Feminism and FORCE:
We consider ourselves “no wave” feminists. This doesn’t mean we dismiss the work and views of first, second and third wave feminists. Rather, we support all the work of all people who are organizing, protesting, writing, critiquing and living to create more gender equality and personal freedom.
One of the fallouts of sexism is that unfair expectations are placed on men and women according to gender. Those expectations limit our personal freedom. When people fall outside of gender norms their behavior is policed by criticism and outrage. Women are expected to be good mothers, good spouses, take care of members of the family, be sexually attractive, etc. Feminism shouldn’t be another standard that is placed upon women-- another image that women can’t live up to. So now women are not only not good enough mothers, they are also not good enough feminists. Rather, feminism should create more personal freedom for everybody-- so that we may all pursue our own truths, happiness and empowerment without judgement or social policing from the mainstream or from the counter culture. Whether its making money or making babies or making both or making neither, women should have support in all of their life decisions.
Just like there is not one way for people to feel empowered, there is not one way for people to be feminists. People have made feminism a box. Everything inside this box is feminist and everything outside the box is not feminist. (Of course, according to different feminists the box has different dimensions.) It is hard when you are an oppressed group to not draw up boundaries to distinguish and insulate yourself from outside threats. Feminism and the women who are fighting for it has been attacked from all angles. We’ve been called sluts, man-haters, ball busters, nazis, lesbians (as if being a lesbian is an insult!), and more. So in this climate, it makes sense to want to have clear distinctions between feminism and sexism, gender equality and the patriarchy, us vs. them.
The problem with a box is that it can easily be put on a shelf. And that is exactly what has happened to feminism. It has become irrelevant for many women. How else could so many women who are able to live their lives the way they want only because of the work of feminists, not consider themselves feminists? How can a generation of young women who are able to attend college on the backs of their feminist predecessors reject the term? We can blame the right wing for telling young women that they don’t want to be feminists. But we can only blame ourselves for telling young women that they are not feminists. The problem with the box is that we’ve drawn our boundaries so tight that we’ve left most American women out. The very women we are working so hard to liberate and empower feel alienated and identify outside of feminism.
So now we come along and say no more box. Get rid of the box. No more third wave vs second wave, no more sex positive vs anti-objectification. We don’t need it anymore. Treating feminism like a box is hindering our progress. A better model is to think of feminism as a magnet. Guided by a set of core principles, feminism can include anyone who is drawn to these core principles. We see the core principles of feminism being gender equality, personal freedom, and empowerment. Gender equality means that everyone has the same access to opportunity regardless of their gender, gender identity or gender expression. This means equal pay for equal work, voting rights, economic justice, addressing health disparities, and more. Creating radical personal freedom means that we break down the gender roles and norms so that everyone is free to make life decisions about family, career, sexuality, dress and self expression without judgement or punishment whether or not that decision supports or defies a gender norm. We need to deflate the loaded symbols of gender. Lastly we need to build empowerment for individuals and community so that we may possess and use the power that we are capable of and not the fraction of the power that we are told we may have.
Our view on feminism and ending sexual violence:
As FORCE, upsetting rape culture, we are committed to raising a critical, authentic and difficult conversation about sexual violence that will disrupt the silence and myths that perpetuate rape culture. We are committed to promoting the practice of consensual sex so that our culture of coercion and silence may be replaced by a culture of respect and communication so that sex may be pleasurable and empowering for everyone, however those people feel pleasure and empowered.
We believe that it is not only possible to approach ending sexual violence in many ways, it is necessary. We need help-lines for victims, we need our laws changed, we need better sex education, we need women marching in the streets, we need global activism, and yes we need two young feminist doing art and activism to help promote a critical dialogue. We see ourselves not as the answer to rape culture, but rather one of many necessary forces working to poke holes and break down the system that creates and perpetuates sexual violence.
Follow us on:
Tumblr
Youtube
Join the e-mail list!