On liberal media analysis of “The Sexualization of Young Girls”
Video from Sociological Images.
We have seen before that liberal media analysis consistently falls short of making meaningful political connections, or naming and explaining the foundations and mechanisms of male power. The point of liberal and even liberal feminist media criticism seems to be to merely point out various “inequalities” or perceived positional slights and to conclude that these inequalities are undesirable on their face — for example, pointing out that young girls are sexualized more than are young boys suggests that the statistical difference is significant without explaining why that is so, or how or even whether it is of political relevance to women and feminists.
Kara Passey (Seriously)
-- image by Kara Passey click on image to visit Tumblr
Critique of Sociological Images post ‘Portraying and Pushing Female Competitiveness’
90% best friend; 10% bitter enemy; 100% genuine. -- Osh Kosh B'Gosh
Yesterday, Dr. Lisa Wade wrote for Sociological Images that women are often pit against one another in media images and are unable to be friends in real life, due to “gender inequality.” She states,
gender inequality makes it difficult for men and women to be friends with each other, for men to be friends with men, and for women to be friends with each other. Regarding the latter, I argue that, in a society that values men and masculinity over women and femininity, everyone values men’s opinions more than women’s. Inevitably, then, women are placed into competition with one another for attention from men. Meanwhile, women’s opinions of them have less value and can’t substitute for men’s, so women can’t hold each other up; they must all turn to men for self-esteem.
So we have an obvious truism — that women are often in competition with each other for male attention, and that women are often pitted against each other generally — being pointed out, which is a good first step. Figuring out why that might be so — and why that obvious truism is of feminist concern — is the logical next step which is, unfortunately, never taken. In other words, so what?
Radfem-ological Images 