Identities: Feminist theory and blog task

A current debate in feminism is whether we are in a post-feminist state: is feminhism still needed?

Feminist theory: key notes

Judith Butler: gender roles

Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed.

By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders

Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.

Butler and the media

If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’.

And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?

Angela McRobbie: empowering women

McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s.

McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.

This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.

Feminism: blog task

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’ 

 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

- This video contributes to Butler's theory of gender roles being a performance as she is portraying the social construction of what society expects of her, also we see Beyonce fixing a car, which is typically a 'mans' job - this shows how gender role are a 'performance'.

2) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women?

- McRobbie may not view Beyoncehe may also be dis empowering women as she is self objectifying her self through sexualising her whole entirety, to something of less value and importance.

3) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

-In my opinion, I think that Beyonce reinforces the traditional 'male gaze'. This is due to the fact that she is wearing a tight, figure-hugging, 'sexy' outfit, which males gaze upon and stare at her body.