May 24th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
We won’t play nature to your culture
This is going to sound completely utterly wholly unconditionally atrociously pretentious, but I think I feel most comfortable articulating myself in writing. I feel rushed otherwise, trying to let as many words as I can escape my mouth before the other party loses interest and/or gets distracted with his own thoughts. I’m hastily pushing my own ideas forward as to prevent too many prejudgements, inevitably failing, qualifying statements with “or whatever… I don’t know, really.” On the other hand, I used to be the girl in various discussion sections who would make a concise statement and shy away from elaboration when prodded. I’ve remedied this, learned to explicate with confidence, knowing full well that classmates are just as doubtful of their own interpretations. Notwithstanding, I’m writing a blog entry instead of prioritizing my six-to-nine page essay on post-feminism as exemplified by “Murphy Brown” and “30 Rock.”
I’ve had this saved in my drafts for a few weeks now:
I want her
I want to stuff her
I want to stuff her box
I want to stuff her in a box
I don’t think it’s very clever, but I’d feel dishonest if I just kept it tucked away with various other files on my computer. Catharsis. Psychosis?
Speaking of which, in addition to exhausting the words “bonkers,” “palatable,” “supposebly [sic],” and “kind of,” my art history professor seems to correlate sexism with just plain sexy. Interestingly composed bodies are labeled violent, missing limbs are only a product of some sick desire to immobilize, and perky boobs are gravity-defying travesties, the result of distorted societal pressures to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. I’m probably being unjustifiably critical because I disagree with her obvious abhorrence for pornography and sex work. In addition, I will admit that I’m irritated by my forced contemplation on by what my definition of erotic is influenced. However, I will not find fault with specific naked forms if they are the opposite of biographical. I will not take issue with assorted forms of sexuality if they include a surrendering female, just as it would be ridiculous to discredit a woman as a feminist if she chooses to live as a homemaker. That is stupid, my professor’s scoffing at beautiful paintings is stupid, especially when she admits to conflicted feelings of her own in the form of a mumbled afterthought. I mean, she has every right to be conflicted since she has a concentration in fashion. Talk about an infuriating moralistic! :/
Anyway I guess I should open that Word document.
May 6th, 2010 at 10:30 am
These days, feminism isn’t a movement at all, really, but a collection of blogs obsessed with the pop culture it claims to be victimized by, a forum for women who promote themselves as victims of a patriarchy that no longer exists, a pretend movement that contains within it no forward movement at all, only a fetal-like desire to curl up on itself, muttering Women’s Studies jargon, and handing out trigger warnings like party favors at a girl’s-only slumber party.
As much as I’d like to disagree with Susannah Breslin, I can’t do anything but reflect on why I have so many issues with blogs like Feministing and Jezebel, with their classist assumptions, sweeping absence of research, and knee-jerk reactions to sensational headlines. Any sort of criticism made about these ‘forums’ is used as a rationale for one-upping and name-calling. I mean, is it really so difficult to understand why an overload of trigger warnings is counterproductive? Subscribers email the authors links to offensive articles and are thanked for providing more things to be upset about. Since when is feminism about searching for things to be upset about or to claim victim to? Moreover, I don’t think any of these things fall within the category of ‘safe space.’ There’s far too much eye-rolling and hostility for me to feel like these websites provide a protective environment, and even so, such wouldn’t allow for a lot of constructive dialogue in a world that is anything but safe.
It’s our job to be aware of the prevalence of sexism and to correct our own sexist tendencies, to improve our sexual education programs, to be accepting of the LGBTIQ(…XYZ) community, to educate preteens about rape and consent, and to just generally question whatever social conventions we’ve been accustomed to. Why don’t we forget terms like cyber-rape and concentrate on uh… I don’t know, actual rape? Instead of spoofing American Apparel advertisements because of the company’s supposed lack of representation of everyday women, why don’t we first question the exclusionary practices of capitalism? We are, after all, forgetting our sisters in the global south.
That being said, I do think there is considerable reason for feminist thought to pervade current hegemony. I don’t know what Breslin means when she refers to a patriarchy that no longer exists, since it so obviously makes itself evident in wage discrepancies, but I do think she brings up a lot of insightful points… and I suggest that you all read her exposé on the porn industry.
April 13th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
How to determine if a film has enough female characters
- There are at least two named female characters
- who have a conversation
- about something other than men or a man
August 25th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Binary Land
I have a lot of problems imagining myself as a mother when I’m an adult. While I was certainly a little girl who played with Barbies and enjoyed the color pink, I would probably try exceedingly hard to save my children from societal gender binaries.
The fact that it’s acceptable to publish an article about child development without stating specific studies or which “psychologists at the University of Cambridge in England” believe that boys like to watch mechanical motion demonstrates that a gross majority of people assume that socialized gender roles should be biological… including a female obsession with fashion and shoes. I will admit that of course there are differences between males and females (besides the obvious plumbing) that can be observed from birth, but this frightens me.
Is it really possible to raise a child without gendering it? Can you inculcate your child with the belief that his or her abilities are not limited to those deemed appropriate for their sex? The biggest question is: would society allow it?
Related links: The incriminating CNN article, Binary Land (NES game referenced), Feministing
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
The Trend Away From Feminism
I am an advocate of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. By definition, I am a feminist. For many, the word feminist conjures up images of bra-burning ceremonies, shaved heads, and militant lesbians. Man-haters. “Femi-nazis.”
It is of little wonder that women are deterred from labeling themselves as feminists. After all, why would any heterosexual want to repel her potential dates? Busting out the male privilege checklist certainly isn’t very attractive. Neither is being straightforward, independent, or mildly intelligent: qualities clearly seen in our male counterparts. It’s just so… unladylike. Nevertheless, even in a society where sexualized images of women are often used to sell products, the concept of treating us like human beings is surprisingly one many people think we have covered and should stop complaining about.
But I’m not going to list all of the injustices committed against women today. What I’m really getting at is the absurdity of the commonly held belief that we don’t need feminism anymore. Apparently, it’s been driven to obsoletism through the passing of the 19th Amendment and the availability of contraception. This is why, anti-feminists argue, not every woman is voting for Hillary Clinton. (Nevermind that those women may just disagree with her position on certain issues.)
Creating this extremist, heathenish picture of what a feminist is masks the real fear people have of women making their own decisions. For example, McCain said he believes doctors who performed abortions should be prosecuted. “But I would not prosecute a woman” who obtained an abortion… because, you know, she was being victimized instead of consciously making the choice to terminate her pregnancy.
There will always be misandry out there poorly disguised as feminism, but to call all feminists “man-haters” is surely a product of a frightened patriarchal society.