Club of the Year: Feminist Union
Whether you’re a feminist or you have no idea what feminism is, the Feminist Union’s incredibly popular “PEA Needs Feminism” campaign has brought the spirit of this ideology to Exeter. Using social media platforms such as Tumblr and Facebook, or even plastering photos on the walls of the Academy’s halls, the rhetoric of “PEA Needs Feminism” has recently become widespread and explosively popular. As one of Exeter’s most controversial and widely known groups, Feminist Union, or Fem Club, has earned quite a name and garnered the title of The Exonian’s Club of the Year.
One of the goals of Fem Club is to advocate the idea of equality between men and women, as well as bring awareness to societal misconceptions behind feminism. Some students believe feminists wish to promote the idea that women are superior to men, which is not the goal of the club.
Lower and future co-head Preeya Sheth said, “There is this stigmatized idea of a ‘militant feminist’ who hates men and sex and won't shave. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the majority of feminists do not fit this category. We wanted Exeter to hear what feminism means to their fellow students.”
Senior and co-head Caroline Goldfarb further described the aims of Fem Club. “The goal of the club is to give students a safe space to discuss the issues of feminism that are not discussed elsewhere on campus.” She continued, “We also hope that we can provide information and a new understanding to club members and non-club members about what it means to be a feminist in our own lives.”
At first, however, Fem Club found it hard to make a name for themselves. “Our first major hurdle was to figure out how to be taken seriously and make people think,” Goldfarb said. “The connotations surrounding feminism and the dismissal of the opinions of self-identified feminists hold back progress and open dialogue, so that major goal of the club, at least at first, was to debunk those connotations and prove to the community that feminism is important.”
After establishing themselves on campus, Fem Club worked to make their message heard. Co-head Kristina Elhauge agreed, adding, “Now we're focusing on continuing toward that goal and influencing a positive change in the school. We do a lot of things in meetings and vary our discussion topics weekly. We often watch videos and read articles to supplement the discussion; the topics we discuss cover a wide range of fields from the academic to popular culture, some examples are Exeter's dress code, Miley Cyrus and our use of language.”
Lower Margaux Morris, upon being asked why she identifies as a feminist, shared, “I considered myself a feminist before coming to Exeter, but it was the discussion aspect of Fem Club that really drew me in. We’ve held a forum with GSA and created PEA Needs Feminism, but most of what the club does is internal. I left the first meeting with new thoughts and ideas about something already important to me, and I have every meeting since.”
Fem Club’s more controversial approach to attracting attention has successfully promoted the idea behind feminism, although it’s earned the club a slight reputation. “This year we became more provocative. We took more risks and challenged more people. We made an effort to get different kinds of voices to come to the meetings, and did our online campaign,” Elhauge said. “I think what made Fem Club so popular and controversial this year is how we opened ourselves up more, willing to listen to anyone's opinions.”
Some members of Fem Club posted topless photos of themselves on Facebook, with their chests concealed by signs on which they wrote out “I need feminism because...” and finished with their own individual justification.
This controversial method of promoting feminism received considerable backlash, with some members of the community even mocking the club by posting similar pictures with satirical and sarcastic messages. Yet despite this response, Fem Club still embraces their ideals.
“We just don't react,” Elhauge said. “We eagerly welcome and appreciate questions and debates, but the other stuff is just not worth responding to. We don't have anything to say to it, really, because it's not saying anything to us. I saw a few guys take mocking photos during our campaign, and we were surprised to see comments about how they had a ‘death wish’ or something, as if people expected us to care and be angry. You have to expect these kinds of reactions and take them in stride. It's all about deciding which arguments are the important ones that ask thought-provoking questions.”
With respect to the team at the helm of Exeter’s feminist movement, Morris shared her sentiments regarding the club heads. “The club heads are great—passionate, on top of things and great models for what a feminist should be. They make sure that we cover all sorts of things, often issues that are disputed within the feminist community itself, and provide sources with multiple viewpoints.” Morris continued, “They also ensure that the club stays true to the claim of being open to everybody; sometimes there’s some veiled hostility between members when conversation gets heated, but the club heads always make sure to moderate the discussion when necessary. Feminism as a movement is not flawless, especially when it comes to intersectionality, and that is absolutely not shied away from.”
In an effort to increase the gravity and renown Exeter’s feminist community carries, Fem Club is open to contributors of all kinds. “It's very important to us that the club be accessible. We welcome anti-feminists, ardent feminists, anyone of any opinion, to come to our meetings. Male students are definitely encouraged to come, and we regularly have a relatively even balance of males and females,” said Elhauge of the club’s membership base.
“Fem Club has been receiving more and more attention on campus—actually, the room we meet in is almost too small to fit all the members. I hope that with this level of renown we’ll be able to orchestrate more successful projects in the future,” added Morris.
Whether one is a supporter of feminism, against feminism, or uncertain as to what feminists stand for, Fem Club is eager to discuss and debate controversial topics every Wednesday from 7 pm–8 pm in the Academy Center’s first club room.