Miss Piggy Defines Feminism For All Of Us

She's a strong woman who isn't afraid to use karate to get her way. She's been a role model for actresses and businesswomen for decades. And, she doesn't take any crap from the press. Miss Piggy is kind of a natural choice for Brooklyn Museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art First Award. There's also the fact that her being chosen is making us write about the event — which has honored such accomplished women as Anita Hill, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Jessye Norman in the past. But, in case you want to quibble that she's not a woman at all, but a pig puppet voiced by a man, Miss Piggy has penned an essay for Time defending her qualifications. "[S]ome might say moi is just a mere Hollywood celebrity who cares more about her appearance, her star billing, and her percentage of the gross than about women and women's rights," Miss P writes. "To which I can only respond: 'Oh yeah!?!' By which, of course, I mean that moi is now, and has always been, an ardent feminist and champion of women's rights." "I believe any woman who is willing to struggle, strive — and, if necessary, learn karate — to make their mark in the world is a feminist," she continues. "And, yes, I believe that any woman who cares about her appearance, her star billing, and most especially her percentage of the gross, is a feminist." She sounds much like many another famous stars who'd like to speak out on women's rights while still being an entertainer. And, she also brings up the need for the movement to be inclusive of all women, not just privileged white women. "And yes, it is true that I am a Porcine-American. How can a...ahem, pig...be a feminist?" Of course, that leads to the natural connection we have to the word in this context: male chauvinist pigs. "This, alas, is a vestige of latent 'species-ism.'" Sackler seems to agree. "I was thinking, 'Who embodies the grit and the strength and the ability to sort of just shrug off all the obstacles in her way and just go for it?' That's Miss Piggy," she told Huffington Post. "Life should be magical, because we have to make magic. We have to change things." In conclusion, Piggy says, "Feminism’s future must be proud, positive, powerful, perseverant, and, wherever possible, alliterative." Hell yeah, lady. Now stop trying to marry Kermit and just do you.