Defining Feminism
What Exactly IS Feminism? Unpacking Its Power for Your Sexual Empowerment
Delish Empowerment is centered in sexual empowerment, but what underpins this liberation? Often, it's the profound insights of feminism – a movement frequently misunderstood, yet essential for true freedom and self-determination. To genuinely tap into your power, it's crucial to understand what feminism really means, beyond the headlines and stereotypes.
Let's dive into the definitions offered by three intellectual giants: Rosalind Delmar, bell hooks, and Kimberlé Crenshaw. Their perspectives offer a robust framework for understanding how feminism dismantles oppression and, in doing so, paves the way for deeper sexual agency.
Rosalind Delmar: Recognizing the Root of the Problem
Rosalind Delmar, in Defining Feminism (1994), reminds us that "feminism" isn't a simple, static concept. She urged us to question its meaning, noting that at its core, feminism recognizes a fundamental truth:
A feminist is someone who holds that women suffer discrimination because of their sex, that they have specific needs which remain negated and unsatisfied, and that the satisfaction of these needs would require a radical change and even a revolution in the social, political, and economic structure.
Delmar's definition is powerful because it immediately points to systemic discrimination. It's not just about individual bad actors; it's about the very fabric of society that disadvantages women. For sexual empowerment, this means understanding how societal structures—like slut-shaming, purity culture, or the gender pay gap impacting economic independence—directly limit your sexual choices and expression. Recognizing this discrimination is the first step toward challenging it.
She also highlighted the historical challenges within feminism to achieve unity, acknowledging "uncontainable divisions" among different groups of women. This complexity, however, isn't a weakness, but a call for a more inclusive and nuanced approach to understanding women's diverse experiences.
bell hooks: A Revolutionary Movement for All
Building on this, bell hooks offers my favorite definition that is both accessible and revolutionary, cutting straight to the heart of the matter:
"Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression."
This definition provides simple clarity that aims at decentering the dialogue that feminism is women’s movement against men. First, hooks clarifies that feminism is about ending sexism, not about hating men. Sexism is a system of beliefs and practices that harms everyone, though it disproportionately oppresses women. When we understand sexism, we can critically examine how it shapes our sexual narratives, expectations, and even our internalised shame.
Second, hooks distinguishes between reformist feminism, which seeks equality within existing oppressive systems, and "revolutionary feminism", which aims to transform the entire system. For Delish Empowerment, this distinction is vital. True sexual empowerment isn't just about having the same "rights" as men within a sexist framework; it's about dismantling the very structures that define, control, or exploit sexuality in the first place. It’s about creating a world where everyone can experience sexual liberation without fear of judgment, violence, or exploitation.
Kimberlé Crenshaw: The Power of Intersecting Identities
While Delmar and hooks lay crucial groundwork, Kimberlé Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality provides the essential lens through which we understand the full scope of feminist struggle and, by extension, sexual empowerment. Crenshaw, a legal scholar, coined the term to illustrate how different aspects of a person's identity—like race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability—intersect to create unique experiences of both discrimination and privilege.
Imagine the struggles of a Black queer woman. She doesn't just experience sexism and racism and homophobia as separate issues. Instead, she experiences a compounded form of oppression that arises from the intersection of these identities.
For sexual empowerment, intersectionality is paramount:
Whose Empowerment? It forces us to ask: Whose sexual empowerment are we talking about? Is it accessible to all, or primarily to those who hold more privileged identities?
Unique Barriers: It highlights how different women face unique barriers to sexual freedom. A white, cisgender woman's experience with body image and sexual expression will differ significantly from a trans, woman of color's experience.
Inclusive Solutions: By understanding these intersecting oppressions, we can craft truly inclusive strategies for sexual liberation that don't leave anyone behind.
Ignoring intersectionality means offering a partial, incomplete vision of empowerment that inadvertently reinforces existing hierarchies. True sexual freedom demands that we see and address the complex realities of all women.
Bringing It All Together for Your Empowerment
So, what do these definitions mean for your sexual empowerment journey with Delish Empowerment?
They teach us that:
Your personal sexual struggles are often systemic. It's not just "you"; it's a world built on discrimination that you're navigating.
True liberation requires radical change. We're not just tweaking the system; we're reimagining a world where your sexual autonomy is inherent and respected.
No one is free until everyone is free. Your empowerment is deeply connected to the liberation of others, especially those facing multiple layers of oppression.
Feminism, as defined by Delmar, hooks, and Crenshaw, isn't just an academic concept. It's a powerful lens and a call to action. It empowers us to critically reframe our understanding of sex, pleasure, and relationships, providing the tools to dismantle the barriers that limit our full, authentic, and delish selves.
Sources:
Delmar, Rosalind (1994). Defining Feminism and Feminist Theory. In Anne Herrmann & Abigail J. Stewart, Theorizing feminism: parallel trends in the humanities and social sciences. Boulder: Westview Press. pp. 5-21.
hooks, bell, 1952-2021. (2000). Feminism is for everybody: passionate politics. Cambridge, MA: South End Press
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241-1299.
Additional Material for you DELIGHT:
bell hooks and Laverne Cox Discuss "What is Feminism?": bell hooks discusses her definition and its implications with Laverne Cox in the New School.
Kimberlé Crenshaw defines Intersectionality: Kimberlé Crenshaw narrates the direct impact of Intersectionality in this Ted Talk.
