Do feminists have to be young?

We were doing Virginia Woolf’s ‘To the Lighthouse‘in last week’s seminar. Apparently Woolf told porkies when she claimed not to have read Freud (she later admitted she had). We were discussing the references to penis envy in the text, and the ambivalent characterisation of Mr Ramsey who seemed to yearn for the feminine touch. ‘Did he have vagina envy then?’ I piped up. (Don’t think I’ll get away with that as a dissertation subject somehow).

The next day I re- read Germaine Greer’s article on feminism in Mslexia magazine and that started me thinking.

Do feminists have to be young?

Is idealism the preserve of the young, or is it possible, after a lifetime of giving birth, dusting, cooking and washing to revert in middle age to a kind of crusading second childhood, and spitefully negate the value of everything one has done, as a wife and mother in the past, like some kind of post- menopausal muse?

Do feminists have to burn their bras?

Hell no. If you have a pair of 34 DD’s, you need to have them firmly strapped in with the best that M and S or Rigby and Peller has to offer.(I asked this royal lingerie maker once what size was Her M..,but they weren’t telling). The last thing you need is to topple over in the street, overbalanced by a pair of low-hanging fruit swinging around, unfettered, in front of you. 

Do feminists have to be educated? 

Tricky one that. I would say that generally, in the Western World, as long as you can read and hear, there’s enough stuff on the TV, radio and female columns in the papers or magazines for everyone to be at least aware of the word and the thinking behind it. In less enlightened corners of the globe this would be a crucial question. That’s why I would nominate Malala Yousafzai, the girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating the rights of girls to be educated, as a feminist Booker prize winner , but I see she has the human rights prize for women's freedom ,the Simone de Beauvoir Prize , so that’s all right then. 

Do feminists run to fat?

Well, if they don’t give a fig about being attractive to men, that’s up to them. I would say, however, that the potential reduction in lifespan caused by high cholesterol levels etc would also reduce possible ranting time, so, maybe, best avoided. You have to be fit to be feisty.

Are there subversive feminists?

You mean someone who, though perfectly capable of going out to work, wage war, and change light bulbs etc would rather marry a wealthy man, reproduce, nurture their thankless young, and then complain about the onerous work of being a housewife? I think I know someone like that, . Well, that is their freedom of choice isn’t it? Or someone who would complain at the jobcentre, ‘I live in a shoebox and have so many children I don’t know what to do. The housework is making me too depressed to go out to work so could I have some cash please?’

Would Elizabeth Bennett, after her comfortable marriage to Mr Darcy, have gone to work in politics or been a writer? Times were difficult for a Western woman then and society might never have allowed her to pursue her dreams. Perhaps, in revenge, she became a secret blogger. But then again, what about Pope Joan in the 13th century who, allegedly, masquerading as a man, gave birth on horseback and came to a sticky end.

Are feminists selfish?

Could be, I suppose. Depends if they’re just in it for themselves rather than the sisterhood, or, beyond that, the rest of humanity. The suffragette, Emily Davison, killed by deliberately stepping in front of King George’s horse at the Epsom Derby, was lucky not to have injured the horse or rider. If she had, can you imagine the uproar? The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, let alone the Health and Safety Executive ,would have been on her case like a shot. All very well to demonstrate for your own particular freedom, as long as it doesn’t impede that of others.

What should be the moral compass of a feminist?

No comment. It would be arrogant of me to pass judgement.

 Unusual examples of modern feminists?

Well it’s not all black and white there, as seen in Woolf’s characters.

Even in the pop world there is some ambiguity of traditional role playing.Beyonce, gyrating in spangles sings-

‘If I were a boy......

I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she'd be faithful,
Waiting for me to come home, to come home.’

In Lily Allen’s video for her song ‘Smile’ the girl gets revenge on her cheating DJ boyfriend by subversively putting laxatives in his drink, arranging for him  to be beaten up ,his flat trashed  and finally scratching his records . Not exactly the behaviour of a docile female and, as a critic pointed out at the time, if the roles had been reversed, then we would not have smiled at the lyrics and the boyfriend would have been condemned.

And as for the symbolism of the Islamic terrorist disguised in a burka to escape capture and continue to promote his version of  a faith which , amongst other things, seeks to subjugate women...well, words fail me.

What constitutes an ideal feminist?

Someone who respects the rights of all people, no matter their sex?

I realize that this blog has been more of an internal conversation/polemic but should you wish to express an opinion please tick one of the boxes below.

Yes, I agree with the above statements. No, I do not disagree with the above statements.