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Previous DailyHistory articles have discussed the [[What was the First Wave Feminist Movement?|First]] and [[What was the Second Wave Feminist Movement?|Second]] Wave Feminist Movements. Like Second Wave feminism, Third Wave feminism emerged from some of the failures and conversations left behind from the wave before. While there were many successes of the first two waves, including voting rights and greater access to reproductive control, Third Wave feminists have argued that these successes largely benefited white middle-class women. The Third Wave feminists have actively sought to expand the rights of LBTQ and minority women. Essentially, they have been interested in trying achieve parity with white women.

==== Background ====

As is common with any large coalition, group goals need to be broad enough to encompass the desires of the majority of those involved. White, educated women with clout during the First Wave often advanced the need for white women's rights by suggesting they were better educated and equipped to exercise those rights than non-white men and women. During the Second Wave, the general discussions about reproductive choice were often framed in terms of access to birth control and the right to an abortion for white women, while non-white women were fighting for the right to control reproduction on their own terms, and not to be forcibly sterilized. These rifts were not crippling, but often benefited one faction of a coalition more than the other.

Third Wave Feminism differed from the first two waves not just goals, but in substance. While the first two waves generally accepted traditional gender identities and norms, the third wave challenged ideas about what was traditionally masculine and traditionally feminine. Not only did third wave feminists reject this strict separation and polarity between male and female, but third wave feminists embraced a more complex and nuanced understanding of opportunities for gender and sexual expression, including identity. Third Wave feminists took Second Wave feminism's "sexual liberation" one step further by also calling for the exploration and acceptance of a variety of sexual identities. Furthermore, Third Wave Feminists believe it is in their right to seek sexual pleasure on their own terms as well as a sex-positive movement.

Feminism in the Third Wave appropriated previously-insulting and derogatory terms. Third Wave Feminists unapologetically reclaimed words like "bitch" and spoke openly about themselves, their bodies, and their experiences. Third Wave Feminists, whose lives have been saturated with popular culture, are quick to challenge portrayals of women in beauty and in art. Third Wave Feminists see men as their equals and challenge institutions and conventions that dictate otherwise.<ref>Laura Brunell and Elinor Burkett, "Feminism: Sociology," Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism#ref216004</ref>