Third Wave Feminist Analysis

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, feminism has had a strong influence on the functioning of society, at individual, group and political levels. Defined as the “belief in the social, economic and political equality of the sexes”, feminism aims to contest the patriarchal society. However, in recent years, feminism has adopted a broader definition embracing intersectionality as a basis for social change. First used in 1989 by American Civil Rights Advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality describes the interrelation between different forms of discrimination including but not limited to: gender, race, sexuality and socioeconomic status. Third wave feminists aim to extend feminism beyond the realm of white, middle-class, heterosexual

The “Who Needs Feminism” Campaign was started in 2012 by students at Duke University, Durham, to “reclaim the word ‘feminism’ and to reduce and revise the antagonism and apprehensions towards the term”. Participants were asked to finish the phrase “I need feminism because…” on posters that were later submitted to the Who Needs Feminism social media platforms. Sparking considerable attention in the media, feminists used this campaign to assert the relevant issues considered in third wave feminism, to a previously apprehensive audience, and challenge stereotypes surrounding feminists as “angry lesbians with hairy armpits.” The word “Feminism” is still regarded with negative connotations, typically concerning significant social fallacies of the term. As seen in the 2014 social media, retaliation movement #WomenAgainstFeminism, there is a considerable social consensus that Feminism is irrelevant to 21st Century society. Statements featured in anti-feminist posters of the #WomenAgainstFeminism movement included “I am not a victim”, “I am not superior to men”, “I don’t hate men” and “I believe in equality not superiority”. This movement initiated a strong counter-debate from the global feminist community, arguing that the main goals and aims of feminism had not been fully understood. Whilst previous feminist movements have endorsed radical, misandristic and queer-phobic arguments, the intersectional third wave feminist approach, instead encourages unprejudiced and non-discriminatory empowerment of all women, particularly affirming “You don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.” Following the Harvey Weinstein “sexual harassment epidemic”, 2018 has given rise to the #MeToo and Time’s Up anti-sexual assault movements, addressing rape-culture, that is, the normalisation of male sexual violence and victim blaming in society. The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements emphasise sexualisation as a