Best of Q: This is what a bad feminist looks like
Feminist writer Roxane Gay says it's better to be an imperfect that to give up on feminism entirely.
From the Best of Q, writer Roxane Gay joins guest host Stephen Quinn to explain why she considers herself a "bad feminist" and why she thinks it's better to be imperfect than to give up on feminism entirely (as the controversial Women Against Feminism movement would have one do).
Gay's latest collection of essays, Bad Feminist, explores feminism as an idea and philosophy that is bound to be nuanced in practice. As one critic notes, her collection strives to give people "permission to take up the sword of feminism while laying down the shield of policed authenticity".
"People forget that feminism is an idea, it's a philosophy. And feminists are people who act in the name of an idea," she says, adding that even women who reject feminism have benefit from it.
Click here or on the listen button above to hear the full segment (audio runs 0:18:36).
Don't worry if you 'fail' this test
How many of these eight "bad feminism" indicators, based on Roxane Gay's book, apply to you? Note: Gay isn't arguing that any of these items preclude you from being a feminist.
