Dear John Green: Stop Commodifying Feminism

These days, everyone’s a feminist. And that’s just great, because our world needs more feminists.

You know what we don’t need more of, though? The commodification of causes like feminism. (Like pinkwashing, which Susan Sered writes about beautifully here.)

John Green, who you know I love to hate, is now selling t-shirts that say “Feminist as F*ck” on his DFTBA website, which he co-owns with his brother, Hank.

He says on his Tumblr that he found the artist, Sarah Hamilton, on Etsy, and that she has given DFTBA permission to use her design on the condition that half of her “royalty” goes to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Which is really, really great.

But you know what the website doesn’t say? It doesn’t say where John Green’s “royalty” is going.

Sure, this is great for Sarah Hamilton, because she was discovered by John Green and now tons of people will visit her shop, and she’ll be famous. And more money than probably otherwise would have will go to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, all thanks to the exposure John Green has given her with his two million Twitter followers.

Which is really, really great.

But you know what would be greater? If John Green would stop manipulating teenagers by making tons of money off of their already vulnerable feels. He did it in The Fault in Our Stars — which I write about here. With his Nerdfighters empire, he’s made money off of giving self-proclaimed nerds a place to belong. And now he’s doing it with feminism.

It seems really kind of sneaky that he is lauding Ms. Hamilton for giving half of her “royalty” – that’s just one royalty, btw, a fixed amount pre-sale – yet he mentions nothing about where John Green will be spending his royalty.

John Green has no right to make money off of feminism. Period. No one does.

I think I find it particularly egregious with Green because he has strategically situated himself as a hero to teenagers, and his entire brand is built on values like knowledge and equality and acceptance; kids who buy his stuff think they’re buying into something good. But John Green, and all of DFTBA, however positive their messaging, are still just a brand. A brand in disguise.

(Also, what does “Feminist as F*ck” even mean? No disrespect to Sarah Hamilton, but are we even sure that F*ck is feminist? I mean, based on recent research about how difficult for women it is to orgasm during intercourse, I’m thinking not so much.)

So John Green, if you read this, and you really are giving all your money to a cause that really works for social justice for women everywhere, please let me know. And I’m sorry.

But if you’re not, please start setting a better example for the millions of teenagers who look up to you. Social justice is not about you, Mr. Green.

It is about justice.