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
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First - congrats on your blog! I miss my blog and I miss interacting in the blogosphere. I so enjoyed being inspired to write. Now I can enjoy reading about your inspirations...
ReplyDeleteBooks reviews are cool. Good start.
1. Do you recognize enlightened sexism in your social interactions? Do you instigate it, or respond to it? How so?
I really do not ... maybe because I am older ... maybe because I am professionally established ... maybe because I am obtuse...
3. If you identify as a woman: do you feel that the media influences your expectations of yourself? Of other women?
The only way I feel really media influenced is in terms of physical attributes. The media presents false, ridiculous images of how an "attractive" female to should look. Air brushing is just wrong. Plastic surgery to the current society extremes is sad. Even though my brain says ignore, I must admit I fall victim to whether I feel, look or am fat.
Yay for blogs! It's been a while. Remember how cool Xanga was for a while? It was such a connected community.
ReplyDelete1. Last night I was having a conversation with some guys. They wanted to know if most girls liked chest hair. I said that most girls don't really care. They were happy to hear that, but then I asked him if they care if the girl shaves or not, and they all laughed and said, "Now that's totally different!" - I just shook my head. I would have debated about it if it were the right place and if it wasn't me against three guys in their 30s who are pretty set in their ways. Hmph.
2. Television in the 90's was definitely not as ridiculous as it is today. The shows I thought were too mature for me, are comparatively tame to what they exploit now. I do remember watching MTV when I was a kid, but I remember growing out of it and keeping to HGTV and Animal Planet when I got to middle school.
3. AMM put it best: Even though my brain says ignore, I must admit I fall victim to whether I feel, look or am fat.
1. Do you recognize enlightened sexism in your social interactions? Do you instigate it, or respond to it? How so?
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes I instigate it... because I know everyone knows what it is. Especially with close friends, we find sexism equally frustrating and hilarious. It's more of a bonding mechanism than anything.
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?
What I remember from the 90s is feeling awkward about what 'growing up' and 'being a lady' were going to mean for me. On one hand, I would watch Rosanne and wonder if all female authority figures are understood as cranky/bitchy. But on the other hand, sexy young ladies in rap videos made me wonder how one gets from being 'sexy' and 'young' to 'old' 'bitchy.' I still have no idea what to expect.
3. If you identify as a woman: do you feel that the media influences your expectations of yourself? Of other women?
I don't really pay attention to media anymore, except for local media and European fashion blogs (I find the fashions in Europe so intriguing and distant that I don't even think about it as something to expect from myself). Sometimes I feel like I'm doing something wrong because I'm not in the local media's style scout section or whatever but really - I like being sort of under the radar and apart from any sort of expression of what a young lady looks like here.