We Were Feminists Once (PublicAffairs), the new book from Andi Zeisler, cofounder of Bitch Media, takes aim at “marketplace feminism,” a specific kind of politicking that embraces a Midas-like sensibility: if a woman touches it, it must be feminist. In anticipation of her appearance at the Printers Row Lit Fest on Saturday, I spoke with Zeisler about the changes in media that created this phenomenon.
That’s a good question. I don’t think marketplace feminism replaced activist feminism. They exist in parallel spheres and don’t overlap enough. The parallel sphere is feel-good and seems to believe that we’re all done here. It’s concerned with empowerment, and is so much more digestible, fun, and attractive than activist feminism. Capitalism, however, is not interested in making social change. Sometimes it might seem caring, but that’s not the engine of capitalism.
How do you think marketplace feminism is shaping this year’s election?
I think the first time I encountered the word “feminism” as something kind of positive was in this book by a young-adult author named Norma Klein, who was along the lines of Judy Blume. She wrote about urban, Jewish teenagers discovering their sexualities, and she wrote about feminism a lot. I was intrigued with the word because it was associated with ideas and behaviors that resonated with me.
Which young feminists do you think are carrying that torch?
