Can I “properly navigate” through feminism with storytelling?
Given the recent events, I am proud(?) of the resources we as black people have created for ourselves. Not just our fundraisers, black allies, and voices in various communities using and sharing their platforms for the protection of black lives, but also the stories we’ve crafted for ourselves. When you speak to the people of a marginalized group, one of the first things that you’ll hear is the need for representation. The biggest medium that proves most effective is in stories. There’s a feeling of being seen when there’s a character that’s similar to you — on tv, in movies, in books. It’s almost as if, you’ve finally been invited to a seat at the table you’ve spent so long looking at from the outside.
Although there is so much to unpack in the Black community, that’s not for today.
Instead, I’m revisiting this article that I wrote (possibly) years ago. I found it in my drafts and I have so much more to say now that I haven’t revisited it or what inspired it in a long time.
Original article:
I’ve been writing a short story for the past few months with the motif being — feminism. I wanted to showcase an extreme scenario presented to an all-female “cast”. Rightly so, I did my research and decided I’d just use the 3 basic approaches as explained in most sociology books to start; it’d focus on radical, liberal and traditional feminist views. But unfortunately, that proved harder than I thought because I realized that people are more complex than just groups and categories, and all the opinions would be similar without differing personalities and thoughts that could affect the content of the POV.
The first thing I thought about after reading this was “why?”. Why did I choose feminism? As with all -isms, I feel there are a few iron gates of information that need to be passed through before even speaking on them. And one thing I know about myself is that I never feel adequate enough to discuss them. So I don’t, or rather didn’t, consider myself a feminist or at least not knowledgeable enough to even speak on it. I now know that I was using this story idea to teach myself. I also, now clearer to me years later, felt like women are still finding ways to get their own seat at the table. Some create their own tables as an act of rebellion. Some are satisfied leaving other women behind. Some think only a certain “type” of woman should even be allowed inside. I don’t think myself to be any wiser (in any meaningful way at least) but I do, however, believe in the storytelling approach. In building a story, I force myself to really understand these characters and the best way to do that is to understand what they stand for.
Original Article:
I’ve actually considered scrapping the idea many times but then another angle came to me which seemed perfect — I thought of feminism through the personification of various goddesses. Like all pieces I write, I have used actual people in my life and their traits to base certain key points on. The storyline is still a bit wonky to flesh out from perspectives totally unfamiliar to me but then again, that’s what imagination is for, right?
The biggest hurdle that hindered this project was choosing the goddesses. Unfortunately, even in the age of information overload, it is surprisingly hard to find in-depth resources on goddesses outside of Roman and Greek mythology. And therein lies the problem that taught me a lot about what confused me about feminism — why are so many stories, resources and explanations coming from one side? I know the terms “white feminism” and “intersectional feminism” (I won’t pretend to be versed enough to explain this properly) are big factors when exploring and broadening one’s view but this story showed me the importance is paramount to my understanding. This was — and is- essential to me writing this story and allowing it to be more than just a “ diverse girl-boss” piece. All the things I imagined for the story thereafter began to crumble (and rightly so). I lost my faith in the piece and myself. I acknowledged that I wasn’t a smart enough person or good enough storyteller to even attempt this. Since then it hasn’t left the backburner.
But I think it will one day.
Original Article:
I have considered maybe a collaboration with other women, either as inspiration or through written contributions to the story as one of the goddesses. I want to get the general feel of feminism, more as a realistic representation of how women view men against themselves, their rights and their own importance. I want to get that across without forcing extreme views and losing the message behind being too PC and making everyone “agree” with me or any of the characters.
That last sentiment still stands. I love collaboration, and this piece begs for it. I think even the simplistic view of feminism I had back then is a call for me to surround myself with varying experiences instead of relying on my own.
When exactly will that happen? Hopefully, when I feel more sure of sharing the full idea. Hopefully when I can become more knowledgeable about other mythologies. Hopefully when I can truly become confident in my own existence as a woman and what I think a seat at the table truly looks like.
