According to Sowards and Renegar (2006), third wave feminism is characterized by individual activities, rather than collective, allowing for a multitude of approaches that is recognized more by their lack of integration than by anything else. They argued that “rhetorical acts of contemporary feminism . . . might also include creating grassroot models of leadership, using strategic humor, building feminist identity, sharing stories, and resisting stereotypes and labels” (p. 58). Thus, a Mormon Mommy blog could be viewed as third wave feminism, as could the NudePhotoRevolutionaries calendar (Christensen, 2012)—polar opposites on the liberal-conservative scale. The connecting factor to both of these contributions to feminist thought is the expression of “personal choice” (Sowards & Renegar, p. 62) by women who have found ways to express their personal identity and self-autonomy. Women have rejected the “hegemonic feminist thought and theories of the second wave” (p. 65), finding expression at a personal rather than social level.
Is this a kinder, gentler feminism than has been expressed in the past? I know I always felt that second-wave feminists weren’t speaking for me with their rejection of the male half of society. The idea that my personal choices contribute to increased opportunity for women appeals to me.
However, other writers don’t view it that way. Some appear to view it as an expression of “nothing I do matters, so I’ll do what I want and society be damned” attitude. Greta Christensen (2012) wrote the following about her participation in the NudePhotoRevolutionaries calendar:
We can try to navigate the narrow, essentially impossible shoals of these contradictory expectations, and try to find that perfect, socially acceptable line between slut and prude. Or we can say, “Fuck it. There is no way I can win — so I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want. I’m going to wear overalls, or I’m going to wear high heels. I’m going to have sex with twenty strangers in a night, or I’m not going to have sex with anyone. I’m going to dress conservatively and professionally in public at all times, or I’m going to sell naked pictures of myself on the Internet if I bloody well feel like it.” And in saying, “I can’t win, so I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want to do,” we can create the beginnings of a victory. (para. 16-17)
Shugart, Waggoner, and Hallstein (2001) argued that mass media has co-opted feminism, repackaged it, and sold it back to us as kind and friendly—something we find in the local grocery store—as if we can buy our way to a better society. Anderson and Stewart (2005) agreed, extending the commodification to the political arena, where the votes of women can be bought and sold if the appeal to vote is packaged in the latest fashion.
Are women really that shallow? Have the ideals of second-wave feminism been bought and sold for a mess of pottage?
Or have we found that the variety of ways women have expressed themselves throughout history is bigger than a feminism wave can accommodate? I think of the quilters of the 19th century who expressed themselves through their fabric, telling stories that only other quilters would understand. Their creative strength appeals to me as they reach out over the centuries speaking of courage and comfort in a timeless understanding that we need both in our lives. Were these third-wave feminists also? Are we only now rediscovering the activist nature that has always been among us, and are claiming it as our own? Is third-wave feminism just a name for the diversity of women everywhere?
References
Anderson, K. V. & Stewart, J. (2005). Politics and the single woman: The “Sex and the City Voter” in campaign 2004. Rhetoric and Public Affairs, 5, 595-616.
Christensen, G. (2012, April 4). What I may do with my naked body: A reply to Azar Majedi about the #NakedPhotoRevolutionaries calendar [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2012/04/04/what-i-may-do-with-my-naked-body/
Shugart, H. A., Waggoner, C. E., & Hallstein, D. L. O. (2001). Mediating third-wave feminism: Appropriation as postmodern media practice. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 18, 194-210.
Sowards, S. K. & Renegar, V. R. (2006). Reconceptualizing rhetorical activism in contemporary feminist contexts. The Howard Journal of Communications, 17, 57-74.
No comments:
Post a Comment