On January 21st, 2017, in response to the inauguration of a man accused of being a misogynist amongst many other things, the people of the United States marched in one of the largest demonstrations in US history. Over 3 million people in more than 500 cities participated in the Women’s Marches.
Surely, it was a beautiful display. However, it was one lacking in color if you ask me. From the pictures, two colors stand out prominently from the rest: pink and white.
Pink was prominent – the color of femininity, the color of gender binaries, the color of genital-based feminism.
Now, is there a huge problem with pink being the popular color at the Women’s March? Of course not. It only makes sense since from birth we are taught that blue is for boys and pink is for girls. My issue doesn’t lie with this widely known social norm.
However, I wonder how many marchers accept this limited definition of what it means to be a woman. I wonder how many marchers would still march if trans women were explicitly mentioned in the equation.
Naturally, pink was the color of the “pussyhats” worn proudly during the march because, well, it’s the color of the female anatomy. I understand the need to bring up vaginas in response to Trump’s “grab her by the pussy” comment or as a call for tax-free tampons.
However, I wonder how many marchers believe that being a woman necessitates the presence of a vagina. I wonder how many marchers only marched on the basis of this genital-based feminism.
In Saturday’s march, I saw rainbows painted on signs held by cisgender women, but a sea of gender binary pink overpowered much of the trans community. Some members of the transgender community didn’t even make it to the march out of fear that the narrative didn’t include them.
The other popular color at the march was white – the color of privilege.
Sure, demographics show that white people are still the largest group in the country so it only makes sense that there were more of them. And yes, for every 10 white women pictured in the protests there was sure to be a black woman amidst the crowd.
However, I wonder how many marchers preach the unjust practices of white feminism. I wonder how many marchers would still march if this was a Black Lives Matter protest.
Perhaps the reason why white was so dominant in the march was due to a lack of blue. Unlike a Black Lives Matter protest, there was a lack of police in riot gear.
White is still an important color – it reflects all the colors of the rainbow. White can shed a light on the world and I’m not just talking about the light spectrum. We can recognize privilege and use it to lend our voices to marginalized groups.
Consider yourself lucky if you felt wholeheartedly involved in the Women’s March event. Consider yourself privileged if you didn’t question whether or not you were woman enough to march. Consider yourself fortunate if all variations of feminism include you. Consider yourself well-off if you didn’t think twice about your sex, gender, race, religion, ethnicity or place of origin before lacing up your shoes. That is called privilege.
To the women who marched, I urge you to ask yourself whom you were marching for. Is your definition of a woman all-inclusive or did you leave some of your sisters behind at the Women’s March?