Katha Pollitt in The Nation thinks not:
In “American Electra: Feminism’s Ritual Matricide,” her cover story in the October Harper’s, Susan Faludi argues that young feminists are frivolous fashionistas who choose Lady Gaga over Gloria Steinem and consumerism over activism, thereby betraying the cause—and their second-wave mothers, real and figurative. Faludi thinks today’s young feminists are out to kill their mothers, much as young women in the 1920s rejected the Victorian matriarchs who had won them the vote: “Over and over, a younger generation disavows the women’s movement as a daughter disowns her mother.”
Jessica Valenti’s piece in an earlier Nation argues a quite different point. She does see younger women as ignored and/or sexualized by the older feminists, but she lays a heavy charge at her elders’ door. That is, they’ve neglected what must be the core goals of a sustainable feminism:
Feminism isn’t simply about being a woman in a position of power. It’s battling systemic inequities; it’s a social justice movement that believes sexism, racism and classism exist and interconnect, and that they should be consistently challenged. What’s most important to remember as we fight back against conservative appropriation is that the battle over who “owns” the movement is not just about feminists; feminism’s future affects all American women. And if we let the lie of conservative feminism stand—if real feminists don’t lay claim to the movement and outline their vision for the future—all of us will suffer.
Feminism has in fact restricted its attention to “white women’s concerns” and, as such, become vulnerable to the idea that Palin and the Grizzlies can also be feminists.
These are such important issues. What do you think?
And by the way, we should watch what we write if we have children! Rebecca Walker’s reactions to her mother’s writing should give us all pause. It certainly calls matricide to mind. (As far as I know I have nothing in print beyond one unfortunate comment comparing cats and babies, or more accurately, observing that I might not have had a child had I had a cat. Sorry!! Obviously just a joke!!!)
Feminist Philosophers 
Readers might like to look at our comments on Nancy Bauer on related issues.
The article linked to indicates Rebecca Walker’s reaction is not primarily to her mother’s writing, but to how her mother treated her and treats her. Alice Walker really sounds like a dreadful woman – is the article a fair description of her, does anyone know?
I’ve been worrying for a while that, with respect to the space of sexual possibilities for young women and it reigning norms, there’s a new “generation gap” — one that feminist philosophers of my (older) generation, at least, are for the most part ignoring. The full-blown version of my most comprehensive writing on this subject will appear in Charlotte Witt’s soon-forthcoming collection of essays called Feminist Metaphysics (which, by the way, contains some amazing work by Sally Haslanger, Linda Alcoff, Marilyn Frye, and many other feminist philosophers, established and up-and-coming). But my view on this subject is still a work in progress, and I’d be happy to send a talk version to anyone who’s interested in reading or, even better, helping me with it!
Thanks, Nancy! I finally put the link to our posts on your work into my comment (#1 above). I’m assuming people can find your email address on your page at Tufts.
Tina, about Alice Walker: I think we need to realize that this is one view, that of someone who appears to hate her. I can see gaps where another interpretation is possible.
I’m very short of time. Let me add that AW may have been trying to pull together an exceptionally difficult life; I can remember having a child about the same time, and there were almost no models one could follow. It all seemed chaotic to me.
I found Astrid Henry’s book, “Not My Mother’s Sister: Generational Conflict and Third Wave Feminism” to be an interesting read on this topic.