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| by comrade commissar | May-Lynn | @ Saturday, June 19, 2004, 1:07:00 AM | permalink |
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(Hello. I am temporarily hijacking my boyfriend's blog because mine is down at present.)
I was surfing Friendster when I came across a particularly disturbing account called Feminist Rulz. Grammatical errors aside, the page was a mini-showcase of what passes for feminism amongst teenage girls and young women these days. It was horrifying. I don't claim to be an expert on the history and theory of feminism, but it has become clear how far we have drifted from the dreams of the first and second generations of feminists. Firstly: the account lists its favourite TV shows and movies - and hence presumably, the favourite TV shows and movies of fellow feminists the world over - as Charmed, Alias, Charlie's Angels 1&2, Tomb Raider, Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman, Mona Lisa Smile, Down With Love. In every single production listed, the stars/presumed feminist role models are Caucasian, slim, young and physically attractive. Often, they also demonstrate superpowers (Charmed) or skills (Tomb Raider, Charlie's Angels) that frankly, are not seen in the average female - or male, for that matter. Where are your average women? Where are your mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts and cousins? Where is your own reflection in this Hollywood portrait? If we take these productions and their stars to be representations of an ideal feminist world, then almost every one of us would not belong in there. Even as aspirations, they are plastic, foreign and incredibly unrealistic. On the subject of foreign material, the account was set up by a pair of girls in Manila, Philippines. You would think we Asians would have found our own feminist role models by now. We have so many good, strong women who embody true feminist principles; for example - if we must have actresses - Maggie Cheung. Admire her for her physical beauty and grace if you must, but know her also for her achievements in the world of art house films, her awards and her self-empowerment and dignity for refusing to star in an abundance of cheap, Hongkong fluff comedies. (The ones she slammed her frequent co-star Tony Leung for.) Even more troubling: the account is dedicated to "all women and groups who can live up to being a feminist!". It implies that feminism is an elevated state, to which we must rise, or be considered unworthy. You know, the patriarachs of past generations used to do this as well - place valuations on women that demeaned and objectified them ("You my number one concubine, bitch! But you, you no suck cock good! You demoted to number ten!"). Why do we do it to ourselves? And who determines the definition of a feminist, anyway? I'll be damned if I let some 16-year-old Hollywood groupie do it for me. All revolutionary movements, social or political, drew their power from a collective of believers. We are this collective, like it or not, in the feminist movement. We need to define ourselves and our roles as women, collectively and intelligently. Contribute your part to the gender revolution, but do it in an informed manner, by looking to the past and learning what your forebears learned. It would be an immense waste if all the rights that we enjoy today expressed themselves solely in empty catchphrases ("Gurl Power!") and weak symbolism, via dubious media channels such as ads and PR campaigns. We may have been too young to witness it, but women fought for these rights, once upon a time. And won. Did they disrupt their lives and safety for mass-marketed Avril Lavignes and for us to judge each other based on our sexual appeal and shallow self-projections? Oh, and the last bit of the account's self-description? "STRICTLY NO GUYS ALLOWED! GUYS STAY OUT OF THIS... YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND... THIS IS OUR THING!" That's ridiculous. How will the third generation of the feminist movement ever gain momentum and truly make changes if we fail to interact with and explain things to the other half of the human race? What are we gonna do, hole ourselves up in caves or bunkers and start female-only communes? You and I wouldn't like that. Your fathers, brothers, male relatives and friends can be feminists too - but it's your job to explain and show them how much better the world can be if we progress together, hand-in-hand. As for not understanding, that's a fallacy. All valid political movements are based on logic. If men don't understand logic, I'm surprised we managed to progress beyond the race of Cro-Magnons. Feminist values are universal. So is our struggle. |
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recent entries (in order) |
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<--latest post-- Sun, Sand, Scrutiny About Cultural Differences & t...--Sappy Movies Really Confuse Me.--Maybe--Nostalgic Free Association--Random Jumbled Mixed Thoughts--Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is turning m...--why i want le parkour-style training--a return to year zero-- --last post--> |
