By Kristy Puchko | Celebrity | February 24, 2015 |
By Kristy Puchko | Celebrity | February 24, 2015 |
Sunday night Patricia Arquette earned a Meryl hoot for comments about equality during her Oscar speech. Then backstage she flubbed the follow-up press conference (with the quote in the header), opening herself up to charges of white privilege and failure to recognize intersectionality.
Twitter blew up at the Oscar winner, and she has since responded. Not apologizing, but clarifying her argument:
Wage equality will help ALL women of all races in America. It will also help their children and society.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
Women have been basically paying a gender tax for generations.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
I have long been an advocate for the rights of the #LBGT community. The question is why aren't you an advocate for equality for ALL women?
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
If you are fighting against #Equalpay you are fighting for ALL women and especially women of color to make less money than men.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
Guess which women are the most negatively effected in wage inequality? Women of color. #Equalpay for ALL women. Women stand together in this
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
I don't care if people are pissed The truth is that wage inequality adversely effects women. pic.twitter.com/5tMjJXgbGz
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015
This is a call to action. Women are being discriminated and it is having serious consequences on them and their children.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015
How the wage gap hurts families-
http://t.co/eSWE870Gf1
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015
Personally, I cheered when Arquette took her Oscar moment to talk about more than her agent and the Academy. When I heard about her comments backstage, I winced. Not because I think she meant to be exclusive, but because I understand the second wave of feminism’s less than inclusion focus needs to be considered when making grand feminist declarations. Hopefully, with Arquette being able to use Twitter to expand on her intentions, we’ll be able to focus on what she meant to say on Oscar night, not what she didn’t.
Kristy Puchko lives in perpetual fear that ice cream will become self-aware New York City.