Throughout the semester, prompts based on class readings, screenings, lectures, and discussions will be posted on this blog. Responses will be graded on their level of critical thinking, pertinence, engagement with class texts, and grammar/spelling/proofing/
length. Be sure to read the prompt carefully and fully engage with the content of the class materials. At the bottom of your response, type your FIRST NAME and the FIRST INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Claudia Z.).
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Week Nine: Response 9.2
How does Levy frame Female Chauvinist Pigs and link
them to Tomming? Why draw
attention to this phenomenon?
Would you or someone you know fall under her definition? If so, how?
The term Female Chauvinist Pigs is defined as women who act to objectify themselves or other women to gain the favor of men/male culture. Many women interviewed explain their reasons for objectifying women using language of masculinity or femininity and stereotypes created and perpetuated by culture. Definitions of feminine and masculine are based on cultural perceptions and definitions. These women object the “girly-girl” who uses her body for male attention and view acting “like a man” as being “in on the joke” of sexism. Loophole women are women whose presence in a male dominated field supposedly shows the field is easy to penetrate. Loophole women may become Female Chauvinist Pigs in order to get ahead. Tomming comes from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and is defined as a person from a marginalized group who plays into her/his stereotypes in order to get ahead with the dominant group. These women and men/male culture critique their critics by claiming that the objectification of female bodies and profiting from it is not perpetuating more harmful stereotypes but instead say that others are being “too sensitive or are not open to sex etc.” like Sheila Nevins who produced an HBO douc-drama about strippers asking them about their jobs, their sexual practices away from their job, in between shots of their boobs and ass. In the article, Ariel Levy explains that women who want to be known as powerful have found it to be more beneficial for them to identify with men than to try and collectively raise the rest of the female sex with them. This woman is defined as being talented, powerful, unrelenting and is always described using masculine or male terms/ words to define them and many of these women do not have an issue with this, or care to that it does not help more women. Puts the accomplishments of the individual woman above other women and makes it seem that anyone can do it; loophole women. Also in defining power in this gendered way as masculine and less feminine makes it seem that the only way to be in touch and powerful to get ahead, have humor, etc. one must have inherent masculine features or act masculine. The importance of this phenomenon is to point out the issues with power and success continually being linked to societal notions of what is inherently masculine. Before I entered the University I was not as conscious of the double standard that surrounds the way most individuals are socialized that normalizes the way that we use passive language to critique women and their choices. This standard is based on rigid definitions of gender and what it means to “masculine” or “feminine”, that are created and defined by our society. Aurora S.
Levi describes Female Chauvinist Pigs as post-feminists who objectify themselves or other women to gain favor for men . Female Chauvinist pigs “acts like a man” to gain power from “one of the guys”. A Female Chauvinist Pig has a mindset of “why worry about disgusting or degrading when you could be getting- or giving a lapdance yourself?”. When I think of a Female Chauvinist Pig in today’s world, I think of celebrities such as Blac Chyna and Amber Rose who try to get brownie points by men by going to the strip club and “making it rain ones” on female strippers yet they date men not women. Most FCP’s disdain girly girls and say that they cannot relate to women being focused on their appearance all of the time. But, men seem to like girly girls so if a FCP wants to relate to a male, she must learn to enjoy looking at those types of women too. Nevins, an executive producer of G-string divas, can be seen as a loophole woman (she has a position of power in a male-dominated field) and a FCP. Once profiled as one of the “25 smartest women is America” Nevins was asked why she, a middle-aged-woman with a child- would make a show about strippers? Nevins responded, “You’re stalking fifties talk! Get with the program!” and the said, “I love the sex stuff, I love it! What’s the big deal?”. She too can be put in the same boat with Blac Chyna and Amber Rose who are trying to gain favor from men. FCP’s prefer to think of themselves out of the bounds of womanhood, instead of trying to reform other people’s perception about femininity. Female Chauvinist Pigs are not the only ones trying to ‘get ahead” with the dominant group. Tomming is used when a person from a marginalized group supports stereotypes to get ahead with the dominant group. Tomming comes from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and is used in black culture. When I think of the term tomming, I think of the actress Stacy Dash. She will constantly try to stereotype African Americans just to get ahead with the dominant group. We should draw attention to this phenomenon because it is good to point out that we still live in a time where people think that they need to sale their souls just to be accepted by the dominant culture. This shows that society still has issues with power and success being linked to white, heterosexual, masculinity. These people support the notion that there is a fixed, unchanging essence of being “white”/ “black” or “masculine”/ “feminine”. Little do FCP’s know, even if you are a woman who achieves the ultimate and becomes “like a man,” you will still always be like a woman. As long as womanhood is thought of as something to escape from, something less than manhood, you will always be thought of as less than too.
Female Chauvinist Pigs (FCP) uses their sexuality and their sex appeal as a form of power and strength. According to Levy, between FCP, acts like stripping no longer hold the stigma of being sex workers, but are rather women in control of the sexuality using it as a form of power against men. Playboy and the Girls Gone Wild franchise are often linked to behavior that of the male chauvinist pigs who want to view and objectify women and ogle at their bodies. Rarely were the women posing for centerfold or getting on the GGW bus looked at as empowering. However, as Ariel Levy points out, more and more women are beginning to adopt this "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality that has lead to many women becoming household names by using their sexual appeal to their advantage. Show like The Girls Next Door and celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith became household names because of women using sex appeal to their advantage. By them being okay with their bodies being on display, they were taking the power out of the man's hand and instead being empowered that they are sexual beings and in control of their own bodies. As noted in the book one woman questioned, "why throw your boyfriend's Playboy away in a freedom trash can when you could be parting at the Mansion?"
This can be problematic because it raises the issue if FCP are simply behaving like "one of the boys" because they have no other way to gain agency. Is putting your body out on display powerful, or is it just giving into the male gaze? FCP are now not only be objectified by men, they are now objectifying themselves. Are they being pin-ups just so they can get a leg up in society? Levy connects this need for approval and way of being to Tomming. Tomming refer to an old Uncle Tom's Cabin character that acted in a certain way that aligns with the stereotypes and clichés other (usually more powerful) place upon them. By behaving exactly the way a superior group expects, the character would receive praise and approval. This cycle only give the marginalized person a false sense of approval and often only perpetuates the very stereotype. Being a jester or acting the fool is not actual empowerment, Levy warns, its only proving the rule. The “Uncle Tom” who tries to impress others purposefully by giving into to stereotypes is not moving ahead.
While there are many examples of the loophole woman in pop culture who given into the male dominated field that support the stereotypes imposed on women, like Sarah Palin, personally even I have fallen into the Tomming (not so much a FCP) role several times. My sexual orientation often comes with many preconceived notions on how we should look and act. Sometimes I have noticed that when my behavior or attitude align with those types of clichés, I find I get stronger laughs from people. I tend to associate a stronger laughing response with approval from my peers and they therefore like me more. By acting the part and falling into this role, I realize I am only giving into the stereotypes and am, in fact, not getting ahead.
Levy defined the term Female Chauvinist Pigs (FCP) as females who objectify other females by copying the actions of male chauvinists; actions include going to strip clubs or reading playboy magazine. At the same time, levy noted that FCP also objectify themselves by dressing to social standards and expressing stereotypical traits in order to gain the approval of men.
The creation of FCP stems from their desire to be seen on an even playing field as their dominant male counterparts in term of social status. To do so, FCP act in what Levy calls ‘Tomming’, which refers to how slaves would imitate their owner’s behavior in hopes that their owners will connect with them through these characteristics and identify themselves in the slave. The act of identifying oneself in another helps create a connection to socially bond as equals. This concept is applied to FCP as they copy the act of objectifying other women while putting on a show for males.
Levy draws attention to this phenomenon because of the impact it has on social views. The culture of FCP have helped women climb the career ladder due to copying their male peer characteristics. But at the same time, it causes a division within females due to the competitive environment FCP culture produces. This has caused females to focus on individual action as opposed to the collective action message feminism uses to help forward progression in society.
In the article female chauvinist pigs, Levy Ariel sheds light on women becoming the chauvinist pigs as opposed to men. Women are beginning to not only remain objectified but also do the objectifying of other women. These are examples of loophole women tomming or acting obedient to men. As referred to uncle tom’s cabin. Woman are encouraged to objectify one another and themselves. This is linked to raunch culture. A loophole woman distinguishes herself from women who are excessively feminine (girly girls) and objectify those women these types pf woman read playboy, go to strip clubs and talk about porn stars. Woman take on this strategy to advance and elevate their status in a dominate group. These women take on male roles to gain success especially in the work place. In this case the dominate group is men, and the workplace. They turn into male chauvinistic pigs hence where the term female chauvinist’s pigs come from. A second strategy women take on is using their bodies to appeal to male desire to get what she wants. This further emphasizes stereotypes of female sexuality. There is also lipstick feminist that believe stripping is empowering they put on a show to attract men through they clothing or lack thereof and make up. They claim that this does not affect the goals of feminism. Bringing awareness to this phenomenon is crucial because it’s a real thing. Women are much harsher with each other judge and objectify one another. Not only is this a valid perspective brought to light but it also looks into the way women have to be in the real world to gain respect and equality. Reading this article one thing came to mind and that was women who are in predominantly male fields like woman police officers. Being in their profession they get judged and scrutinized by the way they act. They cannot be “soft therefore have to adapt to more “masculine” or male roles. They have to be part of the guys. My partner is a police officer he constantly tells me how his older fellow officers judge the woman in the department as not being cut out for the job without any actual factual evidence simply for being woman. Now given he says these comments come from more of the old almost retired cops who have different more old fashioned view of life however they still bother him because he considers himself a feminist. Being in this field he sees the unfair treatment of woman and how they must act a certain way like not be too friendly or they are looked at as flirty and the guys in charge talk about it. This is why this article has importance to the issues of what woman have to go through to advance in their careers. It’s sad but both men and women have to know why certain women are a certain way.
Levy starts by introducing Sheila Nevins on a particular day. She is apparently a very successful woman working for HBO. She was praised for being smart and great at making films. Levy then listed her long list of achievements and awards and showed her answers to questions at a celebratory brunch. A woman there that was there asked her why she would make a show about strippers considering she is a woman with a child. Nevins’ response was that it was what’s popular at the time and that she likes “the sex stuff.” The asker then asked why all the series’ about women have to be about sex or their bodies.
Nevins got annoyed and angrily replied that all good-looking women should be using their bodies to achieve success. Levy used this as her justification for calling Nevins a chauvinistic pig. She is someone who is loud and unapologetically degrades women to get out of feeling like a victim and gain brownie points with men. The female chauvinistic pigs also shun girly-girls and blame women for their own degrading occupations. Levy linked this to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s uncle Tom character because he was portrayed as a black man that was good like a white man. Tom, like the female chauvinist pigs, accepts his oppression and acts like his oppressors supposedly claim he acts as a means to gain favor. One uncle tom that comes to mind is the sheriff, David Clarke,who was widely praised by conservatives for his responses to several videos of clearly unjustified killing of African Americans by cops. He called Black Lives Matter movement disgusting, vile, and slimy and black lies matter. He also defended the murderers of Freddie Gray and Mike Brown. Just like fox news and other conservatives, he repeats the stupid non-argument: “what about black on black crime” and has never admitted that the police were in wrong. With his attitude, he helps bring down his own community and he has clearly benefitted greatly from it.
Levy frames a female chauvinist pig as an “urbane, articulate, extremely successful woman who sits on a high perch in the middle of the mainstream…She is post-feminist. She is funny. She gets it. She doesn’t mind cartoonish stereotypes of female sexuality and she doesn’t mind a cartoonishly macho response to them”(Levy2010:93). Levy links the male chauvinist to Tomming through their submissive and stereotypical roles. The slave ‘Tom’ from the famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered an honest man who would never disobey his owners or run from them. He strives to receive some sort of affection from his captors by remaining submissive and following orders. A close comparison to female chauvinist pigs, who also remain in submissive roles to men more powerful than them in the interest of getting ahead and making their way into the inner circle. But while trying to get ahead in the game by conforming, female chauvinist pigs become enslaved by the stereotypical image they project to others, “We are defined and ultimately define ourselves”(Levy2010:107). I believe she draws attention to this because if FCP’s chose to depict themselves as objects of extreme femininity that ultimately gain male attention by the use of their bodies or by acting like one of the guys by playing along and using old cartoonish depictions of how to act like a man to get ahead then so be it. As long as they know that in the long run this gives men permission to treat them accordingly to their portrayal of “Ditzy Big Boobs” or “One of the guys” and not a strong independent women who climbed the ladder by her own strength and determination. I feel like when I was younger and trying to find my place amongst my guy cousins and brother I acted as a FCP. I only had a few female cousins to hang out with and so I became one of the boys. This continued through high school, I made many female and male friends but still kept some of my FCP mentality. I would degrade girls with my guy friends by picking their attributes and their weaknesses. It wasn’t until senior year that I finally saw the error of my ways and quickly checked myself. -Susana H.
According to Levy, a Female Chauvinist Pig (FCP), is a woman who is willing to objectify herself, or other women, in order to gain favor with men. These women are framed as wanting to get ahead at the cost of compromising core feminist values. FCPs, as part of the post-feminist era, generally reject the girly girl persona because they do not identify with typical female standards of beauty. Yet, because men are interested in these types of women, they too must focus on and critique the girly girls. This is obviously problematic because the FCP is able to both perpetuate female stereotypes by participating in sexist humor or conversations that promote sexist themes, while also critiquing other women and oppressing them along with her male counterparts. This is what makes female chauvinism so interesting, it is self-imposed. Part of the freedoms granted by the new, modern, feminist movement is the ability to reject feminism. While I’m sure we would not agree with their views on the issue, I’m sure many loophole women or female chauvinists would say that they are contributing to feminism in their own way. The problem is the consequences of seeking social or corporate success by working against progress contributes to a drastic slowdown of the movement and works counter to feminism.
Tomming is based on a concept from the African American community. Taken as a reference from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the term refers to the self-imposed adopting of stereotyped behavior in order to gain acceptance or power from the dominant culture. Tomming is also applicable when we consider the FCP because she often participates in sexist behavior, perpetuating female stereotypes. The FCP validates the men in their stereotypical treatment of women and affirms their sexist beliefs. Turning oneself into a caricature of your own marginalized group may gain you acceptance by society, but there is another shoe that will drop. Perpetuating stereotypes ensures the continued oppression from white, heteronormative, patriarchal society.
I have seen examples of “Tomming” in my own life. I have found myself in situations in which I play into stereotypes of gay men in order to gain social acceptance. Sometimes, I find myself laughing at a joke that is disparaging towards a sexual minority in an attempt to seem in on the joke. This is similar to the “if you can’t beat them, join them” cliché that defines FCPs so accurately. In the moment, I always feel uncomfortable participating in humor that I know only harms my community. I try to justify it by minimizing the act or distancing myself from harm. Reading this article and returning to Uncle Tom’s Cabin have been a great reminder that we shouldn’t allow others to put us down, nor should we ever put ourselves down, to gain favor from anyone. If that is the cost, their favor is simply not worth it.
Levy frames Female Chauvinist Pigs as women who act to objectify themselves to gain the favor of men/male culture. These are women that find it easier to identify with men than try and built the entire female sex to where they are. These are women that want to “write like a man”, and saying things like “I have the biggest cock in the building!” We know that now a days in the world men are taking over they are the writers, editors, producers, etc. Very little females are in those powerful positions, a woman wanting to be “like a men” is not thinking much about sisterhood and how it is affecting us as a whole. We have women in the world that would much rather hang out with the guys then the girls. The females that are more masculine that hang with the guys have to now preform these different guy acts. They are not focused on femininity at all, those are not girly-girls the ones men like to go for. Female Chauvinist Pigs have to enjoy looking at girly-girls since they are now considered masculine. Levy is able to link Tomming and Female Chauvinist Pigs together, because in both cases you are thinking about what can be gained by “acting like” that higher group. Tomming is seen as you pushing aside your group of people to get ahead with the dominant group. Women are not uplifting other women but they want to make sure they are noticed by the male culture. It is like feeding our oppressor we know in fact that the male culture does not have our best interest at heart as women, but yet we admire them and put them up on a peddle stool. One of my friends fall under her definition, he will up lift the guys but talk down on women, she is feminist I would not say she is not. As much as she would like to see her women succeed she does not mind seeing them fail. She wants be in the group of the male culture and try hard to get ahead and laugh with the guys. This phenomenon needs to be drawn attention to because rather than making us women stronger are just breaking us apart piece by piece. It is showing the issue of everything being linked to masculinity. There are definitely double standards that are still effective today as talked in class about the passive language how everything seems to fall on the women. Men are always the victim, while women are look at as the bad group of people. Men are seeing as being one way and women are seen as being another way. You have women that like the masculine energy rather than being feminine. Thats the society we live in today, several issues being over looked.
A loophole woman is a Female Chauvinist Pig. She is not like other women rather she is more like a man and is often times difficult to describe without saying “like a man”. A FCP wants to gain power and favor, she often times does this through acting like and appealing to men. Rather than elevate the women around her she actively offends them to gain favor of the men she sees as powerful. She produces and participates in both her appeal and the offense of others to flaunt her coolness and mark herself as tougher. Women who go to strip clubs and drool over women to gain favor and fit in with men are FCP. The women who listen to Howard Stern and read Maxium magazine are FCP. This is a loophole woman. This is a FCP. FCPs don’t bother to question the criteria in which women are judged because they themselves are too busy judging them. The idea of Tomming originated from Uncle Tom, a creation of Stowe’s, who thoroughly accepts his oppression as a slave. He has completely internalized the system of which he is a victim and submits to this oppressive system and actively seeks the love of his oppressor who loves him in return. There are two forms of Tomming as a FCP: acting like a cartoon man who drools at women in strip clubs or brags about having the biggest cock in the building or acting like a cartoon women with big breasts and small clothes and expresses her sexuality by spinning around a pole. Tomming has existed historically and will continue to exist in this world. There were absolutely times in my past, when I had yet to learn about the hegemonic patriarchy that was at work, where I fell into these bad habits. There were times when I did go to the strip club to fit in with my fellow guy friends or read my guy friends Maxim magazines. It was funny reading this article and thinking back on the person I use to be and everything I have learned, gained and grown from WGSS. -Victoria L.
In Levy’s analysis, titled “Female Chauvinist Pigs,” she examines the concept of a female chauvinist pig, and the practice of tomming. She defines a “female chauvinist pig” to be a female that chooses to objectify herself or other women in order to get ahead or be more accepted in male culture. This can refer to women that attempt to “act like men” by trying to act masculine or participate in picking apart other women and proving how they aren’t like the other girls. It can also refer to women that play into the stereotypes of what the patriarchy expects women to act like. This second approach to being a female chauvinist pig is called tomming. This term comes from the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which touches upon the idea of black people playing into their stereotypes in order to get ahead in white culture. Clearly, Levy believes that women often take a similar approach to getting ahead in male culture. I think that Levy chose to draw attention to this, because women often don’t realize that they are participating in this type of behavior. I think Levy has the intent of encouraging women to be more critical of themselves and the behavior they are partaking in. One of my good friends has a tendency to fall under this category. She has been dating this guy for a little over a year, and hangs out with him and his friends a lot. I spent time with them once, and decided I wouldn’t do that again because I can’t stand how she acts around him and his friends. Her boyfriend and his friends always make jokes about how she isn’t smart, and she always plays into this reoccurring joke by pointing out “stupid” or “silly” things that she does. I think it is important for her that her boyfriend’s friends approve of her and like being around her, but I really wish she would go about it in a different way because she is really smart and deserves better.
Levy defines Female Chauvinist pigs (FCP) as women who objectify themselves or other women to gain favor from men. They are post feminist, and don’t mind cartoonish stereotypes of female sexuality, or cartoonishly macho responses to them. They ask, “Why try to beat them when you can join them?” and respond accordingly by being “one of the guys.” Levy discusses the idea of Loophole women, defines them as exceptions in male-dominated fields whose presence supposedly proves its penetrability, and talks about how they often are FCPs in order to maintain their power and get ahead in their careers. Levy provides examples of women like this including Nevins, the executive producer of the show G-strings Divas, as well as Judith Regan who is a feared and famous publishing executive, and who has been quoted saying “I have the biggest cock in the building” and who often refers to her detractors as “pussies.” Both of these women are powerful in their fields, and maintain their power by supporting and perpetuating the objectification of themselves and other women. Furthermore, they don’t have any problem with, and often take pride in exhibiting “manly” characteristics such being talented, powerful, and unrepentant.
The term “Tomming” comes from the character “Tom” in the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and it refers to conforming to someone else’s (someone more powerful), distorted notion of what you represent in order to get ahead in some way. FCPs are often guilty of “Tomming” because they are conforming to men’s ideas of what they represent in order to gain power. For example, they may have a segment at the end of their television show that shows women in tight clothes bouncing around on trampolines (such as on The Man Show). Women on this show defend it as “lighthearted fun” and something “that people like to watch,” instead of discussing how it is objectifying women.
In the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department we often learn about women who fall under this definition of a FCP. I think the greatest example of this comes from female celebrities like Miley Cyrus, who become famous by objectifying their bodies and the bodies of other women. Miley is especially known for doing this at the MTV VMA awards in 2013 when she came out on stage in a skimpy skin colored costume and preceded to smack other women’s behinds on stage. It’s important to draw attention to this phenomenon because as the article mentions, even if you are a woman who achieves the ultimate and becomes “like a man,” you will still always be like a woman, and as long as womanhood is thought of something to escape from, something less than manhood, you will always be thought of as less than too.
The term Female Chauvinist Pigs is defined as women who act to objectify themselves or other women to gain the favor of men/male culture. Many women interviewed explain their reasons for objectifying women using language of masculinity or femininity and stereotypes created and perpetuated by culture. Definitions of feminine and masculine are based on cultural perceptions and definitions. These women object the “girly-girl” who uses her body for male attention and view acting “like a man” as being “in on the joke” of sexism. Loophole women are women whose presence in a male dominated field supposedly shows the field is easy to penetrate. Loophole women may become Female Chauvinist Pigs in order to get ahead. Tomming comes from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and is defined as a person from a marginalized group who plays into her/his stereotypes in order to get ahead with the dominant group. These women and men/male culture critique their critics by claiming that the objectification of female bodies and profiting from it is not perpetuating more harmful stereotypes but instead say that others are being “too sensitive or are not open to sex etc.” like Sheila Nevins who produced an HBO douc-drama about strippers asking them about their jobs, their sexual practices away from their job, in between shots of their boobs and ass. In the article, Ariel Levy explains that women who want to be known as powerful have found it to be more beneficial for them to identify with men than to try and collectively raise the rest of the female sex with them. This woman is defined as being talented, powerful, unrelenting and is always described using masculine or male terms/ words to define them and many of these women do not have an issue with this, or care to that it does not help more women. Puts the accomplishments of the individual woman above other women and makes it seem that anyone can do it; loophole women. Also in defining power in this gendered way as masculine and less feminine makes it seem that the only way to be in touch and powerful to get ahead, have humor, etc. one must have inherent masculine features or act masculine.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of this phenomenon is to point out the issues with power and success continually being linked to societal notions of what is inherently masculine. Before I entered the University I was not as conscious of the double standard that surrounds the way most individuals are socialized that normalizes the way that we use passive language to critique women and their choices. This standard is based on rigid definitions of gender and what it means to “masculine” or “feminine”, that are created and defined by our society.
Aurora S.
ReplyDeleteLevi describes Female Chauvinist Pigs as post-feminists who objectify themselves or other women to gain favor for men . Female Chauvinist pigs “acts like a man” to gain power from “one of the guys”. A Female Chauvinist Pig has a mindset of “why worry about disgusting or degrading when you could be getting- or giving a lapdance yourself?”. When I think of a Female Chauvinist Pig in today’s world, I think of celebrities such as Blac Chyna and Amber Rose who try to get brownie points by men by going to the strip club and “making it rain ones” on female strippers yet they date men not women. Most FCP’s disdain girly girls and say that they cannot relate to women being focused on their appearance all of the time. But, men seem to like girly girls so if a FCP wants to relate to a male, she must learn to enjoy looking at those types of women too. Nevins, an executive producer of G-string divas, can be seen as a loophole woman (she has a position of power in a male-dominated field) and a FCP. Once profiled as one of the “25 smartest women is America” Nevins was asked why she, a middle-aged-woman with a child- would make a show about strippers? Nevins responded, “You’re stalking fifties talk! Get with the program!” and the said, “I love the sex stuff, I love it! What’s the big deal?”. She too can be put in the same boat with Blac Chyna and Amber Rose who are trying to gain favor from men. FCP’s prefer to think of themselves out of the bounds of womanhood, instead of trying to reform other people’s perception about femininity. Female Chauvinist Pigs are not the only ones trying to ‘get ahead” with the dominant group. Tomming is used when a person from a marginalized group supports stereotypes to get ahead with the dominant group. Tomming comes from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and is used in black culture. When I think of the term tomming, I think of the actress Stacy Dash. She will constantly try to stereotype African Americans just to get ahead with the dominant group. We should draw attention to this phenomenon because it is good to point out that we still live in a time where people think that they need to sale their souls just to be accepted by the dominant culture. This shows that society still has issues with power and success being linked to white, heterosexual, masculinity. These people support the notion that there is a fixed, unchanging essence of being “white”/ “black” or “masculine”/ “feminine”. Little do FCP’s know, even if you are a woman who achieves the ultimate and becomes “like a man,” you will still always be like a woman. As long as womanhood is thought of as something to escape from, something less than manhood, you will always be thought of as less than too.
Erika D.
Female Chauvinist Pigs (FCP) uses their sexuality and their sex appeal as a form of power and strength. According to Levy, between FCP, acts like stripping no longer hold the stigma of being sex workers, but are rather women in control of the sexuality using it as a form of power against men. Playboy and the Girls Gone Wild franchise are often linked to behavior that of the male chauvinist pigs who want to view and objectify women and ogle at their bodies. Rarely were the women posing for centerfold or getting on the GGW bus looked at as empowering. However, as Ariel Levy points out, more and more women are beginning to adopt this "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality that has lead to many women becoming household names by using their sexual appeal to their advantage. Show like The Girls Next Door and celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith became household names because of women using sex appeal to their advantage. By them being okay with their bodies being on display, they were taking the power out of the man's hand and instead being empowered that they are sexual beings and in control of their own bodies. As noted in the book one woman questioned, "why throw your boyfriend's Playboy away in a freedom trash can when you could be parting at the Mansion?"
ReplyDeleteThis can be problematic because it raises the issue if FCP are simply behaving like "one of the boys" because they have no other way to gain agency. Is putting your body out on display powerful, or is it just giving into the male gaze? FCP are now not only be objectified by men, they are now objectifying themselves. Are they being pin-ups just so they can get a leg up in society? Levy connects this need for approval and way of being to Tomming. Tomming refer to an old Uncle Tom's Cabin character that acted in a certain way that aligns with the stereotypes and clichés other (usually more powerful) place upon them. By behaving exactly the way a superior group expects, the character would receive praise and approval. This cycle only give the marginalized person a false sense of approval and often only perpetuates the very stereotype. Being a jester or acting the fool is not actual empowerment, Levy warns, its only proving the rule. The “Uncle Tom” who tries to impress others purposefully by giving into to stereotypes is not moving ahead.
While there are many examples of the loophole woman in pop culture who given into the male dominated field that support the stereotypes imposed on women, like Sarah Palin, personally even I have fallen into the Tomming (not so much a FCP) role several times. My sexual orientation often comes with many preconceived notions on how we should look and act. Sometimes I have noticed that when my behavior or attitude align with those types of clichés, I find I get stronger laughs from people. I tend to associate a stronger laughing response with approval from my peers and they therefore like me more. By acting the part and falling into this role, I realize I am only giving into the stereotypes and am, in fact, not getting ahead.
Steven G.
Levy defined the term Female Chauvinist Pigs (FCP) as females who objectify other females by copying the actions of male chauvinists; actions include going to strip clubs or reading playboy magazine. At the same time, levy noted that FCP also objectify themselves by dressing to social standards and expressing stereotypical traits in order to gain the approval of men.
ReplyDeleteThe creation of FCP stems from their desire to be seen on an even playing field as their dominant male counterparts in term of social status. To do so, FCP act in what Levy calls ‘Tomming’, which refers to how slaves would imitate their owner’s behavior in hopes that their owners will connect with them through these characteristics and identify themselves in the slave. The act of identifying oneself in another helps create a connection to socially bond as equals. This concept is applied to FCP as they copy the act of objectifying other women while putting on a show for males.
Levy draws attention to this phenomenon because of the impact it has on social views. The culture of FCP have helped women climb the career ladder due to copying their male peer characteristics. But at the same time, it causes a division within females due to the competitive environment FCP culture produces. This has caused females to focus on individual action as opposed to the collective action message feminism uses to help forward progression in society.
Tommy L.
In the article female chauvinist pigs, Levy Ariel sheds light on women becoming the chauvinist pigs as opposed to men. Women are beginning to not only remain objectified but also do the objectifying of other women. These are examples of loophole women tomming or acting obedient to men. As referred to uncle tom’s cabin. Woman are encouraged to objectify one another and themselves. This is linked to raunch culture. A loophole woman distinguishes herself from women who are excessively feminine (girly girls) and objectify those women these types pf woman read playboy, go to strip clubs and talk about porn stars. Woman take on this strategy to advance and elevate their status in a dominate group. These women take on male roles to gain success especially in the work place. In this case the dominate group is men, and the workplace. They turn into male chauvinistic pigs hence where the term female chauvinist’s pigs come from. A second strategy women take on is using their bodies to appeal to male desire to get what she wants. This further emphasizes stereotypes of female sexuality. There is also lipstick feminist that believe stripping is empowering they put on a show to attract men through they clothing or lack thereof and make up. They claim that this does not affect the goals of feminism. Bringing awareness to this phenomenon is crucial because it’s a real thing. Women are much harsher with each other judge and objectify one another. Not only is this a valid perspective brought to light but it also looks into the way women have to be in the real world to gain respect and equality. Reading this article one thing came to mind and that was women who are in predominantly male fields like woman police officers. Being in their profession they get judged and scrutinized by the way they act. They cannot be “soft therefore have to adapt to more “masculine” or male roles. They have to be part of the guys. My partner is a police officer he constantly tells me how his older fellow officers judge the woman in the department as not being cut out for the job without any actual factual evidence simply for being woman. Now given he says these comments come from more of the old almost retired cops who have different more old fashioned view of life however they still bother him because he considers himself a feminist. Being in this field he sees the unfair treatment of woman and how they must act a certain way like not be too friendly or they are looked at as flirty and the guys in charge talk about it. This is why this article has importance to the issues of what woman have to go through to advance in their careers. It’s sad but both men and women have to know why certain women are a certain way.
ReplyDeleteJennyfer A.
Levy starts by introducing Sheila Nevins on a particular day. She is apparently a very successful woman working for HBO. She was praised for being smart and great at making films. Levy then listed her long list of achievements and awards and showed her answers to questions at a celebratory brunch. A woman there that was there asked her why she would make a show about strippers considering she is a woman with a child. Nevins’ response was that it was what’s popular at the time and that she likes “the sex stuff.” The asker then asked why all the series’ about women have to be about sex or their bodies.
ReplyDeleteNevins got annoyed and angrily replied that all good-looking women should be using their bodies to achieve success. Levy used this as her justification for calling Nevins a chauvinistic pig. She is someone who is loud and unapologetically degrades women to get out of feeling like a victim and gain brownie points with men. The female chauvinistic pigs also shun girly-girls and blame women for their own degrading occupations. Levy linked this to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s uncle Tom character because he was portrayed as a black man that was good like a white man. Tom, like the female chauvinist pigs, accepts his oppression and acts like his oppressors supposedly claim he acts as a means to gain favor.
One uncle tom that comes to mind is the sheriff, David Clarke,who was widely praised by conservatives for his responses to several videos of clearly unjustified killing of African Americans by cops. He called Black Lives Matter movement disgusting, vile, and slimy and black lies matter. He also defended the murderers of Freddie Gray and Mike Brown. Just like fox news and other conservatives, he repeats the stupid non-argument: “what about black on black crime” and has never admitted that the police were in wrong. With his attitude, he helps bring down his own community and he has clearly benefitted greatly from it.
-Nikko A.
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ReplyDeleteLevy frames a female chauvinist pig as an “urbane, articulate, extremely successful woman who sits on a high perch in the middle of the mainstream…She is post-feminist. She is funny. She gets it. She doesn’t mind cartoonish stereotypes of female sexuality and she doesn’t mind a cartoonishly macho response to them”(Levy2010:93). Levy links the male chauvinist to Tomming through their submissive and stereotypical roles. The slave ‘Tom’ from the famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered an honest man who would never disobey his owners or run from them. He strives to receive some sort of affection from his captors by remaining submissive and following orders. A close comparison to female chauvinist pigs, who also remain in submissive roles to men more powerful than them in the interest of getting ahead and making their way into the inner circle. But while trying to get ahead in the game by conforming, female chauvinist pigs become enslaved by the stereotypical image they project to others, “We are defined and ultimately define ourselves”(Levy2010:107). I believe she draws attention to this because if FCP’s chose to depict themselves as objects of extreme femininity that ultimately gain male attention by the use of their bodies or by acting like one of the guys by playing along and using old cartoonish depictions of how to act like a man to get ahead then so be it. As long as they know that in the long run this gives men permission to treat them accordingly to their portrayal of “Ditzy Big Boobs” or “One of the guys” and not a strong independent women who climbed the ladder by her own strength and determination.
ReplyDeleteI feel like when I was younger and trying to find my place amongst my guy cousins and brother I acted as a FCP. I only had a few female cousins to hang out with and so I became one of the boys. This continued through high school, I made many female and male friends but still kept some of my FCP mentality. I would degrade girls with my guy friends by picking their attributes and their weaknesses. It wasn’t until senior year that I finally saw the error of my ways and quickly checked myself.
-Susana H.
According to Levy, a Female Chauvinist Pig (FCP), is a woman who is willing to objectify herself, or other women, in order to gain favor with men. These women are framed as wanting to get ahead at the cost of compromising core feminist values. FCPs, as part of the post-feminist era, generally reject the girly girl persona because they do not identify with typical female standards of beauty. Yet, because men are interested in these types of women, they too must focus on and critique the girly girls. This is obviously problematic because the FCP is able to both perpetuate female stereotypes by participating in sexist humor or conversations that promote sexist themes, while also critiquing other women and oppressing them along with her male counterparts. This is what makes female chauvinism so interesting, it is self-imposed. Part of the freedoms granted by the new, modern, feminist movement is the ability to reject feminism. While I’m sure we would not agree with their views on the issue, I’m sure many loophole women or female chauvinists would say that they are contributing to feminism in their own way. The problem is the consequences of seeking social or corporate success by working against progress contributes to a drastic slowdown of the movement and works counter to feminism.
ReplyDeleteTomming is based on a concept from the African American community. Taken as a reference from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the term refers to the self-imposed adopting of stereotyped behavior in order to gain acceptance or power from the dominant culture. Tomming is also applicable when we consider the FCP because she often participates in sexist behavior, perpetuating female stereotypes. The FCP validates the men in their stereotypical treatment of women and affirms their sexist beliefs. Turning oneself into a caricature of your own marginalized group may gain you acceptance by society, but there is another shoe that will drop. Perpetuating stereotypes ensures the continued oppression from white, heteronormative, patriarchal society.
I have seen examples of “Tomming” in my own life. I have found myself in situations in which I play into stereotypes of gay men in order to gain social acceptance. Sometimes, I find myself laughing at a joke that is disparaging towards a sexual minority in an attempt to seem in on the joke. This is similar to the “if you can’t beat them, join them” cliché that defines FCPs so accurately. In the moment, I always feel uncomfortable participating in humor that I know only harms my community. I try to justify it by minimizing the act or distancing myself from harm. Reading this article and returning to Uncle Tom’s Cabin have been a great reminder that we shouldn’t allow others to put us down, nor should we ever put ourselves down, to gain favor from anyone. If that is the cost, their favor is simply not worth it.
Jeremy F.
Levy frames Female Chauvinist Pigs as women who act to objectify themselves to gain the favor of men/male culture. These are women that find it easier to identify with men than try and built the entire female sex to where they are. These are women that want to “write like a man”, and saying things like “I have the biggest cock in the building!” We know that now a days in the world men are taking over they are the writers, editors, producers, etc. Very little females are in those powerful positions, a woman wanting to be “like a men” is not thinking much about sisterhood and how it is affecting us as a whole. We have women in the world that would much rather hang out with the guys then the girls. The females that are more masculine that hang with the guys have to now preform these different guy acts. They are not focused on femininity at all, those are not girly-girls the ones men like to go for. Female Chauvinist Pigs have to enjoy looking at girly-girls since they are now considered masculine. Levy is able to link Tomming and Female Chauvinist Pigs together, because in both cases you are thinking about what can be gained by “acting like” that higher group. Tomming is seen as you pushing aside your group of people to get ahead with the dominant group. Women are not uplifting other women but they want to make sure they are noticed by the male culture. It is like feeding our oppressor we know in fact that the male culture does not have our best interest at heart as women, but yet we admire them and put them up on a peddle stool. One of my friends fall under her definition, he will up lift the guys but talk down on women, she is feminist I would not say she is not. As much as she would like to see her women succeed she does not mind seeing them fail. She wants be in the group of the male culture and try hard to get ahead and laugh with the guys.
ReplyDeleteThis phenomenon needs to be drawn attention to because rather than making us women stronger are just breaking us apart piece by piece. It is showing the issue of everything being linked to masculinity. There are definitely double standards that are still effective today as talked in class about the passive language how everything seems to fall on the women. Men are always the victim, while women are look at as the bad group of people. Men are seeing as being one way and women are seen as being another way. You have women that like the masculine energy rather than being feminine. Thats the society we live in today, several issues being over looked.
Roshandra S.
A loophole woman is a Female Chauvinist Pig. She is not like other women rather she is more like a man and is often times difficult to describe without saying “like a man”. A FCP wants to gain power and favor, she often times does this through acting like and appealing to men. Rather than elevate the women around her she actively offends them to gain favor of the men she sees as powerful. She produces and participates in both her appeal and the offense of others to flaunt her coolness and mark herself as tougher. Women who go to strip clubs and drool over women to gain favor and fit in with men are FCP. The women who listen to Howard Stern and read Maxium magazine are FCP. This is a loophole woman. This is a FCP. FCPs don’t bother to question the criteria in which women are judged because they themselves are too busy judging them.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of Tomming originated from Uncle Tom, a creation of Stowe’s, who thoroughly accepts his oppression as a slave. He has completely internalized the system of which he is a victim and submits to this oppressive system and actively seeks the love of his oppressor who loves him in return. There are two forms of Tomming as a FCP: acting like a cartoon man who drools at women in strip clubs or brags about having the biggest cock in the building or acting like a cartoon women with big breasts and small clothes and expresses her sexuality by spinning around a pole. Tomming has existed historically and will continue to exist in this world.
There were absolutely times in my past, when I had yet to learn about the hegemonic patriarchy that was at work, where I fell into these bad habits. There were times when I did go to the strip club to fit in with my fellow guy friends or read my guy friends Maxim magazines. It was funny reading this article and thinking back on the person I use to be and everything I have learned, gained and grown from WGSS.
-Victoria L.
In Levy’s analysis, titled “Female Chauvinist Pigs,” she examines the concept of a female chauvinist pig, and the practice of tomming. She defines a “female chauvinist pig” to be a female that chooses to objectify herself or other women in order to get ahead or be more accepted in male culture. This can refer to women that attempt to “act like men” by trying to act masculine or participate in picking apart other women and proving how they aren’t like the other girls. It can also refer to women that play into the stereotypes of what the patriarchy expects women to act like. This second approach to being a female chauvinist pig is called tomming. This term comes from the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which touches upon the idea of black people playing into their stereotypes in order to get ahead in white culture. Clearly, Levy believes that women often take a similar approach to getting ahead in male culture.
ReplyDeleteI think that Levy chose to draw attention to this, because women often don’t realize that they are participating in this type of behavior. I think Levy has the intent of encouraging women to be more critical of themselves and the behavior they are partaking in.
One of my good friends has a tendency to fall under this category. She has been dating this guy for a little over a year, and hangs out with him and his friends a lot. I spent time with them once, and decided I wouldn’t do that again because I can’t stand how she acts around him and his friends. Her boyfriend and his friends always make jokes about how she isn’t smart, and she always plays into this reoccurring joke by pointing out “stupid” or “silly” things that she does. I think it is important for her that her boyfriend’s friends approve of her and like being around her, but I really wish she would go about it in a different way because she is really smart and deserves better.
Claire C.
Levy defines Female Chauvinist pigs (FCP) as women who objectify themselves or other women to gain favor from men. They are post feminist, and don’t mind cartoonish stereotypes of female sexuality, or cartoonishly macho responses to them. They ask, “Why try to beat them when you can join them?” and respond accordingly by being “one of the guys.” Levy discusses the idea of Loophole women, defines them as exceptions in male-dominated fields whose presence supposedly proves its penetrability, and talks about how they often are FCPs in order to maintain their power and get ahead in their careers. Levy provides examples of women like this including Nevins, the executive producer of the show G-strings Divas, as well as Judith Regan who is a feared and famous publishing executive, and who has been quoted saying “I have the biggest cock in the building” and who often refers to her detractors as “pussies.” Both of these women are powerful in their fields, and maintain their power by supporting and perpetuating the objectification of themselves and other women. Furthermore, they don’t have any problem with, and often take pride in exhibiting “manly” characteristics such being talented, powerful, and unrepentant.
ReplyDeleteThe term “Tomming” comes from the character “Tom” in the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and it refers to conforming to someone else’s (someone more powerful), distorted notion of what you represent in order to get ahead in some way. FCPs are often guilty of “Tomming” because they are conforming to men’s ideas of what they represent in order to gain power. For example, they may have a segment at the end of their television show that shows women in tight clothes bouncing around on trampolines (such as on The Man Show). Women on this show defend it as “lighthearted fun” and something “that people like to watch,” instead of discussing how it is objectifying women.
In the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department we often learn about women who fall under this definition of a FCP. I think the greatest example of this comes from female celebrities like Miley Cyrus, who become famous by objectifying their bodies and the bodies of other women. Miley is especially known for doing this at the MTV VMA awards in 2013 when she came out on stage in a skimpy skin colored costume and preceded to smack other women’s behinds on stage. It’s important to draw attention to this phenomenon because as the article mentions, even if you are a woman who achieves the ultimate and becomes “like a man,” you will still always be like a woman, and as long as womanhood is thought of something to escape from, something less than manhood, you will always be thought of as less than too.
-Hyla R.