What Will You Do When Your Feminist Target Turns on You? Women makeup roughly half of the population. Yet, for some reason, there are people who believe harassing women is a good idea. This obsession with controlling women’s lives seems like a bad idea, given the numbers. So, imagine if every woman decided enough was enough. What would the world do if women just stood up and rejected the notion of being targets? What if women targeted men with the same diabolical cruelty they imposed on us? Would that be ok? According to the Museum of Modern Art, Feminist Art is “Art that seeks to challenge the dominance of men in both art and society, to gain recognition and equality for women artists, and to question assumptions about womanhood.” Today, much like the 60’s and 70’s, women find ourselves at an inflection point. While women have made great progress towards equal rights in the last forty-five years, our equality faces an existential threat. It seems as though every day brings a fresh law designed to infringe on women’s autonomy, our privacy, and even our right to individual freedom. Anyone Can Be a Feminist Artists, in the capacity of a social conscience, must speak out about women’s rights. Since we can speak in visual form, we often communicate ideas that cannot be explained easily. In truth, feminists don’t have to be women. Artists take on challenging issues in order to reach people who might not otherwise understand complex ideas. I can personally attest to this. As a young art student, I tried and failed to understand how history influenced contemporary issues. Whether it was feminism or race, the past seemed abstract. My ignorance held me back, particularly when I interacted with people from other cultures. Fortunately, I was directed to visit about twenty-five art galleries one afternoon in New York (no exaggeration) as an assignment. During this long day, I came across the artwork of Glenn Ligon. Art Helps Us See Each Other Glenn Ligon’s Runaways Lithograph Series opened my eyes to the long lasting impact slavery had on America. His artwork depicted images from runaway slave ads juxtaposed with descriptions his friends had written that described him. “Ligon was surprised to find that the descriptions his friends wrote were similar to those from the slave ads. Critics have also commented on how the texts read like accounts of criminal suspects, perhaps a critique of racial profiling by law enforcement.” In an instant, I understood. I felt the impact of racism and prejudice. I could empathize with the people who were still being seen the exact same way as their predecessors. It was like all of history came crashing down on me. I could never forget that work. I saw that exhibit nearly twenty years ago and I still think about it today. This is the power of Glenn Ligon’s work. Feminist Art Can Help, Too Just as Glenn Ligon’s work helped me to better understand racism, art about women’s rights can, too. Now, more than ever, feminists need to help people see the blatant injustices against women. We still don’t share equal representation in government, business, or the arts. Now, without our consent, men would take our rights away through denying women’s privacy in healthcare. Further, they would criminalize the doctors who would dare to care for women. Yet, in doing so, this action can only conclude in poorer quality healthcare for all people. While words fail to move adamant and controlling people, images may not. Feminist issues have a place in art. As time moves forward, we can do more to raise society’s consciousness about the need for equality for all. Through effective imagery, evocative messages, and work that forges undeniable parallels, people will be moved to understanding.