“We Should All Be Feminists,” the title of Chimamanda Adichie’s 2014 essay, inspired a shirt featured in Dior’s 2017 Spring/Summer runway – the debut collection of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s creative direction aimed at empowerment.
The shirt’s message resonated widely and was quickly replicated by brands like H&M and Forever 21. While this increased accessibility and sparked global dialogues on gender equity, it also led to mass production and overconsumption, unfolding into a fast fashion calamity. Produced with cheap, unsustainable materials, these shirts contributed to overflowing landfills and environmental degradation that disproportionately impacted women in developing communities. Ironically, a feminist shirt ended up exploiting the very women it sought to empower.
The irony then evolved into an analogy that captivated me: Capitalism : Nature :: Patriarchy : Women.
The oppression of women and nature stems from the same systems of racism, class exploitation, and sexism. This realization led me to explore ecofeminist theories, which critique the rigid binaries placing male, mind, and rationality above female, body, and emotion, justifying the domination of both women and nature. Inspired, I delved into Ana Mendieta’s Silueta Series, where she imprints her silhouette into the earth, symbolizing the unity between women and nature. I also discovered the Green Belt Movement, where Wangari Maathai empowered women through tree-planting environmental activism, addressing deforestation and gendered economic disparities.
Through these intersections, with the new Stars4ever, I see boundless potential for change. I am eager to further connect gender, climate, and other advocacies, uniting communities to dismantle shared systems of oppression and achieve true equity with the instrument of creativity.
Xo,
AY