Postfeminism as Epistemological Break

Postfeminism as Epistemological Break

 “Postfeminism marks a shift away from a focus on equality to a focus on debates about differences, a shift away from structural analysis and meta-theorizing toward a more ‘pluralistic conception of the application of feminism’ that ‘addresses the demands of marginalized, diasporic and colonized cultures for a non-hegemonic feminism capable of giving voice to local, indigenous and postcolonial feminisms” (Gill 250). In my humble opinion, I believe that postfeminism on the internet has had a large impact on how many people view the media, revealing the absurd sexism in women’s role in the media. One of my favorite blog websites is Jezebel.com which concentrates in distributing celebrity, sex and fashion news to women. Since following this blog a year ago, I can easily check off Gill’s entire requirement for a postfeminist text such as the need for “narratives that explore women’s diverse relationships to power; depictions of varied feminist solutions; attempts to deconstruct the binaries of gender and sexuality; and illustrations of contemporary struggles” (251). A perfect example of a great article by Jezebel was published a few days ago.     

            The article is called “It’s Still Not Okay for Ladies to Get Angry.” In the article, Michelle Obama, Marianne Gingrich and Elizabeth Warren – all women of powerful influence – are used as recent examples of media’s portrayal of “bitter” women. It explains the dichotomy between men who apparently can get away with being flustered or angry and being seen as passionate whereas women are seen as an “angry bitch.”

            If postfeminism blogs continue to be well written and covered, I believe there is soon to be an age of more public awareness of social media influence on how we perceive and treat women. I think one example of progressive postfeminist change is the Photoshop disclaimer that France and the UK are trying to pass through legislation that would require companies to add a disclaimer if a person’s image has been enhanced through photo manipulation.