(These blogs are designed to do "transformation work," I would like to think of house keeping business. These are not the feel good articles. These articles are meant to stir up, as some who are in the spirit, quicken the spirit, to question life and so hopefully transform. Safe journeys my eternal athletes!)
Reality Show?!
What is a reality show? It is based on social constructs and gender roles. This is an excellent tool to analyze the media. I find watching shows as this give a feminist a tool to use to sharpen what is healthy or what is against the work of liberation. In our week’s readings, I find that our authors, Rebecca Walker, Ariel Levy, Valenti, Butler, Wittig, Steven Epstein and Bartky are different views when deconstructing these shows. The question for this week is to focus on the third wave feminism.
Watch a reality television show that features young attractive (or hoping to become attractive) women. Write a Third Wave feminist analysis of the show, specifically incorporating readings for this week. In the spirit of Rebecca Walker, Ariel Levy and Valenti, they suggest that women who find pleasure in sexual gratification are not subjective or oppressive. It is the obligation of second wave and first wave feminist who suppress other women in their orthodox to box women in the role of “sexuality righteousness.” What is right for women and what is wrong for women? On the other hand, it is within their spirit they argue they can find the path of healthiness within the male gaze. It is somewhat pleasurable to be captivating and leading the luring sex into women sexual control, as they would dominate the sexual industry. What is problematic for this ideology and theory is that the response to rebel against first wave and second wave create a struggle that women are still products, trophies to be taken. It is still in the language that some women are not free to choose to be subjective. It is within the third wave critique and response to the first wave and second wave that pleasure and satisfaction is the key of ownership and “I am,” of a woman.
Women are not afraid to please their men, and men are willing to respect that demand or I should say, freedom. Overall I think the younger women with this theory can create a hardship for other women in the “beautification,” of commodity rather privacy and the obligation of that rigid media pressure. The numbers show the abuse against women, violence against women in the way they handle their bodies, vaginas, and mind. The emotional damage and the future it creates for that woman who uplifts and gratifies in the abuse of a man as a pleasure and in that feminism must still be questionable when third wave raise up their banners and shout I love my nakedness, what are they really saying when they allow surgeons cut them open, tear them up and finally piece them together in an image that cannot last forever. As in Full Frontal Feminism, (pp. chapter 11) I rather live a short life skinny then a long life fat, shows the third wave feminist theory struggling with mental, physical and emotional health in the lines of the power of raunchy and porn (sex) culture.
Finally, I would end in the third wave positive aspect of the empowerment of its response and theory to these deconstructive methods of postmodernism and post structuralism that third wave feminist are bold, vibrant and taking on owning negative “systems” to recreate as their own. It is not a “price” to be paid as they would say, but pay the price to leave us (women) out of the equation. It reminds me of hear me roar, type of analogy for this wave. I would add that they find their importance and role in equality as a sex “component” that is priceless. I absolutely loved how Jill Scott framed it, I am what I am, yet I will be what I desire to be. In my own terms, how would third wave respond to these shows? These women are making their choice to be in these shows. More power to them. Otherwise who will show women liberation of choice without women in all fields? “Feminism is how you see it.” This is how third wave would respond to these shows. Bell hooks would not of course respond as such, but this is for the third wave analysis.
Thank you.
Mother NANHI