Smashing Stereotype- Waves of Feminism and Masculinity

09/09/19

MASCULINITY - Smashing stereotype 

Gillette 1989  Gillette 2019 

* traditional vs contemporary representations of masculinity.

* future audiences- changing brand image.

* #metoo - 2017: global cultural shift in gender politics. Weinstein accusations led to a conversation about what constitutes harassment. 

MASCULINITY/ FEMININITY 

In my opinion, masculinity is when a male is in a way forced to be THIS way or grows up being THIS way so he can be fit within the society and seen as a “average” person, the same goes to femininity, females having to be a certain way such as soft, pretty, smart etc, to be considered a female. 

On social media there has been many comments where people discuss about men having to be taller than 6ft, not be skinny or fat, just in between, be strong and not being able to express their thoughts and feelings. Whereas, women are loved being in a way skinny or thick but being overweight is a big problem, less powerful than men…

Feminism, I believe feminism is a movement that has been around since always, most of the stories, novels and films that is heard from back in the days, men where the ones who work hard till night as slaves and women are the maids, the ones who stay at home, cooking, cleaning and raising children. Even in religious stories, where its said that God made Eve to be a company for Adam and it would be most likely that society sees women as their weaker one since they came “after”. Feminism is defined as equal rights for men and women.

Origins: in the UK suffragettes were the 1st feminists c. 1900.

10/09/19

Waves of feminism 

• First wave: late c19th- early c20th century UK and US 

USA- 1848:300 men and women met rally for women's rights at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York 

UK the suffragettes and suffragists campaigned for the women's vote. The first suffrage movement was led by millicent fawcett in 1887 

It was a period of feminism activity and thought that occurred during the 19th and early 20th century. It focussed on legal issues, primarily on gaining the right to vote. 

Fist wave fought for and gained the right for women to vote .

• Second wave: 1960s-1990s 

Focussing on issues like sexuality and reproductive rights ( women rights to the pill and attitudes to abortion.

1963: Betty Friedan published the feminine mystique in which she argues women were unhappy because of the feminine mystique a damaging ideal of femininity which she called, “the unhappy Housewife” which restricted women to the role of housewife and mother, giving up on work and education

1975: film theorist Laura Mulvey (famous in media) publishes visual pleasure and narrative cinema, which presents the theory of the male gaze. In other words women that we see in films are attracted to male desires, seen as portrait myti metaphorical games, women that are a certain type, dominate the media and the world.

It is argued that 1st, 2nd and 3rd waves ignored the fight for equal rights and the end of discrimination by women outside the large feminism movements in the UK and US, including working class women and black and ethnic minority women. 

Second wave fought for the right for women to have access to and equal opportunity in the workforce, as well as the end of legal sex discrimination.

• Third wave: 1990s-

Ideas beyond middle class, white women, addressing the different disadvantages women experiences because of the race, ethnicity and class.

Believed women should  each define their own femininity and that traditional feminine traits or accessories did not have to be viewed as outside the realm of feminism. This is an inclusive and progressive feminism. 

1989: Kimberle Crenshawn- introduced the concept of intersectionality 

1990: Judith Butler publishes Gender Trouble 

• Fourth wave: 2008- 
• Post Feminism theory- (during the third and fourth wave)

Intersectionality 

The term emerged from work carried out by bell hooks, a black american feminist whose work includes reel and real: race sec and class at the movies. 

Gender Trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity, 1990 

Butler suggests that gender is not the result of nature but is socially constructed, she sees it not as a result of biology but constructed and reinforced through the media and culture.

She views gender as performative rather than part of our nature, that we act out our gender. 

The theory sees the media and culture offering men and women a range of scripts.

• Fourth Wave: 2013

Some feminist academics argue that the internet and social media form a fourth wave. The focus is on intersectionality, bodily autonomy and campaigns against harassment.

Often associated with online feminism, especially using facebook, twitter, instagram, YouTube, tumblr, and other forms of social media to discuss, uplift and activate gender equality and social justice.

In some quarters it has gained the reputation as being lazy form of activism as

A reputation as being lazy.

Tarana Burke began the ‘me too’ with young black women and girls from low wealth community.

Post Feminism it is generally considered to be the 3rd and the 4th wave feminism, which began in the 1990s. The word ‘post’ suggests that feminism isn't relevant anymore because women have won equal rights.

Old and new ideas brought about  but also rejection of some early ideas 

Theory Pay for equal work, equal rights legislation as well as increased numbers of women in both higher education and the workforce created new opportunities and choices for women.