What a Feminist Looks Like: A Fashionable Academics Virtual Conference

Back in January we issued a call for submissions to a virtual conference on "what a feminist looks like" and we got a number of really fantastic responses to our CFP.  In the past month, we here at Fashionable Academics we have posted some of the reasons that we're feminists, explored the origins of our feminism and the role of feminism in our scholarship and teaching, and discussed some of our feminist style icons.

To see what a feminist looks like and to read some of the amazing panelists' thoughts on feminism click through the jump.  (It's long but well worth the read!) Thanks to all who submitted!

1. JoAnn of Sidewalk Chic

"The word "feminist" is too often thought of as a pejorative, almost always associated with other meant-to-be derogatory words: abrasive, non-traditional and radical. It's unfortunate, because to me, that negative association tries to unravel the hard work of women and men for equal rights.
To me, feminism has always been about one thing: equality. The equality of pay, opportunities, freedom from harassment, and the ability to work and live without deferring to the whims of bias and prejudice against my gender. Being a feminist means that I don't let anyone define me by their idea of what a woman should be."

2. Maureen

"I consider myself a feminist. Being a feminist means having control of your body and embracing being a woman. Some people do a double take when I say that I am a feminist. I am your typical girl. I hate wearing pants, I am a teacher and I love to cook. I love my woman-ly figure. As a feminist I am highly educated and knows my rights. I am passionate and unstoppable. I have emotions and I am not afraid to hide them from the world. I don't let people take advantage of me just because I am a short, petite woman. Being a feminist means standing up for what you believe and not letting someone silence you.  This is what a feminist looks like."

3. Allison of Tall Girl Blogging

"I definitely think of myself as a feminist. One example of what feminism means to me?  I'm a social worker and practice from a feminist counselling perspective. This means that I work to address and equalize power differentials in the client/therapist relationship, that I focus on strengths versus deficits, and that I highlight the structural barriers and forces that continue to marginalize many people."

4. Sally McGraw of Already Pretty

"A few months ago, I was chatting with a new girlfriend and she said, "I'm not a feminist or anything, but ..."

I wish I could remember what followed that sentence fragment, but I can't. Mostly because I was so shocked by her statement that my brain got stuck. Our conversation had centered on female body image, empowerment, and the importance of self-care, so I'd assumed my own feminist leanings were pretty clear. But she chose quite specifically to dissociate herself from the ideology.
I didn't confront her about it at the time because my guess was that she meant, "I don't hate men, I don't feel the need to criticize my fellow women for making non-feminist choices, and I don't hold the patriarchy responsible for all the evils of the world." My guess was that she wasn't thinking of feminism in the same way that I do, and that tabling the conversation for another time when we could poke and prod at the topic at leisure would be more informative for both of us.
As for me, I stick to the basics. I'm a feminist because I believe that women are equal to men, equally important in the world to men, and deserve equal opportunities and equal respect to men. Feminism is a vast, complex movement with a long history, and I acknowledge that there are levels of belief and battle that I may never engage. That doesn't make me any less of a feminist. And although many of my life choices draw the fire of other feminists - wearing heels and short skirts, doling out figure flattery advice, sporting a wedding band - my core belief in equality is what aligns me with this ideology.
There's no one right way to be a feminist. Hopefully, I can help my friend find her own way someday."

5. Grace of What If No one's Watching?

6. Sadie of Knitting up the ravelled sleeve of care

"I don't believe that gender (or any other arbitrary accidents of birth) should affect people's chances in life or the way they are treated. So I am a feminist. I believe feminism is about equality and making sure that everyone gets the same chances in life regardless of whether they're male or female; it's as important that men have the chance to be the primary carers for their children as that women can become CEOs of global corporations. I also think that we are a still very long way from that equality, that inequality hurts men as much as it does women, and that anyone who says we don't need feminism any more needs hitting about the head with the clue stick a few times."

7. Martha of Ef for Effort

"I have considered myself a feminist since...well, for as long as I can remember.  In my family there was never any question that women are equal to men, that women deserve the same opportunities, rights and responsibilities as men, that women should be allowed to have choices: in school, in work, in making their lives, in friends, in lovers, and, maybe most importantly because it can make all the other choice possible, in having or not having children when and if they are ready.  Access to birth control, sex education, and abortion are paramount."

8. Ariana of Feministified

"To me feminism is about being conscious and aware of everything you say and every action you make. It is about watching your language, and not shaming any group of people, regardless of gender, class, ethnicity, weight, ability, religion, etc.  It is about more than knowing your own fight against the heterosexual-white-man in power; that is, being aware that there are others who also struggle, if not more so, than yourself. It is about teaching and spreading knowledge and consciousness. It is about being active and proactive. Feminism is about taking a stand for humanity and calling bullshit where bullshit deserves to be called. Feminism is about finding your inner strength and power. It is about accepting and embracing every part of yourself, even if it takes baby-steps. Once you find your power through feminism, there is no one who can hold you back or tell you that you are incapable of anything. Feminism was my lifesaver. It taught me to be fearless. It taught me to be rowdy and unruly. It taught me to think for myself, and to take others into consideration. Feminism has opened my world to some of the most amazing people I would not have met through any other avenue. And to that I say thank you, feminism."

9. Jean of Jean of all Trades

“Feminism is about equality, opportunity, and choice. I believe all people should have access to the same opportunities: jobs, healthcare, education. Everyone should have the choice to pursue a career, raise a family, do both, or neither. I believe that one’s gender shouldn’t preclude one from a job, and that men and women performing the same jobs deserve the same pay. I believe anyone, regardless of gender, can be a feminist. Feminism is not a four-letter word; I’m proud to call myself one.”

10. Jesspgh of Consume or Consumed

"Feminism has been the guiding philosophical thread of my academic career. And for me it means embodying and championing bell hooks’ notion that feminism is for everybody. Students are often reluctant to self-identify as feminists, shying away from the much-maligned word. My role is to reframe their definition of feminism, moving it away from wounds left by backlash but also refusing to dilute or disempower its potential. I begin with the concept of reflexivity. A feminist outlook includes reflexivity and gratitude in addition to the space for frustration and anger. Feminism encourages thoughtful reflections about privilege. It fosters the idea that privileges come in many forms. Feminism interrogates not only gendered privilege but class privilege, racial privilege, intellectual privilege, ethnic privilege, national privilege, able privileges, sexual identity privileges, faith/spiritually situated privileges, etc. It takes seriously the idea that class privileges do not only connect with wealth. Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of non-financial forms of capital couples with Patricia Hill Collins’ belief that power functioning in matrices. Add Kimberle Crenshaw’s theory about intersectionality, (i.e. that is not productive to look only at one aspect of identity in isolation from others), and you can shed light on how to become more reflexive about privilege. These ideas help students understand relationships of power and the systemic marginalizations that can result.  My hope is that our conversations inspire not only gratitude and frustration, and a sense of feminist inclusion, but also I strive to cultivate a shared feeling of civic obligation. Together we should do what we can to ameliorate privilege discrepancies on local, national, and global scales. For me that is what it means to be a feminist."

11. Elly of Adventures in Refashioning

"I am a female computer scientist: to me, feminism means pushing for a world where the description of myself as "female" does not affect others' perception of my skill as a "computer scientist."  To me, feminism means equality of pay and equality of opportunity for men and women, without labeling either men or women as inherently, stereotypically, "better" at particular things.  I believe we can recognize and be comfortable with differences (both societal and biological) between the genders while primarily supporting and honoring the unique abilities of each person regardless of their gender.  If a person performs behaviors currently associated more with men or with women (or anywhere in between), I believe that performance should not reflect on that person's overall capabilities or their relationship to feminism.  I am not more of a feminist when I wear a little mascara, or red lipstick, or no makeup at all.  I am not more of a feminist when I wear sneakers or stilettos or boots.  I am not more of a feminist when I study costume design or computer science or physics or cooking. In my ideal world, one's behaviors and ways of presenting oneself to the world are primarily expressions of self rather than expressions of a fixed or stereotyped gender."

12. Sara of Orchids in Buttonholes

"The only way for me to put into words what I believe is to borrow those of someone far more bold, far more adventurous, far more articulate:From the beginning the distinct feature of our Association has been the right of individual opinion for every member.  We have been beset at every step with the cry that somebody was injuring the cause. . . .  The question is whether you will sit in judgment on a woman that has written views different from yours. If she had written your views you would not object . . .  When this platform is too narrow for people of all creeds to stand on, I shall not be on it.  You had better organize one woman on a broad platform than 10,000 on a narrow platform of intolerance and bigotry. — Susan B. Anthony, 1896"

13. Veshoevius of The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe

"Being a feminist to me has meant:

-taking responsibility to become well educated, to do well at school and university, to commit to continue learning all my life and seek excellence in all that I do.  I do this in the recognition that had I been born in another era or culture the life changing opportunity of getting an education and a career would have not have been available to me;

-I have not allowed social stereotypes and the fact that certain industries continue to be male dominated to deter me from working in them;

-fighting in ways I can to ensure that opportunities are equal in the workplace for women;

-continuing to object to the sexual objectification of women in society and how it demeans all of us;

-continuing to support efforts by politicians or social groups to improve the safety of women in society by reducing the incidence and acceptance of sexual assualt and domestic violence.

I submitted an old collage of outfit photos precisely because I don't think me being a feminist should limit what I wear.  I should be able to wear what I want and still be able to call myself a feminist."

14. S. of Narrowly Tailored


15. Millie of Interrobangs Anonymous

"It's difficult to draw borders around my feminism and succinctly state what it means to me, because my feminism infuses so much of my perspective.  In broad terms, my feminism is centered on critical thought, challenging traditional social norms, and (most importantly) making the world a safer and more equitable place for women and men to live.  In style blogging terms, feminism gives me a framework to evaluate how clothes and style construct and present and image of me to my community and the world at large.   I'm a grad student in the physical sciences, which unfortunately is not a corner of academia known for snappy dressing, and my feminism, which insists that I don't just fall into the socially sanctioned line without critical thought, helps me navigate my visual identity through often poorly charted territory.  I'm proud to call myself a feminist, and do publicly whenever it's relevant (no hedging around with it!)."

16. Katie of Interrobangs Anonymous

"I am a feminist because I believe in absolute and equal rights for all people of all ages, abilities, cultures, sexual orientations and faiths. And I am a feminist because I believe it is the right of every individual to decide who they will be, how they will behave, and what they will believe. And I will happily agree and/or disagree with any other person on the smaller points of defining, interpreting and acting as a feminist as long as we can place our ideas on that foundation of equality."

17. Terri and Keith of Rags Against the Machine

"A feminist has a head, a heart, a brain, two hands, two legs, and reproductive capability.  A feminist makes conscious choices about his/her gender identity and challenges the status quo when & where necessary.  A feminist assumes a freedom of movement within his/her world.  A feminist champions human rights.

My husband and I, for our ages, could easily be classified as second-wave feminists.  I have submitted a photo of my husband, Keith, because he survived his mother's attempt to abort him in 1954.  Many years later, he fought for custody of his four children and raised them for many years on his own.  Then, he married me and assisted in the confusion of rearing of three third-wave feminists.  He is a working class carpenter.  Like any other human being, he has had to negotiate a variety of inequities in our modern world."

18. L., S., E., and A. of Academichic

"We are (from top left to right bottom) L, S, E, and A. We are friends and self-described feminists. We are Asian, Eastern European, Anglo-American, white, mixed, straight, lesbian, ally, queer, mother, soon-to-be mother, questioning motherhood,married, single, questioning marriage, Christian, atheist, professional, teacher, and student. We claim a range of identities, and our politics, activism, service, and scholarship take different forms. Yet, our feminism shares one common ground: we all believe in gender equality and fair treatment for individuals of all races, ages, cultures, religions, sexualities, and classes. That is what feminism means to us."

19. Franca of Oranges and Apples

"For me, being a feminist is about trying to create a world where people are not constrained by gender roles. Where things, behaviours and emotions are no longer socially coded as masculine and feminine, or as for men and for women. Where anyone has access to the full range of behaviours and social positions without being labelled unmanly or unfeminine. As such, I see feminism now to be as much about men as about women, as much about men's rights to express emotions freely and care for their newborn children, as about the rights of women to lead corporations and to be recognised for their brains not their bodies. In my mind, the ultimate outcome would be a society where 'male' and 'female' are purely descriptiors of physical differences along the lines of 'short' or 'tall', and not the determinants of power relations."

20. Chelsea of Dearilou

"Do I consider myself a feminist? I never knew there was another way to be, quite frankly. My mother was not a hardcore feminist, I grew up in a small logging community, and feminism was an F word in school. But I had books. My mother gave me a love of reading, where I found strong women characters. I had Madeline and Eloise, Anne Shirley and Jo March, Alanna the Lioness and Julie of the Wolves, Hermione Granger and Weetzie Bat. I learned from these heroines of fiction that feminine and feminism are not mutually exclusive. I can wear a skirt and speak my mind, too. The skirt doesn't change that."

21. Rad in BK of The Cohabitating Closet

"So far, I've read such great entries from other bloggers about what feminism means to them.  I don't know how much I have to add to this discussion, but I will say something that I've been thinking about for a long time.  I understand myself as a feminist, and I believe this can mean a diversity of things.  I don't, however, believe that "feminism means choice," which is something I read in discussions at Jezebel or other feminist-themed websites.  On the contrary, capitalism provides us with "freedom of choice."  Feminism, however, seeks to investigate and deconstruct our choices-whether they concern our style, our life styles, our politics, our words, and our beliefs. While I agree that we all have the right to our opinions, choices, and other individual expressions, feminism has taught me to recognize that some choices are privileged and some are not.  Some choices reflect the dominant norms and result in social benefits, while some result in social sanction.  To paraphrase George Orwell, all choices are equal, but some choices are more equal than others.  While my age has taught me to have compassion and empathy (and to try not to judge) a broad range of women's life choices, I continue to shudder when marketers attempt to couch consumption choices as feminist "freedom of choice." So for me, feminism is as much about the limitations and oppressions of capitalism as patriarchy on our lives."

22. Claire of My Illustrative Life

"To me, feminism means examining things to see if they are fair and positive, and making choices that point me towards a "yes" on both."

23. Chrissy of The New Me

"My name is Chrissy. I'm 28 years old, I live in Texas, and I am proud to call myself a feminist. 

I believe that every person, regardless of gender, class and race, deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. I believe that we still have a long way to go until this is a reality. Until then, I do my best to support women and minorities and the organizations that help the under-served and oft-attacked. I donate to Planned Parenthood every month. I read books written by diverse authors. I think about how my actions affect other people, from the clothing I buy to the food I eat. I'm not always perfect, but I'm always trying. 

Feminism, to me, means trying. It means working for a better world, even when it seems like the world is working against you. Feminism is believing that the world can and should be better, and using my time on earth to help make it so."

24. K. Bean of Kelly in Beantown


25. E. Jo of In Professorial Fashion

26. Lisa of Techie Style

"What does feminism mean to me?

'I knew that, in a group of 14 Oberlin students, that at least one of you would be able to set up a wireless network. I just didn’t expect you to be so small... and girly.'

I’ve heard a lot of things like that over the years, and that particular quote is the most amusing.  It helps a lot that the person it came from thought the fact I was ‘small and girly’ was great.  However, being ‘small and girly’ is not always an asset when you work in technology.  I’ve been told that I know too much about computers to be a girl, and once when I corrected a male coworker’s actions (in an admittedly high pressure situation), he simply told me that I didn’t ‘understand the pressures of being a man.’  It’s ridiculous.  I should be able to be small, girly, and technically savvy without anyone questioning any of these things.  To me, feminism is about making sure that future generations of women in technology hear these things less, or, dare I dream it, not at all.  It’s about the freedom to be who you are and do what you love without anyone questioning if you can actually do it, especially if you are, in fact, doing it.  Dreams are for everyone, and nobody should be able to tell you what yours ought to be."

27. Cynthia of Be Fabulous Daily 


28. Kate C.

"In the toxic waters of discussions of women’s dress, there are safe islands here and there of style discourse and clothing conversation.  But, as much as I would like them to be the norm, as assiduously as I avoid the toxins, I know they are rare.  The dominant narratives, when I focus on clothes and the female body make me, to say the least, annoyed.   

In the last six months or so, I have had a number of moments of real frustration when it comes to clothes and my (body) politics.  I listened to the discussion going on in Quebec about banning the niqab, the all-encompassing garment worn by some Muslim women, in municipal buildings.  Then an acquaintance at a party made some comment about how her late-adolescent female students “vamped” and “distracted the boys” by wearing tight clothes in the classes she teaches....

Stay. Out. Of. Women's. Wardrobes.

Here is my primary style rule, and a statement of my feminism.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, such as when a person is dressing as a form of sexual harassment in the workplace.  Unless an explicit invitation to come in is issued.  Unless a woman comes and brings her wardrobe to you. Stay out. The only wardrobe you have the unlimited right to enter is your own.  Otherwise, stay out of women's wardrobes.   Stay out, stay out.  Stay the heck out." 

29. Courtney of Those Graces

"Feminism is equality between women and men in every facet of life.  That being said, feminism influences everything."

30. Carrie of La Rizada

"The other day one of my Facebook friends posted this status update: Worst feminist ever: cooking for my man. This woman is a really intelligent, active and vehement feminist in our community, so I couldn't believe that she thought cooking for her boyfriend was a less-than-feminist act. Personally, I believe that feminism should allow women the freedom and opportunity to pursue the lives they want and need, the freedom to pursue political, sexual, economic, intellectual and personal fulfillment. That's what feminism is, to me, in 2011 (feminism here in the first world, at least).

It doesn't make a difference to me whether you gain personal fulfillment from cooking for your boyfriend or from marching for reproductive rights; the feminists that have come before us worked hard to ensure that those of us living today have greater rights and options than in any other time in history. We are indebted to those women for the myriad of choices we have today. I am lucky that I can choose to go to school and pursue a graduate degree, while still choosing to enjoy cooking and dressing up, while still choosing to eventually have a child someday, while still choosing to have an active career and an active intellect. I have to agree with Katha Pollitt, who said on Slate.com this past October: "Feminism is a social justice movement dedicated to the social, political, economic, and cultural equality of women and men, and to the right of every woman to set her own course in life." This is what a feminist looks like: me, a woman determined and lucky to be able to set my own course in life, whether that course consists of cooking for my boyfriend or becoming the president of a university."

Many thanks are due to all the participants in this virtual conference!