Not Every Accomplished Woman Is A Feminist Icon 

In China, many young women are pressured to prioritise marriage and childbirth over their careers. Working mothers in America struggle to make a living amidst the stigma against them. However, concerns surrounding such misogyny are being shut out by a phenomenon that, ironically, brands itself as feminist: the praise of high-achieving women as automatic contributors to women’s empowerment. 

It is true that successful women may inspire other women to achieve their goals. Still, reaching these goals does not change the systemic discrimination women experience on their way up. Praising women as feminists on the basis of their achievements diverts attention from the issues faced by women collectively, and from their possible solutions.  

Eileen Gu is one accomplished woman praised as a source of female empowerment. Her two gold medals at the 2022 Olympics for freestyle skiing and her near-perfect SAT score (1580)  have resulted in her being praised as a role model for girls in China. However, Ms.Gu’s private education and extracurricular activities had likely cost more than one million dollars; this is an impossible expense for most people in China. Furthermore, patriarchal norms within many Chinese communities designate women as caregivers, discouraging parents from dedicating finances to their daughters’ education. The same norms have resulted in discrimination against women in university admissions and employment, and in inattention to issues women disproportionately experience, like sexual harassment. Numerous Chinese feminists demanding legal change have been censored and faced backlash, a grim contrast to the attention Ms.Gu has received. Labeling Eileen Gu’s achievements as empowering for Chinese women ignores the privileges they lack, and the barriers they face.

On the other side of the world, women have been sold individual advancement as the solution to sexism. From Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, to #Girlboss by retailer Nasty Gal’s founder Sophia Amouroso, girl power narratives are often marketed as inherently feminist. However, the discrimination perpetrated by these women’s actions and ideas tell a different story. Ms. Sandberg has been criticized for ignoring underprivileged women’s plights. Nasty Gal has allegedly terminated three pregnant employees without paying parental leave, exacerbating their struggles of working as mothers. This reveals how the collective advancement feminism requires cannot be solved by individual women simply nheriting the power structures that harmed women in the first place.

It is not the case that accomplished women cannot be feminists; for example, Malala Yousafzai, activist and Nobel Peace prize winner, has helped girls access education by raising funds and awareness, improving other women’s lives using her platform. Accomplished women who are also feminists strive to dismantle the barriers created by systemic misogyny for all, not just surpass them individually.

We can praise accomplished women as role models and leaders. We must be careful, though, when calling their legacy “feminist”. 

Citations and more reading: 

Bereznak, Alyssa. “The Problem With ‘Girlboss’ Feminism.” The Ringer, 29 April 2017. 

Bloomberg Businessweek. “China’s Three-Child Policy Puts More Pressure on Working Women.” Bloomberg, 15 July 2021.  

Bloomberg News. “Eileen Gu’s Message of Equality Clashes With Reality in China.” Bloomberg, 11 February 2022. 

Chappet, Marie-Claire and Morgan, Lucy. “30 of the most empowering feminist icons who inspire us every single day.” Glamour, 8 March 2022. 

Cosslett, Rhiannon Lucy. “The decline of the girlboss? Post-pandemic, she’s more ubiquitous than ever.” The Guardian, 1 March 2022. 

Cyrill, Melissa. “China’s Middle Class in 5 Simple Questions.” China Briefing, 13 February 2019. 

Dong, Joy. “As Chinese Women Seek to Crack Male Professions, Schools Stand in the Way.” The New York Times, 21 October 2021. 

Goldstein, Katherine. “I was a Sheryl Sandberg superfan. Then her “Lean In” advice failed me.” Vox, 6 December 2018.

He, Kayla. “Is Eileen Gu a Good Role Model for Chinese Women? A Blogger Weighs In” RADII, 21 February 2022. 

Palmer, Gianna. “What impact has Lean In had on women?” BBC News, 5 March 2015. 

Tang, Jane. “Chinese women unlikely to fulfill their government's desire for more babies.” Radio Free Asia, 7 January 2022. 

Wang, Vivian. “China Moves to Overhaul Protections for Women’s Rights, Sort Of.” The New York Times, 2 January 2022. 

Zarrel, Rachel and McNeal, Stephanie. “Nasty Gal Employees Describe The Company Environment As "Toxic" After New Lawsuit.” Buzzfeed News, 9 June 2015. 

Zhou, Viola. Chinese Women Look at Eileen Gu and Do Not See Themselves. Vice, 15 February 2022.