Kamala Harris Reflects Feminism’s Continuing Maturation
By Liz Goldner
September 28, 2024
A suffrage parade in 1915 on Fifth Avenue, on view at “Beyond Suffrage” at the Museum of the City of New York. Courtesy of Rose Schneiderman Collection, Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Archives, New York University.
A friend recently observed that Kamala Harris is a “fourth-wave feminist.” The comment inspired me to look at the four waves of feminism and examine how they might relate to Harris as a Presidential candidate.
The first wave of feminism took place between the late 19th and early 20th centuries (although some research indicates that it began a century earlier), when women were advocating for the right to vote. The suffragette era culminated in 1920 when women gained that right with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. While this right is presumably imbued into our country’s laws, the patriarchal forces that suffragettes fought against are mirrored today by misogynistic, bigoted, right-wing politicians who are trying to suppress women’s social and political rights. Harris is militating against these forces.
Pectoral of a Winged Goddess, probably Nut, ca. 1295-1186 B.C., faience, blue glaze, 4 3/16 x 7 1/2 x 1 1/8”. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Harris’ values and issues also fit into the paradigms of the three subsequent feminist waves. The second wave, running from the 1960s to the 1980s, not only promoted equal rights and equal pay, but addressed reproductive rights and sexual abuse, issues that have again reared their ugly heads. My personal second-wave feminist hero is Gloria Steinem, who wrote the bestselling book, “Revolution from Within” (1992). A passage from that book came to mind as I watched Harris enter the national stage in July and during the Democratic Convention in August.
The passage describes a trip Steinem took down the Nile River during her early feminist awakenings. Her boat passed by the remnants of Egypt’s ancient civilization, progressed to those of the Renaissance, and on to those of recent centuries. Early in the trip she viewed an image of Nut, the goddess of the cosmos and symbol of creation and life cycles. Nut prevailed over people, animals, insects, plants and everything else in nature. She exemplified the matriarchal side of ancient Egyptian culture.
Tschabelala Self, “Dinner Party,” 2023, Hermés window display. Courtesy of the artist and Hermés, New York.
As Steinem’s boat continued on its journey, symbolically moving closer to the present, the depicted divinities had both male and female aspects that gradually evolved into male only images and statuary. Reflecting on the symbolism of the goddess Nut, Steinem explained, “All the scenes of the sanctity of the everyday created a feeling of peace and empowerment that caught me unaware.” Indeed, civilizations back then demonstrated respect for and deference to women, qualities that 20th and 21st century feminists have been fighting to renew, consolidating gains that define each phase.
Harris’s role as candidate is to defeat Donald Trump and by doing so to preserve democracy and the individual rights gained with the persistent effort of the American people. With her show of creative strength, empowerment, and joy (a recent “New York Times” article explains, “Joy Can Do More Than Beat Trump”), Harris is a role model for women who are manifesting their authentic selves, and in doing so are disempowering the patriarchy and ending the historic subjugation that for so long pervaded our society. As Steinem wrote, "There is always one true inner voice. Trust it."
Brooke Fischer Art, “Women’s rights are Human Rights,” poster, 18 x 24”. Courtesy of the artist.
Third-wave feminism took place from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, emphasizing inclusion and a more intellectual approach to gender identity and feminist theory. Present day fourth-wave feminism embraces the internet age and social media as the most effective means of sharing stories and organizing solidarity across ages, races, creeds and non-binary gender identities. It comprises hashtag campaigns such as #MeToo and #TimesUp which enable women to resist and dismiss misogynists, including powerful men such as Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein, through social media. The openness with which victims of sexual harassment and assault can now share their stories has shifted moral responsibility for such acts to the male abusers. A “Washington Post” article, “Inside the online army supercharging Kamala Harris’ campaign,” details the growing online support of Harris within this context.
One key fourth-wave moment was The Women's March on Washington, held on January 21, 2017, the day after Trump’s inauguration as President. The March, a reaction to his misogynistic, racist, and authoritarian impulses, was announced on Facebook by retired lawyer Teresa Shook. It spread quickly around the country and around the world, attracting as many as 4.6 million people at various events in the United States, and about five million people worldwide.
Jesse Costa, Pink "Pussycats" stand out at the Women's March in Boston on January 21, 2017, photograph. Courtesy of Jesse Costa/WBUR.
Harris’ campaign and prospective victory as a fourth-wave feminist is likely to surpass The Women’s March in size and impact. As with our country’s ever-growing awareness of her strengths, so too is she celebrated on social media and elsewhere as the bright red line protecting victims of sexual assault and injustice from the reactionary right. Encouraging women to embrace and fight for the principles of the four waves of feminism, in “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey” (2019) Harris wrote, “My daily challenge to myself is to be part of the solution, to be a joyful warrior in the battle to come. My challenge to you is to join that effort.” She certainly rose to that challenge during the Presidential debate of September 10th. Pop star Taylor Swift’s Instagram endorsement of Harris the following day, which produced over 400,000 new registered voters almost instantaneously, was another powerful fourth-wave phenomenon.
Fitz Maurice, “Woman Empowered,” oil and gold leaf on box canvas, 40 x 30”. Courtesy of the artist.
Fitz Maurice’s image of “Woman Empowered” accompanying this article is painted in the style of late-19th century artist Gustav Klimt. Yet its message is about the 21st century women, Harris among them, who embody intelligence, strength, and feminine grace. Surrounding the woman in this painting is a large halo filled with many symbols of feminine power from throughout time and different traditions, including those from Greek, Roman, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Celtic cultures. The “Woman Empowered” is not a trophy wife as Klimt, in his day, might have seen and depicted her, but a woman who exhibits strength in all aspects of her life.
