The Intersection of White Feminism and Perfectionism
WHILE WHITE FEMINISM AND PERFECTIONISM CAN EXIST SEPARATELY, WHEN COMBINED THEY BECOME MUCH MORE HARMFUL TO OUR SOCIETY. FOR STARTERS, THEY BOTH CREATE SILENCE. AND AS I’VE SAID BEFORE, YOUR SILENCE ON INJUSTICE IS VIOLENCE. IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, CHECK OUT SHINE CLASSES WHITE FEMINISM AIN’T IT AND MY PERFECTIONISM ISN’T SUSTAINABLE PACK. WHITE FEMINISM IS SELFISHLY MOTIVATED, WHILE PERFECTIONISM IS THE FEAR THAT HOLDS YOU BACK FROM REALLY TRYING. LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW PERFECTIONISM AND WHITE FEMINISM TOGETHER ARE KEEPING THE TOXIC PATRIARCHY ALIVE AND PUTTING OTHERS IN DANGER.
Weaponizing Incompetency
LEAVING THE RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHERS TO DO THE WORK IS CHILDISH. LIBERATION IS A HARD PROCESS, BUT DOING NOTHING WILL GET US NOWHERE. A PART OF WHITE FEMINISM IS CLAIMING THE TITLE OF FEMINIST WITHOUT FIGHTING FOR ALL WOMEN. BLACK WRITER CATHERINE PUGH (2020, JUNE 15) POINTS OUT, “BECAUSE RACISM IS NOT MINE, IT IS YOURS. WHAT YOU DO IS NOT CALLED ‘HELP’ WHEN IT IS YOUR MESS WE ARE CLEANING.” JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT A BLACK WOMAN DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU CAN’T DEFEND AND JOIN HANDS WITH US. LIKE RACISM, FIGHTING SEXISM FOR ALL WOMEN IS YOUR DUTY, NOT YOUR CHARITY. THE PATRIARCHY IS RAN BY WHITE MALE PRIVILEGE, SO IT IS UP TO THOSE WHO WHITE MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO HEAR OUT WHO NEED TO SPEAK UP. NOT DOING SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU’RE UNSURE IS JUST ALLOWING THE ISSUE TO CONTINUE WITHOUT MORE PEOPLE TO HELP FIGHT IT.
Feeling Like You Have to Keep It All Together
PERFECTIONISM MAKES US BELIEVE THE LIE THAT WE HAVE TO PUT ON A SHOW TO HIDE OUR FLAWS. AND BECAUSE WE BECOME CONSUMED WITH HIDING OURSELVES, IT DISABLES US FROM GENUINELY PUTTING OURSELVES INTO ENDING THE FACADE OF WHITE FEMINISM AND THE HESITANCY OF PERFECTIONISM. TATUM (2023) AFFIRMS, “WHILE I THINK IT IS NECESSARY TO BE HONEST ABOUT THE RACISM OF OUR PAST AND PRESENT, IT IS ALSO NECESSARY TO EMPOWER CHILDREN (AND ADULTS) WITH THE VISION THAT CHANGE IS POSSIBLE. CONCRETE EXAMPLES ARE CRITICAL.” DISMANTLING LONG-LASTING SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION MAY FEEL IMPOSSIBLE AT TIMES, BUT YOU HAVE TO FIND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO KEEP GOING. STAYING WOKE BY WATCHING NEGATIVE NEWS COVERAGE IS OK, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO SEARCH FOR A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITIES WHO ARE HAVING SUCCESS IN DOING THE WORK. LOOKING TO KEEP THE HOPE ALIVE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS STAYING IN THE KNOW. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE AND SEARCH FOR EXAMPLES AND MENTORS.
Doing the Bare Minimum
FEAR MANIFESTS IN THIS WORK BY DOING A LITTLE BIT INSTEAD OF MAKING A BIG SPLASH. NOW WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK MAKES ACTUAL CHANGE? AUTHOR BEVERLY DANIEL TATUM (2023) INSISTS, “THE RELEVANT QUESTION IS NOT WHETHER ALL WHITES ARE RACIST BUT HOW WE CAN MOVE MORE WHITE PEOPLE FROM A POSITION OF ACTIVE OR PASSIVE RACISM TO ONE OF ACTIVE ANTIRACISM.” THE SAME IS TRUE FOR PURSUING LIBERATION FOR ALL, ESPECIALLY BLACK WOMEN WHO RECEIVE THE BRUNT OF DISCRIMINATION AND MISTREATMENT. AS AN OUTSIDER OF THE BLACK FEMINISM, HOW ARE YOU ACTIVELY ENSURING THAT BLACK WOMEN AREN’T BEING OVERLOOKED OR IGNORED IN YOUR FEMINIST EFFORTS? POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND USING HASHTAGS IS AN EASY FIRST STEP, BUT THEY SHOULDN’T BE THE ONLY FORMS OF ACTIVISM YOU PARTICIPATE IN. THINK OF WAYS OF SERVICE THAT WORK BEST WITH THAT YOU CAN MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS. GETTING LIKES ON THE ‘GRAM DOESN’T TRANSLATE INTO LIBERATION. LEAD BY EXAMPLE, THEN USE YOUR INFLUENCE TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO JOIN YOU.
READY TO KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE? LET’S LIBERATE OURSELVES SO WE CAN LIBERATE SOCIETY!
REFERENCES
PUGH, C. (2020, JUNE 15). THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A ‘WHITE ALLY’— “TNSWA” PART I. MEDIUM. HTTPS://MEDIUM.COM/WE-DEFEAT-THE-ENEMIES-WE-DEFINE/THERE-IS-NO-SUCH-THING-AS-A-WHITE-ALLY-469BB82799F2
TATUM, B.D. (2023). WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? QUOTES. GOOD READS. HTTPS://WWW.GOODREADS.COM/WORK/QUOTES/137887-WHY-ARE-ALL-THE-BLACK-KIDS-SITTING-TOGETHER-IN-THE-CAFETERIA