Often misunderstood and rarely fortified in legislation, modern feminism has taken on a life of its own. We are currently in an epoch of feminism known as third-wave feminism. In the 1990s, third-wave feminism developed in response to the failings of second-wave feminism, expanding to encompass women with a diverse set of ethnicities, nationalities and sexual orientations. Today, this is known as intersectional feminism. However, the aims of intersectional feminism have not resonated with many women of privilege.

The #WomenAgainstFeminism campaign began in 2013 and is just as misguided and misinformed as it sounds.The women who support this campaign believe feminism forces women into victimhood when in fact, women are victims. Maybe you, your sister and your best friend are not, but some woman — somewhere — is a victim of the indoctrinated principles of sexism and misogyny. Privileged women can’t keep denying the very real and present truth that women in other countries are victimized disproportionately to men and living in cultures that support such inequalities as female infanticide and legitimized dowry systems.

The wage gap, the luxury tax on tampons and other similar issues have taken center stage on the platform of modern American feminism, surpassing serious issues women face abroad —  problems like maternal mortality, genital mutilation, sexual trafficking and exploitation, and obstructed access to prenatal care, education, contraception and feminine hygiene products. In the developed world, we consider being protected against these issues a birthright rather than a privilege. These may be problems we have never had and never will have, but someone else in the world has and will. Intersectional feminism highlights our duty as feminists to offer our voices to victims of oppressive societies and archaic healthcare resources. While fighting to expand our rights as Americans, we can’t let our own plights eclipse our duty to fight for the basic human rights of women around the world.

Intersectional feminism is a multifaceted attempt at achieving a feminism the world has never known, a no-woman-left-behind-feminism, but we are not there yet. We proudly march on Washington to protest a president who radiates misogyny. But our job isn’t finished until we march for a Bangladeshi woman’s right not to be sold to the highest bidder and a Russian woman’s right to live without experiencing domestic abuse sanctified by law. As feminists, we have gotten feminism wrong, but each day is a new chance for us to get it right. Hopefully this will come with the realization that the United States is not an island in a sea of blue, but a potentially powerful hand in the fight for women everywhere.

Email Kate Holland at [email protected].