I view feminism as wanting the same opportunities for women that men have,at work, socially and in sports.
There’s no Ask Angela for men because they aren’t a high risk for grape, sexual assault and violence. They are at risk of street violence.
In what way is how you view influencers misogynistic ?
I think sometimes it can be really subtle…
I can, for example, judge an influencer who is posing and is super slim, maybe with a lot of makeup.
And I think it’s a bit pathetic and I think her makeup looks awful but also I resent her because her being stick thin makes me feel pressure to diet and I kinda resent her for reinforcing that pressure I feel under…
and while on one hand maybe the criticism is a little bit warranted (after all, some of the way influencers pose and behave is ridiculous, and it’s can be really vain and shallow)…
I think internalised misogyny creeps in in the form of my blaming her for conforming and perpetuating the patriarchal standards of what an attractive body looks like. After all, the influencer herself is probably just as much a victim of the pressure to be thin as I am. Is she participating in perpetuating an unrealistic ideal? Yeh, and probably deserves some criticism for that but… mostly she probably doesn’t? She’s just trying to get by within the same constrains the rest of us are. And I don’t think I’d leap to judge a man’s body in the same way.
same with makeup… after all, what makeup she wears is nothing to do with me - but it’s like there’s a reflex in me to judge and assess other women in a way I don’t for men.
in terms of celebrities… it takes so much effort to dissect and pay attention to the misogyny in media reporting on them, and it can so easily creep into everyday, public perception of them. I used to really dislike Taylor swift, mostly on the basis she was really precocious and happy to blow her own trumpet on the Paul Ogrady show yeeeears ago, roughly when she first gained mainstream success. I think the way she’s been reported on (having yet another boyfriend - the horror), can be subtle in its sexism. The daily Mail would release a story “TS is seen canoodling with new love interest a few weeks after breakup” and they invite sexism and judgement in a very manipulative and subtle way.
looking back though, what’s so wrong with a musician talking with confidence about her talent? I feel like it’s internalised misogyny that recoils when a woman is confident. We should be humble and grateful at all times.
as I’ve gotten older, a lot of aspects of Taylor swift annoy me. But at the same time I really appreciate that she is talented, intelligent and very brave/forward thinking in many ways.
