Jennifer Lawrence's Essay Was Not A Feminist Revolution | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Jennifer Lawrence's Essay Was Not A Feminist Revolution

103
Jennifer Lawrence's Essay Was Not A Feminist Revolution
Reuters

So, let’s talk about Jennifer Lawrence.

Lawrence became a household name for her critically and publicly acclaimed role as the title character Katniss Everdeen in the film adaption of "The Hunger Games." The role kickstarted her career, and she has been featured in numerous movies since. Her talent and success is not a secret.

Recently, Lawrence published an essay raising the question: why does she get paid less than her male costars?

“When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need."

Women, such as U.N. Women’s Ambassador and actress Emma Watson, have expressed their praise over Lawrence’s statement. Watson herself made a speech explaining how feminism isn’t man-hating in 2014.

But, let’s talk about the wage gap.

The wage gap issue has been brought up by women in Hollywood (i.e. Meryl Streep at this year’s Oscars) before. On average in the U.S., women make 77 cents to a man’s dollar. In 2013, Forbes found in that year, the top 10 women in Hollywood made two-and-a-half times less than the top 10 men.

However, there is much more to the wage gap that Lawrence and many others are missing. The gap is not only a gender issue; race factors in as well. White women will make more than Black and Latina/Hispanic women. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Black women averaged 64 cents to a white man’s dollar, and Latina/Hispanic women averaged 53 cents to a white man’s dollar.

Now, let’s talk about white feminism.

White feminism is defined as “a brand of feminism centered around the ideals and struggles of primarily white women.”

“White feminism” does not necessarily mean it’s solely practiced by white women, but rather a branch of feminism lacking intersectionality. Many celebrity feminists such as Lena Dunham, Emma Watson, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus are examples of how white feminism becomes more recognized than intersectional feminism.

The problem isn’t necessarily what Jennifer Lawrence is saying, as she’s writing from her own personal experience, rather, the response is. Media organizations are covering her essay as a huge step in feminism...the truth is, her essay isn’t. Not only is she publishing an essay in a white feminist’s (Lena Dunham) newsletter, she is also not addressing the issue as a whole.

Responses have been positive for the most part, but Lawrence will not be labelled as “angry” holistically. For example, in July 2015 when Nicki Minaj expressed her displeasure with the music industry not adequately awarding black artists, white artists and the media called her out and characterized her under the “Angry Black Woman” stereotype. Or, when Viola Davis made the same speech as Lawrence at the 2015 Emmys, no white celebrities praised her like they praised Lawrence. Issues of mainstream feminism do not need white women to validate--this is why we have intersectionality.

Lawrence is not public with her feminism, but the overarching views of her essay once again prove the belittlement of women of color in feminism. The wage gap affects women of color between 10 and 20 percent more than white women. It’s important Lawrence learns this, because her influence could make more of an impact than it does now.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Disney Princesses
The Odyssey
Tiana would no doubt be disappointed in the food our cafeteria has to offer.

And hopefully she would cook for everyone in her dorm.

She definitley would not take any 8:00 am classes because she would be up late baking and cleaning up the communal kitchen that are available in every dorm.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

The Struggles of Being A Last Semester Senior, As Told By Michael Scott

25 reasons your last semester in college is the best and worst time of your life

1135
Michael Scott

The day you walked onto your school's campus for the first time you were scared, excited, and unsure of how the next four years of your life were going to turn out. You doubted it would go fast and even though you weren't positive about what your future plans would hold, you had plenty of time. You figured out your major, added a minor or two, joined a handful of organizations and all of the sudden you're here. Your final semester of undergrad. Now you've got 25 problems and graduation is only one.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Syllabus Week At UD Explained By "The Office"

"The Office" understands the struggle of the first week back from winter break.

965
the office

January 19th is the first day of the second semester at the University of Dayton, and students couldn't be more excited. However, the excitement that students are experiencing may be short-lived once they see what this semester's courses will entail. Although students will be happy to be back at Dayton, they may realize this semester will be more difficult than they predicted. Here are some things that happen during syllabus week explained by " The Office."

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Your Friend Group, As Told By Disney Princesses

Each Disney Princess has their own personality, and chances are you've got a friend in your group to match it.

1382
Disney Princesses

The dynamics of any friend group are usually determined by the personalities which make it up. Chances are, while personalities may overlap, each person in your friend group holds his or her own place. It is the differences which bring the groups together and keep them functioning. No matter how functionally dysfunctional your friend group may be, if you're anything like me, you feel absolutely blessed to have found such a wonderful group of humans to call "your people." Here is what your friend group might look like if they were Disney princesses (and that wasn't just a thing you all pretended in your heads):

Keep Reading...Show less
dorm roon
Tumblr

College is a place where you spend four years exploring opportunities you never knew were there, creating the person you are, and making life-long friends. College is hard, but it is worth spending four years there. Just because college is difficult doesn't mean that it's not fun. There are plenty of great memories you can make during your four years if college. Here are ways college is designed to be the best four years of your life:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments