Myth Versus Reality: Empowerment

The myth: If one is a feminist, than everything one does must be a feminist act. Every item one wears (heels) or sex act one performs (blowjobs) or media one consumes (America's Next Top Model) must be feminist in nature. If one has an inclination to prefer things which have traditionally been non-feminist, they need to be re-imagined to make them somehow 'empowering' and then used to tell more traditional feminists that these items and actions are really feminist, and those with more typically feminist tastes are therefore out of the loop.

The reality: I am a (sometimes) heel-wearing, blowjob-giving, America's Next Top Model-watching feminist. But heels, blowjobs, and ANTM are not feminist*. They are just things I like, or things I do, or compromises I make, along with other things, to get along. It's like an environmentalist driving a car, because they don't live in a place where they can not have one and get by. That's the best analogy I can think of as far as another movement goes. Me, I think that's okay. (Particularly because I have one of those brains that never stops, so even when I say, "okay, Gen, ANTM's on, time to relax and watch"--I'm still analyzing--is that sexism? Racism? Fatphobia? Are Tyra's platitudes towards the girls woman-positive, or not? How stereotypical are the Jays? Can I really swoon over Nigel Barker when he can be such a misogynist?

I have an analytical brain, period. Part of my feminism (and other progressivism) is analysis of the dominant parts of western culture in order to identify oppressive structures. But when I see trend stories like this? Well, I think, these girls do not get it. They think "feminist" is as simple as, well, I'm feminist in other ways. I'm pro-choice or against FGM in Africa or against infanticide in India. I'm for equal pay and paid maternity leaves and more women in government. Good! And then they also think, oh, but feminists are women who never shave and wear birkenstocks and overalls and are no fun in bed and never do anything just for fun. So I can't be a feminist. And then they get past that bullshit, but start thinking, okay, well, if I like heels and dumb reality TV and I want to be a stripper, and I'm a feminist, then all of these things must actually be feminist, and all you ugly girls in overalls are boring and delusional.

And this ain't the case. Working to re-interpret things to "make them feminist" does not make them so. Cosmo will never be feminist. But if you want to read it, go ahead. The act of stripping is not feminist, but there are feminist strippers out there.

I think this is rooted in the "everything must be good" trend--if I am good, then every action I perform must be good, my ancestors must all be good, and I am what I do, not who I am. I've realized for a while that some of my ancestors must've been pretty awful people. Western European Christians weren't know for their egalitarianism or pro-Jewish attitudes. All people have flaws. All people are contradictory**. Do what you want and call yourself what you want, but don't expect me or anyone else to think that your tight skirts and heels and makeup are feminist--convince me with your words, beliefs, your activist work. If it's legit, then how do your grooming habits or clothing choices matter?

Inspired by Twisty.




*I don't find any of these things degrading, persay--heels are part of the beauty myth, of course, but they're not utterly intolerable and can be fun. Blowjobs aren't 'empowering,' but I don't have an issue with them, if I did I'm in the kind of relationship now where I could just say, "no thanks, not my thing." ANTM is a guilty pleasure, but I often feel quite sad for these girls who have learned to be obsessed with potential fame through using their bodies. Particularly the ones who seem to have cultivated little else--this'd be why my favorite ANTM girl ever is Elyse from Cycle 1--she was brilliant as well as beautiful, and she wasn't apologizing for either part of who she was (and she got very angry, rightfully, when Ms. Jay tried to imply that medical school would be too difficult for her, and that somehow she didn't yet know that it was hard). Oh, and she's funny.
**so says the anti-social socialist/paranoid melencholy optimist.