Identities: applying feminism

Media Factsheet #86 Applying Feminism

1) What are the five types of feminism outlined on the first page of the Factsheet?

Radical Feminism 

This type of feminism sees the cause of women’s oppression as men. It assumes that men deliberately exploit women as this benefits them. One of the main aims of this theory is to address concerns over violence against women, especially in sexual relationships.

Liberal Feminism

This type of feminism is mainly concerned with gender socialisation in order to show that gender roles are not biologically determined. The main aim of this type of feminism is to change the ways children are socialised into stereotypical gender roles and to attempt to change social policy to improve the position of women within the family.

Marxist-Feminism

This feminist approach looks at women’s oppression in relation to capitalism and the class system. One of the aims of this type of feminism is to look at the role of domestic labour within capitalism, namely that women work in the home for ‘free’, and the role women play in producing the next generation of the labour force.

Black Feminism 

This approach is primarily concerned with black and Asian women’s experiences of oppression and exploitation. It combines ideas about capitalism, patriarchy and anti-racism.

Postmodern Feminism 

This type of feminism is associated with third wave feminists. It acknowledges the diversity amongst women and encourages individual women to find feminist ideas that combine with their own experiences of life to create a brand of feminism suitable for them.

2) Which category would Judith Butler fit into? What about Angela McRobbie? Laura Bates and Everyday Sexism? Explain your answers.

Judith Butler: Butlers theory fits into the concept of liberal feminism. Butlers theory states that gender roles are a social construct, similarly to liberal feminism which states that children are socialised into stereotypical gender roles. 

Angela McRobbie: McRobbie theory fits into the postmodern form of feminism, as she argues that the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.

Laura Bates (Everyday Sexism): 

3) What was the difference between suffragists and suffragettes? Which approach do you agree with?

The suffragists could be argued to have been liberal feminists. They aimed to achieve gender equality through moderate, peaceful and lawful means. On the other hand, the suffragettes were more radical feminists. Some women felt that the NUWSS were not making enough progress quickly enough so they formed abreakaway group called the Women’s Social and Political Union.They were not afraid to useful violence as they strongly believed in what they fought for. 

4) What was Laura Mulvey's argument regarding Hollywood film? Do you agree with it? Why?

Laura Mulvey claims that the cinematography of classic Hollywood films objectifies women. Mulvey argues that the camera, which represents the male gaze 'looks’ at women in an objectifying manner which presents them as no more than a desirable sexual object. The male gaze theory states that women are either viewed in a ‘voyeuristic’ way which portrays women as ‘whores’, or in a ‘fetishistic’ way which makes women desirable as virgins. I agree with this theory as women are often objectified in major blockbuster films for the sake of the male audience but I also agree with some critics arguments that women can enjoy watching films from a male perspective.

5) Watch this YouTube video extract on Jean Kilbourne's Killing Us Softly series and list five examples she gives of the media objectifying women:

• 1989 - Oprah Winfreys head put on Anne Margarets body for a TV guide cover
• Beyonce's L'oreal advert
• Womens bodies being dismembered in ads - Eva Herzigova ad 1990's
• Glamour magazine
• Beauty knows no pain advert

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6) What is Killbourne's argument regarding the representation of women in advertising?

Killbourne argues that the advertising industry reinforces the idea that a woman's most important aspect is how she looks. Advertisers surround us with the image of ideal female beauty, women as a result of their subconscious feel the need to spend enormous amounts of time energy and money striving to achieve these looks and feeling ashamed and guilty when they fail. The beauty ideal is based on absolute flawlessness, which no one can ever achieve or look like let alone the model. Airbrushing cosmetic procedures and computer retouching create a division between how a real woman. According to studies, as a result men judge "real "women more. Additionally, Killbourne also discusses how advertising does not cater to women of colour, and how advertising uses the of objectification of women to sell. 

7) What is Naomi Wolf's argument in The Beauty Myth?

Wolf's argues that as a result of the increase in social power and prominence of women in society, pressure to feel the need adhere to unrealistic social standards of physical beauty have grown stronger. The unrealistic portrayal of women in advertisments have had a negative influence on the mass female audience.The pressure from these adverts have lead to unhealthy behaviors by women and a preoccupation with appearance in both sexes, as women desire to look like those in adverts while men judge real women for not looking like them.

8) Why is the representation of women in music videos a controversial topic for feminists?

The representation of women in music videos is a controversial topic for feminists because women are mostly in music videos to be objectified by being portrayed as nothing more than sexual objects. Yet on the other hand, some feminists believe that the sexualisation of women can be used as an empowering tool in society as presented through the third-wave of feminism during the 90's, This contrasts the previous societal standard of women in the past. 

9) What is your view of female artists such as Nicki Minaj or Beyonce - do they empower women or reinforce sexist, patriarchal views?

I believe artists such as Nicki Minaj and Beyonce do empower women as they have been successful in the male dominated music industry. However, I also do believe that in some of their music videos they do reinforce sexist patriarchal views as they unintentionally portray a subordinate and male dependent image. 

10) Has new and digital media given women an opportunity to challenge sexist views or is it simply another media platform for women to be oppressed? Explain your view.

I believe that new and digital media has given women an opportunity to challenge sexist views as it has provided a platform for the fourth-wave of feminism to emerge. Women are now more engaged in fighting against oppression and challenging sexist views on social media platforms such as Twitter.