How do you interpret radical feminism?

[Jezebelz]

I recently realised I lean towards radical feminism due to the following:

⁃	I actively reject societal norms in terms of appearance and behaviour. 
⁃	I oppose the sexual objectification of women in all circumstances, particularly porn and prostitution
⁃	As a radical lesbian feminist, I believe straight relationships can (in some cases) perpetuate patriarchal power relations and personal dominance 
⁃	I’m a Ms rather than Mrs
⁃	I feel vaguely disappointed in women who ‘need to check that is okay with hubby’ 
⁃	I feel very disappointed in women who expect hubby to pay for everything, and consider hubby’s needs and opinions superior to their own 

Interested in how others interpret radical feminism? And if they consider themselves a rad fem how they reached that conclusion?

Liberal feminism is about the individual, radical feminism looks at the framework the person lives in and works out how to make it fit for humans.
That's why I am a radical feminist. There's no point putting out buckets while there's a hole in the roof.

^ what upstart said

I understand the radical in radical feminist to be about the root, or basis of women's oppression. Which is that our society is set up to advantage those with a male biology, and actively put at a disadvantage, or in many cases, actual danger, those with a female biology. This is done, most obviously, by the enforcement of the idea of Gender, behaviours and roles which are designated as belonging appropriately to either men or women.

I have lived over forty years, through many things, and I recognize clearly that pretty much everything that has held me down has been rooted in my biology and the system of gender which means that my biology remains a serious disadvantage.

Tbh, although from everything I've read I'm definitely in the second wave RadFem camp, I do prefer Women's Liberation as a term because it requires less unpacking for people who see the word 'radical' and think it's a synonym for 'extreme'.

I don't consider myself a radical feminist since I'm not a blank slatist, and, if push came to shove and all else was equal, would prioritise the political interests of a working class man over an upper class woman.

But I consider radical feminist (not the self-identified version) spaces to be the most nurturing and inspiring for women. And I am not interested in any politics centred on the individual. I'm interested in structural analysis. Liberal and/or third wave feminism has nothing of use for me and, in particular, for working class women.

I'm also not interested in trying to change the definition of radical feminism because bits of it don't suit me personally. It's a perfectly clearly delineated theoretical framework.

"Shut up bitch."

I only discovered I was rad fem when people got angry at me having opinions that "women" with kind eyes don't.

Interesting!

Yes yes to looking at the framework rather than the individual. I'd never joined the dots before and realised my natural resistance to male domination in society was radical feminism.

"And I am not interested in any politics centred on the individual. I'm interested in structural analysis. Liberal and/or third wave feminism has nothing of use for me and, in particular, for working class women."

This.

While liberal feminism pays lip service to being inclusive of disability it's insistence on biological sex not being the source of oppression means it minimises how many disabilities which either disproportionally affect women or which affect women differently are treated differently - or not treated at all.

I found radical feminism because it was the only place that I felt truly represented justice. Nothing else felt fair and just in my gut. Yes, it's about dismantling the patriarchal structure down to the root but the reason we want to dismantle it isn't for personal gain but rather simply because it is unjust.

I saw a Gail Dines quote today where she said she believes she was born a radical feminist. I feel like it is an internal guide that tells me right from wrong. I didn't know what it was called for a very long time. Now I consider radical feminism to be a very complicated term for "the thing that is just."

For me the biggest thing to overcome in accepting myself as a radical feminist was realizing how lonely I was going to be for the rest of my life.

for people who see the word 'radical' and think it's a synonym for 'extreme'
Yes, when I found my way here, I thought I was a "common sense" feminist, so I was confused that the ideas were seen as radical.

GraceTheDisgrace

Nothing else felt fair and just in my gut. Yes, it's about dismantling the patriarchal structure down to the root but the reason we want to dismantle it isn't for personal gain but rather simply because it is unjust.

Exactly this. I think it's an exciting time for feminism at the moment as it's gaining momentum. I don't think you will be lonely.

I do think 'radical' has negative connotations though and rad fem could do with a rebrand.

What Floral said. Plus this social system has existed for thousands of years (at least) -- how we go about changing it, you can think of the meaning of radical, and argue that society needs changing from the root, that it won't be put right by bunging in a few bits of legislation. But that system is based, at the root, on the differences between female and male biology, which can't be disappeared by wishing, or by us 'pretending' they aren't there.

Only way of looking at the facts, social, historical, biological, political, that makes sense to me! Explains a lot...........

Exactly this. I think it's an exciting time for feminism at the moment as it's gaining momentum. I don't think you will be lonely.

Do you think radical feminism is gaining momentum? I see a particular type of corporate social media clicktivism without any sort of coherent analysis is gaining momentum.

I don't think RadFem ideas are gaining momentum at all. My eldest daughter who is in her late teens, is fully on board, which is tremendous, but she is very frank about being a complete sore thumb at college because of it.

In fact, a common experience for both of us is that our commitment to our faith, and our feminism, has set us on quite a counter-cultural path.

The general culture has absorbed an understanding of third wave feminism as the definitive kind to the point that many, many people - women included - think that feminism is about 'equality for everyone' and 'choice' and often that there is no need for Feminism anymore anyway.

I kind of think that if you have a list of things you'd like to change in society, or that you avoid doing or whatever, that you're actually a liberal feminist. It's as though a person who does that is saying "We need to change this and this and this, and then we'll have a fair society that's good for everyone." Whereas a true radical would say "This whole setup is hopeless, we've got to get rid of it and make a new start". But I don't think anyone wants to leap into the unknown in that way--what would this "new society" really be like?

So if you want to call yourself a radical, maybe I'd say you have to believe that the number and type of changes you want to make do actually add up to a serious shift in society. The concept of "Am I Being Unreasonable" is totally liberal!

p.s. Forget that kind of "liberal feminism" that says anything you want is feminism. That's something else entirely.

FloralBunting I agree many people claim there is no longer need for feminism as women already have equality (errm no) and feminism can have negative connotations of angry, scary man haters.

Until really recently I would have considered myself a liberal feminist. pro choice, pro equality. We're all in it together blah blah.

But it has always irritated me how much males dominate society. From kids story books and films, to dominating the work place, mansplaining, manspreading. Fuck that, we need a shift. Fuck the patriarchy!

I'll be honest, it doesn't necessarily annoy me that males dominate society. It just wearies me to have to persistently keep reminding people who think they've already 'got it' that the way to liberate women is to put their rights and protections at the core of what you do.

I've never been a LibFem, I hopped straight to RadFem from very vocal Anti-Feminism. So I've seen this from a very varied number of perspectives along the way.

I think age plays a huge part in this too - when I was younger I really had no real grasp on how much the deck was stacked against me as a woman. Experience is a very vivid teacher.

But I'm always wryly amused by the man-hating accusation against Feminism, largely because it does miss the class-analysis element. I try not to hate anyone in my life, it's a tenet of my faith, but there are men who have been part of my life who I have zero respect for. But most of the men I know, I like and respect and want to succeed in their lives. I just don't put their needs and wishes at the core of Feminism.

Materialist, please don't apologize, it's an excellent and informative post.

Thank you so much Materialist I've just learned a lot from your excellent post!

I don’t claim to be an expert on feminist theory - science is my thing :)

But to me it’s about the liberation of women from patriarchy, not just equality within that patriarchal framework.

This is why the wohm/sahm threads drive me nuts - everyone slinging mud at individual choices and no one examining the framework within which those choices are made.

To me radical feminism is about the fact that the root of our oppression is our biology. And that we live in a patriarchal framework that disadvantages us based on that.

It’s NOT about equality within that framework, about appeasing men, about acting more like a man to win in that framework. It’s NOT about individual choices, it’s about the context they’re made in.

It’s the opposite of identity politics - it’s for ALL women. Why all women? Because the root of our oppression is our biology and our biology is the only thing we all share. Incidentally that has the potential to make radical feminism a force to be reckoned with - if women everywhere united under that banner, we would surmount barriers of race, creed, class and geography. We would be unstoppable. Imagine...

Equality would be a nice side effect of that world, but it’s not a tool to get us there.

This kind of feminism is deeply compassionate towards all women, but it sees no need to centre men or to make sure they’re not disadvantaged.

I’ve found it a liberating experience, and a distressing one.

Upstart thank you for that explanation. I've never seen it explained so simply before but when I read your post it made a lot of things I've been pondering recently click into place.