How Will We Know When The Fourth Wave Has Begun?

Sometimes I think about the Fourth Wave of Feminism like a stranger lurking in the shadows. I want to find her, bring her into the light, see that she is real, that she has arrived, that she has embodied herself with a purpose and a tangible agenda - and maybe she is even wearing a cool hat. But right now, it is hard to even think about the Fourth Wave of feminism because of the inherent ambiguity surrounding the Third Wave. When does one end and another begin? How can we end the "complicated relationship" with the Third Wave and start a new relationship with a new generation of feminists?

If the First Wave was about access, the Second Wave about equality and the Third Wave about diversity - what will the Fourth Wave be about? Some have talked about it as a time of feminist spiritual awakening, while others consider the fourth wave as a means to bring the women's rights movement into more contemporary and mainstream setting.

This week, Amy Siskind from The New Agenda asked feminists to cross the threshold into the fourth wave. She asked for the removal of the pro-choice, Democratic cocoon that has embraced the feminist movement over the past thirty years with a larger umbrella definition to help everyone participate and understand the effort toward gender equality. She writes:

"A period of decline in interest in and membership of national women’s organizations ensued. But this is hardly the fault of the women and like-minded men of this country. You see, most of them were no longer “allowed” to be part of the movement. The movement had devolved and morphed into a clique instead. And this clique only allowed members with certain rites of entry: liberal Democratic women who were pro-choice.....

Witness the rebirth: the start of the fourth wave of the women’s rights movement, a big tent movement that invites women and like-minded men of all political parties and views on reproductive rights. A women’s movement that stands up and speaks out for the women of this country when other groups will not. A women’s movement that keeps a watchful eye on its constituency and their needs."

While I understand Amy's point about the concept of a feminist clique - I think that calling it such works to trivialize the movement rather than strengthen it. And frankly, until the legislative battles that feminists face are fought and won - how can we move away from the Democratic, pro-choice agenda that has furthered the movement in many substantial ways? In my mind, it seems that while Amy makes some interesting points, she may have accidentally drank too much of the neo-conservative kool aid and then tried to spit it out as the fourth wave.

For me, I am going to be more patient. I'm not going to define the fourth wave without more resolve of what actions are left to be accomplished, what questions remain, what lessons can be learned and how we can adjust the movement to the true needs of young women and men today, while still building on past efforts. I really believe that if we strip the feminist movement of it's past, we will effectively crumble the foundation it has created.

It is my hope that the Fourth Wave arrives in a subtle manner, yet is organized and results driven. I hope that it is not defined as a reactionary statement to the inequality and lack of understanding that still exists, but rather a forceful knock on the door of the future saying, "We have arrived, now let us in."

What about you? What are your thoughts on the Fourth Wave? Is it here yet...