Quote by Roxane Gay: “I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all.”

Perfectionism kills movements. Demanding that people embody every principle flawlessly before they can participate shuts out real people with contradictions. This is a call to engage with values you believe in, even imperfectly, rather than standing on the sidelines because you're afraid of getting it wrong.

Gay published Bad Feminist in 2014, the same year that online feminist discourse was intensifying and public figures were being called out for contradictions between their stated politics and personal behaviour. The book's argument for imperfect, honest engagement with feminism offered an alternative to purity politics.

American writer, editor, and cultural critic known for her essay collections Bad Feminist and Hunger, a memoir examining her body, trauma, and identity. Her work challenges readers to hold complex, contradictory truths about culture and selfhood.