More than undoubtedly compelling, Anna North’s skillfully written feminist piece, “The Aziz Ansari story is ordinary. That’s why we have to talk about it” is both an obeisant account of Grace’s encounter and a critical addition to the ongoing conversation surrounding modern sexual culture. In skillfully juxtaposing details of the #MeToo movement, Grace’s ordeal and its ensuing media backlash, North effectively and deliberately highlights the misogynistic sexual atmosphere present within mainstream 21st century Western society. By revealing Grace’s experience to be far from unique, while also showcasing how commonly these experiences are invalidated in mainstream media, North exposes two particularly chilling aspects of modern North American …show more content…
North’s prudent use of excerpts from Caitlin Flanagan’s response to Grace’s experience – a collection of abrasively dismissive disparagements featured in (what could be argued to be) one of the most well-known magazines on the continent – serves to not only emphasize the lack of respect that women receive in the media, but also to illustrate how a victimized woman seeking justice is seen as less important than how that justice might affect a man. In highlighting this social sexism, Anna North ultimately reveals the state of relative powerlessness that Western women currently exist within; it is both common and expected for these women to not only have their discomfort ignored in favour of a male’s desires but to be socially attacked should she choose to report these kind of wrongdoings. More than disheartening, this societal inequity shows misogyny to be perhaps less apparent than in previous eras, but unfortunately still alive and well in 2018. Anna North’s deliberate inclusion and acknowledgement of the narrative surrounding Flanagan’s rebuttal ultimately reveal the prioritization of male prosperity over female safety within the Western world of 2018; in this society, a woman is free to anything (but only anything that doesn’t come at the expense of a
Women of color are treated differently; law does not function as a social mediator between relationships of all people. The focus is on women of colour and how non-white communities are considered inherently violent. By such stereotypes, rape myths create a belief that certain races are more dangerous than others, creating fear based on the social construction of society. Using the ``Slut Walk`` article as an example: women have argued ``it is different for a white middle class women to wear something slutty and march in a parade than a women of colour.`` Due to the social construction black woman are more likely to have their characters stereotype and are seen more promiscuous compared to white woman. (Julie Dowsett Lecture).Stereotyping has even gone so far where a police official made a comment about York university students, referring to the females saying “they should not dress like a slut” to reduce assault (Slutwalk 249). Such rape myths put women on the line, claiming that it is their fault for getting sexually assaulted because they provoke men. “Such stereotypical assumptions find their roots in many cultures, including our own. They no longer, however, find a place in Canadian law” (R. v. Ewanchuck
However, we cannot completely assume this article is going to persuade all women to progress beyond these issues by uniting and devoting themselves to these underlying conflicts. Some readers may fear the impossible of completing such a great task as this because this problem has continued to linger from the 70’s into now. Overall, Laurie has accomplished a great task in showing her dedication to women’s rights and their future by delivering the problems and also giving the readers insight on how to solve them. In detail, Laurie not only explains the issues she has seen, but also she explains her personal experiences so the readers can better relate to the message she is trying to
Facing sexism and mistreatment at the hands of oppressive men is one of the biggest challenges a woman can face in contemporary and traditional societies. All challenges animate life, and we are given purpose when we deem it necessary to overcome said trials. Post-completion, life’s tests let us emerge with maturity and tenacity that we could not find elsewhere. Janie and Hester were dealt unfair hands in life, yet instead of folding and taking the easy way out, they played the game. They played, lost, and played again, and through this incessant perseverance grew exponentially as human beings.
Kidd, Dustin. 2014. “Not that There’s Anything Wrong with That: Sexuality Perspectives.” Pp. 129-163 in Pop Culture Freaks: Identity, Mass Media, and Society. Boulder: Westview Press.
“The root of the word “oppression” is the element “press”… Something pressed is something caught between or among forces and barriers which are so elated to each other that jointly the restrain, restrict or prevent the thing’s motion or mobility” (Frye, 84-85). Oppression is something felt by many different social groups in societies around the world. The feminist movement is one that sets out to dismantle sexist oppression. Marilyn Frye describes an oppression that she believes is common to all women despite ethnic or racial differences. Kimberlé Crenshaw, in her Tedtalk, however, argues that there is a common experience between females of different social groups due to certain constructs in society, and Audre Lorde discusses how crucial it
The subject that I have chosen for this essay is Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein is a former movie producer for Miramax and concert promoter who has been accused of rape, sexual assault, and sexually harassment by 83 women in total. Women that he raped and tried to force to have sex with include actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Lisa Rose, and Rose McGowan, just to name a few. Weinstein will go on trial soon in response to some of these rape allegations (Rutenberg and Eber 1-2). The Weinstein case brings up the issues of gender inequality and sexism, ideas, and cultural frameworks that have existed and continued to survive since the beginning of time. The actions of Weinstein have been able to perpetuate over the years,
As insinuated through her poem’s title, “A Double Standard,” Frances Harper examines a double standard imposed by societal norms during the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the different effects this standard foisted upon those of different genders. Harper’s poem is narrated by a woman who has been derided by society for her involvement in a sexual scandal, all while her male counterpart experiences no repercussions. By describing how her situation involving the scandal advances, delineating the backlash she receives for her participation, and reflecting on the ludicrously hypocritical nature of the situation, the speaker discloses the lack of control women had over their lives, and allows for the reader to ponder the inequity of female oppression at the turn of the 19th century.
Women’s participation in school or the workplace are negatively affected because of the fear of violence, and many long-term health consequences arise from physical and sexual abuse. Heartbreakingly, a woman in South Africa has a “greater chance of being raped than she has of learning to read” (Tracy 6). In the patriarchal society of China, infants or fetuses face death simply for being born female (Tracy 18). After reading the reported incidences of violence against women, it is nothing but frustrating to hear women not supporting feminism. They do not need feminism because they represent a victory for this movement with the freedom to work alongside men, attend school, and choose their life partners. However, as shown in International Violence Against Women, there are many women and girls begging for a change. This population is the next victory for
In the past century, America has made great leaps in terms of equality. With the efforts made by the civil rights and suffrage movements, all people gained the right to vote. We are even moving forward with marriage equality, and currently fifteen states recognize same-sex marriage. But regardless of all of our progressive institutional movements forward, we continue to socially oppress women. Men’s violence against women has grown to be an internationally recognized epidemic, and will continue to grow unless measures be made to stop it. Domestic violence continues to be prevalent in the lives of many families, and is the primary cause of homelessness in half of cases for women in children. Many women have been forced to alter their behaviors out of fear of being sexually or physically assaulted. One out of every three women is sexually or physically abused in their lifetimes. The first thing that comes to mind is, there are a lot of people abusing women out there. Many people with opposing ideas may claim that men can be victims of violence perpetrated by women, but in instances not used for self-defense, it is rarely part of a systematic pattern of power and control through force or threat of force. In fact, 99% of rape is perpetrated by men, but when confronting men about the issue of violence against women, it is often combated with denial. Jackson Katz writes in his book, The Macho Paradox, “We take comfort in the idea of the aforementioned child-rapist murderer as a horrible aberration. A monster. We’re nothing like him.”(Katz 30). The sad truth is that most women who are raped are raped by men they know, or even men they love. Many men have a hard time believing that saying that most violence is perpetuated by men does not...
In the single year of 2009, there were 460,000 reported incidents of sexual assault against women in Canada (“Criminal Victimization in Canada” 1). Amnesty International once stated that aggression against women “is so deeply embedded in society that it often fails to garner public censure and outrage.” This is evidenced by the fact that only roughly 10% of all sexual assaults are revealed, and to exacerbate the circumstances, women are frequently repudiated, blamed, and dispensed apathetic or cruel manipulation (“Violence Against Women Information” 1). Women’s rights are constantly defiled through domestic violence, and yet it is still abounding and ubiquitous in developed countries. Indeed, every six days, a woman in Canada is brutally killed by the one whom she considered her loving male partner. With every year that passes, approximately 362,000 children are witness to violent parental episodes in Canada. Witnessing violence can disturb the development of children and can eventuate in
Women have always been treated inhumanely and disrespected from the beginning of time. Their rights are not of equal value as their male counterparts. Through the stories of these victims we get to see their suffering and how their inner strength was far stronger than their prosecutors.
This project will use a feminist media analysis of mainstream newspapers to explore the discourse around the ideology of sexual assault and women protesting in public space. I argue that the coverage of sexual assaults during Occupy Wall Street used a “blame the victim” narrative to link the participation of women protesting in public space to gender based violence. Feminist researc...
However, the stigma of openly sexual women was not eliminated therefore marking down women's sexual freedom because of the stigma they carry in society.In conclusion, chapter by chapter hooks highlights how feminist theory repeatedly excluded non-white and working class women by ignoring white supremacy as a racial problem and by disregarding the highly psychological impact of class in their political and social status all while, in the case of black women, facing three classes of oppression in a racist, sexist and capitalist state. Throughout the book the author defines feminism, the meaning of sisterhood, what feminism is to men in addition to brushing upon power, work, violence and education. Although I found some elements of this book problematic hooks' critiques of feminist theory and the movement are well-presented, piercingly direct and remain relevant.
Feminism has been one of the hot topics that has been trending all over the world in recent years. The world today has changed, and many people have advocated for women’s rights and equality between the two sexes. However, as DiGangi notes in her article “Aziz Ansari Reminds Us That We Don’t Want You Faux Feminism” it becomes evident that some men are not genuine in their support for feminist endeavors. According to DiGangi, Ansari, who was trending on social media and praised for his feminism only did that in public and in private, he mistreated women. DiGangi goes further in the article to describe how people should in full support of feminism in order for their efforts to count.
Women for many years have been denied the right to express themselves. If a female spoke against something she was considered strange and out of line. Hall says, “Feminist methodologies is the belief that patriarchal oppression of women… has been profound and multifaceted” (Hall 202). Patriarchal oppression has been let happen because women had the