Suffragette: to Boycott or Not to Boycott

Photo courtesy of ScreenRant

Earlier this week, the cast of the upcoming film Suffragette came under fire when the cast was photographed wearing shirts that read "I'd rather be a rebel than a slave."
If you know the context of the quote, you might like these shirts. If you don't know the context of the quote, you might still like these shirts. If you blame slaves for being enslaved, you might also like these shirts.

But let me explain.

For those who don't know: Suffragette, out October 23, is the mostly-true story of the women's suffrage movement in early 20th century England. It stars Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Meryl Streep, among others. It also boasts a female writing/directing team (Abi Morgan and Sarah Gavron, respectively). It's been hyped as "the epic feminist movie we need."

The quotation in question was spoken by Emmeline Pankhurst (who Streep plays in the film), a key leader of the women's suffrage movement. Within the context of this film, the quotation is appropriate; after all, it was the early 1900s. Now, though, it's 2015, we're much more racially sensitive (or at least, we should be), and many people are wondering why any photographer, stylist, or publicist thought it would be a good idea to put a group of white women in shirts that seem to suggest that slaves could free themselves by simply being rebellious.

The photos in question.
Courtesy of Irish Times

Time Out London, the publication for which these photographs were taken, have defended their photoshoot and the intentions behind the controversial shirts, saying that "[the quotation] is a rallying cry, and absolutely not intended to criticise those who have no choice but to submit to oppression, or to reference the Confederacy, as some people who saw the quote out of context have surmised."

Now, film reviewers and movie-goers stand in wait. Will the bad publicity affect the box offices, or will offended parties take a chance on the film anyway?

As a feminist, I am torn. Realistically, I know that this photoshoot, and the fact that this film is acted by an all-white cast, is a bad move for intersectional equality; the women's suffrage movement was notorious for pushing the efforts of black women to the background and putting white women front and center, an idea which makes me uneasy. However, I worry that poor sales for this film will hurt the chances of female-helmed films in the future. Women should get the chance to have their voices heard on screen -- but by supporting Suffragette, am I implying that it is only white women who deserve to have their voices heard?

As a feminist and as a cinephile, I've got some thinking to do, and one question to ask myself:
Is it more important to read the shirts, or is it important to understand the film's message?

***

This comic sums up how white women treated black women during the suffrage movement.

(Courtesy of Kate Beaton)