Week 9: Feminist Theory

Week 9:Feminist Theory
Jackie Clark

This week's readings were very interesting, and I connected with them in a personal way. As a feminist, who did my undergrad work from 89-93, and master's from 93-95 (with a feminism minor), I see the changes in the movement and theory from those years. As described in the reading, there are distinct schools of feminist thought, and all respond to both immediate need and experimentation. In each chronological era (like first wave, second wave, third wave) women are trying to change social structures which is a response to immediate need and create new theory. I think after hundreds, if not thousands of years of patriarchy and subordination in most cultures, it's taking decades of work to uncover and position women in a new social structure. "Unpacking" the complex relations of women to society, women to men, women to women, women to work, etc...is requiring a kind of intersectionality that has not been seen before. And with each new movement, critique, theory, or social change comes a backlash or push-back from every side. You could almost summarize it simply as "damned if you do, damned if you don't." Reading the chapters on feminist theory, separated by 25 years' time provides an interesting comparison. Much of the foundational feminist thought remains intact, with the biggest change today being a recognition of intersectional work. Although, Agger never actually uses the term, which is interesting. Agger's chapter does a good job of historicizing feminism, showing the variety of work from the past, and elucidating different viewpoints. It really captures the complexity in understanding the many sides of feminist theory.

Gill's article about feminism and advertising was helpful in showing, through something we encounter every day, how deeply feminism is a part of life. Our pop culture society thrives on advertising, a deceptive and historically misogynist part of life. Feminist researchers could reconstruct this type of study in a hundred different ways, there is so much variety in the ways women (and others) are manipulated by advertising. It's been around so long, that it holds great power in how we see the world, and shapes our culture. And since it has been controlled by male agencies for decades, it's easy to see that almost all advertising is from the viewpoint of the male or male gaze. I think this, and the economic motivation of advertising in general was missing from the discussion. Or at least acknowledged. Only since women have become consumers are companies interested in selling us products and are using deeply disturbing ways of doing so. Actually, teens have the biggest spending power these days, so it's not suprising that my 13 year old "neice" wants to wear Victoria's Secret bras and is already quite clear on the kind of image she thinks she needs as a young woman. I could go on for days about being 44, unmarried, without children, and what that has meant for my life. I have conversations weekly navigating this space in a society that still has a hard time understanding why I am OK! Or why I have to reinforce with my female friends that feminism is not an angry world (mostly) but based on the idea that women need support and belonging and how can we not do that for each other?? They are hesitant to use the word because MEN don't like it. They can't claim any power in thier gender, through a simple word, because despite the fact that they are scholars, and scientists, and mothers, and wives, and partners, and coaches...they still don't want to "get into it" with the men that give them grief.

I should stop now, I am straying from the theoretical work a bit, but I am passionate about being feminist, in ALL it's forms, and wish after more than half a century, some of these conversations were resolved.