If your feminism only caters to white, middle class, cis women — is it really feminism?
In this episode, we talk about white feminism: a version of feminism that often only represents the experiences of white, cis, middle-class women — leaving out women of colour, LGBTQIA+ women, disabled women, and those impacted by class, colonialism, and systemic oppression.
From the exclusion of Black women in the suffragette movement (something your history teacher might not have mentioned) to the often pink, commodified feminism we see from large figures today — let’s deep dive the history and current displays of white feminism, looking at:
⁃ What is white-feminism?
⁃ the Suffragette’s exclusion of black women
⁃ choice feminism
⁃ Pop culture figure, influencers, and white feminism
⁃ How to be more intersectional in your approach
This episode was largely collective from the Taboo on the Bus community to be as inclusive and considerate to everyone’s viewpoints and experiences as possible. I understand I am a white woman and aim to be contributing to this conversation without taking space away from more important voices. Please use this as a potential basepoint, or small part of your understanding, and consider the voices, stories, and input from those more affected by these issues from marginalised communities. Reading list below!
This episode isn’t about shaming individual women — it’s about encouraging all of us to think more critically, be more intersectional, and hold ourselves (and the people we look up to) to a higher standard.
#tabooonthebus #whitefeminism #intersectionalfeminism #popfeminism #suffragettehistory #genderequality #choicefeminism
I have always been intrigued by the way in which the public feels entitled to share their opinion online, including ones that are deeply nasty or mean towards creators. In the aftermath of Becky Jones leaving the internet, I realised that this entitlement-to-share comes from the fact that we as viewers are aware of the fact that our views/likes/engagement keeps influencers ‘employed’messentially, therefore gives a degree of power. Today I discuss this power dynamic between influencers and viewers, and how we as the public essentially are employers in this realm. From the lense of comments, brand deals, cancel-culture, and nepo-babies, this is a real influencer deep-dive. A REAL insight in to my analytical brain.
Love ya!!
instagram - whatzaraloves
tiktok - whatzaraloves6
youtube - whatzaraloves
email me - collective@bricksmagazine.co.uk
Long-form deepdive is live!
I have always been intrigued by the way in which the public feels entitled to share their opinion online, including ones that are deeply nasty or mean towards creators. In the aftermath of Becky Jones leaving the internet, I realised that this entitlement-to-share comes from the fact that we as viewers are aware of the fact that our views/likes/engagement keeps influencers ‘employed’messentially, therefore gives a degree of power. Today I discuss this power dynamic between influencers and viewers, and how we as the public essentially are employers in this realm.
Is the WLW hashtag on TikTok really one of the closest things to a queer community for so many of us? Today I sat down to talk about the lack of intersectional physical spaces for queer women, discussing the historical reasons for this and also what is driving us to foster community online instead.
We’ve got dissertation research, we’ve got my own research study, we’ve got YOUR input, this episode is juicy and packed xoxo
Outline:
find me on insta: @whatzaraloves
tiktok: @whatzaraloves6
youtube: Whatzaraloves
References for this episode:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7430466/
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4226&context=theses
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4226&context=theses
https://www.vice.com/en/article/when-drag-kings-ruled-alongside-the-mafia-235/
Is the WLW hashtag on TikTok really one of the closest things to a queer community for so many of us? Today I sat down to talk about the lack of intersectional physical spaces for queer women, discussing the historical reasons for this and also what is driving us to foster community online instead.
We’ve got dissertation research, we’ve got my own research study, we’ve got YOUR input, this mini version on the bus is the beginning of this wider conversation. If you like this, check out the next episode which is a 30 min deep-dive.
In a week of PLT rebranding cementing the emphasis on ‘quiet luxury’, let’s discuss how food becomes part of this conversation. Amid our current economic climate, access to food, time, and resources is increasingly becoming harder, and with that, displays of food are becoming increasingly aspirational. Think: fridge restocks, fresh grocery hauls, come-shop-with-me content. We’re seeing this shift across fashion, art, and the social media sphere as food is positioned as more of a ‘luxury’ and symbolise both wealth and time. I discuss this from multiple lenses, including class, quiet luxury, and fashion. If you enjoyed the bus version, you’ll love this deep dive.
Sources mentioned:
Book: Bad Taste, Natalie Olah
Creators: @kfesteryga / @janinejellars (tiktok)
Nylon article: "Errand-Core" And The Rise of The High-Fashion Paper Bag
Journal: When is food a luxury? DOl: 10.1080/0043824021000026422
Is food a status symbol now? On food, class, and quiet luxury
In a week of PLT rebranding cementing the emphasis on ‘quiet luxury’, let’s talk about how food becomes part of this conversation. Amid our current economic climate, access to food, time, and resources is increasingly becoming harder, and with that, displays of food are becoming increasingly aspirational. Think: fridge restocks, fresh grocery hauls, come-shop-with-me content. We’re seeing this shift accross fashion, art, and the social media sphere as food is positioned as more of a ‘luxury’ and symbolise both wealth and time. if you enjoy the bus version, you’ll love the deep dive, see my latest episode for 35 minutes of this.
You all adored the mini bus version of this episode, so let's deepdive the 'full bush in a thong' discourse for 30 mins to truly underpin this changing discourse towards women's body hair. I’ve noticed an increase in the discusion and potential rage bait online amongst men debating whether or not women should have body hair, yet on the flip side, we are seeing mainstream love and normalisation of body hair amongst the girls - particularly the cis het community online.
This episode is a JOURNEY, discussing the where the notions of femininity=hairlessness derive from, the correlations between race, class, and body hair, and an interesting study conducted in the 2010’s that I think can underpin the entire ‘full bush in a thong’ discourse today. For real, grab a cup of tea and a snack.
All my love
socials: @whatzaraloves
Study mentioned:
http://www.breannefahs.com/uploads/1/0/6/7/10679051/2011_embodied_resistance_fahs_delgado.pdf
Commercialisation of choice quote from Susan Bordo:
As someone in my comments coined it, we are in a “Buchaissance”, meaning it is high time for women and body hair! The ‘full bush in a thong’ discourse is going to be instrumental in breaking down the equation of women’s body hair to femininity, and I am here for it! Let’s discuss the origins of why women even shave, the harmful stereotypes and ideologies associated with women’s body hair, and an interesting study done on a class of girls that I think can tell us a lot about the impact of the ‘full bush in a thong’ discussion online.
All my love
socials: @whatzaraloves
Study mentioned:
http://www.breannefahs.com/uploads/1/0/6/7/10679051/2011_embodied_resistance_fahs_delgado.pdf
I was RUDELY confronted with an “almond-daughter’ aesthetic image on my Pinterest feed (help) and ran to TikTok to see if this is yet another girl, core, IT, aesthetic, and of course it is a thriving subculture. Let’s fully debunk the commodification of women’s identities online, and how we are pushed into these boxes of self, taking the almond-daughter as a perfect example of how this has gone too far now. The almond-daughter is simply a repackaged ED, sold and pushed as an aesthetic lifestyle to pertain to, and it has to stop.
Listen in to discuss the harms of fashioning yourself to these identities, the role of capitalism in heightening these, and why I think the almond-daughter subculture/trend is pureposely kept online despite its harm.
Keywords: Almond Daughter, TikTok trends, identity commodification, wellness aesthetics, social media and mental health, performative lifestyles, consumerism, online personas
Sit down with Zara at the front of the bus to discuss the thriving internet subculture of the ‘almond-daughter’. It is exactly what you think it is: a repackaged ED sold and made aesthetic to the girls in yet another girl, core, IT, box. Let’s talk about the harm that slotting ourselves in to these boxes can cause, and why I think the almond-daughter subculture/trend is pureposely kept online despite its harm.
I’m on the London Tube this week for a special episode of: Taboo on the Tube instead of my bed/ the bus. Joined by Tori West, founder of Bricks Magazine, we discuss the inaccessibility of fashion weeks and the lack of accommodations made for disabled/neurodivergent individuals. Tori has worked her way from standing room to front row seats at fashion week, and sits down to give us a first-hand account of her experience. Join us to talk about the way clout is so often put before accommodation and lift the lid on fashion week.
Thank you Tori West and the darling Prada for joining me for this episode. I will be back on the bus/bed next week as per usual!
Socials: @whatzaraloves
#FashionWeek #lfw #taboo #fashionweek2025 #toriwest
[Full episode is posted]
I’m on the London Tube this week for a special episode of: Taboo on the Tube instead of my bed/ the bus. Joined by Tori West, founder of Bricks Magazine, we discuss the inaccessability of fashion weeks and the lack of accomodations made for disabled/neurodivergent individuals. Tori has worked her way from standing room to front row seats at fashion week, and sits down to give us a first-hand account of her experience. Join us to talk about the way clout is so often put before accomodation, and lift the lid on fashion week.
Thank you Tori West and the darling Prada for joining me for this episode. I will be back on the bus/bed next week as per usual!
Socials: @whatzaraloves
Has the accessability and normalisation of aesthetic procedures and fillers warped our ability to accept our natural features? I realised that I am simply tolerating some of my insecurities with the idea that I will eventually get procedures and fillers to ‘fix’ it, and is this becoming common culture within society? Has the accessibility of fillers and exposure to such content begun to normalise changing ourselves instead of accepting?
Sit down with me in the long-form version of Taboo on the Bus to discuss:
how accessible and normalised aesthetic procedures have become the every-changing, consistently unattainable beauty-standard how marketers and advertisers influence and sell us insecurities How social media makes us desire aesthetic procedures The racial cherry-picking within western beauty standards Social media dysmorphiaAgain, I will clarify that I do not disasgree with aesthetic procedures/fillers. I personally would like them, but what I don’t agree with is how normalised, accessible, and promoted they are.
All of my love,
Zara
@whatzaraloves // Taboo on the Bus
Globally, gay bars are in decline, we are losing our queer spaces, visibility, venues, and community, and it has largely been pinned on our dating app usage. Yes, Grindr, yes Hinge, yes Tinder, yes HER. The facilitation of meet-ups, dates, hook-ups, romantic partners, and even friendships are so accessible online now that we are seeing less and less people ooccupying queer bars and spaces. As a result, we are losing our gay bars, so let’s dive in to the implications of that. (side note, this is my dissertation area, hence the enthusiasm, passion, and intense research haha) all of my love
tiktok - whatzaraloves
insta - whatzaraloves
YouTube - whatzaraloves
Globally, gay bars are in decline, we are losing our queer spaces, visibility, venues, and community, and it has largely been pinned on our dating app usage. Yes, Grindr, yes Hinge, yes Tinder, yes HER. The facilitation of meet-ups, dates, hook-ups, romantic partners, and even friendships are so accessible online now that we are seeing less and less people ooccupying queer bars and spaces. As a result, we are losing our gay bars, so let’s dive in to the implications of that. (side note, this is my dissertation area, hence the enthusiasm, passion, and intense research haha) all of my love
tiktok - whatzaraloves
insta - whatzaraloves
YouTube - whatzaraloves
The first episode of Taboo Off the Bus, the deep-dive longform version of Taboo ON the Bus. Today let’s talk about the downfall of social media and realising it IS the damn phone. I dug out my old nokia flip phone today and speculate whether I could go back to the flip phone, why it is so hard to delete social media, and if the girls who have deleted TikTok and ran to Substack are doing it right?
Thank you for all of the love on Taboo on the Bus, I hope you enjoy the longer version from bed!! xoxo
The first Taboo on the Bus of the year talking my prediction of manyyy people deleting social media this year, the reason many of us won’t, and the rise of Substack as we all turn against short form content and doomscrolling. Taboo OFF the Bus, the long-form version of Taboo on the Bus coming tonight xoxo
socials - @whatzaraloves
Thank you for all of the love on Taboo on the Bus, I hope you enjoy the longer version too!! xoxo
I got down the rabbit-hole of Mayfair clubbing and the whole ordeal of 'free' nights out. Is it really free when you are doing 'unpaid aesthetic labor', or is it feminist to maximise this system?
Deep-diving the hatred I've seen of Emma Chamberlain's new haircut and discussing how I think it is allll tied to hating when teenage girls evolve into women. Also drawing some parallels between Miley and Emma, all from the front seat of the bus
