Air date: 7/2/2025 Featured voices: Bethany Busch, LMFT Auria Zahed, and educator Isabelle Comtois Podcast: UpLift Women’s Wellness
🟣 What We Said
In this bold roundtable, we asked: Why do so many believe in gender equality—but still flinch at the word feminist?
Together with educator Isabelle Comtois, we unpacked the layers—historical, political, personal—that make “feminism” both a rallying cry and a cultural lightning rod.
📚 What the Facts Say
Defining Feminism
Isabelle cited Merriam-Webster's foundational definition: > “The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”
Myths That Stuck
🔥 The “bra-burning feminist” myth? A media distortion. Protesters at the 1968 Miss America pageant discarded bras and heels—but didn’t burn them. The narrative was sensationalized by reporters seeking to discredit the movement’s legitimacy.
🪒 Body hair stigma? A reductionist caricature that sought to make feminists seem “unfeminine”—a narrative still weaponized today.
The Four Waves of Feminism—A Quick Breakdown
🔹 First Wave (1800s–1920)
Focused on women’s suffrage (the right to vote)
Major win: 19th Amendment (1920, U.S.)
Limitations: Centered white, middle-class women; excluded many women of color and working-class voices
🔹 Second Wave (1950s–1980s)
Expanded focus: workplace rights, reproductive freedom, legal equity
Catalyzed by Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique and the “problem that has no name”
Criticized for upholding white, cisgender, heterosexual norms
🔹 Third Wave (1990s–2010s)
Introduced intersectionality (thanks to Kimberlé Crenshaw and others)
Included LGBTQ+ voices, women of color, and varied body experiences
Challenged binary thinking and reclaimed sexuality on feminist terms
🔹 Fourth Wave (2010s–present)
Digital activism + embodiment work (e.g., #MeToo, body neutrality, anti-racism)
Expands definitions of feminism to include gender-expansive people
Emphasizes trauma-informed leadership, healing justice, and collective power
"Protective" Laws That Weren’t
These policies were framed as safeguarding women—but often served to limit autonomy:
Laws barring women from night work or jury service
Restrictions on women in certain fields (e.g., law enforcement, factory jobs) Many of these reinforced the belief that women were too delicate for civic or economic responsibility.
The Backlash We See Today
The conversation turned to the backlash brewing among some Gen Z men. The rise of the “trad wife” aesthetic and online “incel” subcultures reflect a repackaging of old gender roles as empowerment. But as we explored, nostalgia for hierarchy isn’t liberation—it’s regression in a new outfit.
💡 What You Can Do Now
Call yourself a feminist, even if it’s imperfect. Normalize the word.
Challenge the ways you’ve been taught to self-censor, especially in leadership.
Choose partners—romantic or otherwise—who want your voice, not your silence.
As Isabelle put it: “If you believe in equality and you’re scared of the word, ask yourself who benefits from that fear.”