I love to read comics and graphic novels, one of my favorite webcomics is Hark! A Vagrant, by artist Kate Beaton. As a huge DC Comics fan, I think her Lois Lane and Wonder Woman comic strip is what sealed the deal for me. Beaton typically references historical and literary figures, but it's her comic strips on feminism and sexism that stand out for me. Her hilarious response to the blatant sexism in the media, Strong Female Characters Part 1 & Part 2, pokes fun at costumes, attitudes, and behaviors that some strong female characters are given in movies, television, video games, comics, etc.
When we were asked whether we thought of ourselves as feminists and what our perception of a feminist was, I instantly thought of Beaton's Straw Feminists in the Closet comic strip. A straw feminist is an over-generalization of a feminist, depicting them as extremists hairy-legged women who hate men and won't stop till women are the superior sex. The straw feminist is typically the image that comes to mind when asked if someone is a feminist or not. As a result, this demeaning depiction of feminism causes most people to shy away from the label and the movement.
Yesterday we discussed the lack of racial and low-socioeconomic representation in the feminist movement. So then what does a feminist look like? The image of a feminist seems to have evolved from oppressed housewife to in-your-face, bra-burning spinster. This image is a clear tactic used by people who don't believe that the feminist movement is necessary and gender equality is no longer an issue. Until everyone advocates for gender equality, the straw feminist will continue to remain at large, encouraging dissociation and indifference towards the feminist movement. Hairy legs or shaved legs, black or white, male or female, straight or gay, rich or poor - the fight for equality is every persons fight.
Here's a video that further discusses the portrayal of feminists in the media as extremist and man-hating...
Thanks for this post! I really enjoyed it. I love Beaton's "Staw Feminist" comic, and the video brought some interesting things to light for me. When I first started watching the video and the host was giving examples of shows that feature straw feminist characters, I assumed she was going to list a bunch of shows I'd never seen. But then up came Rugrats, a show I not only watched constantly as a child, but that I re-watched for nostalgia's sake only a few months ago. It never occurred to me that Betty (the twin's mother) is totally a straw feminist! Her husband practically cowers when she speaks to him. And of course, the symbol on her sweater was a dead giveaway. How did I not notice this before??
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I SO resent the connotations that the word "feminist" has these days. I once read that it is because of these connotations that we frequently hear women say things like, "I'm not a feminist, but...." before saying something vaguely feministic. Although, in this forum, I feel like I can declare "I am a feminist", I definitely shy away from announcing such a thing when talking to a group of men. I don't want them to get the idea that I'm a ball-busting b*tch (even if I am). It's sad, but that's the reality we live with, at least for now.
I couldn't believe I never put two and two together that the twins mom was a feminist! Of course she is with that sweatshirt and her weak husband, right?? I feel like saying "I'm not a feminist, but..." is on the same level as "I'm not a racist, but..." Both have negative connotations to it, but in no way is feminism on the same level as racism. Being a feminist doesn't mean you're sexist against men. Kind of ironic that fear of being labeled as a man-hater deters women from identifying as a feminist.
DeleteI really liked this post, Something i also mentioned in class as I learned it in my psych of woman course. Feminist are portrayed as being man haters, yet some of them are married with children. why must they be man haters if they the only thing they are doing is fighting for their rights as human beings. Some feminist are strong woman not all are lesbians or tom boys they are not hairy its just commentary made to make women look less powerful and weak when some feminist are very beautifully carried woman. I like how the cartoon shows were added as well it does show lots of good examples of they way some feminist have creatively shown their feminist sides, and its great to have this in cartoons because little girls start watching at a young age though like ANG stated its hard to point out and see this until you have pointed this out. After taking psych of woman and intro to Women's Gender studies I have identified myself as a feminist and have tried each and everyday to be strong about my beliefs such as in my work place and even in the streets as man try to approach me.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the video, I found it interesting that TV shows with strong female leads use a feminist counterpart to remind audiences that she's not a hardcore feminist despite being a strong independent woman.
DeleteTo be honest, I used to be one of those women that would not identify as being a feminist. Though I could never answer when asked why I was I not a feminist because there is nothing more that I want other then gender, race, class and all sorts of equality. However, after this post, I am starting to see all the reasons why I wouldn't identify myself as a feminists. Of course, I never thought of it the way these comics blatantly depict feminists as the way I thought of feminists. So then why wouldn't I identify with feminism? Well, I was wrong and I can now proudly say that I am a feminist.
ReplyDeleteOn a last note, I have never looked up feminism before so I thought it would be interesting to do so since Polly Bergen told me to do so. According to my dictionary on my computer feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Why not equality, period?
Fantastic post! It took me awhile to comment, because I spent the better part of an hour reading "Hark, A Vagrant" comics; scathing and dead on, with a nice touch of humor, I really loved them.
ReplyDeleteI'm appalled by the use of straw feminist characters in children's television programming. If you present legitimate ideas about gender equality and patriarchy-awareness to young children as laughable, over-the-top concepts, it will be that much harder to undo that sort of thinking as they get older.
With adult-oriented parodies like Family Guy and South Park, however, I think the straw feminist characters are being presented ironically. Yes, we can take "Gloria Ironbox" at face value and see a straw feminist, but we can also take her as a statement about men's portrayal of feminism: Peter is so steeped in the socially accepted marginalization of women that even the most straight-forward suggestion that he not objectify female coworkers sends him over the edge, where he becomes a straw feminist himself. I think it's difficult not to see that this is a parody.
I agree, I do believe Family Guy was playing on the stereotypical male reaction to objectifying women. It's always one extreme or the other with responses to feminism.
DeleteI've been a fan of Kate's since her Livejournal days, great post. I love that she's one of the few comic writers, male or female, who has no problem calling people out on their misogyny, and that she seeks out other female artists to collaborate with.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting part of Anita's video is where she talks about characters like Veronica Mars or The Power Puff Girls, who are generally seen as "strong female characters," but heaven forbid they identify as feminists. Even when a show or movie features tough female characters, they're "cool" girls, not like those weird feminists who are angry for no apparent reason. This attitude is really disheartening and insidious to see in any media, but especially in shows aimed at little girls.
I remember watching that particular episode of Powerpuff Girls when I was younger, and i remember thinking that women were just a bunch crybabies and that there was really nothing wrong at all, nor was there really anything wrong in the world.
ReplyDeleteOf course I see things differently now but seeing this as a kid trivializes the principle issue at hand. This is a realistic danger though. If an issue is not taking seriously enough, it will get ignored and forgotten about. If it is taking to the extreme, it becomes demonized and ridiculed into triviality.
Like everyone is saying, these are real issues that will never go away unless it is dealt with appropriately by dealing with the principle issue which is establishing more equal treatment between genders.
I completely agree with you in that I also thought of feminists as women who are hairy and hate men a lot. I now feel a lot different about what a feminist is because I have learned so much about the movement in the past year from my classes. In my Philosophy Feminism class we have been discussing how women are not unified in the movement, not all women are on the same page, so the movement has not progressed as much as it could towards equality. The word feminism can also scare people, when mentioned in a conversation, people may think, "Oh here she goes with her feminism crap." I just believe women have to step up and try to get equality moving.
ReplyDeleteThe comic strips are pretty funny. The one with the man being called "nasty" is interesting because I took it as, when a man is a 'player' they don't seem to care and they don't change .
I agree with you that the image attached to the word 'feminist' has a lot to do with people's fear and distaste of it. Maybe if it's framed as 'if my daughter had to go through ____ what would you want for her?', then it would elicit more positive outcomes. Have you heard of feministing.com?
ReplyDelete