Is Feminism Dead? Or Have We Just Stopped Recognizing it?

Almost every day this past month, I have read about Miley Cyrus in the news. As she continues on a world tour to promote her latest album, “Bangerz,” her music is the only item not being written about.

Instead, Cyrus’ costumes and stage performances have caused controversy everywhere from the Huffington Post to The New School courtyard, with bloggers and students declaring she has gone too far. Not just conservative parents and religious groups, but respected liberal journalists and students at The New School are calling Cyrus a slut. With that, my initial reaction to Miley Cyrus was to ignore her altogether. However, as the entire world continues to weigh in on whether Cyrus is promiscuous or not, and how sexually charged her stage performances have been, I began to realize she is important to understanding the state of feminism in 2014.

        Definitions of what constitutes a feminist have changed over the years, even throughout the first, second and third waves. Earlier generations of feminists paved the way for our generation, but because of stringent definitions of feminism, it has remained exclusive. Many women felt that they could not call themselves feminists because they did not fit in with what was typically believed to be a feminist. Today, the definition depends on whatever group of feminists you are talking to.  In 2014, it’s hard to say exactly what a feminist is, maybe because there is no longer a widespread national movement, or maybe because women can no longer be defined as strictly one thing.

To me, being a feminist is something that I am, not that I choose to be. Being a feminist means supporting other women, no matter their life choices and most importantly, it’s subjective. What feminism means to me could be totally different than what it means for you, and I don’t feel that my definition is any more correct than yours. I do feel, however, that feminism needs to change in order to be more inclusive and less focused on who or what it means to be a feminist according to past ideals, but rather on developing our own definition of it – even if that definition means there are no rules.

While Miley Cyrus may not look or act like a typical feminist, her clothing choices and stage antics are not so different than feminist activist and Riot Grrrl founder, Kathleen Hanna. Both women dress and dance provocatively while challenging their gender roles and pushing boundaries. When Hanna started Riot Grrrl and decided to use her sexuality as a weapon against patriarchy, and dress like a child in order to reclaim her childhood and femininity, older feminists and men decided that’s not how a feminist should dress or act. But she stood her ground and became one of the most prolific feminists of a generation. While Miley Cyrus may not be campaigning for the same issues that Kathleen Hanna did, she is a strong, successful young woman who is experimenting with her sexuality and truly not caring what anyone says about it. I used to think she was doing it all for media attention, but even if she is, at least her actions are inspiring a dialogue about what needs to change in modern feminism.

Mothers might think she is a bad influence on their daughters, but I can assure you my mother did not think Kathleen Hanna was a good role model for me. But she was, because she taught me that, no matter how many times I was told to be quiet, I could scream. She showed me that only my idea of what it means to be a woman is important, and all the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus reminded me of that fact.

I’m not saying that Miley Cyrus is going to be the next Kathleen Hanna, or is the voice of a new feminist generation, but rather that she represents what should be the next generation of feminism – a fourth wave that accepts both Miley Cyrus and Kathleen Hanna in their different approaches of expression. Whether or not you agree with Cyrus, or any other woman’s method of self-expression, feminism should not be about dismissing, slut-shaming or deriding it. It should be about accepting women and their rapidly changing self-definitions of feminism.

In the 90’s, Time Magazine ran a cover story titled “Is Feminism Dead?” that inspired artists like Kathleen Hanna to show the world that feminism was not dead, it just had a different face – one with makeup, pigtails and knee high stockings. Feminism wasn’t dead when Time wrote their article and it definitely isn’t dead as I am writing mine. It is just in transition. Our generation’s feminism should be one that is all-inclusive, self-defined and respects all women in their approaches to understanding feminism. So maybe being a feminist now means expressing who you are and not trying to define other women. Whether you’re Miley Cyrus, Kathleen Hanna, me or some girl reading this article, you can be a feminist. And even if you don’t like Miley Cyrus, maybe the feminist thing to do is to not decide whether she is a feminist or not, but to let her make that choice and accept her either way.