It’s the 1970s. Political climates are choppy all around the world. President Nixon has just founded the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the cluster of environmental laws in America. Radical feminists gather to discuss the environmental hierarchy that existed between men and women; they made connections that birthed the concept ecofeminism.
Founded by French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne, ecofeminism blends feminism and environmentalism as a passageway for women to reclaim their space in nature. Ecofeminists believe femininity is spiritually connected to nature. Women find connections to the environment that are constrained by a patriarchal society. A shared belief amongst ecofeminists is that the world is sacred and valuable, and so are the maternal instincts of mother nature.
Individuals who feel connected to nature and protecting the environment but do not identify as female present a conflict in ecofeminism. Feminism has come a long way in the department of diversity and inclusivity, but beliefs and internal stereotypes must be modified to include differing experiences as we progress as a society. Intersectional femininity is inclusive to more than just women. It creates a safe-space for gender and the ways it is expressed.
Written by Trinity Serra
Photography by Ryan Williams