Following the new wave of “socially acceptable” feminist influencers
Julie Takata / V Mag at UVA
With the release of “Barbie,” the rise of TikTokers like Alix Earle and the naming of Taylor Swift as Person of the Year, 2023 seemed to be the year of media dedicated to uplifting women. However, despite the attention they received, these lauded feminist events seem to lack the incorporation of intersectionality. As it has played out, “white feminism” continues to pervade the media landscape, where a specific population of white, cis-gendered, heterosexual, middle-class women get the most attention for their cries for equal treatment. At the seat of narratives on women’s suffering is a great deal of privilege, which downplays raw, powerful messages by making them digestible and distracted.
Certain forms of socially acceptable feminist narratives are longstanding on major media platforms, namely the idea of choice feminism. This subsect of feminist theory is characterized by a non-judgmental approach for women deciding to partake in traditionally gender-confining roles, such as getting plastic surgery for aesthetic purposes and choosing not to work.
In itself, choice feminism appears as a liberating outlook. However, its middle-of-the-road quality deviates from the radical desire to liberate women from an oppressive patriarchy. Choice feminism operates from a privileged perspective that applies mainly to white women, thereby deeply intertwined with white feminism.
Alix Earle, a TikToker who quickly rose to fame in 2023, is one such example of a public voice deeply immersed in white feminism and choice feminism. Earle’s fanbase of young girls often feel seen and uplifted by her self-made success as a relatable young woman, with many saying her openness speaking about issues like acne serves as inspiration.
“It just makes me feel really good that I’m able to help someone else,” Earle said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
However, her content often entertains rather than enriches an understanding of feminism. Her fame is primarily attributed to her commercialized “get ready with me” videos advertising makeup products to young girls, which enforce the idea that women should buy into the beauty industry to improve their worth. Alix Earle is not an inherently harmful creator, but her success offers only a shallow narrative of feminism’s potential.
Notably, Earle has never outwardly proclaimed herself a feminist. She speaks candidly on relationships, mental health and self-image, but has stayed quiet on other collective women’s issues. As a thin, straight, white, upper class woman, many critics see Earle’s fame as a direct result of these privileges. She recently came under fire for promoting beauty products initially targeted towards Black women.
“I always want to uplift other creators and support them, and help them in any way I can,” Earle told Elle Magazine in response to these allegations.
While the media often points to successful women as role models for younger generations, the success of any single female influencer does not necessarily contribute to tangible change for other women.
In contrast to Earle, creators can share their luxuries while acknowledging privilege, opening discussion and sharing resources. TikToker Eli Rallo lifts the voices of others and brings attention to relevant feminist discourse, and, at the same time, produces light hearted content about romanticizing the individual experience. Her podcast has featured insightful creator JamesIsSmiling, who has shared information on gender and queerness among other relevant topics.
Other influencers whose educational messages emphasize intersectionality in feminism include Jameela Jamil and @thatdesifeminist. Influencers like these exemplify a version of the movement that prioritizes intersectionality and recognizes the radical change needed to liberate all women and marginalized people.
Despite the existence of smaller creators promoting intersectionality, examples of white and choice feminism run rampant within the digital media landscape. Certain creators’ ability to participate in choice feminism illustrates a degree of privilege which many women are not granted. It is worth questioning why palatable feminist content receives more visibility and attention than more radical outlooks.
Overall, socially acceptable feminism may be taking away from feminism’s larger goal — a movement advocating for women who are not granted the liberation and equity that they deserve. When interacting with media content that contains feminist narratives, it is vital to acknowledge when white feminism is at play. Until we see more diverse perspectives in mainstream media, it’s up to us as individuals to supplement these creators with inclusive, intersectional voices.
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From the “Barbie” movie’s attempt to expose the patriarchy to the naming of Taylor Swift as Person of the Year, recent American pop culture media seems to be dedicated to uplifting women. But, as many critics have pointed out, this new wave of feminism lacks intersectionality, and may be doing more harm than good.
White feminism – a type of feminism that focuses exclusively on white middle class women and prioritizes issues that primarily affect them – continues to pervade the media landscape. At the seat of narratives on women’s suffering is a great deal of privilege, which downplays raw, powerful messages by making them digestible and distracted.
Many critics of white feminism point to mainstream examples of its media prevalence, including pop sensation Taylor Swift, whose influence and platform has been amplified by her worldwide Eras Tour. A self-proclaimed feminist, Swift faced scrutiny for her alleged relationship with the lead singer of the band The 1975, Matty Healy. Healy’s number of controversies included following Kyle Rittenhouse on Instagram and mocking Ice Spice, a Nigerian and Dominican rapper. Notably, rather than denying a relationship with Healy, Swift teamed up with Ice Spice on her song, “Karma.”
Swift has faced scrutiny for a number of conflicting political messages throughout her career. In a 2015 Twitter feud with Nicki Minaj, Swift accused Minaj of pitting women against each other in a response to one of Minaj’s tweets calling out the VMA’s for favoring women with thin bodies. The music video for Swift’s song, “Shake it Off” was scrutinized as culturally appropriating Black culture. Consequently, many fans voiced disapproval of her methods of pushing a feminist agenda, considering them to be incompatible with her actions.
Certain forms of socially acceptable feminist narratives are longstanding on major media platforms, namely the idea of choice feminism. This subsect of feminist theory is characterized by a non-judgmental approach for women deciding to partake in traditionally gender-confining roles, such as getting plastic surgery for aesthetic purposes and choosing not to work.
In itself, choice feminism appears as a liberating outlook. However, its middle-of-the-road quality deviates from the radical desire to liberate women from an oppressive patriarchy. Choice feminism operates from a privileged perspective that applies mainly to white women, thereby deeply intertwined with white feminism.
Some influencers have attempted to push back against white feminist narratives by acknowledging privilege, opening discussion and sharing resources. TikToker Eli Rallo lifts the voices of others and brings attention to relevant feminist discourse while producing light hearted content about romanticizing the individual experience. Her podcast has featured insightful creator JamesIsSmiling, who has shared information on gender and queerness among other relevant topics.
Other creators whose educational messages emphasize intersectionality in feminism include Jameela Jamil and @thatdesifeminist. Influencers like these exemplify a version of the movement that prioritizes intersectionality and recognizes the radical change needed to liberate all women and marginalized people.
Despite the existence of smaller creators promoting intersectionality, examples of white and choice feminism run rampant within the digital media landscape. Certain creators’ ability to participate in choice feminism illustrates a degree of privilege which many women are not granted. It is worth questioning why palatable feminist content receives more visibility and attention than more radical outlooks.
Overall, socially acceptable feminism may be taking away from feminism’s larger goal — a movement advocating for women who are notgranted the liberation and equity that they deserve. Although some forms of feminism have made notable progress in the media, the continued ubiquity of white feminism in recent pop culture challenges the extent of this headway. A tension between actual attempts at intersectionality and pseudo-feminist takes on them seems to persist.