“White feminism forgets all about intersectional feminism.” - Rowan Blanchard
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| Rowan speaking at the UN Women's Conference 2015 |
Rowan Blanchard, an American actress, was only thirteen when she spoke at the UN Women’s annual conference in 2015. She wrote a speech about the gender inequality in youth and her perspective on the use of femininity as an insult and the lack of support for young girls to be interested in male driven career paths. Following her speech, she went on to begin spreading word about the difference between “white feminism” and “intersectional feminism”.
She wrote what is called an Instagram essay where she typed and posted screenshots of a lengthy essay where she discussed the necessity behind intersectionality in feminism and how only seeing the perspective of privileged white women is going to prevent actual feminism and true equality from taking precedent. Even at thirteen she was able to see the obvious variances between not only the treatment of women in comparison to men, but the differences between women of color, women with disabilities, queer and non-cisgender women, women with illnesses, and women without economical balance to white women of privilege.
“To only acknowledge feminism from a one-sided view when the
literal DEFINITION is the equality of the sexes is no feminism at all. We need to be talking about this more. Discussion leads to change.”
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| Rowan wearing "Abuse of Power Comes as no Surprise" shirtmade of sustainable fabric. |
Blanchard, now seventeen-years-old, is an official Women’s March speaker, a Miu Miu campaign face, and an ambassador for H&M’s Conscious Collection (fashion made from sustainable resources). While she no longer uses the label of “activist”, Blanchard claims that being educated and understanding the facts about society and the world we live and sharing those resources is more her speed.
“I think we are in a really interesting time in this industry that isn’t necessarily that positive that’s making people understand the value of individual voices and specifically the value of actors’ voices and their contributions to that”
Having young people, who are in the limelight, take the time to research and learn about the problems our society is having and being able to spread the word to younger audiences is going to be the best way we as a civilization can work to fix the problems we have created.
Rowan Blanchard uses her combined 5.6 million social media followers to create a network of people genuinely interested on bettering themselves, learning about societal factors that are problematic, and create solutions in a safe, communal way. This only proves that the use of social media in young people is going to be a force in making the world a more accepting and progressive domain. Blanchard uses her fame to highlight problems such as “white feminism”, using non-sustainable products, and women’s rights.
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This is an awesome example of a woman warrior. Blanchard is very inspirational and it would be awesome if more teens were as active in inter-sectional feminism as she is. It is so important for feminism to include ALL women. As a society it is important for us to realize that for a while (and even still today) feminism has excluded women of color, women with disabilities, trans women, etc. as you mentioned above. It is inspirational to see influencers like Rowan Blanchard addressing these issues and working to change them. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteDue to the first comment hitting many of the main points I would also have liked to mention, I want to point out another amazing thing Blanchard takes advantage of: social media. From a young age, she specifically engaged her available platforms to her intentions. For example, the so-called Instagram essay is something I’ve not been familiar with before reading this blog. Getting out there with useful platforms is sometimes just as important as the message you’re sending; after all, your message is mute if no one hears it.
ReplyDeleteRowan is a great example of a feminist. She really doesn’t back down from what she believes in. She started at a young age and really makes a difference. She doesn’t object to the norms of society and that makes her a great one.
ReplyDeleteI have always admired Rowan for her outstanding performance in woman's activism. Its amazing to watch someone so young be so informed about the issues that all young girls and women face today and not be afraid to speak out. I think your blog does a great idea at showcasing that Rowan knows the difference between 2nd and 3rd wave feminism and is not afraid to defend herself and others.
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