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Y O U  can be an inspiring feminist hero.

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Our diversity of faiths, and colours, and creeds — that is not a threat to who we are. It makes us who we are.

Michelle Obama

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Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female literacy, and the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace prize. 

In 2012, when she was 14 years old, she was shot in the head by the Taliban on a school bus on the way to school.

Malala survived the attack. She lives on as one of the most influential, inspiring, and prominent voices at the forefront of feminism.

She is now a best-selling author, a recipient of a multitude of accolades, and has been named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people globally in over 3 editions of the magazine.

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s h e   c r o s s e s   b o u n d a r i e s

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Balanced wages, balanced workforce among all women

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don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

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Exclusion of less privileged

Feminism was aimed to aid all females. However, privileged women sometimes do not realise that they may be excluding the less privileged groups. For example, Nicki Minaj once spoke about the exclusion of women of colour in the entertainment industries, and was addressed as “not very polite” by Miley Cyrus. The fact that women of colour often have to talk about their struggles by starting out politely, only to be rejected and to receive harsh comments to silence them. Feminism advocates gender equality, but the theory of “white feminism” ignores the voice of women of colour. Listening to all women’s voices is exactly what feminism is all about. Thus, non-intersectional feminism completely contradicts the aims of feminism. Not only should feminism include anti-racism aspects, but also other aspects to include all women of other identities such as transgender, etc. 

We can have a stronger movement, with everyone’s cooperation.

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All women should be included in the movement. If feminism isn’t intersectional, it is not entirely feminism. 

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Intersectional feminism is for every single one of us.

Women are all different.

We come from a diverse range of backgrounds. Different shapes and sizes, different colours of skin, different ages, different physical conditions, different privileges, different social statuses.

Yet, we are all the same.

and we deserve to be treated the same.

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Intersectionality is a type of feminism that looks at women of different backgrounds who experience oppression, and as represented in the picture above, it is basically shining a light through a prism to look at all the different wavelengths. The issues affecting all women are very diverse, just like the colours of a rainbow.

Intersectional feminism is for everyone.

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How can we achieve intersectional feminism?

Firstly, we have to be conscious. We have to be aware of the choice of words and language we are using and ensure that it is not offensive or putting other women down. Self-reflection is extremely important as well, because before you can expect a change and attempt to achieve intersectional feminism, you have to start by improving yourself. Leading by example will then cause people to be more willing to contribute to the cause of this movement. 

Secondly, we have to listen. Listening is key in achieving change. We have to listen to the less privilege, pass on the microphone, spread their word and express their opinions. Often, the minorities are overlooked and excluded from discussions. Listening to their problems and concerns and trying to understand them is the only way we can help them gain a platform to be heard and to help them improve on their situation. Woman with more privilege should try their best to utilize our privileges and help the less privileged. Moreover, by ignoring these issues, they continue to be preserved in the society and lead to bigger problems. 

Lastly, be open to new ideas. If we want to accept women of all identities, there will definitely be a lot of differences. Difference would mean more diverse opinions. One must be receptive to these opinions in order to benefit from them. If we do not accept new ideas and the variety of opinions, the voices of many women will not be heard and will be rejected by society. How will we be able to achieve intersection feminism then? 

It may not be easy, but together, we can form a force to reduce the divide and achieve intersectional feminism. 

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This comes from a Twitter post by Emma Watson. She, too, wants to make a change. She believes in including as many people as possible, and wants to help them gain a platform to be heard!

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what do you mean by intersectional feminism? - curious and dumb anon

Hi anon! So glad you asked!! :) its always great to spread awareness and get more people involved in the cause!

Intersectional Feminism is Feminism that acknowledges the fact that women face oppression in varying degrees and intensities due to the overlapping of identities and related systems of discrimination (eg. race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, ability) - basically the opposite of White Feminism.

To understand this better, we can start off with the definition of “intersectional”.

adjective: the theory that the overlap of social identities contributes to the specific type of oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual

so pair this with the idea of feminism. Feminism is a cause that fights against the discrimination of women. It is important, therefore, to understand that “women” is a big group, and the people within it face very different types of discrimination and hurt. So, it is harmful to be a feminist who only fights for one type of woman *cough White Feminists cough*  and generalise the challenges that all women face to be that of the straight, cis, white, middle class, able, woman. Why? Because then the needs of other marginalised women, who, ironically enough, actually need the voice more, are trivialised and looked over. 

A common misconception about intersectional feminism is that it acts as ‘reverse discrimination’. Clearly, that’s completely untrue. like our bio says, our liberation is intersectional, intergenerational, queer, and trans-inclusive, meaning we do not discount anybody in our fight for equality!  

I hope that answered your question! Do feel free to ask if you’re still unsure, or have any other questions! 

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Black, yellow, brown or white, we'll still  fight with all our might.

Lily Lim

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We may not be as tall as a tower, but we still have girl power

Lily Lim