Pseudo-feminism, also known as fake feminism or feminism appropriation, refers to the act of co-opting feminist rhetoric and ideologies for purposes that contradict or undermine the goals of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

. It involves using the language and imagery of feminism to promote

ideologies An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...

, products, or actions that reinforce traditional gender roles,

objectification In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person as an object or a thing. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire, is a subset of objectification, as is self-objectification, th ...

, or

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment of, or exercise of power over, a group of individuals, often in the form of governmental authority. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. No universally accepted model ...

of women. Pseudo-feminism is often criticized as a form of pinkwashing, where corporations or organizations try to market themselves as supportive of women's rights and feminist values while engaging in practices that harm or exclude women. It can also manifest as individuals or groups claiming to be feminists while promoting

misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...

, anti-feminist, or regressive views. Critics argue that pseudo-feminism can be damaging as it co-opts and dilutes the meaning of feminism, undermining the efforts of genuine feminist movements. It is seen as a form of cultural appropriation, exploiting feminist discourse for personal gain or commercial interests without understanding or commitment to the underlying principles.

Faux Feminism

Serene Khader is a feminist author who could be considered a critic of Pseudo-feminism. In her book "Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop," she criticizes what she describes as "freedom feminism," arguing that it mainly serves wealthy, white women. Khader specifically identifies three myths that she criticizes as ineffective in truly empowering women.

The Individualism Myth

This describes a view of feminism as empowering individual women to succeed in the workplace and acquire large amounts of wealth. Khader argues that this individualist view of feminism ultimately places women in competition with each other and empowers a few individual women, reinforcing the capitalist system that keeps the majority of women in their present circumstances.

The Judgment Myth

This is the idea that women can make whatever choice they want, with judgment of these choices being frowned upon. Khader describes this myth as a manner by which freedom feminists excuse inequalities in society by refusing to judge women in privileged positions, even when they're keeping other women out of these positions.

The Restriction Myth

This is the idea that sexism is a series of restrictions on women. Khader admits that women do face many restrictions in society, but simplifying feminism to fighting "restrictions" empowers some women to claim that they're strong feminists despite being indifferent towards the empowerment of all women, or even working against causes that aim for such empowerment.

Femvertising

Katie Martell is a feminist speaker who is currently on a campaign to investigate companies that use feminist messaging in their advertising. She does this by applying a litmus test to these companies, which includes viewing their hiring practices, advertisements that may objectify women, their family leave programs, the diversity in their leadership and workplace, etc. Based on their results, Martell then places them on a spectrum, with the lower end implying that they only pay lip service to feminism and the higher end declaring that they are a legitimately feminist company with legitimately feminist advertisements.

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