Anti-feminism on TV - Essay Example

Anti-feminism on TV Literature review Social According to Gill (2006), post feminism dis s are contradictory carrying within them both feminist and anti-feminist themes. Gill (2006), views that the media is a social tool, which has been used in the post feminist era to propagate anti-feminism. The notion that femininity is can be seen as bodily property shows how the media is obsessively preoccupied with the body thus shifting focus on women from objective to subjective. Himmelstein (2001), popular culture (shown in the media-TV) is the undoing of feminist gains as analyzed by Angela McRobbie in her book, “The Aftermath of Feminism: Gender, Culture and Social Change”. Feminism on media (TV) can be viewed as a response to the anxiety of status brought about by social change. According to Callaway (2008), the struggle for women’s identity and place in society led to strong feminist movements that are being antagonized in anti-feminism campaigns spearheaded by what is portrayed on TV (women’s bodies as sex objects). Hammer, R and Kellner, D (2006) are keen to discuss the feminists who are not really for feminism but are anti-feminists in actual sense, for example Camille Paglia. According to, anti- Political According to Ray (2002), anti-feminism is high in the political arena which necessitates the need for “The New Political Compass.” Furthermore, Motta, Fominaya, Eschle, and Cox (2011), indicates that post feminism seems to have plunged the political feminist movement into a crisis with women leaders losing the fight against anti-feminism in the media (TV). According to Downes (2009), political satire in cartoons has enhanced anti-feminism in the media by depicting women running for office as lacking womanliness or femininity. According to Paglia (2008), systemic anti-feminism has become popular culture on TV which is a hindrance to political ambitions of women. Haase (2004), cultural shifts and post feminist discourse on TV as well anti-feminist backlash have distorted political ambition for young female viewers. Economic According to Olson and Worsham (2001), ultimate anti-feminism is epitomized on television in the laugh industry for economic gains but demeaning women. On her discussion of anti-feminism shows how women are prejudiced against economically because of failure to exercise control over their reproductive health. According to Delap and Heilmann (2006), critical feminist dialogue has often broken down due to the economic inferiority of women portrayed even on TV. According to Haraway (2006), the ironic political myth shown on television that claims faithfulness to feminism and women affairs socially and economically is in actual sense anti-feminism. The urge to limit feminism by anti-feminists is taken to the extent of involving the media in portraying women as prostitutes due to economic oppression. Analysis of Anti-feminism Women see anti-feminism as an ideology that goes against the quest for equality of rights and representation. It is usually based on cultural beliefs or even religious teachings, which purport that women are inferior to men. According to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), an anti-feminist is defined as a person (usually a man) opposed to feminism or to women; one who is hostile to the idea of sexual equality or to the advocacy of the rights of women. Feminism on the other hand is a collection of ideologies and movements with an aim to defend, define, and establish equal social, economic, and political rights for women. Therefore, a feminist is one who is in support of or advocates equality of women. Antifeminism is thus opposition to all that feminism stands for in one way or another. The characteristics of anti-feminism are behaviors or ideas that portray disbelief in social, political, or economic equality of sexes. Anti-feminism started and was centered on opposition to suffrage by women in the 19th century. Some people opposed to women entering institutions of higher learning brought about the argument that education was a physical burden that was too great to be placed on women. Edward Clarke, a Harvard professor (late 19th century) gave a prediction that if women were to go to college, then their brains would become heavier and bigger, and the womb would reduce or cease to hold children. This prediction was based on his observation of college-educated women having fewer children than their uneducated counterparts. Such arguments including opposition by anti-feminists of women entering the labor force, sitting on juries, right to join unions, obtaining birth control and controlling their sexuality have degenerated into what anti-feminism on TV is today. Some antifeminists on TV are of the opinion that feminism has caused the previous norms of society to change with regard to sexuality. They view this as damaging to conservative religious beliefs and values of tradition. Antifeminists blame increase in casual sex and decrease of marriage on feminism. The traditionalists were opposed to women getting into the workforce, reduction of male authority in family setup, voting process, as well as political office. Antifeminists are of the opinion that changing the role of women is a force that endangers the family and is destructive which goes against religious morals. Paul Gottfried, a social antifeminist on television repeatedly blames social chaos on change of the role of women. He terms feminism as a social disaster that has continued taking toll on families leading to release of increasingly disconnected individuals into society. Opposition to feminism in the modern day is on natural grounds as opposed to the former traditional or religious grounds. Feminism today is seen as denial of differences that occur naturally between genders by attempting to get people to deny their biological tendencies. Antifeminists defend their position by arguing that feminism has gone beyond advocating for equality to ignoring issues unique to rights of males. This notwithstanding, antifeminism portrayed on media (television) shows a desire for a society in which women are stripped off their rights and are oppressed. This downside of anti-feminism is becoming rampant and overboard on TV with even most advertisements having elements of anti-feminism. Antifeminism on TV and in the modern world has downplayed the bold steps taken by women in not only championing for their rights but also contributing to national as well as international welfare. Women like Hilary Clinton have been advocating for women on debates like the one on social security. It should be taken into consideration that women form majority recipients of social security. Another issue of concern is discrimination of wages against women keeping them as low-income earners in the labor market resulting in lower levels of social security benefits. Feminists argue that programs on TV that show the society as patriarchal and having set rigid gender roles for women and men alike, are harmful to both in the process. On TV shows and movies, the message put across is that men are more privileged than women in society are. This is indeed true due to naturally occurring advantages in our society as a result of years of social, political, economic, and religious supremacy over women. This does not mean that women are not entitled to dominance in these fields; it is only a matter of emancipation from limiting themselves. It is in this endeavor that some advocators of feminism have gone overboard attracting antifeminism sentiments. In politics, there is a huge disparity between men and women, with men outnumbering women hugely both in the Senate and House. This is a contributing factor to the trend of harsh (brutal) media coverage to female politicians. The media tends to place emphasis (focus) on the personality traits of female politicians than the real issues. The media and pop culture have become so anti-feminist that even when feminists have facts for their activism, women themselves fail to support them. Feminist movement is a phrase uttered with a lot of contempt with feminists being portrayed on TV as militant lesbians or men haters. Anti-feminism on TV has portrayed the modern woman as loose morally (sexually easy) in an attempt to be equal to men. This is so on TV shows and movies such as “Sex and The City”, “Desperate Housewives”, and “Friends.” Other TV shows portray the arrogant tendencies of men toward women especially those in leadership for example the popular TV series, House. This contempt for women is anti-feministic. On the social platform, the number of reality TV series is at an all time high. Most have women on them and portray women as moody beings incapable of sound/sober judgment, which is fairly anti-feminist. An example is “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” There has also been a lot of interest group anti-feminism on Russian television calling for censorship on the media for propagating too much negative feminism. While feminism may give voice to weak, marginalized women in a male dominated world, there is also malicious feminism aimed at character assassinating men. However, anti-feminists too get a lot of media coverage and free press to echo their sentiments, which can be a cause for them to take advantage and exaggerate the extent of negative feminism on TV. There is also the aspect of nudity on TV shows, movies, and advertisement, which demeans women reducing them to bodily objects for satisfaction of men’s sexual needs. This is an anti-feminist feature employed in the media. TV also portrays women as gaining in monetary terms from nudity, which is economic anti-feminism on TV. On the overall the debate on battle of supremacy between the genders continues to rage with extremists on either side to blame for misrepresentation of stands taken and intolerance for dialogue. In conclusion, one anti-feminist campaigner Camille Paglia says, “Feminism has become like a catch-all vegetable drawer in which a bunch of clingy sob sisters store their moldy neuroses.” Work cited Gill, Rosalind. "Postfeminist media culture Elements of a sensibility." 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