Counterfeit Feminism Distracts from True Equality Fight, Experts Warn
Feminism is facing a crisis of authenticity, with scholars and activists warning that counterfeit versions of the movement are diverting attention from genuine threats to women's safety and equality. According to experts, these distortions include trans-exclusionary rhetoric, the tradwife social media phenomenon, and cynical weaponization by reactionary groups.
The Trans-Exclusionary Distraction
Hilary, a 53-year-old founder of feminist collective Not In Our Name (NION), represents 88,000 women who have signed an online letter expressing concern about modern understandings of feminism. "You can't really just rely on whether somebody says they're a feminist or not, anymore," she explains. "It's really difficult because you don't actually know who you're talking to now when someone says they're a feminist."
NION specifically rejects narratives that position trans people as threats to feminism or cisgender women's safety. "Feminism has always been a fight," Hilary says, "but I get nervous when we do that against whole groups. There are those who believe that trans women are not women, and aren't part of this fight, but I would like them not to air their views in such an aggressive way."
Professor Kathryn Higgins, a lecturer in global digital politics at Goldsmiths University with expertise in gender studies, identifies this scapegoating as one form of "counterfeit feminism." "I have students who hesitate to identify as feminists because they've seen the word be used to justify forms of violence in society they're strongly opposed to," she explains, citing foreign conflicts, race riots, and anti-trans politics as examples.
The Gender Critical Movement
The rise of so-called "gender critical" feminists who reject trans women's identities represents a significant challenge to inclusive feminism. "Feminism must unequivocally include trans women," Professor Higgins asserts. "If you're part of a lobby group that spends all your time worrying about whether trans women are able to access bathrooms, or whether a trans woman who's being abused by her partner should be able to access the same domestic violence shelter as you, you're not thinking about the major threats to women's lives."
Access to domestic violence services isn't limited because trans women are taking up space—they represent approximately 0.1% of the UK population according to the most recent census. The real limitation comes from systemic issues: one in four women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and police receive a domestic abuse call every 30 seconds according to Refuge.
"It's this zero-sum politics that pits trans women against other types of women," Professor Higgins adds. "It's not a politics that's invested in improving the lives of women, it's a politics invested in excluding trans women from public life which isn't a feminist goal."
The Tradwife Illusion
Over the past five years, searches for "tradwife" have increased by more than 250% according to Google Trends. This movement promotes a lifestyle rooted in 1950s-era gender roles, with influencers like Nara Smith (12.4 million TikTok followers) and Ballerina Farm (10.5 million followers) showcasing domestic submission as feminist choice.
Professor Higgins challenges this "Choice Feminism" as misguided. "It's not feminism because even if you choose it, you're still advocating for and bolstering a system that limits the choices of women," she explains. "The idea feminism is about individual choice is a product of that 2010s feminism and doesn't address the fact we live our lives in a field of constrained choices."
The tradwife movement contains dangerous ironies. "The most popular TikTok tradwives are the breadwinners in their family because they make money as influencers," Professor Higgins notes. "It's a message about financial and economic subservience that's not actually being fulfilled on the part of the women who are advocating for it. It's one standard for them and another standard for other women."
While these influencers have financial independence, women who adopt this lifestyle without income face serious risks. Surviving Economic Abuse estimates one in seven UK women has experienced economic abuse by a current or former partner.
Cynical Weaponization
Professor Higgins identifies another concerning trend: "Cynical Feminism" largely perpetrated by men, where feminism is weaponized to justify reactionary movements not committed to gender equality.
During the 2024 riots following the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, far-right protesters claimed to support women's safety. However, 41% of those arrested had previously been reported for domestic abuse according to an FOI request—equating to 899 people with intimate partner violence allegations. In some police forces, this figure reached 68%.
"There's a cynical weaponization of care for women's rights and care for women's safety within movements that are reactionary and far-right," Professor Higgins says. "That's why we've seen some people pull away from feminism, because they've seen it be weaponized and attached to movements they would otherwise oppose."
Reclaiming Authentic Feminism
Despite these challenges, 75% of men aged 18-29 believe men and women should be equal in every way according to YouGov, with support increasing among older men. However, when asked if they identified as feminists, 45% of Brits said no—but when told feminism meant equality, 65% said yes.
Professor Higgins believes feminism must be reimagined as "the liberation of all people" rather than an aesthetic or identity marker. "We need to reconnect with a version of feminism that can be uncomfortable and challenging because the problems confronting us require feminist action," she says.
These problems include enduring sexual violence, low prosecution rates, threats to reproductive freedom, and some of the world's most expensive childcare costs. "Feminism isn't supposed to make you feel good all of the time, it's a struggle," Professor Higgins concludes. "It's about doing the work collectively to make a world radically different to the one we have now that's less marred by inequality, oppression and exploitation."
