I never thought that I would find myself criticising criticism of Cameron (enemy of an enemy is my friend and all that) BUT I really do think that all this 'just put the t-shirt on, you fucker' stuff isn't getting to the heart of the issue. While I'll admit that trying to defend his decision by saying that he hasn't got time to put a t-shirt on (it takes approximately 5 seconds) is a bit pathetic and that, by rights, the Uk PM really should be glad to proclaim himself a feminist, I actually don't think we should be condemning him for not wearing a grey slogan t-shirt... after all there are (admittedly, very few) more important things in life than t-shirts...
If I am honest I am relieved that I don't have to look at a photograph of "a C3PO made of ham" (couldn't have said it better myself, Caitlin Moran) wearing a feminist slogan t-shirt for Elle Magazine. I am retching just thinking about it. And it isn't just because i don't think it would a wise style choice for him.
Had David Cameron worn the t-shirt, we would have been presented with an oxymoronic image- David Cameron should not be depicted as an image of feminism. Lest we forget that this is the man that told Angela Eagle to 'calm down, dear'. It would have been disastrous if those deciding whether to consider themselves feminists or not, were told that this...
....is what a feminist looks like?
Because it isn't. David Cameron in a feminist t-shirt would be wrong, confusing and downright disturbing. *shudder*
It is worrying that our Prime Minister is one of the few people that I would actively discourage from labelling themselves a feminist... because i think it undermines the cause. It renders the word meaningless. It turns feminism into something that you can label yourself without actually supporting the cause- anyone can wear one of these t-shirts but they only mean something if you are actually what a feminist looks like.
And, i'm afraid to say, Cameron is not.
I say thank fuck he didn't wear one. I wish we had a prime minister that could wear one and genuinely be a feminist, but, as yet, that is still a wish not a reality. We should stop chastising him for not wearing a t-shirt and start admonishing him for not being a feminist.
This t-shirt campaign is all about raising awareness of the cause and making it accessible and inclusive. It is about revealing to the general public that feminists do not have to be women, do not have to be a certain type of woman, do not have to be something that you don't identify with. The people wearing the t-shirts need have only one thing in common- that they are feminists. And Cameron simply does not make the cut.
The campaign is well intentioned and I am glad that efforts are being made to make feminism a more accessible and inclusive movement. I am glad that the new mission of feminism is now to make it universal. I am glad that so many public figures in our society have happily pulled on their t-shirts to support the cause. BUT I am somewhat perturbed by the fact that in our society it is necessary for the emphasis to be on what a feminist "looks like" and not what a feminist thinks or believes or does. I would gladly don a t-shirt that read "I think all people are equal regardless of gender" on the front and "I am a feminist" on the back because i think you need both the belief and the label for the term to carry any weight. 'Feminist' is a convenient word to sum up the ideas we are striving for but if we continue to dissociate it from the actions and beliefs that it represents then we risk turning it into nothing more than 8 letters that can be printed on a t-shirt. Feminism belongs in people's minds, their words and their actions, NOT on their clothes. Feminism is not a fashion statement.
The campaign is well intentioned and I am glad that efforts are being made to make feminism a more accessible and inclusive movement. I am glad that the new mission of feminism is now to make it universal. I am glad that so many public figures in our society have happily pulled on their t-shirts to support the cause. BUT I am somewhat perturbed by the fact that in our society it is necessary for the emphasis to be on what a feminist "looks like" and not what a feminist thinks or believes or does. I would gladly don a t-shirt that read "I think all people are equal regardless of gender" on the front and "I am a feminist" on the back because i think you need both the belief and the label for the term to carry any weight. 'Feminist' is a convenient word to sum up the ideas we are striving for but if we continue to dissociate it from the actions and beliefs that it represents then we risk turning it into nothing more than 8 letters that can be printed on a t-shirt. Feminism belongs in people's minds, their words and their actions, NOT on their clothes. Feminism is not a fashion statement.
Feminist is what you are, not what you wear. Cameron would still be sexist whether he wore the t-shirt or not so I have to give him a little credit for being honest because, of course, it would be far, far easier to yank on the t-shirt in 5 seconds, take a picture and pretend. But that is what it would be: pretending. After all, you've got to admit, that a feminist t-shirt would make an excellent disguise for a blushing misogynist.
-Vida
-Vida
