Feminism’s Firework That Never Goes Dark

An interview with Fireworks Femi-Action as it enters its third year

Fireworks Femi-Action (“Fire Fem” for short) recently topped the real-time search rankings of major portal sites. All they had done was a little bit of “freeing the nipple”, but it made enormous waves in society. To some of the portal site’s visitors, the activists may have been ‘ruckus-raisers doing extremist Megalia nonsense’; to others, ‘femi grabbing the mic and doing a little bit of social activism’; and to still others, ‘awesome young feminists breaking taboos about women’s bodies’.

From its beginnings as a women’s sports group called “Fireworks Women’s Basketball Team” to its controversial(?!) current form, Fireworks Femi-Action has engaged in activities as explosive as its name. They’ve paraded the streets at night shouting, “I’m not fuel for your desires” to call for the abolition of rape culture, and held a “Matchless Armpit Hair Competition” to fight against control of and taboos surrounding women’s bodies. They’ve held “femi sex ed” events, as well as a press conference in which they protested “Don’t empathize with the perpetrator!” to a judge who had made a sexually discriminatory ruling. (※ The case involved a woman who died at a hospital after being beaten into unconsciousness by her boyfriend. The judge called the death an “accidental crime” and gave the man a suspended sentence. [Source in Korean])

Despite engaging in this variety of activities, the activists of Fireworks Femi-Action do not seem to be starting to tire. I met Ga-hyeon, Si-won, and Han-sol to hear their thoughts about feminism, the vision behind Fire Fem’s activities, and their situation in the wake of the Free the Nipple performance.

▲ “My body hair, hold your head high!” At the Menstruation Festival. ©Fireworks Femi-Action

-Tell me when and how each of you joined and became active in Fireworks Femi-Action.

Ga-hyeon: I naturally became a part of Fire Fem after being a member of the Fireworks Women’s Basketball Team. That was two years ago, now.

Si-won: Since the Gangnam Station murder, I’ve been participating in the protests by myself, but then I wanted to get more involved in feminist activities so I joined Fire Fem in January of this year.

Han-sol: I also started studying feminism after Gangnam Station and was going to protests by myself. Just when I was thinking that I’d like to be more actively involved, a friend said, ‘You know, there’s a group called Fire Fem’ and so I joined up.

 

-Why did you decide to join a group after engaging in feminist activism by yourself?

Si-won: The first rally for a feminist issue that I went to was the protest on the first anniversary of Gangnam Station, an event that was organized by an alliance of several groups. As I watched the staff there working, I thought, ‘I wouldn’t mind doing that. I’d like to support this kind of protest.’ When I looked around, I found that there were a lot of groups that had formed after the Gangnam Station murder. Fire Fem’s activities seemed interesting. Things like the Matchless Armpit Hair Competition. The pictures from that looked so happy.

Han-sol: I still haven’t forgotten the picture of the first year’s winner. (Everyone laughs.)

 

-The controversial pictures that were unilaterally removed from Facebook were from the “Free the Nipple” performance at the Menstruation Festival. How did that even come about?

Ga-hyeon: Some of Fire Fem’s members had gotten together and taken a topless picture before, after the Matchless Armpit Hair Competition at last year’s gay pride parade. We planned to do an armpit hair competition at the Menstruation Festival and people were saying it’d be good to do a “Free the Nipple” activity too. Some people wanted to do it.

 

-Did you expect such a big reaction to the Free the Nipple performance? When you [later] protested by showing your breasts in front of Facebook’s Korean headquarters, a ton of press outlets covered it.

Si-won: We had no idea that would happen. When I was in a taxi heading toward the protest, people who got there first were sending messages saying, “There are a ton of reporters here.” We didn’t know it would become such an issue. And it wasn’t really until we appeared on the real time search rankings that I wondered, ‘Have we done something huge?’

Ga-hyeon: Actually what I expected was that no press would come, so we’d just take off our shirts and take pictures by ourselves, put them on Facebook again, and be deleted again. (Laughs)

Si-won: I was hesitant before we first did it at the Menstruation Festival. Like, ‘How can we take... how can we take them off?’ (Laughs) I thought I would just stand by for support, but on the day of the event there was a great feeling in the air. Starting with the armpit hair competition, people were yelling, “You’re so cool, you’re real women!” and being really supportive and friendly. I think that environment gave me the courage to go through with it after all. And I saw the Facebook protest as an extension of the Menstruation Festival, so I wasn’t really worried about it—but then suddenly the police swarmed us and covered my chest with a blanket... Suddenly I felt like a hot-blooded activist.

▲ The “Out With Workplace Sexual Harassment Press Conference” held in front of the Seoul office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor in winter of last year. ©Fireworks Femi-Action

-Aside from the group’s name suddenly becoming famous and being reported on in the press, have there been other changes that you’ve felt?

Han-sol: I think my mindset has changed. When I was going about my normal life without a bra before, I felt self-conscious. But when I did Free the Nipple, it wasn’t embarrassing, it was refreshing. I felt like, ‘This is easy.’ So then I went to work without a bra for the first time. I was thinking, ‘Pictures of my breasts have already made the rounds, so who cares about not wearing a bra under my shirt?’ (Everyone laughs)

Si-won: I did a press interview this time, as you know. My parents didn’t know that I’m an activist, and I was worried that someone they knew would recognize me and call them. So I took the initiative and posted the link in our family messenger chat. Surprisingly, they didn’t really react much. It was about the level of, ‘Oh, you do that kind of activism?’

I didn’t personally feel much of a change, but this whole thing has reminded me that many people sexually objectify women’s breasts.

Ga-hyeon: My friends are saying, “Ooh, you’ve really done something,” sending me little mobile gift cards and cheering me on. A high school friend got in touch and was like, “You’re working hard. You’ve found your path!” (Everyone laughs) So that kind of thing has happened.

 

-There’s also been some negative reactions. Some people are posting cruel comments on articles about the event.

Ga-hyeon: Some evaluate our bodies. They mention our stomach fat and back fat, and under pictures where you can see a face, they write things like, “Are we sure this is a woman?” At first I just thought, ‘That’s annoying’ and deleted them [if they were on our page], but as they kept coming, they definitely got to me. I’m having trouble eating, and when I do, my digestion isn’t great. My friends in Femi-Dangdang [another feminist group] said that they’ve also had experience with mean comments, and they recommended eating ice cream and spicy food. (Laughs) So I had tteokbokki.

Si-won: The body and face critiques, which were probably written by men, didn’t bother me much. But I was a little hurt by the ones that said, “They’re ‘ggwon-femi’[※A derogatory term used by some feminists to describe other feminists who seem more concerned with other social justice movements or with raising the profile of their own feminist group.] so they’re just trying to advertise their group.”

Han-sol: I also was a little more hurt by those kinds of comments. But they happen because there are different points of view. And in some ways, they’re points that make you reconsider your opinions. Actually, this was the first I’d heard about Fireworks Femi-Action being ggwon-femi. (Laughs) In university, I used to interview people on the topic “people without flags”[※Meaning people who participate in social justice activities but not under the literal or figurative banner of a certain group. The implication is that Han-sol herself was also such a person.] for the university newspaper. I was actually criticized a little then for being irresponsible and opportunistic. So the criticism this time is kind of strange.

Si-won: I hadn’t been in the group for very long, so I thought, ‘I’m not that seasoned!’ (Laughs)

 

-What kind of feminists do you think you are?

Han-sol: I think of myself as having too many feminists inside me-? (Laughs) I think too much, so I’m always looking back at myself. Put nicely, it’s self-reflection, but really the border between self-reflection and self-censorship is fuzzy. But I feel it’s important to think about my multifacetedness instead of denying it, and to analyze my inner contradictions and disagreements. I’ll probably go through life as a feminist who’s always thinking about—and uncertain about—what things means to me and what social activism means to me.

Si-won: I think I’m a feminist who does what she can in her position, a feminist who is one part of many waves. The reason I joined Fire Fem, too, was because I thought I could do more engaging in activism with others than doing it alone. So I’m participating in as much as I can. I did the Free the Nipple performance as part of the “remove the corset” movement, but I also did it because it was something I could do. If I have the chance, I’d like to do a variety of things in the future, too. I haven’t met many of my seniors in the feminist movement – just read about them. (Laughs) I really respect them, and I think that I’d be happy just to be the least of them as the feminist wave keeps moving forward.

Ga-hyeon: Fun is an important part of feminism. I think you need fun to be able to do activism. And that if you’re having fun, new people will want to join you. Even if I get criticism from other feminists, I want to be a feminist who isn’t easily shaken.

 

-What’s your most memorable experience as a part of Fire Fem?

Si-won: At the Moonlight Walk this year, I was at the very front of the group. As we walked down Sinchon’s glittering main street chanting, “We’re not fuel for your desires. Drunk people can’t give consent,” people stared at us with round eyes. Watching them, I was thinking, ‘They’ve heard our voices, and I bet they’ll at least think things like, “I’d better be careful, feminazis are on a rampage these days,” or, “If I get in trouble, my life is over,” when they’re about to sexually assault someone,’ and it made me proud. And I used to feel self-conscious when I went around without a bra, but since Free the Nipple I don’t really care how I look. I feel like I’ve gained confidence about my body.

▲ The “Moonlight Walk” held in the Sinchon neighborhood of Seoul on May 19. © Fireworks Femi-Action

Ga-hyeon: The Matchless Armpit Hair Competition. A few people have said, “I wanted to participate but I forgot and shaved (my armpit hair).” So I tell them, “Grow it out and join us next year.” Little by little, more people seem to not be shaving their armpit hair. When I first participated in the competition, I wore a full face of makeup, high heels, and fancy clothes. And when I raised my arm and showed off my armpit hair, it felt like one of the “corsets” on my appearance was being smash to pieces. It was great. And the macho competition (the “Great Macho Competition”, a fun event held on April Fools Day this year in which the participants imitated macho men) was also really fun.

Han-sol: I think Free the Nipple was the biggest one, not just the most recent. It caused the biggest changes within me, too.

 

-What effects have Fire Fem’s activities had on you?

Ga-hyeon: When I joined Fire Fem, I was thinking, ‘I’m going to do this for at least 30 years.’ But now I’ve started thinking more about my individual happiness. And realizing, ‘I need to be happy in order to do this.’

Si-won: I’ve come to accept myself. And I’ve realized that everyone has their own way of being.

Han-sol: I’ve learned how to have fun doing social activism. I’m actually an introvert, but through activism I’ve learned that I can enjoy talking with people I don’t know.

 

-Two years can be seen as both a long and a short amount of time. It can’t be easy to engage in feminist activism continuously-what do you think is the driving force that makes you able to do it?

Han-sol: I think that the driving force of Fire Fem is fun.  And tolerance and consideration. The fact that we still listen to each other even when it’s taking a long time and we’re getting frustrated is what keeps Fire Fem going. And I think rage used to be a driving force for me personally. And when I’ve done activism out of interest in some cause before, it was based on things like a sense of obligation or guilt, but now I’ve realized that [with Fire Fem] it’s not just a sense of duty, I want to do that work.

 

-Are there any types of activism you’d like to try in the future?

Ga-hyeon: I want to plan a ‘Just One Day of Friendly Feminism’ event. (Laughs) I’d like to let men ask whatever they’ve wanted to know all this time, answer them, and talk with each other, that kind of thing.

Han-sol: That’s a good idea. Personally, my goal is to turn my dad into a feminist (laughs), but he doesn’t know much about feminism and isn’t interested in it. It would be good to talk about it, to have that chance. And I like to make a record of our activities, like a “Fire Fem Monthly”. I think it’s important to archive and leave behind a record of these kinds of activities.

Si-won: I’d like to do Free the Nipple more often and for longer periods of time. And at this performance we just stood there, but I think it would be better if we could move or walk around.

 

-You’ve mentioned a few times during this interview that there are also differences between women, between feminists. I think those differences make experiences of disappointment or conflict with each other inevitable. What do you think is important in order to keep living as a feminist?

Si-won: I think it’s protecting yourself. And we have to admit that we have differences. And sometimes, you won’t be able to do something because of your real life, because you need to earn a living. I don’t want to reproach myself for not being able to fight back against every misogynistic comment that I hear at my full- or part-time job. It would be good to take a stand, but I want protect myself by not blaming myself when I don’t, and be able to be an activist for a long time.

Ga-hyeon: It’s important to find something besides feminism that you like and that can be a driving force for your life. I think it’s okay even if that thing isn’t perfectly feminism-friendly, as long as it comforts you and gives you something to live for. 

Han-sol: I agree. I think it’s important not to lose sight of your end point. You have to have a clear end point. There may be a variety of paths that lead there. A winding path, a fast path, a lonely path, and so on. I hope that you don’t hate the people you travel it with. It seems like hate gnaws at you, so the method I’ve found is to remind myself not to do it. And I hope I can accept myself as a person who sometimes behaves in contradictory ways.

 

-I’m sure you won’t quit being feminists (laughs), but there are several reasons why you might want to quit or take a break from activism. Have you thought about how long you will keep participating in Fire Fem’s activities?

Si-won: I think as long as I’m living in Korea and not abroad, as long as I can, I’m going to keep going.

Han-sol: I might quit if I started to feel that our values had gotten totally out of sync. But I’d actually like to earn money through activism so that I don’t have to have other jobs.

Ga-hyeon: Should I take next year off? I think about it, sometimes, but I don’t know. I could probably keep going without a break if I could make money from activism. (All laugh)

 

I expected them to say something like, “I’m sure I’ll take a break at some point,” or, “I could do a few more years,” but Fireworks Femi-Action’s activists were still full of passion. They’ve been busy enough and the center of enough controversies that one of them said, “It’s only been two years – why does it feel like more?”, but I hope that we’ll see many more fun activities planned by these feminists who are enjoying doing the things they want to do. [Translated by Marilyn Hook]

 

*Original article: http://ildaro.com/8232 Published June 19, 2018

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