QuoteProject
I do not subscribe to a feminism that demands perfection or super heroic nobility of women. But I do insist that putting women at the service of patriarchy is no victory for us.
Mona Eltahawy
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the need for authentic representation of women beyond perfection and challenges the notion of serving a patriarchal system.

Mona Eltahawy's quote critiques a version of feminism that expects women to be flawless or superhuman in their roles. Instead, she advocates for a feminism that values women's authentic experiences and rejects the idea that catering to a patriarchal system can be considered a success for women. This highlights the importance of genuine empowerment rather than conforming to outdated expectations.

Themes

FeminismPatriarchyEmpowermentWomenEquality

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a women's rights rally to emphasize the need for genuine empowerment.

More from Mona Eltahawy

As a feminist of Egyptian and Muslim descent, my life's work has been informed by the belief that religion and culture must never be used to justify the subjugation of women.
Mona EltahawyRead
I'm no fan of Sarkozy, but I support a ban on face veils because they erase women from society and are promoted by an ultra-conservative ideology that equates piety with the disappearance of women.
Mona EltahawyRead
It is the harassers and assaulters who make us 'look bad,' not the women who have every right to expose crimes against them.
Mona EltahawyRead
I can write about my culture and religion because I am a product of both. Even when I'm accused of giving ammunition to the Islamophobic right, in the struggle between 'community' and 'women,' I always choose the women.
Mona EltahawyRead
I believe at the heart of any revolution for social justice and human dignity are consent and agency, the unequivocal belief that I own my body - not the state, not the church/mosque/temple, not the street and not the family.
Mona EltahawyRead
I will never ally with Islamophobes and racists. But in the choice between 'community' and Muslim women, I will always choose my sisters.
Mona EltahawyRead

Similar quotes

When I was a baby feminist, leading feminist thinkers were insisting that if women ran the world, there would be no sadism or war.
Naomi WolfRead
No self-respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party who ignores her sex.
Susan B. AnthonyRead
Beyonce is not above critique. As a feminist herself, I hope Beyonce would welcome it.
Roxane GayRead
People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.
Rebecca WestRead
Superwoman is the adversary of the women's movement.
Gloria SteinemRead
Long before I became a feminist in any explicit way, I had turned from writing love stories about women in which women were losers, and adventure stories about men in which the men were winners, to writing adventure stories about a woman in which the woman won. It was one of the hardest things I ever did in my life.
Joanna RussRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.