Fem theory 2

Embodiment

The idea that the body is not just biological, but shaped by culture, power, and social experience. Our lived experiences (gender, race, class) are expressed through and felt in the body.

Binary constructions of gender

The division of gender into two opposite categories (male/female), often treated as natural but actually socially constructed.

Power of Naming

The ability to define or label something (e.g., “frigidity”) gives power to shape how people understand themselves and others.

Freudian “frigidity”

From Sigmund Freud — the idea that women who don’t achieve vaginal orgasm are “defective.” Critiqued by feminists as a way to control female sexuality.

Pornography (per Andrea Dworkin)

Not just sexual content, but a system that represents domination, violence, and inequality toward women.

Explain the Concept of Embodiment

Embodiment means the body is not just physical—it is shaped by social forces.

Gender roles, power, and inequality are lived through the body.

For example, how women are expected to behave, look, or feel pain is socially constructed—not purely biological.

👉 Feminists argue that the body is a site of control and resistance, not just anatomy.

How does a reexamination of “sex” fit with a feminist critique of science?

Feminist scholars argue that “sex” (male/female) is not purely objective or biological—it is interpreted through cultural bias.

Traditional science (e.g., Sigmund Freud) framed women as inferior or defective.

Feminists like Anne Koedt challenged this by showing:

Scientific claims about sex often reflect patriarchal assumptions

“Natural differences” are sometimes socially constructed and used to justify inequality

👉 So, reexamining sex = exposing how science has been influenced by male-centered perspectives.

What are 2nd Wave approaches to sex and pornography?

Second-wave feminism (1960s–1980s) had strong critiques of sexuality and porn:

1. Sex as Political

Sexuality is not private—it reflects power relations between men and women

Women’s pleasure was historically ignored or controlled

2. Critique of Pornography

Feminists like Andrea Dworkin argued:

Porn = domination, violence, and objectification

It reinforces inequality in real life

Robin Morgan famously said:

→ “Pornography is the theory, rape is the practice”

3. Anti-Freudian Views

Reject ideas like “frigidity” (Koedt)

Focus on female autonomy and pleasure

Masculinity vs. Femininity

Socially constructed traits associated with “men” and “women,” not biologically fixed.

Reproductive arena vs. biological base

Biological base = physical sex differences

Reproductive arena = social meanings built around those differences

Gender configuration / gender projects

How individuals actively “perform” and construct gender in everyday life.

Social structure of gender

Organized through:

Power (who dominates)

Production (labor roles)

Cathexis (emotional/sexual attachments)

Masculinities

• Multiple ways of being masculine (not just one fixed model)

Hegemonic masculinity

The dominant form of masculinity that legitimizes male power (e.g., toughness, authority).

Patriarchal dividend

Benefits all men receive from a system that privileges masculinity.

Onto-formative

Gender shapes identity and how people come into being.

Crisis of masculinity

Anxiety that traditional male roles are being challenged or lost.

1. Is treating “masculinity” as a unit of analysis inevitable from feminist inquiry?

No.

Feminism made gender visible, but masculinity is not automatically central.

Studying masculinity is a choice to analyze power from the male side, not an inevitable outcome.

2. What does Connell mean by “doing gender”?

Refers to Raewyn Connell

Masculinity is not something you are, but something you do

It is produced through everyday actions, behavior, and interactions

👉 Gender = ongoing performance, not a fixed trait

3. What does masculinity mean in contemporary US culture?

Strength, toughness, dominance

Emotional control

Independence

Often tied to violence, sports, and authority

👉 Strong influence of media ideals (e.g., “tough guy” image)

4. Social organization of masculinity + “tough guise”

Social organization of masculinity = how society structures different masculinities into hierarchies

Linked to Jackson Katz (“tough guise”):

👉 Men are taught to perform toughness as a mask

Hides fear, vulnerability

Reinforces dominance and aggression

5. Why does Connell say gender exists because biology does NOT determine the social?

If biology fully determined behavior, gender roles wouldn’t vary

But they change across cultures and time

👉 Therefore, gender is socially constructed, not biologically fixed

6. Why is authority (not violence) the mark of hegemony?

Hegemony works through acceptance and legitimacy, not force

People follow dominant masculinity because it seems “normal”

👉 Power is strongest when it doesn’t need violence

7. “Violence is part of domination but also shows its imperfection”

Violence supports dominance

BUT if power were fully secure, violence wouldn’t be needed

👉 Violence = sign of instability in power

Embodiment

Your body is shaped by society and experiences, not just biology.

Anti-pornography feminism

View that porn is harmful and promotes violence and inequality against women.

Pro-sex feminism

View that sexuality (including porn) can be empowering and should not always be seen as harmful.

Meese Commission

A U.S. government report (1980s) that argued pornography is dangerous and linked to violence.

Porn myth (Naomi Wolf)

Idea that porn is seen as the cause of all harm, but this is exaggerated.

Public vs. Private sexuality

Private = personal, intimate

Public = shown openly in media, culture, internet

1. Explain the concept of embodiment

Embodiment means:

👉 Your body is influenced by society, culture, and power—not just biology.

How you dress, act, and feel in your body comes from social expectations

Gender, sexuality, and identity are lived through the body

2. How feminist theory evolved to a “pro-sex” position

Originally (2nd wave feminism):

Porn = violence, domination

Linked to oppression (e.g., Andrea Dworkin)

Later (pro-sex feminism):

Sexuality can be empowering

Women can choose and control their sexual expression

Not all porn = harmful

👉 Shift: from “sex is dangerous” → “sex can be empowering”

3. Tensions between private sexuality and public display

Sex is supposed to be private

But it is everywhere in media, ads, internet

👉 This creates tension:

People are judged for showing sexuality

But society also profits from sexual images

👉 Result: confusion + double standards

4. Relationship between technology and sexual expression

Technology has expanded sexuality into the public space:

Internet → easy access to porn

Social media → people express identity and sexuality publicly

Devices (e.g., dating apps) → change relationships and intimacy

👉 Technology makes sexuality:

More visible

More accessible

More controlled by individuals

Postmodernism

The idea that truth is flexible, identities can change, and everything is open to interpretation.

Plasticity / “cultural plastic”

The belief that the body and identity can be endlessly reshaped (e.g., through surgery, beauty standards).

Disciplinary practices (from Michel Foucault)

Ways society controls people by making them follow norms (e.g., beauty standards, behavior rules).

Plastic discourse

Talking about the body as something you can freely change and “fix.”

Polysurgical addicts

People who repeatedly get cosmetic surgery trying to reach an ideal.

Totalizing

Oversimplifying something complex into one single explanation.

Cultural patterns

Repeated behaviors, norms, and ideas in society that reveal power and resistance.

1. Limitations of postmodernism and “plasticity”

Postmodernism says:

👉 “People can freely shape their identity and body”

Limitation:

It ignores power and pressure from society

Not everyone has equal freedom to “choose”

Beauty standards still control people

👉 Example:

Surgery may seem like a “choice,” but it is influenced by social expectations

From Susan Bordo:

Postmodernism overestimates freedom

It ignores how culture pressures people to conform

👉 Key idea:

Bodies are not fully free—they are shaped by power

2. Using “cultural patterns” to analyze power and resistance

Cultural patterns = repeated behaviors and norms

You can use them to see:

Power → what society expects (e.g., beauty ideals, masculinity norms)

Resistance → how people challenge or reject those norms

👉 Example:

Beauty standards (thin body, surgery) = power

Body positivity movement = resistance

👉 Key idea:

Power is not owned by one group

People are placed differently within it (some have more control than others)

Power (Foucault)

Not something one person owns—power is everywhere and works through everyday actions, norms, and systems.

Heteronormativity

The idea that being straight is “normal” and everything else is outside the norm.

Queer politics

A political approach that challenges all norms about gender, sexuality, and identity—not just fighting for rights, but changing the system.

Coalitional work

Different marginalized groups working together (not just one identity group).

Radical transformative politics

Changing the whole system, not just improving it.

1. Define “power” according to Foucault

According to Michel Foucault:

👉 Power is:

Everywhere, not just in governments or leaders

“Bottom-up” → comes from everyday interactions

Built into norms, rules, and expectations

👉 Key idea:

Power is not something you have

It is something that shapes how people behave and think

2. Explain queer politics and its radical potential

Queer politics goes beyond just LGBTQ rights:

👉 It challenges:

Gender norms

Sexual norms

The idea of “normal” (heteronormativity)

From Cathy J. Cohen:

What makes it radical:

Focuses on all marginalized people, not just LGBTQ individuals

Builds coalitions (race, class, sexuality together)

Challenges the entire system, not just seeking inclusion

👉 Example:

Groups like ACT UP fought for AIDS awareness and broader social justice

Radical potential:

Can transform society, not just reform it

Exposes how systems of power affect multiple groups

👉 Key idea:

Queer politics = not just inclusion, but changing the rules entirely

Androgynous

Having both masculine and feminine traits.

Bathroom problem

The conflict over which bathroom people should use when they don’t fit gender norms.

Passing

Being seen as fitting into a specific gender (even if it doesn’t match assigned sex).

Urinary segregation

Separating bathrooms strictly by male/female.

Liminality

Being “in-between” categories (not clearly one or the other).

Female masculinity

Masculine traits expressed by people assigned female at birth.

Gender identity vs. gender expression

Identity = how you feel inside

Expression = how you present yourself

Gender panic (“penis panic”)

Fear or anxiety when gender categories are unclear.

Bathroom bills

Laws controlling which bathrooms people can use based on sex assigned at birth.

1. Why did people find the “Pat” sketch funny?

People expect clear gender categories (male or female)

“Pat” creates confusion → breaks those expectations

👉 Humor comes from:

Society’s discomfort with gender ambiguity

Reliance on strict gender binaries

2. Why is the bathroom a “problem”?

From Judith Halberstam:

👉 Bathrooms force people into:

Only male or female categories

This creates issues because:

Not everyone fits neatly into those categories

Leads to exclusion, policing, and conflict

👉 “Crumbling edifice of gender”:

Shows that the gender system is unstable and breaking down

3. Compare “Pat” to the bathroom problem

Both show discomfort with unclear gender

Both expose how society:

Needs clear labels

Struggles without them

👉 Difference:

“Pat” = humor and media

Bathrooms = real-life consequences (laws, discrimination)

4. How might Kate Bornstein respond?

Gender is not binary

People should not be forced into categories

👉 Bornstein would argue:

The problem is not the person (like Pat)

The problem is the rigid system