don’t act so surprised.
Hold on to your peculiar hats manic pixie dreamgirls! Idiosyncratic it-girl Zooey Deschanel rang in the new year by giving the ax to the ole ‘adorkable’ act, speaking out in the February issue of Glamour magazine regarding society’s narrow perception that a feminist can’t be, well, feminine.
The often out-spoken doe-eyed darling shakes off harsh criticisms of her carefree charisma. “If you are tearing down somebody who has forged her own path just for wearing a tiara, rethink your priorities. I never stop myself from doing something because I’m afraid of what people might think.” In other words, dismissing her success simply because she can be a bit precious is irresponsible.
Speaking of irresponsible, stars such as international celebrity Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Zooey’s pop doppleganger Katy Perry, and actress Melissa Leo, have each made comments in the media last year stating, in essence, that despite thriving careers and being revered in their respective creative outlets, they don’t consider themselves feminists. The label “feminist” they insist, diminishes the spirit of feminism and keeps women from uniting with society at large. “There is not an ounce of me that believes any of that crap that they say,” Zooey said, condemning her peers. “We can’t be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f–-king feminist and wear a f–-king Peter Pan collar. So f–-king what?”
When reporter Logan Hill approached the obligatory procreation interrogation, Zooey defiantly replied, “That is so personal, and it’s my pet peeve when people press you on it. And it’s always women who get asked! Is anybody saying that to George Clooney?” Well, yes. George has long been plagued by questions about settling down and having a tater tot or two of his own, but we get Zooey’s unapologetic point.
This isn’t the first time she’s spoken out on the subject (nor will it be the last). Back in 2012 she echoed similar sentiments in the February issue of Allure. “I don’t know why femininity should be associated with weakness. Women should be free to express who they are without thinking, I need to act like a man, or I need to tone it down to be successful. That’s a very good way to keep women down.”
Holy raging riot grrrl, Batman. It’s not surprising that there is a big, beautiful brain under all those bangs; Zooey is a young multimedia mogul with accomplishments in television, film, music, and the web.
We wonder what she has in store for February 2014. After-all what is feminism about if not a woman’s right to be herself? — Casandra Armour
