Earlier this month, men and women across the world celebrated International Women’s Day, a century-old phenomenon that has become more prominent within the past few years. What should be strictly a day of commemoration and insight into the lives of influential women has mutated into a day of pageantry, self-gratification and hollow gestures from corporations looking to capitalize on the hipness of modern feminism. To be blunt, ladies, we’re being taken for a ride.
Most of us woke up to news stories celebrating women of the past and present that have paved the way for equality. Thanks to the Washington Post, I learned about Sonita Alizadeh, a rapper from Afghanistan whose song “Brides For Sale” exposed her personal battle against child marriage and other structural injustices against women in her country. I learned about Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jehangir, who fought for the humane treatment of all citizens and challenged militant religious groups.
Yet the antithesis to well-researched and inclusive journalism included a plethora of articles that indulged in petulant finger-pointing. Vice’s sister publication, Broadly, issued a narrow and rather suffocating article, titled “100 Easy Ways to Make Women’s Lives More Bearable,” which include imperatives such as calling the Star Wars princess “General Leia” and abandoning any opinion men may have on abortion or reproductive rights because they are “irrelevant” and men are not entitled to have them.
This language of this half-thought listicle potentially alienates men and women who would have otherwise championed women’s rights. Rather than stress a message of unity, it obsessed over trivial details without highlighting the important struggles of modern females. I highly recommend the article for anyone who enjoys “Game of Thrones” or calling women pretty, for you must repent these sins.
The message of inclusive feminism, which includes transgender rights along with global issues such as female genital mutilation and child marriage, is positive if it includes all women without shaming others. Conservative women or even women who still watch “Game of Thrones” aren’t part of the so-called inclusion that liberal feminists tout. While I found a multitude of articles that embraced a more accusatory tone against men and women who do not adhere to strict feminist doctrine, I found too few articles that addressed global plights of women that require the leadership of both sexes to tackle. There are plenty of modern feminists who will protest PornHub for its content but will not be as quick to censure female genital mutilation.
Social media feeds were also dominated by a capitalist co-optation of a day that should have been respected. Large chains made condescending gestures; KFC, for example, switched their logo to Claudia Sanders, a feminized Colonel Sanders. To some bemusement, McDonald’s switched its iconic “M” upside down to represent a “W” in restaurants across the country It’s safe to assume that the workers undertaking the cumbersome task were not compensated for their labor. The website Time Out even posted a list of locations across New York City where women could treat themselves to discounted food and drinks.
The day coincided with “A Day Without a Woman,” in which society was supposed to recognize the value that women add to our socio-economic system, excluded women who literally had no choice but to work. Some women attending university abstained from their classes. Even though I simply could have given my shift away at work, I chose not to, because what better way is there to honor my female predecessors who did not have access to higher paying jobs and education than to work and study at my choosing? Women don’t need discounts, days or self-congratulations. We need equality and we need change.
Kristen DiPietra is a senior double-majoring in English and human development.