 |
| Courtesy of YALC on Twitter |
So there I was on the stage at the very marvellous YALC*
in London’s Olympia. I held the mike in
my hand and - in front of an audience of three hundred or so people - I said
these words: ‘I’m going to say something which I know may seem controversial. I’ve no more felt the need to tell people I’m
a feminist than I’ve needed to tell them I’m a woman. To me, it’s a given. For me, the two are inextricably linked.’
The panel was called Being a Girl and all the
questions the five female authors (including me) had been given to think about
beforehand included the words feminism
or feminist. And all of us were singing from the same hymn
sheet. Of course we were. Because what woman doesn’t want the same life
opportunities, freedoms and everyday respect that is granted to a man?
I made this personal revelation to open the discussion
up a bit in order to show that being a girl/woman and believing in equality isn’t
in the exclusive domain of those who make use of the word feminist when describing themselves. For the record, I never have done. I love books and music and travel and trainers
and rabbits and riding a bike. I keep an
eye on the news and on politics. If asked
to describe myself this is what I’d be most likely to tell you. I might also say I’m short. But – and this may seem totally contradictory
- if some random stranger or overly-familiar-unfamiliar called me shorty or titch, there’s a good chance I’d give them a Vulcan Death Glare and
maybe even a verbal dressing-down.
Because I don’t like labels being imposed upon me by others.
I recognise that labels can be empowering and can bring
people together against adversity but I have a concern that they may exclude
just as they include. And they suggest a
deviation from a default norm. The point I was hoping to make was that I
feel comfortable enough to describe myself as a woman and leave the feminist part unsaid. Because that
is now surely intrinsic to what it means to be a girl/woman in today’s western
culture; hence the name of the panel: Being
a Girl. If we understand that this necessarily overlaps with feminist
values, it makes sense of why every question concerned feminism. I also tried to say that if any woman does believe that men should have
certain rights and freedoms over those extended to women then it is the views
of these women which are now marginal
enough to need a label. Not mine.
My comment created a difference of opinion on the
panel and provoked some lively debate.
This is good in a discussion, and weathering a bit of disagreement is a part
of life. But (literally) one or two
comments on social media since then have misquoted me or suggested
misunderstanding. Normally I don’t
engage with internet debate but this time I’m going to. Equality for women is such an important issue
that because I maybe wasn’t clear enough last Saturday I’m going to be clearer
now.
Firstly, I did not make any attack on feminists. I expressed a concern over labelling.
Neither did I say that I haven’t ever felt any inequality
of opportunity or mistreatment because of my sex. Actually I have. Here’s one early example. When I was about 16, my school sent me to a
mock interview at a local branch of a high street bank. The ageing male bank manager took one look at
me and – as I remember it - said, ‘We employ ex-carnival queens and some real
beauties in this bank so why should we employ you?’ After a moment of shocked silence, I said, ‘I
wouldn’t want you to employ me because I wouldn’t want to work here.’ This Charming Man said, ‘Shall we save each
other’s time and end this now?’ And I
said yes and got up and left. This was the
late 80s – barely a generation ago. Can
you even imagine a bank manager saying this now? It’s unlikely, I think. Small steps but there’s some progress.
Lastly, I did not say that there’s nothing left to
fight for and that we have achieved equality.
Because clearly we haven’t. But progress
has been made since that bank manager’s comment and since the 1960s before the
Equal Pay Act existed and also since the days when women didn’t even have the
right to vote. And now I feel we have also earned the right to interpret
the default identity of a twenty-first century western woman as one who believes
in her right to equality. Because I
think we all agree on that, don’t we? And
I’m using the word western not to
diminish any other women but simply because I’m not in any position to comment on
any other situation.
So that’s why I feel that being a girl and being a
feminist have become inextricable and that, actually, the word feminist is just another layer of
language on top of a rather wonderful truth.
Who gave us the Equal Pay Act?
Was it feminists working at the Ford Motor Factory? Or was it women working at the Ford Motor
Factory? Take your pick. Also I think you’ll learn more about me if I
tell you that the last piece of music I bought was a lavish repressing of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on heavy
black vinyl or that the last book I got was Go
Set a Watchman than if I tell you I’m a feminist.
I’m not setting myself up in opposition to anyone who does call themselves a feminist. And I’m not truly bothered if anyone calls me
one either – because by any dictionary definition, it’s true anyway. And actually, all of us on the panel were
advocating the importance of real and diversifying voices in fiction. Hey, my voice is real too! I’d prefer not to be slammed down or told I must shout my feminism on Twitter. I can assure you that because I don’t shout it
out it doesn’t mean I’m passively enjoying unearned gains while others fight for
me. I fight for myself.
I hope that now explains more clearly why I don’t use the word feminist when describing myself.
Three final thoughts:
1. Had
I said I don’t choose to describe myself
as straight or female or childless or British would I have caused any consternation?
2. On
the panel, I quoted Ferris Bueller. I’m
now going to quote Darth Vader. In Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Mr Vader
says, ‘If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy.’
Personally, I think his aggression is divisive and unhealthy. There is room for a whole spectrum of
opinions on the same ‘side’.
3. The
panel was amazing and I feel honoured to have been a part of it. I’d mix it up on a panel again with any one
of those girls/feminists/women. YALC is
AMAZING. Thank you so much to all the very
many audience members who tweeted lovely things and to those who took the
trouble to come and chat to me in REAL. The
discussion was really interesting and, for me anyway, so was writing this blog
post.
* *Young Adult Literature Convention
No comments:
Post a Comment