Exploring identity: dig deeper into feminism with Women’s Empowerment Club and The Manor

Writing by Jenna Guiterrez, Interviews by Colleen Miller, Photos by Kendra Frankle, Featured Image by Anna McGregor, Styling by Daniela Guevara

In collaboration with Women’s Empowerment Club (WEC) and The Manor, District celebrates Women’s History Month. Learn about identity from five young voices and intersectional feminism from Jenna Gutierrez of WEC.

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Amber Kollar, a third-year fashion student, began selling clothing from her closet a few years ago, and in the past year, has started selling the clothes she makes. Her feminist ideas carry over not only to her life but also these designs. “Feminism is so ingrained in my personal way of life. It’s how I interact with other people or the clothing I make. My clothes aren’t just for women’s bodies,” she said. “But I’m always keeping in mind how to make someone feel empowered.” 

As someone with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that attacks hair follicles often causing hair loss, Kollar’s own journey toward empowerment began at a young age. “Alopecia affects how I view myself as a woman because, I’ve grown up seeing girls with really long hair on TV shows and in ads. I got really insecure about my hair so, blossoming into an adult, I’m able to express myself and my identity with different color wigs, shaving my head and dying it all different colors.” 

Kollar noticed others doing the same. “I found other people with alopecia when I was younger and first got Instagram. I would see girls older than me flaunting a bald head. They were so beautiful. I wanted to look like that one day” she said. “I looked in the mirror, and I finally realized I do look like that. I just needed to change my mindset. Finding people who struggled with the same things I do made me realize we are all in this together.”

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Bianca Maregatti, a third-year business of beauty and fragrance student with a minor in graphic design, said they haven’t always felt like they fit in. “Maybe it’s because I’m an Aquarius,” they said with a laugh. “Now intersectional feminism makes me feel like I have a voice. It gives me a sense of empowerment.” As a member of WEC, Maregatti said they have found a sense of community that they said makes them feel respected, safe and loved. “I love everyone on the WEC board and learning about everyone’s perspective. It has made me more knowledgeable and a better ally,” they said, “The last couple of years discovering intersectional feminism and discovering I’m non-binary has elevated my empowerment and self-identity.”

Maregatti said they began using makeup when they were 12 years old as a creative outlet. “Makeup is a place where I can do what I want like put blue on my face simply because it’s cool,” they said. Maregatti is hopeful the beauty industry will continue tracking in a more inclusive and creative direction. They are even working on a campaign in professor Meloney Moore’s class about erasing the stigma of men in the industry. “I’m really hopeful to see what happens in the next 10 or 20 years,” Maregatti said.

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Kenzie Phillips says she proudly labels herself as a feminist and queer woman. A second-year social strategy and management major, Phillips says she believes feminism means equality — but not just for women. “Intersectional feminism acknowledges different identities,” she said. “A Black woman is both Black and a woman so her experiences won’t completely fit with those of a white woman. The same is true with queer women or women from a lower economic level. And just because it’s not a ‘woman’s issue’ doesn’t mean it isn’t our issue.”

Phillips believes that social media, despite its faults, contributes positively to feminist conversations. “Even if you are in your little bubble of a rural, predominantly white, upper-class community, you can break out of that and hear the stories of other people,” she said, “It’s super important to hear those stories to promote intersectionality, and social media makes it easier to do so — not only for people to share but also for people to hear.” 

To learn more about feminism, some Instagram accounts Phillips recommends following are @radicalinprogress and @girlboss, among others. For those in search of some new reading materials, check out “Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay and “Word Slut” by Amanda Montell.

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As the secretary of WEC, Matthew Bielak said he has seen his understanding of intersectional feminism grow. A third-year advertising and branding student, Bielak now believes, “Intersectional feminism is a way to bridge the gap between divides. It’s a way to tackle issues at the core rather than individually and hoping they piece together.”

Perhaps the most obvious question is how does being male impact Bielak’s feminist beliefs. “I have not experienced some of the things my female peers or friends have,” he said, “But, I think it’s important that men be part of this conversation.” His own intersectional identity plays a large role in this belief. “I’m a man, but I’m also gay. I’m privileged and not religious. I’m a creative. All of those work together to make up who I am.”

The creative piece of Bielak’s identity led him to advertising, but this industry is not always the first place to find conversations about feminism. “Honestly, I struggled with this,” Bielak said, “I asked myself, ‘Why did I choose to go into an industry that is dominated by capitalism and stereotypes and men?’” Luckily, he has found his place. “Now, I see advertising as a way to build a stronger bond between brands that focus on social issues that intersect with feminism.”

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Hannah Harris always has a new book on her shelf. This time, it’s “Hood Feminism” by Mikki Kendall. Harris, a third-year business of beauty and fragrance student, said the book, “Surrounds the idea that feminism is also racist — traditionally only covering topics relevant to white women.”

While Harris herself believes feminism applies to anyone who identifies as women/womxn, she said intersectional feminism specifically applies to, “Other components of your identity that are also marginalized whether that be race or sexuality, or anything else.” With the rise of intersectionality, gender is not the only issue taken on by feminists. “Before we did everything in these silos, we did the women’s rights movement, we did the civil rights movement, we did the LBGTQ+ movement. Now is the time when everything is converging. It’s not just one movement, it’s simultaneously all these things,” she said.

Within her major, Harris said she also sees applications for feminist impact. “I think beauty may seem surface level sometimes, but there’s an idea that when you are looking to make impact you have the option to go wide or to go deep,” she said. “To go wide you’re going to look at things like commercials, magazines and other things with a broad viewer base — and that’s what beauty is. Beauty has broad impact, and from there, you can make deeper impacts on a more individual level.”

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Intersectional Feminism

I am Jenna Gutierrez. I am a cisgender, straight white woman. I come from a financially sound and loving family. The only discrimination I may face is based on my gender identity. I know privilege. Now change anything about me –– my sexuality, my race, my background, so on –– and I am left with a completely different reality. Our experiences as womxn vary, constantly moving about on a dynamic, limitless spectrum. Feminism is not a monolith; it is an ever-changing and elastic philosophy that is subject to growth. It is intersectional.  

The concept of intersectionality has an extensive history, however the word itself is relatively modern.  Kimberlé Crenshaw –– a law professor at UCLA and Columbia University Law School –– coined the term in a 1989 academic paper titled “De-marginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex” for the University of Chicago Legal Forum. The momentous piece outlines Crenshaw’s life’s work: the immeasurable ways in which race and gender discrimination overlap, especially in terms of the law. “The particular challenge in the law was one that was grounded in the fact that anti-discrimination law looks at race and gender separately,” says Crenshaw. Her interviews, academic papers, and noteworthy TED Talk highlight the compartmentalization of socio-political problems as a major issue –– one that, if confronted, could alleviate many other profound societal burdens. This is her mission, her calling. In an interview with Vox, Crenshaw stresses that she merely popularized the term; she says the cornerstone of intersectionality had been talked about long before she came around. However, Crenshaw is seen to many as the mother of intersectionality, the mind behind this complex, ever-changing concept. But she puts it simple.  

Intersectionality is simply where each and every form of discrimination meets, the overlapping center of an unfortunately extensive venn diagram.  The term considers all prejudices such as racism, classism, ableism and homophobia, but stresses sexism at its foundation. Here is where the term intersectional feminism comes into play, as it has become its own entity in the midst of this discourse. This specific branch of intersectional ideology recognizes all socio-political issues and the prejudices they may generate –– but with gender-based discrimination at its core. However, intersectional feminism truly means to think beyond gender; it means considering how a womxn’s race, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status or any aspect of their identity intersects with sexism. Crenshaw’s allusion to a figurative roadway intersection is fundamental to understanding the concept: those who fall under more than one oppressed group are often left at a crossroads, pressured to choose which group they more so want to uphold.   “We don’t need a melting pot in this country, folks. We need a salad bowl.  In a salad bowl, you put in the different things. You want the vegetables –– the lettuce, the cucumbers, the onions, the green peppers –– to maintain their identity. You appreciate differences.” Prolific activist and educator Jane Elliot made this analogy, and it fits perfectly with the central mission of intersectionality. We must consider the individual plights of womxn. We must recognize the unique and profound challenges womxn are facing. We must strive for this metaphorical salad bowl, cherishing the differences between us.