The value in that is it’s important for more women to claim feminism so people can understand that feminism really isn’t a bad thing or something we need to avoid or be afraid of. Is there value in knowing whether young women in Hollywood identify as feminists? I think one of the most important things we can do as feminists is acknowledge that even though we have womanhood in common we have to start to think about the ways in which we’re different, how those differences affect us and what kinds of needs we have based on our differences. We have to look at the wage gap and think about race and class and sexuality and ability because we inhabit multiple identities.
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We have to look at reproductive freedom and making sure that the female body is no longer legislated. But at its core, I think it’s that women deserve certain inalienable rights in the same ways that men do. I think there are multiple definitions of feminism. No, I don’t think there’s one definition of feminism. One definition of feminism that you mention in the book is “women who don’t want to be treated like sh-t.” Is there one perfect definition out there? But I think oftentimes, because we’re human, we hear these things and feel we have to apologize, and I think that’s where a lot of it is coming from. When people say “check your privilege,” they’re saying, “Acknowledge how these factors helped you move through life.” They’re not saying apologize for it. You can’t control the fact that you are born a white man or born into wealth. They feel like they have to apologize for some things they have no control over. I think that when people hear that phrase, they start to feel defensive.
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What do you think people misunderstand about that phrase? I thought the essay did a great job of discussing the importance of acknowledging privilege while also critiquing the ways “check your privilege” gets thrown around. Privilege is something we’re increasingly talking about culturally because people are starting to say, “How do we acknowledge our privilege and acknowledge the ways in which we’re not privileged? How do we keep from stepping on each others toes?” It’s one of the many reasons why we’re having this conversation again. Roxane Gay: I try to pay attention to what’s going on in our culture, and a lot of the issues I write about are ongoing issues, so it’s always interesting to see those issues come back to the public’s attention over and over.
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TIME: You wrote these essays between 20, but some of them feel especially of the moment - I was reading your essay about privilege while the Internet was having a passionate debate about the topic.
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Bad Feminist, she explains, is about reconciling contradictions - how to ask tough questions about the world and feminism while still “admitting to our humanity and enjoying sometimes inappropriate things.” Gay talked to TIME about Beyoncé, how to define feminism and writing about trauma on the Internet.