Feminism is for pigs too: Miss Piggy receives feminist award from Gloria Steinem

Miss Piggy joins a list including Sandra Day O’Connor, Toni Morrison and Anita Hill

Published June 5, 2015 6:09PM (EDT)

 Miss Piggy    (NBC)
Miss Piggy (NBC)

Male chauvinist pig? More like female feminist pig.

Miss Piggy was honored with the Sackler Center for Feminist Art’s First Award Wednesday, joining a long list of powerful women like Sandra Day O’Connor, Toni Morrison and Anita Hill.

Despite being a puppet, Elizabeth Sackler, the founder-namesake of the awards told MSNBC that Piggy completely fit the bill: "We’re talking about tenacity, strength, intelligence, strategy, a sense of humor… She also believes that who you are is all you need to be and [to] really go for it.”

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The award, according to the center website, is given to women “who are first in their fields" and was presented to Piggy by Gloria Steinem and Sackler at the Brooklyn Museum.

“She has spirit. She has determination. She has grit,” Sackler told USA Today. “She has inspired children to be who you are — and this squares very directly with feminism.”

While all of this mat be true, not everyone was super thrilled to see a Jim Henson "Muppet" walk away with the title apparently -- particularly, one whose feminist values have been called into question many times before. MSNBC notes her leech-y relationship with Kermit, as well as a recent interview in which Piggy explicitly states that she is "not a feminist."

Piggy addressed the naysayers, as well as her own backpedaling on the "f-word," in her acceptance speech: “As of today, I am a feminist," Piggy announced.

Watch the clip below:


By Colin Gorenstein

Colin Gorenstein is Salon's assistant editor of internet and viral content. Follow @colingorenstein or email cgorenstein@salon.com.

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Gloria Steinem Miss Piggy Muppets Video