In critiquing Girlie feminism, Showden argues the
empowerment that comes with wearing lipstick and miniskirts is at some level
“illusory given the individual’s inability to control the reading of her
actions.” Explain her argument then
contribute your own thoughts.
Women have been expected to fall into a certain stereotype – that type being to fall into society’s idea of what is considered beautiful and feminine at that point in time. They’re expected to work under a man, and to not extend themselves beyond that idea or risk ridicule as a result. After generations of women aligning themselves with this idea, many women have either willfully embraced this identity or have become self-aware, but can never fully escape this expectation. Every woman at some point has felt the pressure to make themselves up and present themselves as this “ideal” person, whether for a job interview, a date, or just going grocery shopping. A show put on to please men is now considered the presentable standard. This standard set by society is so heavily pushed, it’s no wonder that some women have set out to reclaim this action for themselves. Showden’s argument about Girlie feminism points out how this phenomenon can be seen as a desperate attempt to turn a negative into a positive, despite the action still seen on the surface as defaulting to the original meaning, regardless of the woman’s true intentions.
ReplyDeleteWhile to many, the idea of makeup and “feminine” clothing still holds true to the original meaning associated with the items, it also stands to reason that the meaning behind many ideas changes with the constant shifts in society. For instance, today we associate the Democratic party with the idea of pro-government, while the Republican party is associated with a platform dedicated with limiting government’s power. However, before 1936, the parties were actually aligned with the other’s platforms. Shifts in how the parties viewed different actions caused this major switch in platforms. Based on examples like this, there is no reason why women cannot take back “girliness” and transform it into a new category of feminism. The modern idea of beauty is not constrained to just pleasuring the male gaze – it can be as free-flowing and flexible as any woman sees fit. There is no reason why a woman with no makeup, dressed in jeans and t-shirt cannot be seen to be just as beautiful as a woman with a full face of makeup and the latest fashion style. The harm comes when a woman participates in these actions for the benefit of someone other than herself, or belittles herself to justify participating in these actions (i.e. “I have to look good for that cute guy in my science class,” or, “I look so ugly without my foundation.”) Healthy narcissism comes in being confident in oneself, no matter what state of being they are in. If we belittle a woman for wearing makeup, we take away her power and her sense of self; it becomes an action that is just as harmful as belittling a woman for not wearing makeup. We compromise women’s power by placing limitations on who they can be, in every sense of the phrase.
Caitlyn B
Snowden starts off with talking about how the new feminism or post-feminism or third-wave feminism or whatever you want to call it is based in choice; the choice to wear makeup or not, the choice to dress “sexy” or not, the choice to have sex freely or not, etc. But as Snowden says on page 175, “This deceptive rhetoric of choice fails to consider constraints on different racial, sexual, or class positions.”This makes me think of how WOC are over-sexualized in our society and how dressing sexy or being sexually liberated may not be empowering for them when they’re already over-sexualized enough as it is. Snowden also states that “much of the ‘new’ feminism wants to get back to traditional models of femininity and feminine adornment, shunting aside years’ worth of work demonstrating how the body serves as a locus of social control that cannot be displayed without engaging the social contexts in which women live and work.,” (Snowden 175). Snowden means here that while it may feel empowering for women to dress sexy or wear makeup or engage in traditional femininity, this ignores how others will read the woman’s body that chooses to make those choices in her self presentation. Others, most often men, will objectify that woman’s body and use her adornment and self presentation as justification for the way they treat her. Now I’m a self identified woman that enjoys wearing makeup. Do I enjoy it as an opportunity for self expression and artistic experimentation or am I wearing makeup because it’s what society deems appropriate for my gender? The answer could be either or both. Because I’ve been so conditioned by society to conform to my gender expectations it’s hard to say where my enjoyment of makeup stems from. Of course there’s nothing wrong with enjoying makeup, it’s not anti-feminist to love a good red lipstick. But one must examine the reason from which this enjoyment stems from.
ReplyDeleteRachael M
Society still expects women to look and act traditionally feminine even though the resistance to this idea is probably stronger and more mainstream than ever before. Some examples of looking traditionally feminine include wearing makeup, wearing dresses, skirts, and heels, always having your hair done, and doing all of these things with the intention of attracting or pleasing a man. Thankfully, one of the more recent interpretations of feminism is that whatever way you choose to present yourself as a woman is a valid representation of what womanhood means to you.
ReplyDeleteShowden highlights this vexing paradox of “choice” feminism by noting that the power women get from making choices about their aesthetics are somewhat, “illusory given the individual’s inability to control the reading of her actions”. An example of this would be when a woman wears a dress that is short because she likes the way her legs look in it, and wearing it makes her feel confident. Although this woman made this choice with her own feelings in mind, she cannot control how other people will react to her outfit choices. There is a good chance that she will be slut shamed in some way for wearing something that is seen as “promiscuous”. I have mixed feelings about Showden’s argument. I do see the necessity of acknowledging how society (men specifically) may or may not perceive a woman’s choices. No one actually knows what a person’s intentions are. However, I think that that assessment is partially unfair because it puts other peoples’ feelings and opinions above the feelings of the person making those choices. So does this mean that women should never choose to wear something or look a certain way if it happens to conform to stereotypes about what females should look like? Are women not really making choices for their own pleasure if that choice happens to bring men pleasure as well? I do not know what the answer to those questions are, but I do know that it is important to continue to acknowledge women’s conscious choices about their aesthetics as valid regardless of how they do or do not conform to ideas about femininity.
Madison V
Carissa Showden criticizes Girlie feminism’s triviality next to other feminist movements. Showden explains that Girlie feminists may be easily misunderstood when they make sexuality statements through wearing lipstick or miniskirts. Girlie feminists rely on power feminism to both express their female birthright and embrace their sexual nature. However, Girlie feminists who flaunt their femininity and sexuality have no control over how others perceive them and may submit themselves to objectification.
ReplyDeleteShowden argues that the Girlie movement may portray feminism as more off-putting than inviting. Though Girlie feminists are optimistic and well-meaning, people who may not know or understand feminism might mistakenly categorize all feminists as superficial and ignorant. Some may make Showden’s argument and say the Girlie movement does not address racial, sexual, or class positions (175). Showden also states that the options Girlie feminists fight for are “inadequate to challenge the political realities of most women’s lives” (175). Acting as if you’re “in on the joke” on female objectification does not address objectification at all. Girlie feminism is also known as Choice feminism because of its consideration of all women’s choices as feminist choices; this may cause other people to see feminism as ambiguous. Others may wonder, “How do you define feminism if all women’s choices are feminist?”
I respect the empowerment Girlie feminism encourages, but I agree with Showden. Girlie feminists should not use their ideals as an excuse to do, say, or wear whatever they want. Personally, if I saw a scantily clad Girlie feminist walking down the street, I would not recognize her as a feminist. Instead, I would assume that she is looking for attention. I believe others would share my observation that physical appearance does not necessarily make a feminist statement offhand. I believe women should wear the clothes or makeup they feel comfortable in, but passing off outward appearances alone as feminism is ineffective.
Beatriz L.
Showden describes girlie feminism as “the intersection of feminism with feminine culture.” The use of the word intersection shows the way in which feminism has many different layers and the way that feminine culture also has many complex layers. While critiquing girlie feminism Showden argues that the empowerment that comes with wearing lipstick and miniskirts tends to be illusory due to the fact that the individual has an inability to control the reading of her actions. I believe that what was just described goes back to the idea of choice. Women make the choice to wear the red lipsticks and the miniskirts if they choose. In third wave feminism women have the choice to wear what they want and do what they want. This belief that they have the choice to do what they want or don’t want is problematic because as Showden claims, “this deceptive rhetoric of choice fails to consider constraints on different racial, sexual, or class positions.” Intersectionality is an incredibly important component of any human being. Some people do not have the same exact choices as others because their intersectionality might consist of several more components that do not allow them the same choices as others. A person's social location is also an important factor of the different choices and opportunities that different people might come across. In terms of a woman’s inability to control the reading of her actions it is important to understand that women’s bodies are constantly being used as a form of social control and are used to reinforce several traditional models of heterosexual power relations. This is almost always done through the objectification of women by men. The reality is that the dynamics of the choices that women have in this wave of feminism are not as simple as some are lead to believe and there almost always seems to be a double meaning when making simple choices like wearing make up or not.
ReplyDeleteJanira C.