Dua’s interview with Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist, is worth returning to. Over 45 minutes, the two cover bad feminism, body image, the pay gap and the enduring relevance of Roxane’s 2014 essay collection – Dua’s Monthly Read for March. The conversation doesn’t resolve neatly, which is the point. Below, find seven things she said that have stayed with us.
1. Being A ‘Bad’ Feminist Is, Actually, Being A Good One
“When I first came up with the phrase, it was kind of tongue in cheek. Like, ‘I’m a feminist, but I’m actually kind of bad at it.’ I was thinking a lot about mainstream feminism and how it tends to prioritise women as a whole, without considering the different identities that women can inhabit.
Women of colour, queer women, working-class women, women with disabilities – a whole range of women – have often been left behind by the feminist project. I firmly believe that we have to account for all the intersections of our identities.
We have to consider that Black women are affected differently by the world than Latina women, who are different than Asian women, and so on. We can’t assume that one policy idea is going to fit all. How do we do the best that we can for as many women as we can? If that’s bad feminism, then I am very, very proud to be a bad feminist.”
2. Success Often Requires A Village
“I think it's important to highlight that this work requires others. I actually I have two full-time staff members that work with me. I do all my own writing, of course, but the maintaining of the book club and the newsletter, for example, it’s not magic, it’s work. And there are people who help me. I’m very grateful for that. Meg is like my project manager and helps me with research, while Kaitlin is my executive assistant and honestly manages my life and does so much better than I would.”
3. The Gender Pay Gap Still Needs All Our Attention
“The pay gap still exists. And when you look at the pay gap based on race and ethnicity, it gets even more grim. We have a lot of work to do and it’s a shame that this even needs to be said. It’s a shame that we’re still fighting for equal pay for equal work.
I honestly don’t know what’s going to move the needle, but I know that we have to continue to fight this very important fight because women deserve the same pay that men receive. It shouldn’t have to be this difficult, long-term fight. It just sticks in your craw when you think, ‘I’m working just as hard as Bob in accounting, and yet my work is devalued by at least a quarter.’”
4. Don’t Settle In Love
“So many women, for whatever reason, settle for so much less. There are so many lovely, lovely men out there who will treat you well, who will worship the ground you walk on, as you might worship the ground he walks on – though I don’t recommend that. And who will be honest with you, who will be faithful to you, who will treat you as an equal partner. These men exist. And oftentimes people ask me: ‘Do you only know bad men or do you hate men?’ No, the reason that I’m able to be so vocal about men’s failings is because the men in my life are excellent. They set the bar. And if your raggedy friends can’t reach that bar, they should do some soul searching!”
5. The Media Has To Be Held Accountable On How It Covers Women And Girls
“One of the saddest things about Bad Feminist is that most of the essays in the book are still timely. You hope when you’re writing about social justice that the ideas that you're talking about lose relevance. That has not been the case. Things have certainly improved, and after I wrote the Careless Languages of Sexual Violence [in which Roxane calls out victim-blaming and ‘softening’ in the reportage of rape cases] the New York Times did actually re-report the piece. It wasn’t perfect, but they did a much better job of focusing on the victim. I just thought, ‘Is this really how little girls matter?’
And here we are ,thinking about the Epstein files today. Children and young women were trafficked over and over again in plain sight and the media still doesn’t seem to have the most effective ways of talking about this. Most people are focused on the salacious details. I feel for all of Epstein's survivors because they seem to get lost in the narrative. We need to create a world where we believe that women are people, that women have rights. And that we’re still talking about this in 2026 – like entry-level feminism 101, humanity 101 – is disheartening.”
6. Decisions About Women’s Bodies Should Only Ever Be Made By Women
‘While writing, I was thinking about how, in 2008 to 2012, there was this real push to try and basically get rid of birth control. It was astonishing that they were going after this amazing thing that so many people use – and that allows women to have bodily autonomy and make decisions about if and when they will choose to have children and raise a family.
Of course, their ongoing project has always been going after abortion and abortion access. And they’ve had quite a lot of success in doing so, so much so that they overturned Roe v Wade, which is unfathomable, and yet here we are. Most people really, genuinely thought that Roe v Wade could not be overturned, but nothing with regards to women is ever inalienable; is ever truly protected. We have to change that as well.”
7. Reading Is A Gift
“I still read for pleasure every single day, in addition to reading for work and research and so on. I love that. It’s untouched by anything. I love writing still, it’s very much a joy, but I don't have as many opportunities to write something just for myself, just for fun, where nothing’s at stake. But with reading, there’s nothing at stake. I am just reading to enjoy myself. I am just reading because I love it, because I want to know what happens next. I’ll read anything. I really will read almost anything. If the book is fun, if it’s good storytelling, I embrace it entirely.”
There’s More – Delve Deeper Into Bad Feminist With The Service95 Book Club...
WATCH Dua Lipa's inspirational interview with Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay
LISTEN to their conversation with the Service95 Book Club podcast
PRESS PLAY on Roxane Gay's recommended songs to listen to while writing
BOOKMARK the feminist books that Roxane Gay rates
DISCOVER what American writer, podcaster and educator Ashley C Ford learned with Roxane Gay as a mentor
