Introduction
What exactly does it mean to be a ‘bad feminist?’ Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist is an amazing and insightful collection of numerous essays that cover a various topics. In essence, the essays offer a new and different perspective of the contemporary topic of gender inequality. In this text, I explore what it really means to be a ‘bad feminist’ in the context of Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist. In so doing, I first briefly describe the popular notion of feminism and then proceed to provide the academic definition of feminism. This brief description offers the relevant background or basis for an evaluation of the meaning of bad feminism.

Discussion

From the onset, it is important to note that the idea that most people today have of feminism is far from what Gay projects in Bad Feminist. For a while, the mental notion that most people have of feminism is that of a white heterosexual woman seeking to unconventionally find her place in a male-dominated society. The popular image of a feminist is that of a close-minded woman who not only hates men, but also hates sex and is angry at the world around her. In real sense, however, this is the wrong notion of feminism. It should, however, be noted that feminism does not have an assigned definition. What this effectively means is that there are various definitions that have been floated in the past – all in an attempt to assign a definitive meaning to sexism. According to Hooks, in basic terms, “feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression (11). On the other hand, to others, feminism is seen as “the broad goal of challenging and changing gender relations that subordinate women to men… (Ferree and Tripp 57). Combining the two definitions, it is clear that feminism has got to do with the advancement of the rights of women in the realm of equality for all genders. This could essentially mean ensuring that women have equal access to job opportunities, healthcare, etc.

Being a bad feminist does not necessarily mean disavowing the above definition of feminism. Instead, it means being more open-minded and deliberate in the pursuance of gender equality. Being open minded means abandoning the old and tired victim narrative as far as gender inequality is concerned. This narrative has been peddled long enough, just as has been the case with the slavery rhetoric in movies. Indeed, as Gay asks in Beyond the Struggle Narrative Essay, “what more could be said about slavery?” (228). I ask a similar question when it comes to the gender inequality narrative: what more could be said about gender inequality that has not been said already? We need new insights. It is important to note that rationality dictates that even in the advancement of one’s...…ways. If feminism is curved into a ‘them verses us’ kind of confrontation, there will be no clear winners. Indeed, the status quo is likely to be maintained. Further, we are likely to alienate ‘members’ who may offer valuable contribution in the journey to the full realization of equality for all. It is also important to note that apart from gender inequality, there are other social inequalities that exist. These include, but they are not limited to racial inequalities, economic inequalities, health inequity, etc. We must be alive to the fact that these too deserve attention and thus the feminist agenda cannot be advanced in isolation or at the expense of the inequalities and inequities highlighted above. Thus, being a bad feminist also involves being aware of other societal agendas and advancing our own agendas within that very context.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, it is important to note that Bad Feminist enables us to not only identify but also come to terms with the fact that polarized and extreme opinions are often a way of life in various discourses relating to the feminism agenda. We are called upon to look beyond our opinionated ‘spectacles’ – to see around the corner. Thus, even in seeking to advance our own perspectives, we must be capable of embracing the viewpoints of others. In the realm of popular feminism, this would entail being a bad feminist!