I watched an episode of The Bad Girls Club on the Oxygen Network the other night.
It's my job. I work in the field of gender. That's not to say it was easy.
I did learn that the F-word can be used as a verb (transitive or intransitive, as well as compound), adverb, adjective, command, interjection and noun -- often in a single sentence. I learned, too, that "skank," "ho", bitch," and "slut" can be used interchangeably as a term of affection or derision.
As I watched the second beat-down of that particular episode, I wondered: After the decades of falling barriers, is this what feminism and equality had in mind?
In a way, it is.
Polemics aside, feminism is ultimately about the freedom to chose and compete and be who you are -- also to tumble into the slime pit of excess.
As cable television has learned, there's money in the mire -- lots of it.
Snooki and her housemates, for one example, emerged from that bubbling Petri dish that is the Jersey Shore hot tub millionaires many times over -- more than enough to cure anything they caught there. Snooki's book, by the way, is also on the New York Times bestsellers list. As she Tweeted to her fans: "OMG."
Maybe it's the fact that I'm the mother of a daughter who is a teenager. She's happy, healthy; works hard, and -- to my knowledge -- never punched anyone.
I worry for her people.
The threat-level has gone down a bit after a very a factual and reasonable article in the New York Times by researchers Mike Males and Meda-Chesney Lind.
They examined every major database that the authorities use to measure crime, and found that girl violence is plummeting, and major crimes committed by girls is at the lowest level in four decades. Crimes like fights and assaults have been dropping for a decade. There have also been striking improvements, they found, in girls' personal safety.
All very good news. But girls-who-punch is a fairly new media creation. What happens over time?
Recent research shows that the teenage brain is a high-revving work in progress -- quick to act, slow to weigh the consequences, and a sponge for outside influences, especially the media.
There is reason to believe that the Bad Girls no more represent the state of the American teenage girl than the guests on the Jerry Springer Show represent the state of American dental health.
But there is also reason to fear that foul-mouthed swagger and mean-tempered aggression could, over time and with enough promotion, become an acceptable model of feminine behavior. And, clearly, programmers believe they're on to something. It's not a show until someone gets hit.
There have been detours on the road to female empowerment in the past. Let's hope this is one of them.
Follow Dr. Peggy Drexler on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drpeggydrexler
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They will sell it.
Actually, according to the NY Times, 37% of 911 domestic violence calls are made by men who have been attacked by women.
For more info, go to menweb.org. You'll find lots of surprising articles, including several by violent women who have abused men and/or kids. A real eye-opener.
I am glad more men are speaking up about domestic violence. When they accept each other and stop viewing each other as weak for being abused hopefully they can get the help they need.
The creators are adults and are responsible for the sewage they are spreading throughout our culture.
The increasingly complex nature of our society has not brought greater well-being for humankind.
We live in a world where blood is shed by proxy. Our soldiers kill from vast distances and our kids are bullied to death by people they have never even seen. In such times I find the simple directness of physical violence quite refreshing.
to see the story visit: http://www.ivillage.com/ivoices-ivillage/1-j-258499
The question to me is what is "feminine behavior?" I don't think there is an answer yet when women are still fighting for basic rights in the work force, meanwhile being bombarded by the wedding and beauty industries about what they're supposed to want and who they're supposed to be. We need time to figure things out.
My bigger question is what would signify making headway? Today there are more women in politics for example but many of them, like Sarah Palin, are pretty much almost determined to undo progress in women's rights. When you focus on gender you lose track of some universal ideas that would signify real progress.
Feminism is about equality and respect not codes of behavior, good, bad or indifferent. Feminism inspires us to be the best we can be - feminism is humanism.
While I appreciate your article, Dr. as you study gender - modern culture, america's historical youth culture is infused with violence, drama, whiney little nothings - extremes of human nature. It sells on the internet, cable t.v., books and the like. I say be choosey and talk to your children early and often about bullying, gay rights, sex education and the media, images they are exposed to.
Third-wave feminists want women to be seen as intelligent, political beings with intelligent, political minds; some claim that there is a lack of diverse, positive female representatives in pop culture. They also bring attention to alleged unhealthy standards for women in media; the glamorization of eating disorders; the portrayal of women as sexualized objects catering solely to the man's needs, and anti-intellectualism." I was making the point that throughout the movement the goals and definitions have expanded..basically, promoting our own personal choices being respected rather than others dictating our roles. But, I too, was raised by a Mother working outside the home..and I remember her being ostracized for doing so. Though I left a successful career to be a work at home Mother, I too, was ostracized for my choice..so now we are working towards a balance between being expected to do it all..and realizing this is not an empowering position either.
one of the disturbing memes of the usa feminist movement was the portrayal of the mistreatment of women by men without revealing these same men treat other men the same way if not harsher. this was used as the argument for women to become "tough". your depiction of the women you watched is the result.
As for the countries who elect women, but trample on women's rights, you might want to look into the career paths of those women. Had they not been the wives of politicians they wouldn't have had a snowball's chance in getting elected. And, ask all those girls with acid burns, or look at the honor killings and see how much having a female figure head did for them.
If you think feminism has ever been about acting like a man, you don't know much about it at all.
It's very confusing to discuss women's "behavior" within such a limited context (foreign female leaders, girls in reality shows etc). Feminism deals with human rights issues, some very real issues.
And, the construct of men as powerful, in control, and impervious to criticism has not fallen away by any means in the professional world. It is alive and well.