Book Review: Enlightened Sexism

Yesterday I finished reading Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message That Feminism's Work Is Done written by Susan J. Douglas. She defines enlightened sexism as insisting that "women have made plenty of progress because of feminism--indeed, full equality has allegedly been achieved--so now it's okay, even amusing, to resurrect sexist stereotypes of girls and women." Here are some of my thoughts on it:

What I liked... about the book is the acknowledgment and naming of "enlightened sexism"-- something that I've often detected but have not known how to label. Enlightened sexism enters my life through scenarios in which all company present is presumed to be above sexism and it's a given that all present are equals. Enter the sexist stereotype, joke, remark, etc. often, but not always, shared by a male acquaintance. Here's the part where I'm supposed to laugh, yet I find it difficult to do so. Maybe if sexism really was over I could laugh. But the facts are that women are still at a disadvantage in nearly every aspect of our society. So thank you Susan Douglas for bringing me a name for that sort of ironic sexism that permeates far too many social interactions.

What I disliked... were the nonstop reviews of popular television shows from the 90's, most of which I was not allowed to view because of sexual content, "attitude", or both. Unfortunately, most of the book read like a bucketful of reviews linked together to form a chain of sarcastic daisies. Let me be clear, each review was informative, insightful and witty. However, I found it very tedious reading them back to back to back....

Highlights include...
-scathing review of 1995's relationship guidebook The Rules, and John Gray's Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus in Chapter 4
-analysis of America's anxiety over Janet Reno (Oh no! Are all women with power going to look like this!?) in Chapter 2
-running the numbers on recent plastic surgery/breast augmentation trends in Chapter 8

I wanted more... voices of women, less voice of the media--I've already heard what they're saying! The content overwhelmingly focused on the messages sent by the media, leaving little room for discussion of how all this TV is affecting real women of all ages.

Now let's get interactive! I encourage you answer one or more of the following:
1. Do you recognize enlightened sexism in your social interactions? Do you instigate it, or respond to it? How so?
2. If you watched television in the 90's, what did I miss? How did it influence your attitude toward authority and/or your sexuality?
3. If you identify as a woman: do you feel that the media influences your expectations of yourself? Of other women?
4. If you identify as a man: do you feel that the media influences your expectations of women?

Share and be kind!
Love from MWF, 24

Introduction: I'm new here!

Hi Followers,

I'm sure there are all sorts of existing statutes in the blogosphere regarding how to do these things...buuuuut, I'm not privy to them! What I will be writing are my own personal thoughts/feelings from my own personal experiences, reflections on thoughts others have had, and, if we're lucky, something entertaining now and then!

As the name of my blog suggests, I will be documenting these things from my hetero-married, white, female perspective. I do not know any other women my age (24) who fit this description here in San Francisco.

Let the fun begin!