Alexandra Kollontai - "forgotten" feminist theorist and politician

I am incredibly surprised that Alexandra Kollontai, Russian feminist socialist scholar and politician, isn't spoken more of in feminist spaces.

She developed what became known as the "Glass of water theory". It states that in an ideal society, with deconstructed gender roles, "love shall be free" and sexual intimacy should be as easy as "drinking a glass of water". It is not meant to devalue sex, but rather deconstruct dogmas and taboos regarding it.

In her works, she also identifies the intersections between the patriarchy and capitalism and how they work together in women's oppression: in a capitalist patriarchal society, women are exploited through wage labor, housework and childcare. She was a heavy advocate for supporting sex workers, but criticized sex work: in her mind, it originates from the commodification and objectification of women, resulting in the sexual exploitation of their bodies.

Kollontai was an extraordinary woman, truly a visionary for her time, she was the first woman in history to serve a cabinet minister and under her rule the USSR was by far the most socially progressive country - abortion was legalized, divorce was legalized, rape was criminalized, Women's Day was celebrated and she even co-founded the Zhenotdel, a govt body specifically designed to deal with women's welfare. Unfortunately, the male-dominated USSR government was not on pair with her ideas, and her social reforms were gradually discontinued and regressed.

She was truly a thinker ahead of her time, and I suggest you look her up, you might like her works!