Feminism | Posted by Kolleen R on 07/18/2009
countering feminist backlash
feminism didn't die in the 70's
It’s been said again and again that the mainstream media has a problem with feminism. I completely agree with that, given all of the mainstream media I absorb on a daily basis. TV shows and movies make feminists out to be cold, scary bitches (at least until, you know, they’re “tamed” by some equally cold, scary man). The music industry is no better, using women as sex symbols rather than artists with depth and soul. (Hey! At least we aren’t baby-makers anymore! Now we’re an outlet for sexual aggression and domination! Boy, society’s sure made some strides [sarcasm]. And very much like the rest of my teenage-feminist peers, the high school environment—the birthplace of the alleged future leaders of the world, yippee—is less than understanding of our “radical” opinions. I, too, have experienced the blank stares and derisive lectures about how pointless women’s rights are. I got angry, too.
Honestly, it’s scary to think about how ill-informed our generation is about the plight of women. I’m not just talking about rape and domestic violence (make no mistake, those are HUGE issues!), but the lack of rights for women in developing countries. Genital mutilation, rape, female infanticide, voting rights—my gosh, the list goes on. Feminism does not stop at America’s borders. That being said, I’m very concerned about how such powerful countries are supposed to lead the world into a “better” future when their attitudes towards women equate to the idea that we don’t need women’s rights.
Umm, wrong?
Telling women that they should shut up and be happy with the lives their great nation affords them is most definitely sending the wrong message. We recognize that racism is an on-going vice we need to counter with vigilance. I understand that feminism and racism are two different forms of oppression, and I am in no way trying to say that one is better or worse than the other, but racism didn’t go away with “I Have a Dream.” Why can’t we acknowledge that sexism didn’t go away with the 1970’s? I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that these oppressive institutions are still around today—they’re just way more subtle.
I guess the point of this mini-rant is to voice my concerns about feminism and the unfavorable light my dear America has thrown upon it for all the world to see—and potentially learn from. It worries me. I’d love some feedback about ways we can counter this. Opinions in general are welcome—I do love discussion!
(9 votes, average: 3.89 out of 5)
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Alex Catgirl @ at 3:39 pm, July 18th, 2009
What’s wrong with scary bitches? People have been calling me that for years, it doesn’t bother me.
Traditionalists claim I’m not feminine, which is fine as I don’t consider them human.
RebJ @ at 7:23 pm, July 18th, 2009
Does anyone go to a high school that has a feminism/ women’s studies class? I think that would be totally awesome–not to mention a HUGE step in educating the rest of America on some of these serious issues.
Kolleen R. @ at 11:19 pm, July 18th, 2009
@Alex Catgirl: I wasn’t trying to imply that there’s anything wrong with scary bitches. I have an entire rant stored up for the use of “bitch” as a demeaning term. But we’ll save that for another post (=D).
My problem is the fact that the perceived “bitchiness” of feminism is the only thing mainstream media exposes. We aren’t just anger and nonsensical rants. We have a purpose that becomes obscured by apprehension and misunderstanding. We’ve been turned into some patronizing joke by journalists eager for a sensational story–and everyone sees this. When we try to reverse those damaging effects, we’re accused of PMSing. Because our vagina dictates our feelings. After all, everyone knows that women aren’t capable of rational thought. [/sarcasm]
It just feels so hopeless sometimes… But kudos for being able to disregard those traditionalists!
@RebJ: I’ve actually never heard of a high school entertaining the idea of ethnic/gender studies classes. It’s unfortunate. At this point, the only way to get a message out there seems to be through clubs…
But I imagine suggesting/petitioning for such education might get us somewhere. I smell a new elective!
Johan @ at 7:20 am, July 19th, 2009
I come from Malaysia where sexual discrimination does exist but is not really heard of much, I always thought that Americans would have only a little discrimination. Could you please enlighten me on the subject of what type of sexual discrimination occurs in America?
Julie Z @ at 10:54 am, July 19th, 2009
@Johan
here is a fact sheet that just goes over some basic statistics just to get an idea…
http://www.urbanministry.org/wiki/sexism-and-gender-discrimination-statistics
Alex Catgirl @ at 3:19 pm, July 19th, 2009
@RebJ the reason why is that it would be a political nightmare, the culture war on steroids as all the various groups jockeying for position.
In a way it would be fair, as christian groups have been imposing their deluded world view on impressionable teens for decades, but what would be the state of education if everyone did it? Kids would suffer from contradictory information overload….If people think test scores are bad now they haven’t seen anything
Even within feminism itself, there are opposing camps. A lot of people know who Gloria Steinem and Ariel Levey are and their take on things, but how many people know of Candida Royalle or even Germaine Greer
RebJ @ at 6:58 pm, July 19th, 2009
@Alex Catgirl– I don’t think a gender studies class would impose a particular dogma on its students; teaching and enlightening are not equivalent to “indoctrinating”. Just because a gender studies class would cover a narrower range of information in more depth than, say World History class, doesn’t make it a spokesperson for a particular political group.
And feminism, like any school of thought has opposing viewpoints–so what? (all I have to say is -did you ever take a psychology class-its basically a bunch of incompatible theories! I think high schoolers can manage multiple viewpoints without going on “overload”; thats part of living in the 21st century.) Standardized test scores are a whole different issue that has nothing to do with “information overload”, but want to start that discussion now.
RebJ @ at 6:59 pm, July 19th, 2009
sorry: I don’t want to start that discussion now, was what I meant to say
Johan @ at 3:12 am, July 20th, 2009
Thanks for the info on the statistics. Now I would like to ask anyone this question. What do you think of the case of some universities lowering the entry requirements for men compared to women? For example, in my university, for a man to continue his degree he would require a minimum CGPA of 2.75, while for a women it is 3.15. Their argument is that the university wants an equal amount of male and female graduates. The thing is that the female students on an average score a higher CGPA than the male students. For some courses such as hotel management, the minimum CGPA is equal for both sexes, but in courses like engineering, this is the case
Zaskoda @ at 7:49 pm, July 20th, 2009
@Kolleen R – Ya know… I’m not much of one for the word “feminist”, but I hear your frustration and it makes me a bit sad. Women’s Rights in many places outside the US are in dire need of attention. There’s still a lot of sexism inside the US – but I’d say that both parties are fairly guilty.
For what it’s worth, my concerns with the modern American feminist have little to do with the media and stem almost entirely from interactions with many feminists. Live, in person, in real life interactions.
Example:
Scene: Me, female landlord who’s a shrink, and female roomie who’s a massage therapist and yoga teacher all having lunch together.
Landlord: Are you a feminist?
*nom nom nom*
Me: I donno, depends on the meaning of the word.
Landlord: Do you think women should have equal rights of men, like the right to vote.
Me: Absolutely.
*nom nom nom*
Landlord: Then you’re a feminist.
Me: I have no problem with this. What I have a problem with is a woman telling me how she should have equal rights and then her expecting me to pay for dinner.
Roomie: But that’s the way it should be.
*blank stare*
I completely understand that my roomie did not represent all of feminism. I understand that her character doesn’t reflect YOUR character.
However, with enough of these experiences combined, it doesn’t paint a very good picture for feminism in general.
I think, perhaps, it would be a good exercise to consider if the media is reflecting on something in real life that needs attention???
Perhaps some of the problem stems from a particular subset of feminists – those that are seeking empowerment and not equality?
Those interactions can trigger a lot of negative energy and negative associations.
Is suggesting this, honestly, that far off the mark? I’m truly very curious.
dare2believe @ at 9:42 am, September 20th, 2009
Zaskoda, most feminists reject chivarly, and paying for dinner most definitely is chivarly.