Trigger Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual assault.

The third and fourth waves of feminism called into question the representation of marginalized groups, bringing into discussion intersectionality and redefining the concept of gender at the center.

Rebecca Walker coined the term the third wave in her 1991 Ms. Magazine article about the Anita Hill hearings: “I am not a postfeminism feminist. I am the Third Wave.”

Concurrently, the Riot Grrrl movement, a feminist punk rock subculture, was catching steam.

Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectional feminism” in 1989, and Judith Butler’s 1990 work “Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity” introduced queer theory to the movement.

Illustration of women throughout history. (Leah Smith/East Tennessean)

Fashion became widely diversified, with the concepts of gender and racialized dress being challenged.

The Riot Grrrls used provocative fashion to invoke their message.

Kathleen Hanna, frontwoman of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, can be seen wearing only a bra top and the word “Slut” written across her stomach.

The Guerilla Girls created feminist artwork and made public demonstrations wearing gorilla masks.

No one knows when the third wave really ended, but the onset of social media and the internet is often seen as the start of the fourth wave.

Sex positivity and the fight against sexual assault were major drivers of both movements, but we see these heightened with the SlutWalk, Women’s March on Washington and MeToo movements.

Tarana Burke launched the MeToo movement as a way to uplift the voice of women of color who have survived sexual assault.

The Harvey Weinstein case in 2017 brought the movement mainstream, and we saw celebrities wearing all black, MeToo and Time’s Up ins at the 75th Golden Globes in support.

Today, the fourth wave is drawing on inspiration from the past.

At the 2024 State of the Union address, some congresswomen wore all white as a callback to their suffragist ancestors and to symbolize the fight for reproductive freedom.

Fashion recycles, but the fight for equality continues.

Author