life & style // no. 16

Hello bitches

> Feminine power and social perception

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

 

[eee as a feminist, so I know that
the idea of gender norms is a constant
and persistent discussion, so much so
that it has almost become background
noise. | mean, the picture of the angry
feminist ranting about problematic female
stereotypes has become a trope unto
itself. | assure you that this will be a little
different—for one, I’m not going to bring
up society forcing young women into
being demure. Secondly, I’m not angry,
just disappointed in society’s inability

to recognize that our idea of feminine
power is to remove the feminine.

To start off with, I want to be clear
that when I refer to masculine and
feminine, I am in fact referring to social
constructs of opposing binaries, and not
referencing birth or biological sex/gender.
Tam of the firm belief that we can choose
how we identify and how we wish to be
seen, and it is in that choice that we can
either become masculine, feminine, or
gender fluid. So really, the perception of
power that I will be talking about is the
perception for all who identify as female.

Recently I watched a music video
by CL and Iggy Azalea and I came to the
realization that feminine power, more
specifically the social perception of it, isa
strange and mercurial thing. The problem
Tam having is if we take a generalized
model of an empowered female and
remove the feminine aesthetic value (i.e.
the fact that the subject looks female),
then how do we disassociate that from
male empowerment; and in that respect,
does that disassociation need to occur?

To make it the issue a little clearer,
try to think of behaviour we classify as
“empowering” for women—standing
up for themselves, sexual freedom,
being financially independent—then
think of how these aspects of feminine
power are expressed through the media.
Women are portrayed as loud and
aggressive, promiscuous yet in a way

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that is self-determined and positive,
and exploiting their wealth—much
in the same way that urban culture
portrays male power or dominance.
Where I think the problem occurs
is that this similar portrayal is
too similar, because these
“empowered” women
are also often shown
objectifying other
women, either in
a homoerotic way,
or in a “me versus
them” type of scenario. *
The first way is the
easier one to identify
when it occurs, and it is
because of that ease of
identification that it can
be perceived as harmless.
The media's obsession
with lesbianism, or
rather the perception of
lesbianism, is based in
its appeal to heterosexual
men—meaning that it
actually has very little to
do with homosexuality.
Heterosexual men like to see
attractive women make out, so
therefore attractive women will
make out to get the attention
of men. It’s an annoying and
frustrating concept that actual lesbians
and bisexual women have to deal with;
the idea that their sexuality is a ploy to
gain masculine approval. This then fosters
the “right man” belief—the idea that a
lesbian isn’t an actual lesbian, that she
just needs to meet the “right man” before
going back on the train to Dicksville.
The “me versus them” scenario is
a little subtler, and it doesn’t attempt
to make grand generalizations about
feminine sexuality or play into the
stereotype that all women are needy
and attention-seeking. This is about the
only positive thing about it. Creating
a “me versus them’ type of situation is
basically a way of eliminating yourself
from a stereotype—so you are thereby

 

   

theotherpress.ca

C¢ I'm not angry, just disappointed...”

 

claiming power by disassociating yourself
from the powerless. In this case a woman
will emphasize more traditionally
“masculine” aspects of her personality—
aggression, assumed authority, etc.—in
her use of slang, body language, and
basic behaviours to set herself apart from
other women. In some cases, she may
even actively invoke the image of the
traditionally feminine figure as something
she is working against by mentioning

or creating a side-by-side comparison
visually or vocally. To put it in very basic
terms, she becomes a pseudo-male. This
is most common in the workplace or in
any area where a woman may find herself
in a male-dominated environment. It’s
easier to fit in than it is to stand out, so
becoming “one of the boys” is generally

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the simplest way to avoid conflict.
Though this may work out for the
individual, it doesn’t empower women
as a whole, or validate the existence
of feminine power in any way. Instead
all it does is solidify the generalization
of all women by creating outliers to
emphasize the stereotype that most
women are trying to work against.
From my observations, it is clear
that whether or not the disconnect
between masculine and feminine
power is important or not seems less
problematic than the actual vision of
“empowerment” as a whole. If becoming
empowered means you must therefore
become exclusionary or fraudulent,
then it isn’t really empowerment, no
matter what pop culture tells you.

  

 

   

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