Page 83 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, št. 3-4: K paradigmam raziskovanja vzgoje in izobraževanja, ur. Valerija Vendramin
P. 83
v. vendramin ■ celebrities, consumerism, empowerment ...
sphere—passed on their gains, either directly or by acting as role mod
els” (ibid.), which, of course, can hardly be the case. Moreover, the notion
of such celebrities offering themselves as role models for their legions of
(predominantly) female fans is capitalized on by adopting the language
of feminism in order to sell their individual successes as aspirational and
within the reach of all women (Rivers, 2017: p. 61).
This also leads us to another related issue: the supposition that wom
en in powerful positions will—being women—do good things for other
women. This is an all too simple—and incorrect—equating of women en
tering the profession with change (Schiebinger, 1999: p. 9; she refers to sci
ence, but this thought is applicable in general): “Many women who enter
science have no desire to rock the boat. Women who consider themselves
‘old boys’ become the darlings of conservatives [...] Institutions gain re
spectability by showcasing a few high-profile women while ensuring that
fundamentals do not change” (ibid.).
First of all, women are not automatically and in essence feminists.
Being a feminist is a political identity, and political identities are “creat
ed in the flux of ideology and practice. They are not natural extensions
of particular kinds of psyches or bodies” (Felski, 2000: p. 198). Second,
the term “female” does not mean “feminist” and feminism is not a factor
unifying all women. We cannot presuppose that all women are feminists
and/or that it is only “the mystifying veil of male ideology that prevents
them from recognizing their true interests” (ibid.).
This is also the problem of a much lauded, “kick-started” book by
Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo with the title Good Night Stories for
Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women (2016),12 which features
role models as diverse as scientists, politicians, supermodels, empresses,
spies, chefs and tennis players (Favilli and Cavallo, 2016). I think I must
touch upon this as the book is addressed to young girls. It might not be
quite clear if there is a tendency, a will, to create some sort of feminist her
oines—if yes, we have said before that it is problematic to stress individual
value of a woman, regardless of her political orientation, world-view, and
others (e.g., Margaret Thatcher is included in the book). In addition to
that, “retrospective empowerment” is, from historical point of view, some
thing one has to be very careful with. The celebrated “feminine” usually
represents “little more than the flip side of culturally dominant practices”
and in romanticizing femininity, little is done “to overturn conventional
stereotypes of men and women” (Schiebinger, 1999: p. 5).
that benefits will eventually flow downward from the richest or most privileged and every
body will benefit.
12 Since 2018 available in Slovenian as Zgodbe za lahko noč za uporniške punce.
81
sphere—passed on their gains, either directly or by acting as role mod
els” (ibid.), which, of course, can hardly be the case. Moreover, the notion
of such celebrities offering themselves as role models for their legions of
(predominantly) female fans is capitalized on by adopting the language
of feminism in order to sell their individual successes as aspirational and
within the reach of all women (Rivers, 2017: p. 61).
This also leads us to another related issue: the supposition that wom
en in powerful positions will—being women—do good things for other
women. This is an all too simple—and incorrect—equating of women en
tering the profession with change (Schiebinger, 1999: p. 9; she refers to sci
ence, but this thought is applicable in general): “Many women who enter
science have no desire to rock the boat. Women who consider themselves
‘old boys’ become the darlings of conservatives [...] Institutions gain re
spectability by showcasing a few high-profile women while ensuring that
fundamentals do not change” (ibid.).
First of all, women are not automatically and in essence feminists.
Being a feminist is a political identity, and political identities are “creat
ed in the flux of ideology and practice. They are not natural extensions
of particular kinds of psyches or bodies” (Felski, 2000: p. 198). Second,
the term “female” does not mean “feminist” and feminism is not a factor
unifying all women. We cannot presuppose that all women are feminists
and/or that it is only “the mystifying veil of male ideology that prevents
them from recognizing their true interests” (ibid.).
This is also the problem of a much lauded, “kick-started” book by
Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo with the title Good Night Stories for
Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women (2016),12 which features
role models as diverse as scientists, politicians, supermodels, empresses,
spies, chefs and tennis players (Favilli and Cavallo, 2016). I think I must
touch upon this as the book is addressed to young girls. It might not be
quite clear if there is a tendency, a will, to create some sort of feminist her
oines—if yes, we have said before that it is problematic to stress individual
value of a woman, regardless of her political orientation, world-view, and
others (e.g., Margaret Thatcher is included in the book). In addition to
that, “retrospective empowerment” is, from historical point of view, some
thing one has to be very careful with. The celebrated “feminine” usually
represents “little more than the flip side of culturally dominant practices”
and in romanticizing femininity, little is done “to overturn conventional
stereotypes of men and women” (Schiebinger, 1999: p. 5).
that benefits will eventually flow downward from the richest or most privileged and every
body will benefit.
12 Since 2018 available in Slovenian as Zgodbe za lahko noč za uporniške punce.
81
