bell hooks: intersectional feminist, thinker, and healing guide

suddenly, conversations about love, justice, and healing weren’t abstract… they were deeply personal, actionable, and connected to how we live and relate to each other. hooks didn’t just write theory; she wrote about life, about the ways we hurt and the ways we can grow.

i find myself returning to her words often. she once said, “the function of art is to do more than tell it like it is, it’s to imagine what is possible.” that feels true of therapy as well: it’s not only about naming pain but also about imagining freedom, connection, and healing.

“for me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?”
– in conversation with maya angelou, 1998'

early life: from kentucky to the world

bell hooks was born gloria jean watkins in hopkinsville, kentucky, in 1952. she adopted the pen name “bell hooks” in honor of her great-grandmother and chose to write it in lowercase letters, a gesture meant to center her ideas rather than her identity. “it’s not who i am that’s important, but the work i do,” she explained. that choice still grounds me honestly… it’s a reminder that impact is about substance, not status.

growing up in the segregated south, hooks experienced racism and sexism firsthand. she came from a working-class black family that instilled resilience, a love for learning, and a deep commitment to justice. those early experiences shaped her lifelong mission: to reveal the overlapping systems of oppression while always pointing toward the possibility of liberation.

“the moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. the moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.”
– outlaw culture: resisting representations, 1994

intersectional feminism as everyday practice

before “intersectionality” became a common term, hooks was already living and writing it. she showed us how race, class, gender, and sexuality cannot be separated when understanding oppression or liberation. she insisted: “feminism is for everybody.”

her vision of feminism was not elitist or exclusionary; it was rooted in everyday life. she challenged mainstream feminism to stop centering only the experiences of white, middle-class women and instead commit to the liberation of all.

for me, this carries directly into therapy. if we don’t acknowledge the overlapping identities clients hold, the ways systemic barriers shape their experiences, we risk silencing the very truths that matter most. therapy must be intersectional, because lives are intersectional. hooks’ work reminds me that to truly see someone, we have to see the whole of their context.

“but many of us seek community solely to escape the fear of being alone. knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. when we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”
– all about love: new visions, 1999

love as a healing force

one of the most transformative aspects of hooks’ writing is her insistence on love as an ethic. in her book all about loveshe wrote: “love is an action, never simply a feeling.” this line stays with me in both my personal life and in my practice working in healthcare.

she reframed love away from sentimentality and toward responsibility. love, for hooks, meant accountability, honesty, care, and commitment. she also wrote: “when we understand love as the will to nurture our own and another’s growth, we can see love’s transformative power.”

this is such a powerful mental health lesson. so many people come into therapy feeling unloved, unseen, or unsafe in relationships. to reimagine love not as something we passively “fall into,” but as something we actively build, is revolutionary. in the therapy room, that translates into creating a space where clients feel valued, respected, and supported in their growth.

“the moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. the moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.”
– outlaw culture: resisting representations, 1994

emotional literacy and liberation

hooks was bold in naming how patriarchy not only harms women but also silences men. she wrote: “the first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. instead, patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves.”

that quote could be a whole therapy session on its own. emotional literacy… knowing how to name and navigate our feelings, is something many of us were never taught. and yet, as hooks argued, it’s foundational for living fully and relationally.

in my own work, i see the cost of emotional suppression: depression, anxiety, disconnection, even physical illness. hooks’ call for emotional literacy is a call for healing. it’s a reminder that vulnerability is not weakness but strength, and that giving ourselves permission to feel is a step toward freedom.

“if any female feels she need anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power to be self-defining, her agency.”
– feminism is for everybody: passionate politics, 2000

legacy and mental health takeaways

bell hooks passed away in 2021, but her words are alive in classrooms, activist circles, therapy offices, and everyday conversations. her legacy is vast, but when i think about it through the lens of mental health, these lessons rise to the surface:

• healing is collective. hooks wrote: “rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. healing is an act of communion.” therapy is important, but so is community, friendship, and connection. we don’t heal alone… we heal together.
• love is ethical. “to truly love, we must learn to mix various ingredients… care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open communication.” (all about love). in therapy, love may look like holding space, offering compassion, and practicing accountability.
• awareness is care. hooks constantly reminded us that we cannot separate personal pain from systemic oppression. to truly support someone, we must honor both their inner world and the outer forces shaping it.
• imagination is survival. she wrote: “what we cannot imagine cannot come into being.” in mental health, imagination isn’t frivolous… it’s vital. envisioning new ways of living, relating, and loving helps us move toward healing.

her legacy, for me, is that she collapses the distance between social change and personal growth. she shows us that the way we love, the way we listen, and the way we show up for others is political. and in turn, the fight for justice is also a fight for mental, emotional, and relational well-being.

“love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust.”
― bell hooks, communion: the female search for love

why bell hooks still matters

we live in a time where inequality, disconnection, and polarization feel overwhelming. and yet, hooks gives us a roadmap for navigating it all. she insists that freedom is collective, that love and justice are inseparable, and that healing begins with how we relate to each other.

her words remind me, as a future therapist, to keep asking myself: am i practicing deep listening? am i acknowledging systemic barriers? am i creating a space rooted in compassion and accountability?

hooks doesn’t call us to perfection; she calls us to practice. to keep trying, to keep imagining, to keep loving in action.

for me, that’s why she isn’t just a thinker i admire… she’s a compass. her work continues to guide me not only in my studies and future practice but also in how i want to live in this world.

“the first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. if an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.”
– the will to change: men, masculinity, and love, 2004