FAUX FEMINISM

A political philosopher reimagines contemporary feminism.

When Khader becomes pregnant, her friends shower her with “all the cliché bookish Brooklyn mom swag,” including a series of feminist children’s books with titles like Dream Big. These gifts purportedly celebrated radical feminism, but Khader realizes she’d seen their messages before: an amicus brief supporting the Supreme Court decision to repeal the constitutional right to abortion contained language embracing women’s “total freedom from burdens of unwanted children.” The call for freedom for American women is something Khader associates with her own progressive views and not those of conservatives who backed policies that restricted reproductive rights. Khader asks, “Since when were conservatives saying that women were free? And since when did they seem to be conceding that we should be?” The co-optation of these ideas inspires Khader to investigate the state of current feminism and to engage in a robust critique of which types of feminism are effective tools for achieving equity. Khader writes, “This book is about how to recognize feminist visions that harm and exclude, and how to stop ourselves from falling into them.” In the end, Khader encourages feminists to take stances that work toward systemic equality rather than personal freedom, and to be wary of feminists who conflate the two. Her book is well researched, compellingly written, and passionately argued. At times, the terms Khader uses are confusing or redundant, since they often feel like a rewording of a facet of white feminism that other scholars have already critiqued. That being said, the depth of her analysis and the breadth of her research make this a fascinating and informative read.

A critique of modern feminism that advocates for a more intersectional, systems-based approach.