Critical Review order 742365 on Bad Feminist by Roxane
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Critical Review order 742365 on Bad Feminist by Roxane
For many years now, feminism has attracted the attention of many people in the world characterized by shifting cultural climate. In her essay, “Bad Feminist”, Roxane brings to the attention of the readers how she used to criticize everything that surrounded feminism idea (Gay, 2014). However, this changed tremendously when she absorbed the disparities that have befallen the women, queer women, and generally people of colour. The paper aims at examining and reviewing the “Bad feminist” with the idea of bringing up the disparities, the stigma, and criticism that women and especially feminists face in the society. The main argument brought up is that the reduction of feminism hurts the movement of equality.
Gay distinguishes herself and brings on the table the concept of essential feminism. She puts to the minds of herself and that of the readers that there are right and wrong ways of feminism. In doing so, she reminds us of the Judith Butler’s phrase or stance on the community’s idea that there are wrong and right ways of becoming a woman (Joy, Belk, & Bhardwaj, 2015). In essays, the reader is able to note how she tries to address the issue of stigma surrounding the essential feminist. While many people subscribe to the idea of feminism as initially conjured, some would instead not consider themselves feminists.
Fundamentally, Gay is subtle on how she argues her points out. She wants the reader to understand that still there is no equality between the female and male gender. By insightfully criticizing people who pretend not to support feminism, she wants to make her argument clear that there is a cultural climate shift of how society treats the woman (Tennant-Moore, 2014). She argues that women have been reduced to objects with no voice. They cannot come out to voice their grievances which widens the gap (introduces disparities between female and male gender) between men and women in the community.
The author supports this argument by highlighting the issues or challenges resonating around essential feminist’s disregard for black women. Gay argues that there is a lot of insanity, insensitivity, and exclusion to women, a phenomenon that limits their ways of becoming supportive and ideologically sounds in society (Gay, 2014). The troubling thing about the unappealing anti-hero shenanigans and supposed inversion is that the man initiates and enjoys sex while the woman is passive and available. Besides, the woman is melodramatic and allows her emotions to control her.
Throughout the novel, we note that the author is not happy with how man is viewed as smart and self-proclaimed. He is put or considered as too profound to worry about social concerns (Gay, 2014). On the other hand, a woman is a needy, insecure, and flighty being. The result to these claims is what Gay calls essential feminism, a thing that should find support across the continents.
In her essay collection “Bad feminist”, Gay concerns herself with a variety of problems that prove challenging to women who came after the second wave of feminism (Gay, 2014). The disparities resonating in her works rotate around professional ambition, love, and sex. While she is ready to admit her weaknesses, she profoundly dismisses the idea of female submission that weakens and dismembers women.
When the author says she is worried about living a single life, childless, and dying alone because she spends so much time pursuing her career and accumulating degrees, she lifts herself from the common bad girls of Hollywood (Tennant-Moore, 2014). She does not regret the fact that she was born a woman, and so she must strive and subscribe to society. Instead, she frankly admits her struggle. This gives her work another angle. She claims that these fears keep her up at night, but in the morning, she pretends because she wants to fight for the unfortunate lot in society through her literature works.
The admission that essential feminism will not provide a solution to the problems raised gives her some credit. This is different from the movies and shows written by women who are often moving and sometimes funny (Tennant-Moore, 2014). It, therefore, is a relief to many to come across a woman like Gay who admits the failures of women without necessarily mocking them.
While the book, a collection of essays by Gay is far from perfect as the content is hurried and at times casual, “Bad Feminist” reminds us that acknowledging our weakness does not necessarily involve accepting the blame, but providing opinions, views, and perspectives (Gay, 2014). As such, supporting feminism without being gullible would help uplift the self-esteem of women
In the essay, what we Hunger For, Gay describes her first boyfriend as someone who would infill the gap in her (Gay, 2014). She says, there is a boy she met; thought he was her boyfriend, and he thought she is her girlfriend, but he would completely ignore her at school. She felt good when they were together because he made her feel good (Tennant-Moore, 2014). Although he was charming and persuasive, he was equally terrible. She most at the time gave in to his pursuit and the more she gave, the more he took.
Gay’s work depicts the story of a girl who is completely confused but happy. She was with a boy who gives her nothing but takes everything from her. He enjoyed her body (Tennant-Moore, 2014). This act can be compared to the story depicted in the first season of “Girls” where Hannah gave herself to Adam and got very little in return.
While she claims to have been dying all along, she was happy with her boyfriend back in school. In the two stories, the theme of permission is well illustrated. For instance, when Adman tells Hannah that she should not touch herself unless she has permission from him is an example of women struggle that Gay tries to bring out (Gay, 2014). By fighting or criticizing women who pretend not to support essential feminism, this is just but an example of what her work questions about the female and male gender.
Essentially, the reader is made to draw a parallel line to the quote by Bernadette, when men are oppressed it a tragedy while the opposite is but a tradition (Tennant-Moore, 2014). Such a phrase has seen various movements on feminism crop up across the US borders and have genuinely progressed. This can be evidently noticed form the essential positions that women hold in government today.
However, Gay argues that the country has not reached where it ought to be when it comes to gender equality and disparities in society. In the latter essay, Gay tries to show the offensive and abusive stereotypes of women. She evidently shows the stereotypes that there is no white or black when it comes to feminism (Gay, 2014). It can be deluded that the society holds a body image of feminist and women, in general, causing oppression among them.
Today’s women are conventionalized. They have big expectations and standards that are hard to meet. This is what defines a woman. In her collection, she mentions that the right way to be a woman is to fit in the right attires, be thin, and wear makeup (Tennant-Moore, 2014). Gay continues to argue that a good woman is one who is polite, unobtrusive, and charming….they stay at home, bear children and do home chores without complaints (Gay, 2014). She then puts it in another way by arguing that there are standards set aside by a society that which people use to define a good woman.
Since time immemorial, women are expected to abide by the norms and cultures (Saulnier, 2014). They are expected to dress, act, or look in a certain way. These stereotypes about “good” women are what Gay is fighting to end (Gay, 2014). A few meaningless and invalid features such as looks, clothing, and weight do not amount to a woman. Notably, the woman’s occupation does not choose a good or a bad woman, but what they are capable of achieving.
In the “Bridesmaids” by Gay, while Annie does everything to reduce the chances of being intimate to any man, there comes Rhodes, a man who falls for her and traps her into a relationship (Gay, 2014). When he reminds of her professional goals, Annie is not happy because she thinks this man is entering life something she did not want. It can, therefore, be argued that what appears to be a fantasy of female empowerment could actually be the beginning of men’s control.
In her essay “The Trouble with Prince Charming or He Who Trespassed Against Us”, Gay shows the reader an example of the falsely subversive portrayal of women (Gay, 2014). In this essay, the story still revolves around the domineering nature of man. Comparing this story to “Girls”, society blames the woman for being dissatisfied with what they have (Tennant-Moore, 2014). However, the characters like Annie and Hannah depicts a cynical, witty, and strong-willed individual who re ready to analyze their mistakes and consequently make up the right decisions.
One would wonder whether by self-sabotaging or accepting one weakness reveals a strong-willed, capable, and witty individuals or “feminist”. However, when Gay rejected the idea of feminism, she wrongly judged feminist (Gay, 2014). She bought into the notion that feminist are men-hating, humourless, and militant, and this was not all true. This was a mistake that she is not ready to repeat as doing so would infringe or disavow feminism.
In conclusion, “Bad Feminist” provides an instance where a woman has tried to lure or be influential in society but has failed terribly in different ways (Gay, 2014). Gay argues that she is supposed to be a good feminist who supports what is ethically and morally right in society. However, by succumbing to essential feminism conquest, she is still struggling to accept herself. She admits that it is not easy to live up to one’s ideals or fantasy of life. She mocks anything that denies people equal opportunities, anything that brings disparity, or disrespect to the women.
References
Gay, R. (2014). Feel Me. See Me. Hear Me. Reach Me. Bad Feminist: Essays, 3-14.
Gay, R. (2014). What We Hunger or. Bad Feminist, 137-146.
Joy, A., Belk, R., & Bhardwaj, R. (2015). Judith Butler on performativity and precarity: Exploratory thoughts on gender and violence in India. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(15-16), 1739-1745.
Saulnier, C. F. (2014). Feminist theories and social work: Approaches and applications. Routledge.
Tennant-Moore, H. (2014). Bad Feminists. Dissent, 61(4), 10-14.