MIGRAIN: Introduction to feminism

MIGRAIN: Introduction to feminism

Discussing feminism and learning a range of feminist theories is an essential part of A Level Media Studies.

Are we living in a post-feminist state? Do you agree there is still a need for feminism? To what extent does the media contribute to the identity created for women in popular culture? These are some of the questions we need to consider when studying representation in A Level Media.

There is a current debate regarding whether feminism is still required in the 21st century (the idea that we are now in a 'post-feminist' state) against the view that the use of new and digital media to further feminist campaigns constitutes a new fourth wave of feminism.

Key notes

Waves of feminism

First wave: early 20th century, suffragette movement (right to vote).

Second wave: 1960s – 1990s, reproductive rights (pill), abortion, equal pay.

Third wave: 1990s – present, empowerment, reclaiming of femininity (high heels, sexuality etc. See Angela McRobbie's work on women's magazines).

Fourth wave? 2010 – ongoing, use of new technology and digital media (e.g. Twitter) for activism.

Fourth wave?

Many commentators argue that the internet itself has enabled a shift from ‘third-wave’ to ‘fourth-wave’ feminism. What is certain is that the internet has created a ‘call-out’ culture, in which sexism or misogyny can be ‘called out’ and challenged. 

This culture is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on challenging sexism and misogyny in advertising, film, television and the media. 

Key quote: “power users of social media”

The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use the internet both for discussion and activism. 

According to #FemFuture: Online Feminism, a report recently published by Columbia University’s Barnard Center for Research on Women, females aged between 18 and 29 are the ‘power users of social networking’.

(Source: Political Studies Association. Read more about this: http://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/feminism-fourth-wave)

Critics of online feminism

Critics of online feminist movements suggest that petitions and pressure from Twitter campaigns is simply a witch-hunt orchestrated by privileged middle-class white women.

They ask: are ‘trolls’ the danger they are portrayed to be?

Introduction to feminism: blog tasks 

Case study: Everyday Sexism

Watch this TEDx talk by Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates:

 

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

Laura Bates started the everyday sexism project because she believes that to this day women and men are being treated very differently is society and everywhere, she mainly started this because she experienced this her self and wants to raise awareness and really make a change in the way that women are being treated.

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

The first wave of feminism started in the late nineteenth to mid twentieth hundreds of years, with a principle centre around suffrage. The second wave started during the 1960s, battling for the development of equivalent rights and prompting the Equal Pay Act of 1970, among other uniformity laws. Since the late 1990s, we are accepted to have entered the third wave frequently distinguished as post-woman's rights. The new fourth rush of woman's rights is otherwise called organised women's liberation. it intends to handle social equity issues found both on, and utilising, current innovation.

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

New innovation was fundamental to the achievement of the Everyday Sexism venture in light of the fact that the utilisation of innovation in the present society is amazing and consequently the utilisation of innovation in this undertaking was critical to prevailing as such huge numbers of individuals use innovation and the task being on the web was sharp as many individuals use telephones, PCs and so on., so along these lines the utilisation of new innovation was powerful in this task

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?

I trust the Everyday Sexism venture will dependably be required as I will dependably trust sexism will dependably occur in the public eye particularly for the following 10 years, so I trust the ordinary sexism task won't wind up significant sooner or later not on the grounds that sexism would be annulled, I trust that it will just not be important, however ideally that isn't the situation, despite the fact that woman's rights has advanced throughout the years yet I will dependably accept in any case how hard women's activist attempt to avoid it, there will dependably be women's liberation in the public arena.

Media Magazine: The fourth wave

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here.

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

The networks feminism is about the feminism that is being spread using new innovation to build up social correspondence . Its turn into an issue as because of quick ascent in innovation and media its imagined that woman's rights is by and large abandoned.

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’? 

Suffragette development, Reproductive rights and Equal pay, Empowerment and recovery of womanliness, utilisation of new innovation. I to some degree concur , anyway I do believe that we are at last phases of the third stage as society needs to fix on social equity and acknowledge women's liberation completely.

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

HeForShe: The He For She battle driven by Emma Watson. In a discourse to the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador, Watson stated Fighting for ladies' rights has again and again turned out to be synonymous with man-detesting it isn't the word that is essential however the thought and the desire behind it Men, sex balance is your issue as well. Watson's battle centres around male help for sex equity, featuring the way that woman's rights isn't tied in with advancing matriarchy, yet solidarity. Her computerised responsibility implies that you can promise to help the ladies' issue on the web, and has produced an immense reaction. Watson used Twitter for a Q&A session amid the crusade's advancement at Davao and spoke to both women's liberation and He For She as powerful and incorporated. 

FCKH8: This is an internet based life crusade that was established in 2010, which sells shirts and adornments that highlights motto with a social equity subject, for example, homophobia, sexism, bigotry and other social issues in the public eye. It expects to verbalise the individuals who make segregation in a dubious manner. For instance , it put out a video of young ladies saying swear words to test sexism which was viewed as unsatisfactory in certain lights 

Everyday sexism: The point of the task is to record instances of sexism from around the globe that numerous ladies experience every day, for example, discrete comments of a ladies body, whistling , grabbing in open areas, normally things like this would go to unnoticed or would be disregarded from society yet the site enables ladies to talk put and ideally end this " regular sexism" 


The Girl Can: This Girl Can battle, which has been portrayed as the primary wellness crusade for ladies which doesn't disgrace or prohibit them, by sharing photographs, recordings and statements of ladies without the typical sexual misuse of a ladies' wellness advert and without body disgracing. This undertaking at last endeavours to bring issues to light how young ladies ought not be embarrassed about their self-perception paying little mind to weight.

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

I trust the idea of the fourth wave woman's rights is cunning acquaintance in which with bring issues to light of woman's rights. As it utilises present day innovation to bring issues to light of the continuous issues with the manner in which females are being dealt with and with the presentation if advanced media is a decent presentation as in this day and age the innovation is having a noteworthy influence and the forward wave women's liberation can profit by this and bring issues to light, anyway I don't trust it's the long haul issue to bring issues to light as web based life can do as such a lot to a degree I think women's activist need to attempt greater tasks which goes worldwide to stop and keep the issues in the present society.