When Beyonce appeared on stage during the MTV music awards with a giant, luminous sign behind her that blazed out the word "Feminist", many applauded her confidence and bravery for putting herself in front of the F-word for the whole world to see.
Despite Beyonce's star power and influence, other celebrities haven't been so quick to assert themselves as feminists like she has. Girls writer and star Lena Dunham told Metro UK, "Women saying 'I’m not a feminist' is my greatest pet peeve. Do you believe that women should be paid the same for doing the same jobs? Do you believe that women should be allowed to leave the house? Do you think that women and men both deserve equal rights? Great, then you’re a feminist. People think there is something taboo about speaking up for feminism."
The Wage Project reported that if you are a young woman who has graduated from high school, you can expect to earn $700,000 less throughout your career than the young men with whom you graduated. Although don't expect these following celebrities to lend the movement towards gaining equality for both sexes a leg-up anytime soon. They have made it very clear in previous interviews that they certainly do not identify as feminists.
15 Sarah Jessica Parker
Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker shocked many of her fans when she told Marie Claire magazine this year, "I am not a feminist. I don’t think I qualify. I believe in women and I believe in equality, but I think there is so much that needs to be done that I don’t even want to separate it anymore. I’m so tired of separation. I just want people to be treated equally."
The mother-of-two and wife of Matthew Broderick clearly misunderstood the very definition of feminism. Gloria Steinem, a prominent leader in the feminist movement explained, "A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men." However, Parker did give a nice nod toward Emma Watson as she added, "(Emma) is an amazing young woman, and it's important for her to talk about women's issues. She isn't concerned about herself."
14 Madonna
Madonna was hugely influential when it came to the breakthrough of female sexuality in mainstream media and self-styled herself as a strong independent woman. However, Madonna claims that she does not identify as a feminist, instead preferring the term - humanist. According to the American Humanist Association, "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity."
Madonna angered her fans earlier this year when during a concert in Brisbane she invited a 17-year-old girl on stage and exposed her breasts. Madonna said to the crowd, "She’s the kind of girl you just want to slap on the ass — and pull" before pulling the girl's top down and accidentally exposing her.
13 Lana Del Rey
In a 2014 interview, Summertime Sadness singer Lana Del Rey told Fader magazine, "I'm more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla, what's going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities." She continued, "Whenever people bring up feminism, I'm like, god. I'm just not really that interested."
Just to clarify that she really doesn't give a damn about feminism, a year later she told actor James Franco, who interviewed her the cover of V Magazine, "I don't focus on feminism, I focus on the future."
Royals singer Lorde had previously critized Del Rey for her anti-feminist lyrics, labeling her songs: "Shirt-tugging, desperate, ‘don’t leave me’ stuff.'" Hits such as He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss) and F***ed my Way Up To The Top are understandably up there amongst her most condemned anti-feminist songs.
12 Carrie Underwood
When Carrie Underwood was asked by BANG Showbiz she considered herself a feminist she replied, "I wouldn't go so far as to say I am a feminist, that can come off as a negative connotation. But I am a strong female." The country singer, American Idol judge, and Grammy award winner is now considered one of the most successful artists of all time.
The Oklahoma-born star also revealed, "My parents raised me to be pretty independent and I grew up - I have sisters but they're a lot older than me - an only child. I feel like that contributes to how I handle myself and how I carry myself." She added that she was particularly pleased with herself as she had fixed a washing machine with her own hands - but she just won't warm up to the F-word.
11 Shailene Woodley
Fault In our Stars actress Shailene Woodley told Time magazine that she tries to avoid the word feminism, or having her own name associated with it, as much as possible. She said, "I think the idea of 'raise women to power, take the men away from power' is never going to work out because you need balance."
The characters she plays are considered strong female role models, but she acknowledges that she has a strong masculine side too. She added, "With myself, I’m very in touch with my masculine side. And I’m 50 percent feminine and 50 percent masculine, same as I think a lot of us are. And I think that is important to note. And also I think that if men went down and women rose to power, that wouldn’t work either. We have to have a fine balance."
10 Geri Halliwell
Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell was the face of girl power in the 90s, as her alter-ego 'Ginger Spice' stormed the world. Although Geri told The Guardian that she completely rejects the feminism - or at least what she believes feminism stands for.
The mother-of-two said, "It's about labeling. For me feminism is bra-burning lesbianism. It's very unglamorous. I'd like to see it rebranded. We need to see a celebration of our femininity and softness."
Geri clearly prefers the peace sign showing, tongue wagging and high-kicking feminism she showed off with the rest of her girl group. She has since reunited with three of the members, Emma Bunton and America's Got Talent judge Melanie Brown to form a new pop group named GEM with new music to be released in 2017.
9 Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon has completely turned her back on the idea of feminism. She told The Guardian, "It’s a bit of an old-fashioned word." Like Madonna, she prefers to label herself as a humanist because she finds the word is "less alienating to people who think of feminism as a load of strident bi****s and because you want everyone to have equal pay, equal rights, education, and health care." She also added that her 28-year-old daughter no longer identifies as a feminist either.
The Thelma & Louise star engaged in a twitter war earlier this year when the presenter took offense to her visible cleavage. Sarandon fired back, "I may be 69, but I still look smoking hot." She then uploaded a throwback photo of her wearing just a bra int he 1980s, proving she has always been a goddess.
8 Björk
Björk told BUST magazine that she refused to label herself a feminist as she believes it may "isolate" her. The Icelandic singer explained, "I think (feminism) would isolate me. I think it's important to do positive stuff. It's more important to be asking than complaining." She also added that she is more attracted to "animalistic" behavior than "the kind of Las Vegas corset-and-fishnet-stockings thing."
Björk grew up in Reykjavik, her own mother is activist Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir, who protested against the development of Iceland's Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant. She added about her own upbringing, "You could probably call my mother a feminist, and I watched her isolate herself all her life from men, and therefore from society." Although she stays clear of political issues too, the singer has been known to support liberation movements including the independence for Kosovo.
7 Melissa Leo
Veteran actress Melissa Leo does not think of herself as a feminist. The actress who is best known for her reoccurring roles on shows Homicide: Life on the Street, All My Children and The Young Riders. She told Salon magazine, "I don’t think of myself as a feminist at all. As soon as we start labeling and categorizing ourselves and others, that’s going to shut down the world. I would never say that."
With almost forty years acting experience under her belt, she said of changing times, "When I got started on television in the ‘80s, you would go to the costume department, and if you were a female they put you into a skirt. And you had a pocketbook, usually a shoulder bag. Whether you had a reason to be carrying that shoulder bag throughout ever scene you were in didn’t really matter! You were a woman; you carried a shoulder bag."
6 Kelly Clarkson
Miss Independent singer Kelly Clarkson told Time magazine, "I wouldn’t say (I’m a) feminist, that’s too strong. I think when people hear feminist it’s just like, 'Get out of my way I don’t need anyone'". She married talent manager Brandon Blackstock in 2013 after meeting him at the American Country Music Awards seven years earlier. It was love at first sight, as she recalled, "(Brandon) walks by, making everybody laugh. I said, 'I’m gonna end up with him. I know it.'"
Just to assure her fans that she certainly isn't a feminist, she recalled, "I love that I’m being taken care of, and I have a man that’s an actual leader. I’m not a feminist in that sense but I’ve worked really hard since I was nineteen, when I first auditioned for Idol."
5 Marissa Mayer
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who has a net worth of more than $500 million, said she is not a feminist as she believes it comes with a "chip on your shoulder". During an AOL documentary titled Makers she revealed, "I don’t think that I would consider myself a feminist. I think that I certainly believe in equal rights. I believe that women are just as capable, if not more so, in a lot of different dimensions."
She added, "But I don’t, I think, have sort of the militant drive and sort of the chip on the shoulder that sometimes comes with that. And I think it’s too bad, but I do think feminism has become, in many ways, a more negative word. There are amazing opportunities all over the world for women, and I think that there’s more good that comes out of positive energy around that than negative energy."
4 Demi Moore
Despite playing a frustrated businesswoman in the 1960s who couldn't climb the corporate ladder as her male counterparts always got ahead of her, Demi Moore does not see her real-life self as a feminist. She told Metro news, "I am a great supporter of women, but I have never really thought of myself as a feminist, probably more of a humanist because I feel like that’s really where we need to be."
The mother-of-three shocked the world in 1991 when she posed nude on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine when she was heavily pregnant. The Strip Tease actress told V magazine, "It did seem to give a little bit more permission to feel sexy, attractive when you're pregnant. But I really didn't expect for the response to be what it was. I was pretty shocked." Some magazine shops at the time were so shocked by the image that they covered every copy in brown paper bags.
3 Sinead O'Connor
Nothing Compares To You actress Sinead O'Connor told The Star, "I don’t consider myself engaged in the feminist movement. I tend to avoid anything with an ‘ist’ attached to the end of it."
Miley Cyrus felt the wrath of the Irish-born singer when she compared her music video Wrecking Ball to O'Connor's iconic 1990 music video for Nothing Compares To You. O'Connor wrote in an open letter, "Real empowerment of yourself as a woman would be to in (the) future refuse to exploit your body or your sexuality in order for men to make money from you."
She was referring to Cyrus swinging naked on a wrecking ball in the video before adding that Cyrus was "an anti-female tool of the anti-female music industry" before adding, "I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos."
2 Katy Perry
One singer who is very confused about feminism is I Kissed A Girl singer Katy Perry. Four years ago she told Billboard magazine, "I am not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women." Then two years later on Australian morning show, I Wake Up Today, she said, "I used to not really understand what that word (feminism) meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men."
When she shot her cover for Forbes magazine she posted on Instagram, "I was told that a lot of women have previously shied away from doing it. Ladies, there is a difference between being humble and working hard to see the fruits of your labor blossom, and your dreams realized. Hopefully, this cover can be an inspiration to women out there that it’s okay to be proud of hard earned success and that there is no shame in being a boss." Katy - we don't know how to break this to you...but you may actually be a feminist.
1 Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga told LA Times, "I’m not a feminist. I hail men, I love men, I celebrate American male culture - beer, bars, and muscle cars." In a contradictory statement, she then added, "I find that men get away with saying a lot in this business and that women get away with saying very little. In my opinion, women need and want someone to look up to that they feel have the full sense of who they are, and says, 'I'm great'."
Born Stefani Germanotta, she suffered made her question her self-worth, and led to "anxiety, depression, and destructive behavior" according to her own mother. Cynthia Germanotta told The Daily Beast, "She was creative and unequivocally her own person, but her peers didn’t always appreciate the things that made her unique and different. As a result, they would sometimes taunt, humiliate, or exclude her. It was hurtful for her to experience and heartbreaking for me to watch."
Sources: theguardian.com, http://time.com
