Roxanne Gay Wants Us To Stop Just Talking About Feminism And Actually Do Something

Nothing stands in the way of Roxane Gay's feminism. Her book of essays, Bad Feminist, inspired a new generation of women to learn, grow and work towards a society in which women and girls are treated equally rather than sexual objects and afterthoughts. Since then, she has continued to call out systemic oppression and general bullshit, and her latest book, Hunger, has left us all with tears in our eyes.

Sophia Amoruso's Girlboss Radio made a return this week, with Gay featuring on its first episode where she opened up about her writing process for Hunger, feminism and diet culture. Despite Gay being an incredible feminist pundit, having spoken out about women of colour, fat bodies, and sexual abuse survivors, she gets that a lot of it for most of us is just trial and error.

Credit: Eva Blue

'You have to stop listening to all the outside noise. You have to do what you're going to do. And maybe you're going to fuck it up. But you're going to get more things right than you get wrong.'

She's right, and the 'outside noise' can be a massive distraction in terms of the way we view feminist. Mainstream ideals such as white feminism and the general goings-on of the world can derail people's thoughts, especially those who are only just beginning to understand or get involved with the movement. Another issue that feminism faces is the impact that the mass media has on it, with the notion that the 'future is female' is currently en vogue.

Roxane Gay has been described by many as a catalyst for modern-day feminism, with her words and wisdom helping sculpt a better generation of feminists, but she knows that the movement needs more. 'I just keep thinking how we are still sitting around thinking about feminism instead of actually doing the work of feminism.'

Can we get an amen?!