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The "Feminism and Pop Culture " conference: Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

rosie1.jpgCate is almost done ranting and shares with us her final conclusions about the FWSA's "Feminism and Pop Culture" conference...

By the end of Friday's speeches I felt more than a little preached at, and as if I should be apologizing for being born after 1970. I also felt as though I should head straight to Boots for some makeup remover, and perhaps ask around for the the name of a good plastic surgeon to help me get a new, less socially acceptable face.

While the FWSA have truly genuine intentions, their posters declaring that "Whatever your Feminism, you'll find growing networks or dedicated researchers and activists with membership in the Feminst and Women's Studies Association" is a bit bullshit. It would be one thing if it was an association exclusive to scholars or professors, but it's not. "Whatever your feminism..." To be perfectly honest, the whole conference came off a bit elitist.

Perhaps I chose the wrong sessions to go to, or had too high of expectations. But yet, after nearly a weeks reflection, I really don't think that's the case. I went in with an open mind, and was left feeling like I could never be feminist enough for almost all of the women in that room.

Yvonne Tasker, another keynote speaker, explained how the military spends unbelievable amounts of time and effort in designing the female soldiers uniforms to look just the right amount of "feminine" (read: just the right amount of breast), and I couldn't help but wonder how the second wavers seemed to have a problem with female soldiers being made to hide their curves, yet think a young feminist doing anything other than taping down her chest, and, god forbid, showing a bit of cleavage, is exploitive.

I've heard the argument way too many times that young feminists who buy makeup, read women's magazines, and go shopping, are buying into the institutions that want to keep women in subservient roles. As one Dollymix commenter said, "So, how is your perusal of those magazines or your shopping in those fashionable boutiques challenging that?" Generalize much?

Not all of us who "shop", are buying Dior or Kate Moss for Topshop, or are even shopping in "fashionable boutiques". We're not obsessing in front of the mirror and telling ourselves we're ugly, just because we're putting on makeup. (Or trying to look like Barbie, for that matter.) We're not eating salads or drinking water because we're anorexic, or throwing up our meals afterwards. I don't have gym membership because I think I'm not worthy of love, unless I'm a size 4. I do it to stay mentally and physically healthy because HEY! endorphins are good for you. Not all of us who do things that "don't challenge women's roles", are idiots, or don't know what we're doing.

I know why I wear makeup. I know why I've dieted in the past, and I know why I've stopped. Just because many feminists my age enjoy high heels and lipstick, doesn't mean that we're not doing a TON of positive things for feminism along the way. If anything, we're not stupid, and just because we're doing something that other feminist , or men, disagree with, doesn't make us wrong, and it doesn't mean that you "know better" than us.

People and "real" feminist generalizing and saying that feminist who wear makeup, shop, and read magazines aren't challenging the institutions that want to keep women subservient, are dead fucking wrong. Wrong because it suggests that we're just blindly going through our lives and aren't making informed decisions; wrong as it just further perpetuates female stereotypes, and stereotypes about feminists.

But I guess if we're not being subservient to the likes of Cosmopolitan and Girls Gone Wild, our only other option would be to pigeon hole ourselves and be subservient to the traditional feminist values of our foremothers and academic feminists.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Cate Sevilla is the Editor of Dollymix and regular contributor to Shiny blogs.

Posted by on July 4, 2007

A look at an inspiring family and how breakfast clubs and after school activities have changed their lives

Comments

THANK YOU!!!
Really good articles, very informative.

Posted by: Helen Eff | July 4, 2007 3:36 PM

It's been really interesting to get your take on this conference. I really sympathise with a lot of what you're saying. On some things, I agree with you - for example, in your previous post, when you talk about attitudes to women going out and getting drunk.

Even though it's not great for anyone to go out and get arrested, isn't it interesting that in films there are countless, romanticised images of young men getting into bar fights in songs and movies, but I can't think of a single, similar portrayal of women.

I wonder whether some of the attitudes towards women getting drunk and doing exactly the same thing as men have done for ages and ages, aren't more to do with the culturally ingrained images feminism is supposed to overcome, than any real objection to the behaviour of these women. It's a classic double standard!

But when it comes to make up and shopping and so on, I think the picture gets a bit more complicated. While I don't agree with feminists being judgemental of individual women who chose to do these things (hell, I do those things sometimes. Especially the shopping part), I don't think third wave feminists should let ourselves off the hook in examining those practices.

Over at The F Word (www.thefword.org.uk), we had a podcasting session over the weekend (it should go online tonight hopefully), and we had a really long and interesting debate about femininity. I think one really important thing that came out of that, is that it's still really important to challenge these ideas about how society expects women to look. And to accept that while make up, clothes, etc can be fun, they shouldn't be compulsory. Feminists shouldn't accept it when women who don't put on make up, shave their legs, wear "feminine" things, etc, are shouted at on the street, are less likely to get the job, etc. If third wave feminists don't confront and challenge these things in some ways - even if we partake in them ourselves at the same time - who will?

Posted by: Jess | July 4, 2007 4:22 PM

Thank you ladies!

Jess,

Thank you so much for your comment. I absolutely agree with you, and can't wait to listen to the your podcast. I agree that the third wavers just can't let ourselves off the hook by not examining things like women's magazines, fashion, shopping, and makeup.

It would be great if I were at a point where I didn't want to wear makeup, but I'm not. And I don't know if I'll ever be. I think I just got so upset over the conference because I felt like the 2nd wavers were just lumping the makeup wearing 3rd wavers into the same category as the girls on Girls Gone Wild. As if because I wore makeup, whatever positive things I was doing for feminism, didn't matter.

Again, thank you for your views! (And I love The F Word!)

Cheers,
Cate

Posted by: Cate | July 4, 2007 4:48 PM

I don't understand these people that say that you shouldn't read magazines, shop or wear make up. Isn't it about freedom? Isn't it about choice?

I'm a guy and I love shopping, reading magazines (And I dont meen FHM!), I spend more time on my hair than my wife does, Oh and I've worn make-up.

Does that make me gay? And why is that? Is it because the typical girl does these things? Probably. But you know what? I don't do it because I'm trying to fit in or refuse to do something because I dont want to be stereotyped.

I shop because I enjoy it, I dont read FHM because i dont really like football, cars and porn. I care about my image because guess what.. I'm insecure.

At the end of the day, I do these things because I'm free to do these things, its just a shame I'm not free to do these things and not be judged for it.

Posted by: IB | July 5, 2007 10:52 AM

couldn't agree more... but i have to say that many of the "real" feminists are also open to challenging these stereotypes by questioning some of the "rigid" practices. :)

Posted by: Pauline | July 6, 2007 6:44 AM

Thanks! Sorry to hear about the feelings of exclusion. Sometimes I wonder if we deserve it, then I remember how pop-culture portrays us and realize we will probably be the same way to the fourth wavers. Let us work on not treating them the same way when the time comes!

Posted by: bliss | July 10, 2007 3:04 PM

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