I’m human, full of contradictions, and a feminist.” The myth of a one true Feminism is underwritten by the misconception, not uncommon among women today, that the word connotes man-hating, bra-burning, and humorlessness. In an interview with The Guardian, Gay explains how she wanted “bad feminist” to stand for an alternative perspective: “the term acknowledges that it is hard to be an ideal feminist with perfect politics. As Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has said, “There’s the idea of feminism as a party that’s very exclusive, and some people don’t get to go.” The exclusivity is based on the idea that there exists “one true feminism to dominate all of womankind,” as Gay puts it-a kind of independence to the point of invulnerability, a heterosexual, white, middle to upper middle class, pink-hating Feminism with a capital F. “Bad feminist” is a way for her to claim the title of feminist while distancing herself from the essentialism that she feels has never represented her, that has at times even rejected her. In our current cultural climate of feminist-defining and not-feminist-enough shaming, Roxane Gay’s ownership of the title is a tongue-in-cheek revolt, to powerful effect.
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