Progress But Not Perfection

At this year’s VMA Awards Beyonce was determined to not be out twerked by the pretenders to the throne Minaj and Cyrus.  She thrilled audiences with a spangle sparkly-pole-shimmying extravaganza featuring her greatest hits–as opposed to Solange’s greatest hits which took place in an elevator.

In the middle of it all, Beyonce decided her brand would embrace feminism, complete with a flashy animation of the word Framed by her thigh gapand a definition.  If only my Powerpoints for class could be so exciting; at least they actually make sense.

She followed this lesson in feminism with a rousing rendition of “Bow down, Bitch!”while leaning on a line of women’s asses.  Fantastic!

If you hate feminism, maybe this made you hate it a little less.  If you love feminism, maybe you threw up.  Either way, all those sparkling leotards have shined a light on redefining feminism for a new era.  They also may have stopped bell hook’s heart for a few minutes.

With the angry backlash against women and men having equal rights at #whyidontneedfeminism and the very real push back against women’s reproduction and economic rights, we need more people to sign on to the struggle for gender equity, so thanks, Beyonce, for being my plus one.   Now about that definition of yours….

Author: Susan X Jane

Susan X Jane is a diversity educator, speaker, and trainer and coach. A former professor and media literacy activist, she now consults with organizations looking to make sense of our current cultural shift. She thinks a lot about media and race…a lot...and writes and speaks about media…and race... and encourages everyone she meets to think about the way our identity shapes our experiences, ideas, and beliefs about the world. If you're reading this, she wants you to think about it too. Want to talk about it? Let's go. View all posts by Susan X Jane