“Zionism” is defined as “a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel.” That development of Israel involves the invasion and occupation of the country of Palestine and the killings of innocent Palestinians. A zionist is someone who supports the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, which includes the war crimes committed by the Israelian military.
Gal Gadot is a former soldier for the Israel Defense Forces, and, in 2014, she posted a picture on Facebook, declaring her support for the Israelian military. Although Gadot received backlash for her post, she was still cast as Wonder Woman, a character that symbolizes female empowerment and femininity in the superhero world.
Gadot has been open about serving and supporting the Israeli military, yet many self-proclaimed feminists choose to ignore that. They still see Gadot as an inspiring and empowering woman playing an equally empowering character. They have chosen to ignore the fact that Gadot supports the atrocious war crimes committed against innocent Palestinian civilians. In an ironic twist, however, her shaved armpits in the new Wonder Woman trailer is what angered these “feminists”.
White feminists love to say that they are for all women, while ignoring real issues that impact different women around the world in different ways, while getting angry at extremely minuscule problems.
For years, people in Hollywood who have been openly racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. were still able to get roles, giving them a pass for their bigotry. Much of the reason is that a lot of white feminists decide to ignore bigoted women because they are not directly impacted by those actions or words.
How can you praise the new Wonder Woman movie when she is being played by someone who condones the horrible crimes committed by Israel for years? How can the new Wonder Woman be someone who dedicated a portion of her life to serving in that military, which goes against the character’s values and beliefs?
We cannot keep letting people who support oppression be given roles and platforms in our society. Educate yourself and learn about how women of different races, religions, sexual orientations, etc. are negatively affected around the world. Let go of the idea that only white women or women living in the west face oppression. Stop supporting women who hold bigoted beliefs just because they’re women. Feminism isn’t about supporting all women; it’s about creating equality among all women and men.
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