Feminism Theory

What definitions are offered by the factsheet for ‘feminism ‘and ‘patriarchy’?

• Feminism- a movement which aims for women to be treated equal to men socially, economically and politically
• Patriarchy- male dominance in society

Why did bell hooks publish her 1984 book ‘Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center’?

• bell hooks published her 1984 book due to the lack of diversity within the feminist movement with many of the diverse being marginalised outside the main aims of feminism. She also argued that equality cannot be achieved merely through gender and that there are many other factors to consider in order to make feminism more inclusive. 

What aspects of feminism and oppression are the focus for a lot of bell hooks’s work?

• Sex, Class, Race and intersectionality.

What is intersectionality and what does hooks argue regarding this?

• Intersectionality is the word used to describe overlapping or 'intersecting' aspects of social identities and related systems of privilege, oppression and discrimination. bell hooks argues that experiences of numerous social identities cannot be fully understood if racialisation is not considered. 

What did Liesbet van Zoonen conclude regarding the relationship between gender roles and the mass media?

• van Zoonen concluded that there is a 'strong correlation between gender and communication' and that the mass media leads to observable gender structures in advertising, film and TV.

Liesbet van Zoonen sees gender as socially constructed. What does this mean and which other media theorist we have studied does this link to?

• van Zoonen believes that gender is the consequence of 'the individual, the social and the cultural' experiences and the creation of different connotations that have become inherent to specific gender identities. This links to Judith Butler's ideas of 'Gender as a performance'.

How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?

• Feminists view women's lifestyles magazines as either 'outdated and enforcing patriarchal ideologies' or as 'reaffirming femininity in the modern age'. I personally agree with the empowering aspect of women's lifestyle, as it places femininity into a modern narrative of giving women a safe space to have a voice, or gather information however I am conscious of the lack of representations and how this empowerment may only cater to a small percentage of specifically middle class, white, cisgender women. 

In looking at the history of the colours pink and blue, van Zoonen suggests ideas gender ideas can evolve over time. Which other media theorist we have studied argues this and do you agree that gender roles are in a process of constant change? Can you suggest examples to support your view?

• David Gauntlett spoke about the constant changes of gender, specifically masculinity. I think that the ideas of gender have seen a stark evolution especially in recent years with the infamous Gillette advert, the all female reboot of Ghostbusters and clothing brands decision to market their clothing as unisex.

What are the five aspects van Zoonen suggests are significant in determining the influence of the media?

• Whether the institution is commercial or public
• The platform in which they operate on [Print v. Digital]
• Genre [News v. Fiction]
• Target Audiences
• The place the media text holds within the intended audiences everyday lives

What other media theorist can be linked to van Zoonen’s readings of the media?

• Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding theory as well as Reception theory as gender representations can be interpreted in a variety of ways due to different factors of social identity. 

Van Zoonen discusses ‘transmission models of communication’. She suggests women are oppressed by the dominant culture and therefore take in representations that do not reflect their view of the world. What other theory and idea (that we have studied recently) can this be linked to?

• Gilroy's 'Double Consciousness', discussing the idea that Black experience is not accurately depicted through the mass media.

Finally, van Zoonen has built on the work of bell hooks by exploring power and feminism. She suggests that power is not a binary male/female issue but reflects the “multiplicity of relations of subordination”. How does this link to bell hooks views on feminism and intersectionality?

• This discusses the issue of intersectionality that bell hooks speaks on, with gender being only a percentage of causation for oppression. Oppression is far more complex and your identity is made up of various different attributes that can garner you privilege or the opposite, it is impossible to make a sweeping judgement without considering the historical and cultural significant of race, sexuality and disabilities. As both women discuss, intersectionality speaks about the different experiences of different women, and thus subverts the original idea of feminism being a two dimensional fight for gender equality.