Hmmm…… Feminism…I know I am a woman. I know I should say I am a feminist. However, the F word scares me a weeeeee bit. It is such a shame that there is such a negative connotation associated with the term feminism. I mean, I must say that a few years ago I though a feminist was a man hating, granola crunching, I Birkenstocks wearing, hairy lesbian. I know it’s horrible, no need to tell me. However, spent a lot of time realizing that feminism wasn’t so bad.
I truly believe that there are many degrees of feminism. I began exploring feminism when I started speaking out against pornography like Dworkin and MacKinnon. I know some believe it is just harmless representation and a good laugh. Personally, I think it activates things like sexual aggression, rape, and discrimination, but that’s just me…. Some women I know don’t happen to think so.
It seams as though women of my generation have slipped into this postmodern blend of feminism where they believe that we really have the power to dress like complete sluts on Halloween. Isn’t that what men really want? Is dressing up on “whore-o-ween” really liberating because we choose to do so? Do we really choose to do so? I think my “slutterfly” costume last year is a prime example.
However, feminism has turned into this “Sex and the City” type thing. If a woman thinks reading Cosmo liberates her from sexism and hegemony well, she is lying to herself. A magazine should not tell me how to “please my man” or dress for my flat ass.
I must say that my definition of feminism has changed a lot growing up with three sisters, exposing myself to feminist texts, and learning about feminist criticism. I think women still need to fight for sexual liberation and freedom from this postmodern wave of feminism.
ps. Tonya thank you very much for your post this week! I really enjoyed reading it!
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3 comments:
Good post. But, hey, men's magazines tell us how we're supposed to please a woman all the time. You don't notice it much (maybe because we're so horrible at it), but it's a pretty normal thing. What's not good is to tie your identity to another person, so you don't feel good about yourself unless a man (or a woman) accepts you.
First, to respond to Judge Rufus, I would say that it's a red herring to say, "Oh, but the media affects everyone" or that men's magazines work in exactly the same fashion that women's magazines do. For one, we continue to live in a patriarchal culture so the messages that get sent and the way in which they are received depend on a logic of male dominance and female submission that does make an impact. That's not to say that women haven't made great strides in the past 100 years, but it is to say that until there is total equality (which there isn't) then it doesn't make sense to argue that men are victimized in ways identical to the ways that women are victimized. (This is not to say that masculine gender role expectations don't do a number on men - of course they do - but the material consequences of that are ultimately that men have power in our culture.)
Now, Barrowme, thank you for your thoughtful response. I think that a lot of women have a similar path toward feminism as the one that you describe, particularly women of your generation. I will say that I personally think that Dworkin and MacKinnon's approach to pornography ultimately takes agency away from women and constructs women as victims in ways that aren't positive, but I also think that it's important to note that in saying that I'm not saying that all pornography is good or that it doesn't have the potential to victimize. I think that my difficulty with Dworkin and MacKinnon's approach is that it leaves no room for women to experience pleasure in non-feminist sex; no room for women to have sexual agency. A book you might want to glance at that deals with these issues is called *Feminism and Pornography* by Drucilla Cornell, published by Oxford UP. There's a great essay by Judith Butler called "The Force of Fantasy" (if I recall correctly) that makes a good argument against Dworkin and MacKinnon's perspectives.
Tonya, thanks so much for responding. I will look into your suggested reading.
Also, I agree with your analysis of Judge Rufus' comment. I just recently wrote my senior thesis on the textual portrayal of female tennis players in the media. I focused on issues of beauty and athleticism and how they limit the athletic nature of competition and potential athletic success. If you Google Maria Sharapova, the first image is of her on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a bikini; where is the tennis gear, where is the tennis court? We do not see as many sexy images of Andy Roddick bending over to pick up a ball. Yes the objectification of men happens.... but the fact is... it happens way more to women!
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