Is feminism being commercialised in the arts?

Feminism is being sold to us as an aesthetic. Nowhere is this clearer than in visual culture, where protest slogans become quirky gift shop prints and radical theory sits alongside luxury perfume ads. The textbook definition is far less aesthetic: in its simplest form, feminism is a political movement to dismantle gender inequality, an idea unlikely to fit on a tote bag. 

Feminism is now highly visible across mainstream culture. Visibility and accessibility matter, but its closeness to neoliberal capitalism is problematic as feminist politics risk being reshaped by a system driven by profit and branding. As Audre Lorde warned, “the master’s tool will never dismantle the master’s house,” the question arises whether feminism can still be challenged if it circulates comfortably within the systems it once resisted.  

We’ve all seen the “#girlboss” and “#bossbabe” slogans on our feeds. This is “girlboss feminism”: a polished, consumer-friendly identity rather than a politics grounded in theory. Digital, graphic and commercial art platforms like Pinterest and Etsy are saturated with it. When feminism arrives in pastels and digestible slogans, protesting gender inequality stops challenging power and starts selling it.  

In 2018, Vogue included Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex’ in a feminist reading list placed between magazine pages of luxury perfume ads and seasonal micro-trends. The books in the lists aren’t the problem. The framing is. Feminist theory becomes a curated lifestyle recommendation rather than a critical intellectual challenge when it is styled as a high-end product to consume. 

Historically, art has been important for challenging dominant structures rather than decorating them. Judy Chicago’s ‘The Dinner Party’ re-centred women’s histories in art by celebrating overlooked women and challenging male-dominance. Most pointedly, Barbara Kruger’s ‘Untitled (I shop therefore I am)’ satirises consumer identity itself, indicating that modern capitalism defines us by what we buy not what we think. Set against this tradition, today’s marketable feminism risks turning critique into commodity. 

Feminism’s visibility in art and media is not inherently problematic. But when activism becomes branding, its political force loses traction. Art should be complex and provocative, not reduced to a pastel slogan above your headboard. 

Before buying the slogan to remain on trend, ask who truly benefits.