indeed, intersectional feminism emphasizes other factors that cause women to be oppressed such as race, ethnicity, appearance, culture, economic status, sexual orientation, and gender. As the term “intersectional” was invented by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a black woman, and pushed by other Black feminist scholars during the thrid-wave feminism, this term is not new and holds significant history. In creating the intersectional feminist movement, Black women scholars of that time highlighted the singularities of their oppression. Their main goal was to combat the racism they faced in the white feminism movement, and the sexism they encountered in the Black liberational movements (led by Black men) of that era. She highlights the fact that we cannot put every woman in the same global image because there are many different social identities and women’s experiences.
How to practice intersectional feminism in current times? Women need to confront their privilege and to include every difference of all women, especially the ones that are marginalized. It is to understand that our own experiences do not apply to every woman and that we need to learn other women’s backgrounds. Therefore, to truly advocate for this movement people need to stand up not only to sexism but also to defend women who are discriminated against or oppressed based on their ethnicity, race, class, sexual orientation, and more.
Moreover, we need to respect bodily autonomy. It refers to respect for a woman’s body, appearance, religious clothes, etc. We need to respect and support a woman’s life and the decisions she makes which can be presented in many shapes.
Intersectionality shows that all types of discrimination play a role in women’s experiences and that it is not only about gender anymore. It includes every kind of factor of inequalities. Also, it consists of learning every type of feminism and gives these forms of feminism recognition.
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