Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Lorde is the Woke Queen. Or is she? What if she got Even More Woke?

Lorde has been praised by intersectional feminists around the world, ever since she said that feminism is not all about privileged, white women like herself. Some have even called her the new 'Woke Queen' (whatever that is supposed to mean).

This outpouring of positivity isn't unexpected. Especially as a minority of radical feminists continue to hold tight to the fantasy that Taylor Swift is the biggest 'White Feminist' in the music industry (something which has no basis in reality), they might have believed that the had just found the anti-Swift they had been looking for, for almost a decade. I mean, Lorde made all the right noises, she spoke the right language, to get the patronage of this crowd.

But then, what if she got more, well, 'woke'? Let's imagine that she came to the realization that many of the boundaries and taboos of mainstream feminism has been alienating women of color all along, and spoke out about that. Let's imagine that she decided to call for a feminism truly without gatekeepers. Would the feminist establishment be so welcoming of her still? I highly doubt it.

p.s. this post isn't meant to be taken as negative opinion on Lorde. It's good that she is attempting to be intersectional with her feminism, it's just that I wouldn't call her 'woke' so soon. I have to know if she will just be a mouthpiece for mainstream feminism or if she will really think for herself.