I actually like Geri Halliwell. Between her work for the UN in Zambia, and her "no apologies" attitude, I've always been a fan. However, after hearing her blatant and obvious misunderstanding of what feminism actually means, I'm not really sure how to feel about her. To me, while I may not agree with everything she does, Geri is a feminist. Joanna Moorhead explained how Geri "'harped on' about girl power" in the past and in her interview said, "now I think I've really learned how important it is to empower women. Because what I saw in Zambia was that it's about educating women and supporting women, and through that you enable not only women, but whole societies, to thrive and improve."
Wow. That sure sounded like a feminist statement to me. However, when asked if she was a feminist she quickly asks what Joanna "means" by feminism, and replied that "maybe she is a feminist", although, "It's about labeling. For me feminism is bra-burning lesbianism. It's very unglamorous. I'd like to see it rebranded. We need to see a celebration of our femininity and softness."
Yeah, way to go Geri. Explain how much you want to empower women, and then say that feminists are just bra-burning lesbians, and then complain that feminism has as bad image. Huh. Wonder why that is, Geri? Perhaps it's because celebrities like you and Hilary Duff that say the feminists are all lesbians and that brand it unglamorous! How great would it be if we had more glamorous celebrities, like yourself, stand up for feminism and wear a "This is what a feminist looks like!" shirt??
It just makes me sick that intelligent women like Geri are so afraid of the word FEMINIST, and yet embody a lot of what feminism is about. For example, when talking about being a single mom, she said,
"So many women today are single parents, I don't feel different. I think you get out of life what you put into it ... and Bluebell was a beautiful accident. I feel blessed to have her. I'm learning every day as a mother. I'm learning that she's like a flower that thrives when it gets sunlight, and the sunlight is confidence, and I feel that when I'm confident it gives her self-esteem. And that gives me motivation to go on and be the best."
I just find it really depressing that so many women ARE feminists, and yet are just so afraid of what other people will think about them if they call them self a feminist that they pull the, "I'm not a feminist or anything, but..." crap. Do us all a favor, get over yourself, suck it up, stop caring so much about what other people think, and call yourself whatever you like. If you're a feminist, than fucking call yourself one. Trust me, people will be far more freaked out if you tell them you're a Republican, than if you tell them you're a feminist.
Cate Sevilla is the Editor of Dollymix. She's a flippin' feminist, and proud of it.
[image via Getty]
