Miss Piggy (Finally!) Receives the Ultimate Feminist Recognition

miss piggy

Finally, Miss Piggy gets the feminist recognition she deserves.

Last week, Brooklyn’s Sackler Center for Feminist Art recognized the one and only Miss Piggy with an award that honors “extraordinary women who are first in their fields.” Longtime feminist Gloria Steinem presented the award to Miss Piggy. Previous winners include Toni Morrison, Connie Chung, Sandra Day O’Connor and Anita Hill.

“She has inspired children to be who you are and this squares very directly with feminism,” Elizabeth Sackler, the center’s founder said about Miss Piggy to USA Today.

Of course, everyone’s favorite Muppet(ess?) has never been humble about her feminist ways—always chasing Kermit and not being shy about her wants or needs, and using any means to achieve her goals. In a recent Time magazine interview (“Why I am a Feminist Pig”), she discussed a number of topics around her feminism, such as why she never burned her bra: “When one pays top dollar for intimate apparel like moi does, setting it ablaze is wasteful, improvident and highly incendiary.”

“I believe that any woman who refuses to accept society’s preconceived notions of who or what they can be is a feminist,” she said. “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. 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. Moi is all of these things.”

For as many fans as Miss Piggy has, there are critics as well—and to that, she had this to say:

“Another reason some refuse to consider moi a feminist is that I do not fit the popular image of a feminist. It’s true, I did not march in women’s-rights parades down Fifth Avenue in the early 1970s. (That was long before I was born.) However, today, in solidarity with my feminist foremothers, I go shopping on Fifth Avenue whenever possible… And yes, it is true that I am a Porcine American. How can a… ahem, pig… be a feminist? After all, the p word has long been associated with the very antithesis of feminists ‘male chauvinist.’

This, alas, is a vestige of latent ‘species-ism.’ Sure, there are male chauvinist pigs, but there are also male chauvinist humans and, on very rare occasions and at their own peril, male chauvinist amphibians. Let us not besmirch an entire species because of the sins of a few.”

And her final thoughts:

“Yet one last question remains: What is the future of feminism? The answer is obvious — feminism’s future must be proud, positive, powerful, perseverant, and, wherever possible, alliterative. It must believe in itself, share its triumphs, overcome its setbacks and inspire future generations. I must, in other words, be a lot like… moi.”

Miss Piggy, you’re the epitome of the perfect woman in our book! Feminine, feminist, foamy and always fun to watch. Congratulations.

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Image: anna p magistra

Jill Ettinger

Jill Ettinger is a Los Angeles-based journalist and editor focused on the global food system and how it intersects with our cultural traditions, diet preferences, health, and politics. She is the senior editor for sister websites OrganicAuthority.com and EcoSalon.com, and works as a research associate and editor with the Cornucopia Institute, the organic industry watchdog group. Jill has been featured in The Huffington Post, MTV, Reality Sandwich, and Eat Drink Better. www.jillettinger.com.