Critical Feminist Studies 2013

There has been a lot of hype recently about Lily Allen's latest song, Hard Out There. It makes quite a bold statement about the objectification and hypersexualization of women in media and music. Some people absolutely love the song, and some are horribly dissappointed.

Here is a really interesting article from Scarleteen that addresses why the music video can be interpreted as quite controversial and insulting (especially with regard to racism and slut-shaming:

http://www.scarleteen.com/blog/cecilia/2013/11/14/decoding_sex_in_the_media_how_lily_allens_hard_out_here_sadly_missed_the_mar 

In case you haven't seen the video, it's definitely worth a watch! You can check it out here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0CazRHB0so

P.s. Check out ari_hall's post too! 

we discussed the idea of power feminism when we lined up and talked about bell hooks' Feminism is for Everybody. I'm still having a hard time fully grasping the concept of it, power has always had a very patriarchal connotation. Someone in a position of power has the right to monitor and regulate what you do. Does buying into this idea of power and control mean buying into the patriarchy? bell hooks discussed the idea that when women want what men have, they are feeding the patriarchy and subscribing to that standard. The idea of power feminism seems to take a negative spin on what feminism boils down to. 

I thought it was interesting that in class on Thursday we came to conclusion that Heidi Hartmann was a power feminist.  I didn’t realize this at the time but one of the questions I had brought with me to Tuesday’s class challenges this idea of power feminism.  I was really intrigued my the family first economic policy that would allow for families with newborn children to take time off of work to care for the child without losing a significant amount of compensation.  What Hartmann failed to address was how a company would maintain the same level of productivity.  Would staff members who are single and without a family have to work extra hours? Would they receive extra compensation for those added hours? Maybe this is a prime example of normative time and requirements for productivity but this seems like a flaw in this economic plan that’s striving for leveling the playing field between men and women.  After Thursday’s class and our defining of the term ‘power feminist,’ I realized that this economic plan attempts to create equality by placing an unwarranted burden others who may or may not have the same familial complications. 

When I imagine power feminism I get an image of a woman finding a rope to climb up in society and then once she reaches the top, cuts the cord. To me it is also denying the struggles of other women, the idea that if I made it in this current system that there is no need to change the way things are. Even though it means fewer women can reach the top. At the same time I think that power feminists tend to be the ones we look up to. The ones that are not defined by gender and have succeeded in a patriarchal system. Some of these power feminists are the women who inspire other women to believe it is possible to achieve in this system. It can be inspirational and help change perceptions about gender when there are strong women in high positions but if she is getting there by putting down other women I’m not sure if it can be called feminism. Is power feminism ever a positive thing for other women?

I was going to make a post about "Freedom's Silences" in Edgework by Wendy Brown, until this article came up on my facebook newsfeed. It's a really great read! It is entitled "Your Silence Will Not Protect You" It opens with how when we are young we are told to simply ignore the hateful comments people make towards us about who we are. Then the author makes this statement "I decided that I wasn’t going to be sorry for standing for what was right – that I wasn’t going to be sorry anymore." We cannot live our lives being silent we are opressed and put down by others. Being silent will not change things. I agree that being silent does have its place and in certain circumstances it can be effective, and even powerful, but when one is attacked head-on, one cannot be silent! We have to defend and stand up for ourselves. Calling others out on their actions may be hard, it may be uncomfortable, but we have to do it. We cannot live our lives in a comfort zone when other attack us. If we chose to be silent when we are openly attacked, we accept the attacker as more powerful and/or correct. We have to speak up. "We must be held accountable for our voices, but we must also be held accountable for our silence." I am all for choice. We are all independent indivduals who have the right to make a choice. But we must accept the consequences of our choices. We must accept the consequences if we choose to be silent.

Lilly Allen’s new music video Hard Out Here has gotten a lot of buzz in the media. After watching the video very closely and then reading the lyrics I’ve been debating with myself whether or not this video is feminist or not. The message that Lilly is trying to give off in the video is extremely powerful. She is encouraging women to be independent and get through barriers that are set in front of them solely because of their gender. She’s also touching on the double standard presented to in society.   All those points she’s tying to touch on are powerful but who is she speaking for? As she states in the beginning of the video “Don't need to shake my ass for you/cause I’ve got a brain” but she has 5-8 other women shaking their ass and touching their crotch. They’re all half naked while she’s fully clothed. She’s continually referring to women as “bitchs” in her video. We can’t possibly expect men to treat us any differently if we are treating ourselves this way. How can one combat this negative stereotype about women being objects if in the video women are objects. Did she really need to zoom into the butts and show women hyper sexualized to prove a point? Have we gotten this bad in society that we now need to have women half naked to listen? This video doesn't just make me question the white supremacy but feminism it self. Who is feminism fighting for? White women? Women of color? Both? 

so there has been this new video by Lily Allen circulating the mass media. When i fist saw it i thought "what in the world did i just watch", then after listening to the lyrics i was like "oh wow, you go girl! being all feminist", then i watched it again and read some articles and i am have to say, why doesnt her feminism include black women? is she a power feminist??

Here was an interesting perspective on her performance and song that I really like: 

http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2013/11/13/easy-white-bitch-words-lily-allens-new-video/

Near the end of class today when Anne asked us to discuss whether feminism was for everybody, my immediate response was, "YES. ABSOLUTELY." Sexism and patriarchy affects everyone of all different genders in our society, and sometimes people who are unaware of the issues don't realize that. I remember in high school when I was still a budding feminist without much background, I often would get into arguments with classmates about feminism, but when people began to talk about issues men faced and how sexism against men exists, I really didn't know how to intelligently counter the argument, though I knew it was wrong. Unfortunately, the way I felt then is probably the way most people in today's society feel because they are not exposed to the idea that patriarchy affects everyone, including men. That's why I loved bell hooks' definition of feminism: "feminism is the movement to end sexism." Plain and simple. Sexism can rear its ugly head in so many different ways, and it's often not recognized as such. The idea that only men must sign up for the U.S. military draft? Patriarchy teaches us that women are weak and fragile and must be protected. Sexism. The fact that men are more likely to lose custody of children in divorce cases? Patriarchy teaches us that women are better nurturers and care-givers than men and child-rearing is women's work. Sexism. The idea that men cannot show emotions or dress in feminine styles? Patriarchy teaches us that feelings and feminine clothing are women's things, and god forbid men degrade themselves by expressing feminine qualities. Sexism.