From the Renaissance Male Project:

This was a very interesting video. I saw it on a women's studies listserv I believe. The post said something about a Black male feminist speaks on masculinity. I am always conflicted about the conversation about Masculinity and Feminism. I believe whole heartedly that feminism needs to engage itself with broad notions of gender. I also believe that it is important that we maintain a strong critique of patriarchy.

I am...uncomfortable at best with the way those two things concepts turn into a discourse of feminism needing to be about men and boys now to be relevant. Feminism as always been, in part, about men and boys in my opinion. It has struggled with how patriarchy shapes masculinity. But let's not pretend that masculinist discourses are part and parcel WITH patriarchy. Saying that feminism needs to take men and boys seriously (often instead of women and girls) is antithetical in my opinion to the project of feminism.

I think we have to check ourselves about how masculinist (masculinity-centered)discourses are creeping into feminism. First of all masculinity is not only the purview of men and boys. But even more importantly (for me at least) femininity is not some safe, neutral space that 'doesn't need' feminism any longer.

I was recently at a conference talking about gender and hip-hop. And I made a comment about the fact that while we have begun to celebrate the visibility of les/bi/queer/sgl women in rap music, we can't let go of the fact that in order to be taken seriously in the genre one has to (it seems) represent a masculine persona. While feminine men rappers are (slowly) becoming more visible, feminine women who participate in the culture as artist or fans are largely invisible in the discourse around gender and rap music culture. Why is that? Where as masculinity is slowly being rested from the hands of heterosexuality, femininity is still considered by most synonymous with heterosexuality or heteronormativity. And even though we have the category of 'femme' it is so wrapped up STILL to masculinity and female-bodiness. Masculinity travels, has gradients, and shifts. But femininity is still seen as such a rigid set of protocols, rituals, and behaviors.

All that to say I'm glad that men and boys are tuning into feminism but I'm not ready to hand it over to them solely. (Not saying that is what this project is calling for.)


(Also, I am not about the anti-porn rhetoric of the video either.)