Feminism

Feminism

Feminism first became big in the late 19th century when groups of women would come together to overturn rules and laws that put men above women in society, such as voting and freedom of speech for all women. Then a second wave of feminists came in force fighting about gender inequalities such as uneven pay between men and women and also the gender roles given to women as they wanted to lose the label of staying at home cooking and cleaning. In these times women were seen as objects for mens sexual pleasure, which is something women across the world were not happy about. 

Post modern feminist beliefs were the claims of inequality in pay which some women described as exploitation of the women by the males in society who had the more well payed, respected jobs whereas women were the ones who cooked and cleaned, and any man who were to clean up would be seen as feminine or would be questioned of his sexuality. 

However more modern claims of feminism are to do with childbirth and how it makes working mothers feel vulnerable coming back after maternity leave. they would believe we live in a culture of patriarchy, which means everything is run by males. 

One of the more famous feminists is Anne Oakley. She has many theories about feminism including the theory of canalization in which parents show their child the difference between boys and girls while they are young, and would give them gender related toys and do gender specific activities such as boys receiving a football or cars to play with while girls are given play kitchen sets and baby dolls. she suggests that we are teaching children the values of the 19th century in which women are to stay home and cook or look after children. She believes that parents are manipulating their children. 

Laura Mulvey another feminist came up with the theory of "the male gaze" which focuses on how heterosexual males would view females in pictures, movies, music videos ect. She thought of this phrase in 1975 and believes film audiences have to view people in peices of media through the eye of the heterosexual male. She believes that when the camera is showing these women on television they are perceived as objects for men to look at rather than just another person on the screen.


The magazine cover on the right shows a woman who to most males would be classed as unattractive, wearing no clothes. This is someone who does not fit into the theory of the male gaze. Although she is showing off her body, males wouldn't look at her the way they would look at other women they saw like this. this picture could be seen as a statement against models or other celebrities that would usually be seen in these pictures and looked at by males. The caption "Kiss my ass" could be seen as her not wanting to conform to the generic view of beauty.  the picture could also be depicting that every woman is beautiful.