Page 79 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, št. 3-4: K paradigmam raziskovanja vzgoje in izobraževanja, ur. Valerija Vendramin
P. 79
Celebrities, Consumerism, Empowerment
#FeminismForChildren
Valerija Vendramin
Introductory Remarks
The main goal of the article is to identify some of the most prominent
moments that help define feminism at the present moment, to ex
plore, to a certain extent, both the feminist and post-feminist the
matic they might contain and to reflect on their influence on children and
young adults. It seems that there are two interconnected anchor-points at
the forefront: (1) celebrities-as-feminists and (2) consumerism (in no par
ticular pecking order). There seems to be a shift towards personal battles
and independence of women; collective endeavours (as the “essence” of
feminism as we know it from the past, at least nominally) are swept aside
and the principle of individualizing social problems (“If you cannot, it is
entirely your fault.”) is put at the forefront.
I am well aware that this “collectiveness” of feminism was often very
exclusive and that the “campaign for suffrage, for example, despite os
tensibly striking a universal tone intended to benefit all women, was in
fact marked by a complex and conflicted relationship with intersections
of race and class” (Rivers, 2017: p. 2). There are of course other examples
available from the history of feminism.1
Additionally, I would like to pay some attention to the tendency to
fabricate new feminist heroines. This is a highly problematic trend as it
1 For example, such as theorized by the postcolonial feminist theory that has shed light
on the essentialist Third World Woman. As Uma Narayan puts it, generalisations about
women are hegemonic: they “represent the problems of privileged women /.../ as paradig
matic ‘women’s issues’” (Narayan, 1998: p. 86).
77
#FeminismForChildren
Valerija Vendramin
Introductory Remarks
The main goal of the article is to identify some of the most prominent
moments that help define feminism at the present moment, to ex
plore, to a certain extent, both the feminist and post-feminist the
matic they might contain and to reflect on their influence on children and
young adults. It seems that there are two interconnected anchor-points at
the forefront: (1) celebrities-as-feminists and (2) consumerism (in no par
ticular pecking order). There seems to be a shift towards personal battles
and independence of women; collective endeavours (as the “essence” of
feminism as we know it from the past, at least nominally) are swept aside
and the principle of individualizing social problems (“If you cannot, it is
entirely your fault.”) is put at the forefront.
I am well aware that this “collectiveness” of feminism was often very
exclusive and that the “campaign for suffrage, for example, despite os
tensibly striking a universal tone intended to benefit all women, was in
fact marked by a complex and conflicted relationship with intersections
of race and class” (Rivers, 2017: p. 2). There are of course other examples
available from the history of feminism.1
Additionally, I would like to pay some attention to the tendency to
fabricate new feminist heroines. This is a highly problematic trend as it
1 For example, such as theorized by the postcolonial feminist theory that has shed light
on the essentialist Third World Woman. As Uma Narayan puts it, generalisations about
women are hegemonic: they “represent the problems of privileged women /.../ as paradig
matic ‘women’s issues’” (Narayan, 1998: p. 86).
77
