Another International Women’s Day (IWD) has flown past us, allegedly based on solidarity and liberation. Why then, I ask myself, was my inbox on the 8th of March flooded with branded marketing attempts wishing me a ‘Happy International Women’s Day, Queen!’. When did feminism dilute itself? When did we begin to fall into the trick that big businesses drenched in capitalism can be on the side of feminist emancipation? And because I like to think in terms of action - what can we, feminists, do better to ensure our action is genuinely radical, rather than upholding the systems that push us down?
Firstly, what is wrong with brands pushing these progressive slogans? It might look like I’m clutching at straws for something to complain about here. The reality is that corporations are, by definition, not able to offer us liberation. Fast fashion brands begging for our attention is not feminist solidarity; it is a poor attempt to grab our money in the name of social progression. By sending out quirky emails and discount codes, they are profiting off our desire for liberation, all while participating in oppressive practices.
Okay, let’s break this down.
Why is it bad that fast-fashion brands are attempting to profit from feminism?
Their labour practices are exploitative and, therefore, inherently anti-feminist: we are not liberated until everyone is liberated. We have not achieved a feminist mission until all women are free from exploitation.The reality of fast fashion is bleak, and no amount of discounts, girlboss messaging or pink emails can cover this up.
When you get offered these eye-watering deals, you will probably think that it is too good to be true. Fast-fashion brands attempt to draw consumers in with lower and lower prices - PrettyLittleThings’ most recent sale promotes dresses for just £3. If it looks too good to be true, that is because it is - to be able to afford these low prices, brands must pay their workers less and less. Your deal has a human cost - many of these garments come from sweatshops, where the majority of female workers (in some regions, 80% of garment workers are women) are underpaid and overworked in shocking conditions, to the detriment of their safety and wellbeing.
The scale of the exploitation cannot be understated - in Bangladesh, some workers are paid $119 dollars a month, compared to the $194 living wage benchmark. In many factories, employees are required to put in 14-16 hour days, sometimes having to work until the early hours of the morning to meet deadlines. The infrastructure is not safe - instances like the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster demonstrate the appalling conditions people are made to work in. In 2013, the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,000 people - the disaster promoted widespread activism concerning the rights of garment workers.
Brands that cause harm to women are attempting to profit from feminism. Take a brand like Boohoo, who are happy enough to post ‘Happy International Women’s Day’ on Instagram or even sell a t-shirt with an IWD slogan on, while their labour practices are exploitative. A scandal in July 2020 exposed a Boohoo factory for paying workers minimum wage - a company with labour practices like these have no place profiting off a feminist cause that is working so hard to celebrate all women and subsequently promote their fair treatment and safety.
The hypocrisy is clear - such exploitative practices can never be feminist. The flagrant drive for profit in the West is subjugating women and their families all over the globe. This is an intersectional issue - women are not free until all women, everywhere, are free. The reality is, while liberation may have seemingly reached the white, upper-class and cis - this progress is unfinished until all women are liberated from exploitation no matter their job, home-country, race or identity.
Capitalism co-opting radical movements is nothing new.
Think about oil companies trying to convince you that if you drive less, you can stop climate change. Take a look at Shell’s ‘carbon neutral driving’ programme: promoting a scheme where money gets sent to nature based projects’ after buying fuel. This completely distracts consumers from the fact Shell’s emissions account for 1.6% of the global carbon budget. Or take the Pride movement - what began as a radical protest movement against heteronormativity and violence against queer people, was quickly snatched up by brands gagging to put rainbows on their packaging in June every year as a way to make a bit of extra money. A movement that began with Stonewall - a protest against police abuse - has turned into a commercial enterprise. The pattern here is clear - corporations will use any marginalised group or celebration of activism to drive up their already disgusting profits. This is without any attempts to recognise their role in the injustices that they are making money from.
Now that we’ve understood the injustice, we can ask ourselves:
What would wishing the world a truly liberating International Women’s Day look like?
We must move to a feminist practice based on solidarity and action. We can show solidarity with women by boycotting brands with exploitative labour practices. Think about the brands that are shouting about too-good-to-be-true prices - Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, Shein. You could move to consumer habits that are both more ethical and more sustainable. This could look like buying second hand from your local charity shop (or even a car boot sale), or saving up for a more expensive piece from an ethical brand - brands like Tala, an ethical athleisure brand with complete transparency about the manufacturing of their clothes. As a consumer, the power is in your hands to push for a more ethical world - money has power, and ultimately you are the one handing it over, so pay attention to who is taking it. You can use resources like the Ethical Consumer website to research your products.
Solidarity goes beyond how we operate within capitalism as well: how do we show up for all women in the everyday? We must practice a feminism that is purposefully and consistently intersectional - understanding how our sexuality, gender identity, race and class are all interwoven resulting in different experiences as women. It is hypocritical to preach feminism at home, but put your money towards exploiting women in other parts of the world. Feminism is not an abstract belief, but a way of living: how you spend your money, who you work for and how you speak to others. We must get back to the core message of International Women’s Day - celebrating women all over the planet, and carrying on the fight for liberation. Reject consumerism and go back to the roots of feminist action - dismantling systems of power in everyday life - if it is safe for you to do so, call out sexism when you see it in practice, stand up against misogynoir (a term created by Moya Bailey to describe misogyny targeted at Black women) and take a stand against the resurrecting tide of hatred towards queer and trans people.
Tangible feminist solidarity and praxis is needed now more than ever. Globally we are seeing a rapid increase in far-right populist hatred, and increased violence against women, girls and marginalised groups is an extremely unfortunate (but truly prevalent) consequence of this political shift. Culminating in the increase of rape being used in warfare, the erosion of trans rights (both in the UK and the US) and the stripping back of reproductive rights in the US. Clearly, an International Women’s Day that is based on true global solidarity is vital.
Next steps: real, tangible change.
Having looked at how to bring these ideas into the everyday, we can look into how we implicate a radical mindset into our activism efforts. We must ensure we are not replicating the systems of power we aim to break down. This can be done by mistake - for example, speaking over a minoritised group without consulting them on a decision, or having organisations with a hierarchical structure rather than a flat structure, where decisions are made as a community. When venturing into activism, you may want to ask yourself; whose voices are being prioritised when I am in a ‘feminist’ space? How am I learning from the stories of other people?
The systems that oppress us will never save us. As your International Women’s Day resolution - commit to an intersectional feminism based on liberation, not subjugation.
