“Feminist” has a negative connotation nowadays; we often times here people call feminists “feminazis,” “man haters,” or even just a “bitch.” Many people think that “feminism is anti- male” (Hooks). Many female celebrities stay hush about the issues surrounding females every day, but Lena Dunham is not one of them. Stemming from a family of artists, Lena became a writer, actress, producer, and director and was put in the spotlight. Instead of keeping hush about the world and Hollywood’s issues pertaining to the mistreatment of not only women, but those of different genders and other oppressed people as well. Lena Dunham shows her bold character and feminist visions by using her pedestal to speak out on social and political issues. Lena Dunham …show more content…
Lena is often described as the “voice of her generation” when it comes to women’s rights; but often times, Lena receives backlash from writers, social media goers, and interviewers. Many “aren’t [as] critical of the structure of society and aren’t necessarily thinking about other ways things could be” like Dunham is (Hamad et. al). Oftentimes people, especially men, feel threatened when Dunham uses her fame to boldly speak out of issues that many ignore; for example, Lena carries a “devotion to questioning sexual norms and norms of representation,” especially when looking at the “heteropatriarchal uses of female nudity and sexuality” in society today (Filippo 2016). Lena believes that porn oftentimes “[conceals] and [denies] women’s humanity” (Filippo 2016). Lena also spoke out on how Hillary Clinton’s political campaign was slashed using the patriarchal ideal, stating that “The way that Hillary Clinton’s been talked about in the media [was] so gendered and rabidly sexist in every single portrayal” (Staff 2016). Lena, being a woman, and also being a bold woman who speaks out about feminist issues that many ignore, receives large amounts of …show more content…
In this hate filled article, Lena’s body is described as “outright shocking, simply because we are not used to seeing anything like it, except perhaps in an Eddie Murphy comedy.” Placido then goes on to question if Dunham is “some sort of media-manipulating puppet master,” or if she is just “simply, annoying” (Placido 2015). This one instance of hate against Dunham shows how when a woman speaks out about issues that many ignore or even create themselves, women will receive hate. This hate oftentimes effects these outspoken women; many believe that hate is just a part of being a celebrity, but is a form of bullying when celebrities are repeatedly harassed. This harassment shows the “policing of women” and bullies may also use “threats to keep [women] silent” (Zeman). Studies show that “bully/victims had a slightly higher risk for anxiety, depression, psychotic experiences, suicide attempts and poor general health” (Wolke 2015). Dunham is not just a celebrity, she is a human being, going through her own struggles. When one is repeatedly hearing terrible rumors and remarks about themselves, self-loathing and anxiety can make its way into their
In “In Living Color: Race and American Culture”, Michael Omi claims that racism still takes place in America’s contemporary society. According to Omi, media and popular culture shape a segregating ideology by giving a stereotypical representation of black people to the public, thus generating discrimination between races (Omi 115:166). In “Bad Feminist: Take One”, Roxane Gay discusses the different roles that feminism plays in our society. She argues that although some feminist authors and groups try to create a specific image of the feminist approach, there is no definition that fully describe feminism and no behaviors that can make someone a good feminist or a bad feminist (Gay 304:306). Both authors argue
Not many know how to achieve success in all categories, but Tina Fey didn’t have any problems figuring that out. Tina fey, television writer, screenwriter, actress, comedian, and mother, has taken the world by storm. Tina Fey has a powerful influence on our world today and she has become a worldwide icon in the eyes of many young women. Tina Fey may have been THE woman to make it stylish to wear glasses in the mid-2000s, but there is more to this multi-talented woman then those trademark black-rimmed spectacles.
The Sundance Film Associations luncheon celebrating Women in Film in January of 2017 was covered by various news outlets, but with headlines that were not praising the speeches made there. Rather The Los Angeles Times characterized it as a triggered and heated debate, Mashable as uncomfortable, and Indiewire as actresses speaking over one another and thoughts going to sets of deaf ears. The main women in the debate were actresses Shirley MacLaine, Salma Hayek, and Jessica Williams, who are incredibly different from the others in many aspects, but most notably, in age, race and their stances on identity and victimhood. The debate began with how to handle maintaining and promoting a woman’s voice and identity in the face of the often sexist
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as Secretary of State impacted people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Clinton gave was the “The Women Rights Speech” at the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session, where she used strong words and emotions to appeal to the audience. Even though the speech talked about women's rights, she wanted everyone, including men and children, to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech helped people understand women live in a world where they suffer discrimination, and she proposes solutions to solve the issue.
In a news about the 32 years old pop star Beyonce “Gender Equality is a Myth” (CNN Wire 13 Jan. 2014). She wrote an essay about this on Maria’s website, The Shriver Report. She wrote that we need to...
Feminism is a word that is stock-full of implications, and has many misconceptions. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti attempts to give a broad overview of what feminism is, and how you should feel about it (hint: it’s positively). The book is directed primarily towards the younger generation, and talks about a variety of issues relevant to the feminist movement today and in history. The weaknesses of the book include the casual writing, the assumptions Valenti makes, and the contradictory statements that are consistently made. The strengths include providing an entertaining, broad overview of feminism, and discussing ways to contribute to gender equality. Overall, the book is more likely to be a positive experience for high-schoolers that identify as women then college-aged individuals looking for a critical analysis of issues society faces in regards to gender inequality.
Zoe Leonard, an AID’s activist and founder of feminist collectives “Fierce Pussy”, is the original creator of the impactful poem “I Want A Dyke For President”. Through her piece, Leonard expresses her desire for a presidential candidate who has gone through the same struggles as the people he/she hopes to lead. Leonard not only expresses the need for a candidate who understands struggle, but she also is addressing the injustice that goes on in our country. Her overall goal she hoped to establish when writing this poem is to create awareness of the consistent stereotypical “leader” that always runs for office. Although the poem is recreated by an actor, Leonard’s tone in the poem directed to everyday citizens and voters is not necessarily
Throughout the 21st century we have been immersed in a world in which is almost wholly dominated by the media. It is appropriate to say that many ideologies have been indeed challenged by the media, including the ideology of feminism, which I aim to focus on in this essay. Firstly, it is necessary to think about what the founding concepts of feminism actually are and how the ideologies of post feminism and antifeminism are using the contemporary media to question feminism. Texts such as Bridget Jones’ Diary and Desperate Housewives are fitting examples of how post feminism has penetrated through the media challenging feminism. Similarly elements of anti-feminism are evident when looking at films such as the new adaptation of Cinderella .
I wouldn’t be applying for Questbridge if it weren’t for my strong desire to stay labeled as the “smart kid” in class. Maybe that’s what’s motivating me to go through what some people consider an insane process. Madness is the emergency exit, and in a way I’ve been looking for one for a very long time and at last opportunity has come knocking.
The term “feminism” tends to have a negative connotation in today’s culture. Feminism is now focusing on female dominance and male disrespect. Women are fighting for equality, yet using personal bias to define equality, claiming identical rights for all will produce an equal culture. The mainstream feminist movement is using this corrupted view of equality to force rights of women. Contrary to popular belief, true feminism fights for true equality for women, as well as other people groups. The false view of feminism causes women to distort gender roles, dishonor themselves, and degrade men.
In just a few decades The Women’s Liberation Movement has changed typical gender roles that once were never challenged or questioned. As women, those of us who identified as feminist have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at...
Nominated for Tony Award for Best Performance for Featured Actress in a Musical, and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. Awarded Tony Award Best Performance for Featured Actress in a Musical, Audience Award for Best Lead Actress, Best Diva Performance, Best Onstage Pair with Kristin Chenoweth (Idina Menzel, Wikipedia). These are just a few of the achievements in the music and acting world that Idina Menzel has accomplished. Idina’s wonderful talent has led her on a journey of a lifetime, starting as a young girl with an uncontrollable love for music, and becoming a beautifully talented woman who has had so many amazing opportunities.
However, the stigma of openly sexual women was not eliminated therefore marking down women's sexual freedom because of the stigma they carry in society.In conclusion, chapter by chapter hooks highlights how feminist theory repeatedly excluded non-white and working class women by ignoring white supremacy as a racial problem and by disregarding the highly psychological impact of class in their political and social status all while, in the case of black women, facing three classes of oppression in a racist, sexist and capitalist state. Throughout the book the author defines feminism, the meaning of sisterhood, what feminism is to men in addition to brushing upon power, work, violence and education. Although I found some elements of this book problematic hooks' critiques of feminist theory and the movement are well-presented, piercingly direct and remain relevant.
Adichie was born in Nigeria and is most known for giving a TEDxTalk in 2013 about modern feminism. After the overwhelming success of the talk, such as having millions of views on YouTube and being featured in the song “Flawless” by Beyoncé, she decided to publish the speech into an expanded essay named “We Should All Be Feminists.” In this essay, Adichie talks about her life and encounters of sexism from a young age, especially her introduction to the word “feminist” occurring at fourteen. She is having a normal day, playing and arguing with her friend Okoloma, until he “harmlessly” quips, “`You know, you’re a feminist’” (8), which in Nigeria, is not a compliment. She also spends a third of the essay addressing the fact all negativity towards gender inequality has the same root: unwavering tradition. She questions, “What if, in raising our children, we (the parents) focus on ability instead of gender… interest instead of gender” (36)? Simply, if negativity towards the opposite sex is eradicated in a new generation, there will be no more inequality to worry about. She also parallels Wollstonecraft in commenting on the fascinating diversity of males and females. She claims that if men are undeniably strong physically, women should be held in the same
Feminism is a movement that supports women equality within society. In relation to film, feminism is what pushes the equal representation of females in mainstream films. Laura Mulvey is a feminist theorist that is famous for touching on this particular issue of how men and women are represented in movies. Through her studies, she discovered that many films were portraying men and women very differently from reality. She came up with a theory that best described why there is such as huge misrepresentation of the social status quos of male and female characters. She believed that mainstream film is used to maintain the status quo and prevent the realization of gender equality. This is why films are continuously following the old tradition that males are dominant and females are submissive. This is the ideology that is always present when we watch a movie. This is evident in the films from the past but also currently. It is as if the film industry is still catering to the male viewers of each generation in the same way. Laura Mulvey points out that women are constantly being seen as sexual objects, whether it is the outfits they wear or do not wear or the way they behave, or secondary characters with no symbolic cause. She states that, “in traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote it-be-looked-at-ness.”(Mulvey pg. 715). Thus, women are nevertheless displayed as nothing more than passive objects for the viewing pleasure of the audience. Mulvey also points out through her research that in every mainstream movie, there is ...