How celebrities are defining feminism, and why it matters.
by Ashley Canino
It is right there in the dictionary, and has been since the mid-19th century, but the word “feminism” seems to be a difficult word for our favorite entertainers to define. In case we have any celebrity visitors (I know the rest of our readers are already on top of this) here is how Merriam-Webster defines feminism:
1. The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities
2. Organized activity in support of women’s rights and interests
So why do we care what celebrities think of feminism, anyway? Like it or not, they are trendsetters. For many, celebrities help set the tone for what is cool among their fans, even when it comes to ideologies. They also have the power to spread misconceptions, at worst, or, at best, fuel conversations in the media that expose fans to what feminism really is.
Below are quotes from male and female stars on their views. What do you think their answers can tell us about the state of feminism today?
“For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept. . . Whenever people bring up feminism, I’m like, god. I’m just not really that interested…I’m more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla, what’s going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities… My idea of a true feminist is a woman who feels free enough to do whatever she wants.” – Lana Del Rey in The Fader.
“I am not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women.” Katy Perry in Billboard, 2012.
“I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men.” Katy Perry on an Australian morning show, 2014.
“I do call myself a feminist. Absolutely! It’s worth paying attention to the roles that are sort of dictated to us and that we don’t have to fit into those roles. We can be anybody we wanna be.” – Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Ellen.
“No [I don’t consider myself a feminist] because I love men, and I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need balance. With myself, I’m very in touch with my masculine side. And I’m 50 percent feminine and 50 percent masculine, same as I think a lot of us are. And I think that is important to note. And also I think that if men went down and women rose to power, that wouldn’t work either. We have to have a find balance. My biggest thing is really sisterhood more than feminism…” – Shailene Woodley in Time.
“I’ve been asked, am I a feminist? I don’t think it’s possible for me to be that…I’m a man. It makes sense up until a certain point. But what I do is—I do support feminists. I do think there’s injustices. There are inequalities that need to be addressed.” – Pharrell Williams on a UK news station.
Ashley Canino writes The Riveter‘s Pop Rivets column. You can follow her on Twitter @AshleyCanino.
