From "Girl Power" To "Bra-Burning Lesbianism"

I recently added the blog Feministing to my rss reader, and every time I look at it, something I see there makes me angry. Between anti-choice politicians and domestic violence, there are a hundred reasons for women to be upset every single day. A fair number of the posts deal with sexuality, and Feministing mentioned this quote from Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, which appeared in The Guardian yesterday:

Halliwell spoke about how the Spice Girls embraced “girl power,” and that through her work in Zambia, she learned that western women are starting to realize that they need to help out women around the world who live in more oppressed societies. Then she said she has some qualms about the term “feminism”:

"It's about labelling. 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."

The interviewer pulls this quote somewhat out of context, as the article continues:

“There are murmurs from her entourage, and Halliwell shoots them a glance. ‘There you go,’ she tells me, in the manner of one who has given a bit too much away. ‘That's your headline. ‘Geri Halliwell says feminists are all bra-burners’.”

Out of context or not, there are some obvious problems with Halliwell’s statement. I see nothing wrong with rejecting a label and the stereotypes that go with it, but the suggestion that supporting women’s rights and fighting for equality is “unglamorous” and should therefore be “rebranded” is ridiculous. Wearing dresses and high heels is wonderful (for some), but so is fighting against female genital mutilation in Africa.

It’s also unfortunate that Halliwell calls feminism “bra-burning lesbianism.” Strong women everywhere (Hillary Clinton comes to mind first) face lesbian rumors, and it’s upsetting that someone would call someone a lesbian simply because they support women’s rights. I know lesbians who are definitely not feminists, and plenty of feminists who aren’t lesbians.

In short, it’s sad to see someone who was all about “girl power” calling women who stand up for their rights “unglamorous.” Frankly, if I see a woman going out and fighting for women’s rights, she’s hot, regardless of whether she fits Ms. Halliwell’s definition or not.