What Does Feminism Mean to Me? Part One
Boss Barista started with a basic tagline: coffee and feminism. As the platform has evolved, where does feminist ideology fit in?
A few weeks ago, I did an interview with someone who asked me why Boss Barista had shifted focus. Initially, the podcast (the newsletter didn’t debut until 2019) focused on “coffee and feminism.” At the time, I had a very shallow understanding of that mission—I think I just equated it with interviewing women. In a way, that made sense: Boss Barista started based on an observation that coffee media was (and still is) very white and very male.
While I don’t think I’ve strayed from feminist ideals, I do think I’m exploring them differently than I did in the beginning, focusing more on the lived experiences of people and addressing systems of power that impact coffee workers.
But this semester, I took a class on feminist ideology, which covered the work of feminist writers from the 19th century to today. If you read last week’s story about wages for hospitality work, you’ll be familiar with some of the ideas we discussed in class. (Please do read this story if you haven’t already: I got so many texts from friends saying it was one of my best articles yet, which was a lovely compliment.)
I also recently used a feminist lens to delve deeper into the “waves” metaphor with which coffee defines its historical movements, a framework that likely has more to teach us than we realize:
Right now, it’s finals week, and I’m gearing up to graduate from my master’s program, so I won’t be doing another deep dive into theory like last week. But that comment about shifting away from feminism has really stuck with me. It certainly wasn’t meant maliciously—it was actually very kind and insightful. (The person mentioned being an early Boss Barista fan, and having watched the evolution of the platform over the last seven years.) But it did make me reflect, and question: What does feminism mean to me?
Turns out, that was the same question my Gender and Women’s Studies professor posed early in the semester. We were asked to define feminism, and describe what we thought impeded feminism today. Now, one of our final assignments is revisiting that prompt and incorporating what we’ve since read and learned in class. To do so, my professor, Dr. Kate, sent us back our original feminist position statements, and I thought I’d share mine with you:
I wrote this off the cuff and it isn’t as nuanced as I would have liked (I know I’m missing a lot of people harmed by systems of patriarchy and white supremacy), but I think this captures a lot of the themes I talk about here, and how I view feminism—and its hurdles—today.
And so, I wanted to ask readers: How do you define feminism? Where do you see the struggle for greater implementation and acceptance of feminist ideals? Please drop your thoughts in the comments section below.
Until then, thanks for reading—and there will be more coming your way soon!
It's always been very simple to me. Feminism = equality. If you believe in equal rights for all, then congratulations, you're a feminist.
More recently, I've come across the idea that a person cannot call themselves a feminist unless they are an activist. I think this is interesting; I'm not sure if I agree, but it's got me thinking. It also raises the question: how much activism is enough to earn the label "feminist"?
Feminism...Hmm..I'm an old white male, which when feminism appeared, I was branded as the enemy, for no other reason than being male. Too bad. I always supported the notion of equal pay and equal rights for women. Equal ability equal benefits. I have worked with many terrific women. I support hospitality pay, and am a heavy tipper, even if socialist critics cry that "it is demeaning" from the rear seats of their limousines. Too bad.. Even other women are not always with you. Just keep fighting for your rights...