‘Woke’ has become part of the normal political vocabulary since the 1960s. It is often used to undermine social justice work, politically liberal ideologies, and, more recently, anything that leans left on the political spectrum. It is a word often repurposed as an insult, and most recently, Florence Given disappointingly used the word to describe feminism in the present day. On a podcast with Fearne Cotton, Florence declares that she has fallen out with modern-day feminism as it is ‘too woke’, a bold and dangerous statement for a content creator/author with 800k+ followers on Instagram. Especially when that following has been built on feminism and, at times, the backs of other creators. So, what is so bad about this statement, and why is it such a disappointing angle for a female creator to take in 2024?
Florence Given, or Floss, is an English author, illustrator, and content creator who shot to fame in 2020 with the release of her book, ‘Woman Don’t Owe You Pretty’, a book that is marketed as a self-help book and often seen as an introduction to feminism. It was instantly popular, and with her solid following from content creation, it was not a surprise that the book did well. The book served as a good attempt at bringing together different bits of feminist theory and, especially for young women, did a good job of promoting sex positivity and a ‘take no sh*t’ attitude.
Amongst women, Florence Given had cemented her name as their lord and saviour in a way. At least for white women, that is. ‘Woman Don’t Owe You Pretty’ and her subsequent publication, ‘Girlcrush’, only touched on topics lightly. Not once were themes explored in-depth and often reviewers stated that her coverage of themes such as sexual assault, body-positivity and homosexual relationships left a bad taste in their mouth.
Her most recent publication, ‘Women Living Deliciously’, was full of overly simplistic advice hidden by the constant swearing, capital words, and overuse of exclamation marks to make it LOOK LIKE SOMETHING IMPORTANT WAS BEING SAID! Unfortunately, the majority of the book was quotes from other authors and no attempt to dig deeper into what is stopping women from living ‘deliciously’. In one chapter, Given encourages women to walk through Soho at night with headphones on to make the experience cinematic. An incredibly tone-deaf statement to stand behind considering the amount of femicide in London alone. The premise of the book is mostly self-care which is, again, a practice not fully accessible for all women, and it would have been amazing if the book considered this, challenged why self-care is not always accessible, and provided ways in which we can begin to change society for the better.
‘Woman Don’t Owe You Pretty’ came under fire in December 2020 when Chidera Eggerue, known as The Slumflower, accused Given of plagiarising her work. Given was accused of ‘gentrifying’ The Slumflowers, ‘What A Time To Be Alone’ and copying entire chapters. The saga played out mostly online, with fans from both sides chiming in to support their chosen author. However, away from the arguments, the controversy brought the idea of ‘white feminism’ to the forefront and highlighted how Given was insensitive to struggles faced by women of minority backgrounds. Even watching The Slumflower have to defend her work and stand up for herself shows how the scales are tipped in favour of the white woman. For a time, if Chidera Eggerue/The Slumflower was searched on Google, all that would come up was Florence Given’s work, a strategic decision made by a marketing firm no less. Florence Given’s career was never heavily affected by the controversy, and now her most recent publication was paired with a sold-out publicity tour, podcast appearances, and no mention of anything other than surface-level ‘feminist’ speeches.
Why Dismissing Feminism as “Too Woke” is Harmful
For Florence to dismiss feminism as too woke and admit she can take a break from it is incredibly harmful to the feminist movement and an insult, at the least, to women around the world. With over 800k followers on Instagram, Florence has the opportunity to highlight the ongoing state of emergency in the UK towards violence against women, speak out against the rights of Afghani women being demolished, and raise awareness for women and girls in Palestine, Congo, Sudan, and other countries facing horrific war crimes, but she has chosen to stay silent on all of these topics and many more. There is no post on her feed discussing the recent US election result and nothing about politics in her home country of England. Given has stated that her feminism has boundaries and she does not need to discuss topics outside of these boundaries, but for most women around the globe, feminism has no boundaries. Privilege begins to shine through once ‘boundaries’ are set within your feminism and when you can comfortably ignore critical issues affecting the lives of women and girls.
In fact, if we search Florence Given’s social media, she only discusses topics which tend to be labelled as ‘white feminism’. White feminism is a form of feminism that fails to address the intersectionality of race, gender, and class in its practice. It refers to the feminist discourses which ignore intersectional context and is inherently white-centric, it does not mean that all white feminists should be viewed as white feminism. Florence Given should be intersectional in her feminism; her entire brand has been built on selling feminist theory to young girls. Simply boiling feminism down to dying your hair pink, dumping your boyfriend, and supporting causes only when it is right for you sets the feminist movement back years and excludes so many identities from something that is meant to uplift everyone.
On top of this, Givens reputation has eroded due to the people she chooses to associate with and how she runs her social media account. There are countless reports of her blocking accounts or removing comments from people who challenge her posts or call her out for the things she posts. From forums attacking her for putting on a ‘mockney’ accent to being friends with Zak Nimmo, an alleged rapist who had to leave the United Kingdom, it is not hard. to see why Given is not the right role model for young woman or the right person to promote feminism online. How can we expect to grow as feminists if we ignore any criticisms thrown our way, and if we ignore the voices of marginalised community? Given has had every opportunity to uplift the voices of woman and provide crucial support but instead has built a brand on plagiarism, white-feminism and ignoring any sense of intersectionality.
Creators and authors such as Chidera Eggerue, Rinny Riot and Zoya Patel offer amazing insights into feminism and explore deep into what feminism is, the intersectionality of feminism and use their platforms/books to unapologetically raise awareness on feminist issues. Feminists like these are who should be receiving the praise, the following and our attention.
It is never too late to change your outlook and make your feminism intersectional. Books like ‘We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, ‘Sister Outsider’ by Audre Lorde and Kimberly Crenshaw’s works are fantastic starting points to begin growing our feminist practices whilst making sure no woman is left behind. Hopefully, with the growing criticisms, Florence Given will begin using her platform to promote feminism outside of the oppression of white feminism and embrace the change that comes when listening to her critics.
