Kendall Mikki Hood Feminism Notes From The Women T

Book Review/ Compte rendu
Kendall, Mikki. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women

That a Movement Forgot. New York: Penguin Books, 2020,
pp. 258, $22.00, paper (9780525560562)
S ince its inception, the feminist movement has greatly evolved in the
scope of issues it addresses. Today, conversations about challenging
wage-gap inequalities and advancing female representation in executive
positions are at the forefront of the mainstream movement. However, in
terms of benefitting all women equally, the feminist movement still has a
long way to go. While the scope of issues addressed by the movement has
changed over time, the focal point has not. Dominated by white femin-
ism, the contemporary movement is not much different from its historical
embodiments, where the needs and perspectives of white women are pri-
oritized, and often at the expense of other marginalized groups. The title of
Mikki Kendall’s 2020 book Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a
Movement Forgot, embodies this sentiment.
Hood Feminism offers a critique of how the movement operates in
America today. The book argues that mainstream feminism is falling short
in the scope of people it includes, and in the breadth of issues it covers.
Because mainstream feminism centers itself largely on the needs of white
women, the movement fails to address how patriarchal forces condition the
lives of a wide range of marginalized women. For example, conversations
at the forefront of the contemporary movement center issues such as wage-
gap inequality and body hair. While these remain important issues for the
feminist agenda, Kendall highlights that these conversations are occur-
ring without regard for the women who have yet to secure basic elements
of survival, such as access to stable housing and food. Kendall dedicates
each of the 18 chapters to a specific issue where feminism is currently
failing. Some chapters focus on the shortcomings of contemporary femin-
ism’s impact on specific issues, by dissecting the discourse to identify who
is being left out of the conversation. For example, in the chapter “Black
Girls Don’t Have Eating Disorders,” Kendall delineates how eating dis-
orders experienced by those in marginalized communities, such as Black
girls, trans and non-binary folks, and people with disabilities, are often
rooted in structural factors that negatively impact identity and self-worth.
Thus, while body-positive feminism has been present in the mainstream
conversation, the impact of these structural forces is overlooked because
© Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 47(1) 2023 87

88 © Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 47(1) 2023
it centers on the experiences of white women. The narrow focus of the

mainstream movement’s discourse thus leaves many issues unaddressed
by feminism, such as how racism and colourism shape eating disorders
within the Black community. Other chapters, such as “Housing,” identify
areas that are currently outside the purview of the mainstream movement,
building an argument for why the issue should be regarded as a feminist
concern. With each chapter concluding with a discussion of how the move-
ment can better address the matters outlined, this book is essentially a call
to action.
Through an intersectional lens, Kendall reflexively situates herself in
the writing, enhancing the piece with accounts of her own experience as a
Black woman in America. With this, Kendall illuminates the nuanced ways
that feminism is differently understood and embraced within her commun-
ity. Kendall engages with Black feminist thought, which she characterizes
as being rooted in an understanding of how white supremacy is linked to
patriarchal ideals. Through this lens, she illuminates many cases where the
mainstream feminist movement works to uphold white supremacy and to
reinforce the privilege that white women have over their racialized female
and male counterparts. Throughout the book, Kendall challenges the nar-
row boundaries of white mainstream feminism and pays homage to the
many Black women before her who championed victories for women’s
equality, but who are largely forgotten by history.
In the introductory chapter, Kendall explains how feminism has al-
ways existed in her community, albeit differently than how it is understood
by white women. She tells the story of her grandmother, who despite being
a feminist role model for Kendall, would have never identified with a fem-
inist label. This is because as a Black woman who grew up in the Jim Crow
era, the feminist movement was not one that included her. In the ensuing
discussion, Kendall provides an in-depth analysis of how and why femin-
ism operates differently in the Black community, and other communities
of color. For example, Kendall reflects on how the stringent gender roles
that she faced as a little girl and the toxic masculinity that is seemingly
present in gang culture have shaped her own interpretation of feminism.
Within the mainstream movement however, white feminists have lever-
aged these experiences and community dynamics against Black women
to question the authenticity and integrity of the Black feminist agenda. It
is this failure of the mainstream movement to understand the complexities
that race, class, and history have on marginalized communities that work
to exclude women of colour in particular, from the feminist movement.
Kendall addresses these biases by highlighting the pervasive impact
of white supremacy on communities of colour. For example, rigid gender
roles are embedded in the conservative values that many marginalized
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot 89
residents historically embraced in hopes of providing their children with

better opportunities. Similarly, toxic masculinity has been shaped by the
war on drugs and ensuing mass incarceration. Cultivated by what she re-
fers to as a “twisted method of self-defence” (2020: 80), Kendall explains
that Black men resort to this bravado in their communities to insulate them
from the harms in the broader world. This explanation does not, however,
excuse the reproduction of toxic culture derived from white supremacy
in smaller communities like her own. Although these issues are likewise
present in communities with higher socioeconomic standing, Kendall con-
tends that they have a unique dynamic in communities of color, and thus
must be solved internally. Kendall maintains that patriarchal structures can
be dismantled and replaced only through a comprehensive understanding
of the patriarchy, which acknowledges the history, violence, and trauma
that marginalized girls and women face. This theme of change from within
is woven throughout the book. In many chapters, Kendall emphasises the
importance of treating those currently left out of the movement as self-de-
termining agents. She also highlights that these individuals must be at the
forefront of conversations about how issues concerning their communities
are to be addressed. Here, Kendall draws a boundary for these commun-
ities. She clarifies that white feminists have no place addressing any issues
on behalf of communities to which they do not belong unless specifically
invited. In chapters concerning other shortcomings of the movement, Ken-
dall pinpoints where white feminists need to step up and use their privilege
to advocate for all women and reduce the harm done to others.
A core strength of this book is the positionality that Kendall offers
and how the discussions extend beyond her own racial and middle-class
locations to highlight how the movement leaves out a myriad of identities.
In each chapter, Kendall discusses how the focal issue differently impacts
other communities of color, the disabled community, LGBTQIA individ-
uals, and a long list of others who are ignored by white mainstream femin-
ism. She often approaches these issues intersectionally, considering how
individuals marginalized by multiple identities are presented with unique
challenges at their intersection. At the same time, Kendall never claims
to understand nor know how to best solve the problems experienced by
groups that are different from her own. She highlights the importance of
this approach within discussions across various chapters that clarify how
the White saviour mentality of many proponents in the mainstream move-
ment rarely helps resolve any issues and, in many cases, ends up further
marginalizing the very groups that white women are claiming to protect.
Kendall explains how accusations of being divisive have followed
those who criticized the movement for leaving out certain groups. How-
ever, Kendall rejects this, because the alternative of doing nothing means
90 © Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 47(1) 2023
accepting that feminism can operate in ways that are antithetical to its
supposed goals of equality for all. With Kendall citing examples of how
mainstream feminism has been co-opted by white conservative women
in politics to push anti-choice legislation, or by white female voters to
defend electing President Donald Trump, the pitfalls of this movement
as it stands today could not be clearer. Hood Feminism is written in the
American context, but the structural forces driving the issues discussed
are similarly present in Canada. Therefore, Kendall’s advice and action-
able steps are equally applicable to Canadian readers. With the breadth of
topics covered and identities included, scholars at both the undergraduate
and graduate level studying inequalities and intersectionality may be espe-
cially interested in Hood Feminism. The blend of personal experience and
theory in Kendall’s writing bridges the gap between the shortcomings of
the movement and how it can improve. She offers a clear directive on how
conversations can be constructed to push the movement forward. Because
of this, Hood Feminism is also useful for organizational leaders seeking to
inform their workplace policies with diverse perspectives. Whether it is a
call to action to do work in your community (or stay out of the work being
done in other communities), how to include diverse voices, how to lend
your privilege to the benefit of others, or how to act in solidarity for other
women, Kendall offers advice and clear, actionable steps for readers look-
ing to make the feminist movement more inclusive.
For readers in the academy and business world alike, Hood Feminism
is for those looking to have their own diverse experiences discussed and
recognized in feminist discourse, and for white readers seeking to confront
their privilege and to learn how to perform better allyship. This book is
a refreshing take that identifies the limitations of the feminist movement
without diminishing the various ways women in marginalized commun-
ities embrace feminist thought and use it as a tool for self-determination.
With a piece for all identities, Hood Feminism highlights the work that
must be done in solidarity by all feminists to make the movement one that
reflects diverse backgrounds and that works to the benefit of all.
Western University Miranda McDonald
Miranda McDonald is a MA student in the department of Sociology at Western

University. She received a bachelor’s degree in Management and Organizational
Studies at Western University in 2020. The focus of her master›s research is on
how social media shapes and informs the political ideologies of young voters,
and her research interests more broadly include education, Marxist theory, and
social inequalities.
Email: mmcdo22@uwo.ca

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Book Review/ Compte rendu

Kendall, Mikki. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women

© Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 47(1) 2023 87

it centers on the experiences of white women. The narrow focus of the

residents historically embraced in hopes of providing their children with

Western University Miranda McDonald

Miranda McDonald is a MA student in the department of Sociology at Western

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