Sarah Sophie Flicker is a woman in a league of her own. The lovely lady has done everything from directing feminist and environmentalist PSAs to founding a circus-esque brigade of performance artists and musicians known as The Citizens Band. When she’s not being a pioneer in the arts or an innovator in fashion, she’s writing for some of our favorite feminist publications like Rookie Magazine and HelloGiggles.
The Women Take Over recently sat down with Flicker, and boy did she have some glorious feminist wisdom to impart. One thing she stresses in her interview is that art and social consciousness are always intertwined. Take, for example, her band, which she refers to as a “political cabaret.” They perform “in a fantastic never never land that takes place some time between 1880-1945″ and feature “song, dance, aerial feats, magic and whimsy, but all with a message [regarding human rights, the environment, war, discrimination].”
Though feminism is part of a larger political ideology, it takes on personal and unique characteristics depending on the individual. For Flicker, defining herself as a feminist means embracing both sexes equally and in different ways. To her, equality “means honoring both our feminine and male traits.” She notes that in the past, feminism sometimes “meant emulating male models of power,” and she is excited to see “feminine traits” become increasingly imbued with that power.
The Citizen’s Band
Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In inspired Flicker to view the concept of family as unexplored feminist terrain. In this vein, being a mother has figured prominently into Flicker’s personal definition of feminism: she hopes to raise her son to be “a non-violent, woman-loving man,” and she wants her daughter to know that she is “[strong and intelligent,] that anything is possible.” She hopes to witness the progress of feminism through her daughter, as her mother saw the movement grow and evolve within her.
Flicker has heart-wrenching insights on what it is like to raise a woman today. She sees her daughter as “her mirror” and herself as her daughter’s: she explains, “We reflect the best and the worst back at each other which is both beautiful and incredibly painful at times.” She sees her young daughter grappling with womanhood, with boys, with her own body and mind, and together the mother and daughter strive to “constantly reaffirm the greatness and strength of women.”
Yet, as a mother and an activist, Flicker feels guilt dividing her time between her children and work. Many other women experience the guilt of the sometimes irreconcilable pressures of the political and the private lives they lead, and Flicker proposes that one solution is more male involvement within the home: “[hands-on husbands] should be the norm,” she explains.
Flicker’s desire for a man at home parallel her desire for a woman in public office. Our downfall, she notes, can come only from tearing one another down and competing. Her message resounds loud and clear: “we have to support each other.” Amen.
What do you think of Flicker’s perspective on feminism? Let us know in the comments!
Follow Sarah Sophie Flicker’s latest projects and musings on her Twitter!
To learn more about The Citizen’s Band check out this adorable video below:
Thanks to The Women Takeover
Images via The Women Takeover/Damon Heath
