If the past couple of months are anything to go by, it’s pretty clear that many of the people working in the entertainment industry have plenty to hide from the view of the public. Personally, I feel that this is a good chance to re-evaluate our perception of celebrities who use their star-status to support humanitarian ventures, specifically feminism. I’ve heard a lot of my classmates wanting to write their essay on popular champions of gender equality, but I can’t help but feel skeptical.

I feel that celebrities getting publicly involved in feminism is sketchy, simply due to the implications as a result of their relationship with the general public. Firstly, popular figures are already adored by millions of fans worldwide; the choice to get involved in feminism, a currently popular movement among young people, only amplifies this celebrity worship. Celebrity worship is problematic, as it makes superheroes out of humans. For instance, Wonder Woman works so well as a feminist icon because she is a character; she can’t say or do anything out of turn that would taint her reputation as a feminist. Beyonce or Emma Watson, however? They are human, and infinitely fallible compared to a character; young, adoring fans would be crushed by revelations that contradict their heroes’ feminist posturing. Secondly, celebrity feminism creates a political relationship with people that is unnecessary. When I speak of political relationship, I am referring to the codependency of politicians and voters; politicians need voters to vote, and voters need politicians to govern. Celebrities, however, are entirely dependent on fans. By endorsing feminism, they create the notion that fans need celebrities to fight for their values, and politicize themselves as a result. While this post may come off as overly cynical, I think it’s something that needs to be acknowledged.

The debate over superhero brand dominance has always raged between the characters, comic series, movies, and TV shows of DC and Marvel Comics; recently, a new point of contention has emerged, partly due to the ever-growing feminist socio-political climate. This new fight resides between Wonder Woman (DC) and Captain Marvel (Marvel, duh), over which of these two comic heavyweights are the superior female superhero. While Wonder Woman has always been a prominent figure in DC Comics for decades, she has never had the same coverage as Batman or Superman; that being said, the recent Wonder Woman movie was well-received in spite of the faltering DC films of late. On a different note, Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, has only been recently established as a major player in Marvel comics. While she may not have the same legacy as Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel is regarded as the most powerful of her peers in the Marvel universe and she has a movie coming up in 2019.

My favorite panel from Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia

Ultimately, I feel that Wonder Woman’s legacy and character solidifies her dominance as the talisman of female superheroes. The princess of Themyscira has become almost synonymous with female heroism at this point, and has literally decades of comics to back this up (The Hiketeia is my personal favorite). Captain Marvel, in my opinion, is an upstart; in the comics, her character has been downright villainous at times, partly due to her taking on an overtly hyper-masculine personality. While this characterization may be due to the writers at Marvel comics needing to hype-up her character in preparation for her upcoming movie, she is still clearly lacking in a definitive comic or graphic novel that would set her apart from all the other Avengers.

Yes, that is yet another Star Wars quote. I think I’m going to keep referencing Star Wars in all of my blog posts, not just because they’re cool, but because they often relate greatly to the topic of discussion at hand. This week, I would like to discuss the fear and anger within the article by Rebecca Solnit, and relate it to the current socio-political climate which I feel has taken a rather sour turn. Rebecca Solnit’s article, while making many valid points, is stooped in a very fearful, angry and accusatory tone. I doubt that many white guys would want to understand Solnit’s perspective when she says “But seriously, you know who can’t take a joke? White guys.” While the following paragraphs go on to explain her quite valid frustrations, I don’t think many white men would continue reading that far. This is problematic, as this could potentially frighten white men; as Yoda said, “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering”. More importantly, I think that is situation is not reserved to feminists, and is certainly not their fault. Many people online are quick to spout divisive, anger inducing rhetoric; some for the sake of their beliefs, others to troll. This kind of behavior is driving people apart in an exponential cycle. I think that it is better for people to discuss these kinds of social and political issues face-to-face, rather than duking it out online.

Sadly, recent political events culminated in the rise of widespread meme warfare that crossed boundaries with politics, feminism, and racism, so I doubt this issue is going to be resolved anytime soon. Hopefully we can have more discussions on this issue in class, as I find the current battle between feminists and the right-wing absolutely fascinating.

Don’t worry, I’m not against gender equality, just keep reading; the title is a Star Wars reference. The more and more I think about Joss Whedon’s words and the stigma surrounding the word “feminism”, the more I feel that having a title for the movement for gender equality is problematic. First, off you shouldn’t have to take on an idea or movement as you come of age to agree with the simple notion of gender equality. Believing in gender equality, I think, is something that almost all people agree with. It is true that there is plenty of progress to be made in many parts of the world, including Western nations, and people often have differing opinions of what gender equality means especially when it comes to reproductive rights. That being said, because the concept of gender equality is now far more widespread and accepted, it’s time to find a way to make it more accessible.

One of the problems currently faced by feminism is that it is losing an ideological war on the internet. Feminism is being dragged through the mud by ignorant charlatans on YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, and 4chan; as a result, a considerable percentage of the young male population is being indoctrinated into believing that feminism is evil, and, as a result, that the fight for gender equality is a thing of the past. As it looks, the battle for the internet is one that “Feminists” simply will not win. It’s time to start teaching feminist concepts in schools without the word “feminism”. I’m not yet sure about the word “genderist,” but I think Joss Whedon was right on the money with his conceptualization of the future fight for gender equality.