Discussion of postfeminism as a significant and contested term in feminist cultural analysis.
Recent debates span history and exclusions of feminism, gender consciousness of young women, and ideological nature of contemporary media that have crystallized in disagreements about postfeminism.
The term postfeminism is overloaded with multiple meanings, similar to postmodernism.
Nearly two decades of argument yield no consensus on the definition of postfeminism.
The term is used variously: as a theoretical position, as feminism following the Second Wave, or as a regressive political stance.
Disagreements about postfeminism are seen not necessarily as a problem (but potentially as a sign of vibrant debate).
Challenges include:
Difficulty in outlining rigid features of postfeminism.
Complications in applying modern ideas to cultural or media analysis.
Essential questions:
What makes a media text postfeminist?
What features are necessary for labeling something as postfeminist?
Aim of this chapter: to propose a practical understanding of postfeminism useful for analyzing contemporary cultural products.
Suggests that postfeminism is best characterized as a sensibility manifest across various media products.
UNPACKING POSTFEMINIST MEDIA CULTURE
The chapter argues for understanding postfeminism as a sensibility, emphasizing contradictory narratives that weave feminist and anti-feminist themes.
Identified stable features of postfeminist discourse include:
Femininity as a bodily property.
Transition from objectification to subjectification.
Emphasis on self-surveillance, monitoring, and discipline.
Focus on individualism, choice, and empowerment.
Dominance of a makeover paradigm.
Assertion of natural sexual differences.
Marked sexualization of culture.
Focus on consumerism and commodification of difference.
These themes exist alongside continuing inequalities related to race, class, age, sexuality, and disability.
FEMININITY AS A BODILY PROPERTY
Postfeminist media culture obsessively focuses on women’s bodies, framing femininity primarily as a bodily property.
Shift away from previous representations where femininity was characterized by social roles such as nurturing or motherhood.
A ‘sexy body’ is portrayed as women’s primary source of identity.
The body is seen as both a source of power and a site of constant scrutiny and control, requiring ongoing surveillance and consumer expenditure to meet beauty standards.
Media representation of women's bodies includes:
Celebrity scrutiny (e.g., comments on bodies in magazines like Heat).
Hostile evaluations in lifestyle shows like What Not to Wear and 10 Years Younger.
The portrayal of women’s internal difficulties through bodily expressions (e.g., Bridget Jones’s smoking or calorie counting).
Success often requires conformity to a sleek, toned image; contradictions exist between the external presentation and internal emotions.
THE SEXUALIZATION OF CULTURE
Increased sexualization in contemporary culture links closely with the obsession over women’s bodies as markers of femininity.
Defined sexualization includes a plethora of discussions around sex across media, as part of what Brian McNair calls ‘striptease culture’.
Represents the erotic presentation of bodies, especially women’s, in public contexts:
Newspapers feature rape stories alongside alluring content, sexualizing all women including public figures.
Representation of sex varies across media; 'lad magazines' depict a carefree pursuit of pleasure while those for young women frame it as a rigorous responsibility.
For women, narratives involve policing sexual reputations and handling emotional burdens, contrasting with men’s portrayal as mere hedonists.
FROM SEX OBJECT TO DESIRING SEXUAL SUBJECT
Representations in media have transitioned from depicting women merely as passive objects to presenting them as active sexual subjects.
Advertising has adapted to a postfeminist sensibility, celebrating sexually autonomous women who engage actively with their sexuality.
This modernization represents:
A new ‘technology of sexiness’ critical to contemporary femininity (as noted by Hilary Radner).
Shifts control from external male judgment to self-surveillance and self-objectification, complicating the dynamics of women's agency and empowerment.
Despite perceived autonomy, critiques are offered regarding the inadequacy of this presentation amid societal realities of sexual violence and exclusion of diverse women from sexual subjectivity.
INDIVIDUALISM, CHOICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Central to the postfeminist sensibility are concepts of choice, individuality, and empowerment.
Empowerment narratives resonate throughout various media forms today, framing personal experiences (like racism and domestic violence) in individualistic terms, reversing the political aspect of personal issues.
Examples include:
The rise in popularity of Brazilian waxing and breast augmentation are framed as personal pleasure-seeking choices.
Little attention is given to societal pressures or commercial interests fueling these trends.
Women are presented as completely autonomous agents, obscuring the underlying social influences and commonality in beauty standards across media.
The encouragement to interpret feminine practices as freely chosen is drawn alongside neoliberal ideologies.
SELF-SURVEILLANCE AND DISCIPLINE
Emphasis on self-surveillance and discipline is heightened in postfeminist culture.
Historical requisites of successful femininity include constant grooming and adjustment to societal expectations.
Three defining aspects of contemporary self-monitoring are identified:
Increased intensity and scope of self-surveillance.
Expansion into new areas of life, requiring more intimate forms of regulation.
Focus on psychological transformation; monitoring one’s thoughts and emotions.
Pressures on femininity require women to self-evaluate across multiple facets of their lives, often disguised as fun practices, while imposing rigorous standards.
THE MAKEOVER PARADIGM
The makeover paradigm is pervasive within postfeminist media culture, suggesting inherent flaws in individuals or lives that can be remedied through expert advice and modified consumption habits.
Such messaging is found in various programming, effectively promoting narrow ideals of success and transformation.
Ubiquitous makeover shows create new ethical selves, often embedding societal animosities and reinforcing class and racial stereotypes.
The implicit narrative encourages judgment of those who fail to conform to the ideal, perpetuating conflict between women rather than addressing systemic inequities.
THE REASSERTION OF SEXUAL DIFFERENCE
Resurgence of ideologies surrounding sexual difference has re-emerged following feminist movements, notably manifesting in media portrayals of masculinity, such as the critique of the 'New Man' alongside the rise of the 'New Lad.'
This idea asserts a return to essentialist notions of gender, beneath growing interests in evolutionary psychology and genetic science framing human behaviors.
Cultural literature emphasizes differences between sexes, often delegitimizing feminist viewpoints advocating for equality.
IRONY AND KNOWINGNESS
Irony plays a crucial role in postfeminist media culture, functioning to convey both sophisticated consumerism and subtle rebuffs to traditional sentiments.
Advertisements utilize irony to conflate sexism with humor, deflecting potential criticism through the guise of nostalgia or self-aware referencing.
This usage cultivates misogynistic narratives while disallowing critique, positioning outright discrimination as merely whimsical.
FEMINISM AND ANTI-FEMINISM
The integration of feminism within media reflects both the incorporation and revision of feminist ideals, producing a complex relationship that includes both advocacy and repudiation.
Notably, feminist discussions are largely framed within media rather than originating from independent analyses, echoing in various popular culture representations.
By examining phenomena such as ‘chick lit’, a liberal feminist perspective is accepted while negatively portraying feminists as punitive.
Postfeminist heroines, while reflecting empowerment, sometimes conform to traditional feminine norms criticized by feminists.
CONCLUSION
This chapter outlines the elements of a postfeminist sensibility, highlighting the connection between postfeminism and neoliberalism.
Feminist ideas are both echoed and contested, intertwining within a rhetoric of autonomy and choice juxtaposed against societal surveillance of women.
Postfeminism showcases a nuanced conflict, requiring women to navigate expectations tied to personal freedom while confronting varying standards across identities and experiences.
This complex relation is indicative of broader neoliberal ideologies, inviting further exploration around gendered implications of neoliberal frameworks.
REFERENCES
// List of various works and authors cited throughout the text to support analytical claims and discussions related to postfeminism, media culture, and gender studies. //