Intro to Crit FEMINIST TERMS

sexism

In feminist theory, sexism is systemic discrimination based on gender that privileges men and reinforces unequal power structures in social, political, and cultural life.

patriarchy

In feminist theory, a social system in which men hold primary power in institutions like family, politics, and culture, shaping norms that subordinate women.

patriarchal woman

In feminism, a woman who has internalized and reproduces patriarchal values, often supporting systems that limit women’s autonomy.

patriarchal/traditional gender roles

In feminism, socially constructed expectations that position men as dominant, rational, and public, and women as passive, emotional, and domestic.

biological essentialism

In feminist theory, the belief that gender differences are innate and natural, often used to justify inequality between men and women.

social constructionism

In feminism, the idea that gender roles and identities are produced by culture, language, and social practices rather than biology.

cult of “true womanhood”

In 19th-century feminist critique, the ideology that ideal women are pious, pure, submissive, and domestic, restricting women’s roles to the private sphere.

Everyday sexism

In feminist theory, subtle, normalized forms of gender bias and discrimination that occur in daily interactions and reinforce inequality.

Intersectionality

In feminist theory (hooks/Crenshaw), the concept that systems of oppression like race, class, and gender intersect to create unique experiences of inequality.

subjectivity

In feminism, the idea that individual identity and perspective are shaped by social forces such as gender, race, and power relations.

materialist feminism

In feminist theory, an approach that links women’s oppression to economic systems, especially capitalism and labor divisions.

psychoanalytic feminism

In feminism, the use of Freudian and Lacanian theory to analyze how gender identity and desire are formed unconsciously.

sexage

In feminist theory, the exploitation and control of women’s bodies and labor based on biological sex

sexual difference

In feminism, the recognition or analysis of differences between genders, sometimes used to challenge male-centered norms.

patriarchal binary thought

In feminism, a system of thinking that organizes the world into opposites (male/female, reason/emotion) that privilege masculinity.

écriture féminine

In French feminism, a form of writing that seeks to express female experience and disrupt male-dominated language structures.

the male gaze

In feminist film theory (Mulvey), the way visual media constructs women as passive objects of heterosexual male desire, shaping how audiences view them.

womanspeak

In feminism, language or discourse that reflects women’s experiences and resists male-dominated linguistic norms.

semiotic dimension of language

In Kristeva’s feminist theory, the pre-symbolic, emotional, and bodily aspects of language associated with the maternal and disrupting fixed meaning.

White feminism

In intersectional feminism, a form of feminism that centers white, middle-class women’s experiences while ignoring race and class oppression.

self-reflexivity

In feminism, the practice of critically examining one’s own social position, biases, and role in systems of power.

questioning of privilege

In feminist theory, the act of recognizing and challenging one’s unearned social advantages within systems of inequality.

body positive

In modern feminism, a movement promoting acceptance of all body types and challenging beauty standards.

sex positive

In feminism, an approach that supports sexual autonomy and rejects the shaming of consensual sexual expression.