From Miley Cyrus to that Pantene ad, 5 feminist arguments that sparked debate in 2013
You might not expect a commercial for a beauty product to confront gender bias, but that’s exactly what Pantene Philippines did in its ad that juxtaposes the labels ascribed to men versus women in similar situations. He’s the boss, but she’s bossy. He’s persuasive, while she’s pushy. When dad works late, it’s because he’s dedicated, but when mom does, she’s selfish.
In the description of the ad on YouTube, Pantene describes itself as “a brand that stands for empowering women to shine boldly.” Its goal with the #WhipIt campaign: “Urging women to leave labels behind, and be strong and shine.”
Still, beauty products profit in part by preying on women’s insecurities. This is “marketing masquerading as feminism,” argues Jessica Roy in Time magazine. “While on the surface videos like Pantene’s ‘Labels Against Women’ show beauty brands bucking traditional standards by embracing body positivity instead of ignoring it, it’s still important to recognize these videos for what they truly are: a clever way for the same old companies to make money off of women. And there’s nothing less feminist than that.”
And yet, Facebook exec and “Lean In” author Sheryl Sandberg praised the viral hit on her Facebook page: “This is one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen illustrating how when women and men do the same things, they are seen in completely different ways. Really worth watching.”
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Quiet the LGBT backlash: Beyonce’s album empowers us all (Screengrab via PantenePhilippines / YouTube)
How a few self-described feminists broke with the traditional tenets of feminism in 2013. --Alexandra Le Tellier
Follow Alexandra Le Tellier on Twitter @alexletellier and Google+
New York magazine’s article “The Retro Wife,” about how feminists are bucking their NYC careers in favor of becoming stay-at-home moms, ignited a fierce debate.
Is feminism the opportunity to make the choice between having career versus becoming a SAHM? Or is feminism the pursuit of equality, in which both men and women have the same opportunities in the workplace? Or has the concept morphed into a hybrid of both?
At the time, I argued that if a woman chooses to pursue a career, her gender shouldn’t become an obstacle, whether she has children or not -- just like her male colleagues. Yet if she chooses to stay at home, we should support the decision -- just as we should when men become stay-at-home dads. But I also included this caveat, via feminist icon Beyonce, who told GQ:
“I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. [...] Let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous.”
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Quiet the LGBT backlash: Beyonce’s album empowers us all (Alex Nabaum / For The Times)
While it might be confusing to see a scantily-clad young woman rise to pop stardom due in large part to shocking and sexualized performances, Miley Cyrus has shown that a woman has a great deal of power when she owns her body.
After the VMAs, The Times’ Robin Abcarian saw an empowered woman in Cyrus and defended her performance with Robin Thicke, writing that Cyrus “used him as a prop, bending over and backing into him.” Abcarian continued:
“When it comes to sexual exploitation, it’s performers like Thicke who have something to answer for. In Thicke’s creepy ‘Blurred Lines’ video, he and two other male singers, Pharrell Williams and T.I., wear snappy suits while bare-breasted young women in nothing but thongs dance around them and vamp like strippers. It’s disturbing to see the juxtaposition of the naked women with the fully dressed men. Especially since they’re used as ornaments. [...] You might hate Cyrus’ songs or disapprove of her using the stage as a glorified strip club. But at least she was nobody’s ornament.”
Since then, Cyrus has declared herself “one of the biggest feminists in the world.” Which might give old-school feminists some pause. But as Salon’s Mary Elizabeth Williams told “Studio 360’s” Kurt Andersen: “I think just because a young woman wants to twerk now and then does not mean she does not have something to say.”
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Quiet the LGBT backlash: Beyonce’s album empowers us all (Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images for Clear Channel)
