Commentary: Femininity-Susan Brownmiller

            Feminism is a word that has been warped and twisted ever since its origin.  While its dictionary definition is “the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men,” many people attempt to define it as misandry.  This, of course, could branch from the fact that femininity itself has so many definitions and warped views.

            The essay Femininity critiques femininity as revolving around looks and gender roles and “always wanting more.”  It makes the claim that “femininity pleases men because it makes them appear more masculine.”  However, this approach also leads to issues in feminism.  Many women genuinely feel more comfortable in what may be the more stereotypical feminine gender roles.  Many women enjoy cooking.  Wearing makeup is not always done specifically to please men.  Dresses may just be more comfortable than pants.  However, by extremists, these women are then accused of feeding sexism by not rejecting femininity.  “Women’s rights” means the right to choose.  It is a choice to break out of a stereotype just as much as it is a choice to appreciate and fit into a stereotype.

            The media forces so many clichés and anti-clichés on women that it becomes remarkably difficult to be oneself.  There’s traditional femininity, where girls are expected to be dainty and wear dresses.  There’s the attempt to break stereotypes, which often results in a still rather stereotypical tomboy.  The fact that it is so difficult for books and shows to create original characters in a world of clichés is one problem.  When the media impacts our life more than we would like to admit, it would certainly be useful to find more relatable characters, or to see more acknowledgement of issues in representing different genders.

            Despite progress that has been made, there are still many instances in which women are degraded.  In fact, many of these situations are so common that we as a society barely even notice them.  For example, take the time to watch a few interviews with the casts of popular movies.  Chances are that one of the first questions presented to a female cast member will revolve around her appearance.  Even an iconic and well developed character, like Black Widow from The Avengers (Scarlett Johansson) is initially asked about her diet and exercise for the filming before anyone considers actually discussing the character and acting choices.  In fact, she has called out the interviewer on giving her “rabbit food questions” while her male counterpart was getting “the good questions.” 

            All-in-all, femininity is, as a stereotype, pursued by one half of the media and rejected by the other, each half striving to please a different demographic.  As the essay, Femininity, states: “failure looms in either direction.”  Since not everyone has the same ideals, the world will never agree on what they really want to see.  Society will continue to dictate one thing, people will continue to root for the opposite, and both sides will appear to have the majority vote and continue to be caught in a cyclical pattern of misrepresentation.

            In the end, it is truly up to individuals to decide what they want to be, how they want to be seen, and how they choose to represent whatever it is that they have the opportunity to represent.  If a woman wants to be feminine, she shouldn't have to worry about being seen as enforcing a stereotype.  If she wants to reject the generally accepted perception of femininity, she shouldn't have to worry about receiving harsh judgments from others.  Likewise, if a man feels more comfortable taking on more feminine ideals, he should be able to do so.  Despite influence from the media or from society, people should be able to be themselves.  We should be able to see people separately from stereotypes and allow everyone the freedom to be who they want to be.