Page 7 - Šolsko polje, XXXI, 2020, 5-6: Teaching Feminism, ed. Valerija Vendramin
P. 7
Teaching and Trending Feminism
in the 21st Century
Valerija Vendramin, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Is feminism a new trend in popular culture? If so, is this a good or a bad
thing? And, besides, what kind of feminism does this entail? Thus, to
start, it is appropriate to identify some of the most prominent moments
that have helped define “feminism” (understanding the term very gener-
ally here, hence the use of the quotation marks) as we know it today, to
start exploring and exposing both the feminist and post-feminist charac-
teristics, to think about the renegotiation between the two, and reflect on
their influence on children and young adults. It is clear that quite specif-
ic images of womanhood/girlhood are being marketed through the media
and that they are causing the repackaging of not only girlhood or woman-
hood but also of feminism itself (see e.g. Becker et al., 2016).1
However, my aim is not to offer of a typology of contemporary “sub-
forms” or “reformed” kinds of “feminism”: there are many of them and
elaborating on them would be a somewhat tedious job or, at least, a com-
plicated issue (so I will refrain from doing it) (see also Rottenberg, 2018, p.
166 ff). Let me just name a few of them: “choice feminism”, “power femi-
nism”, “celebrity feminism”, “hashtag feminism”, “marketplace feminism”
and others, even “lifestyle feminism”, “feminism lite” or “gateway femi-
nism”.2 No, one of my objectives is to point out that there is something
awry with the dominant, media-regulated forms of “feminism”, which
1 This repackaging also “encourages girls to exchange political power for purchasing power”
(Becker et al., 2016, p. 1218).
2 But wait, there is more, such as “tough cookie feminism” (which is Camille Paglia’s for-
mulation, quoted in Moi, 2006, p. 1737). Still, all this is not to be confused with different
contemporary strands of feminist theorizing such as e.g. feminist materialism, corporeal
feminism, post-human feminism ... (see also Lykke, 2010, p. 131).
https://doi.org/10.32320/1581-6044.31(5-6)5-12 5
in the 21st Century
Valerija Vendramin, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Is feminism a new trend in popular culture? If so, is this a good or a bad
thing? And, besides, what kind of feminism does this entail? Thus, to
start, it is appropriate to identify some of the most prominent moments
that have helped define “feminism” (understanding the term very gener-
ally here, hence the use of the quotation marks) as we know it today, to
start exploring and exposing both the feminist and post-feminist charac-
teristics, to think about the renegotiation between the two, and reflect on
their influence on children and young adults. It is clear that quite specif-
ic images of womanhood/girlhood are being marketed through the media
and that they are causing the repackaging of not only girlhood or woman-
hood but also of feminism itself (see e.g. Becker et al., 2016).1
However, my aim is not to offer of a typology of contemporary “sub-
forms” or “reformed” kinds of “feminism”: there are many of them and
elaborating on them would be a somewhat tedious job or, at least, a com-
plicated issue (so I will refrain from doing it) (see also Rottenberg, 2018, p.
166 ff). Let me just name a few of them: “choice feminism”, “power femi-
nism”, “celebrity feminism”, “hashtag feminism”, “marketplace feminism”
and others, even “lifestyle feminism”, “feminism lite” or “gateway femi-
nism”.2 No, one of my objectives is to point out that there is something
awry with the dominant, media-regulated forms of “feminism”, which
1 This repackaging also “encourages girls to exchange political power for purchasing power”
(Becker et al., 2016, p. 1218).
2 But wait, there is more, such as “tough cookie feminism” (which is Camille Paglia’s for-
mulation, quoted in Moi, 2006, p. 1737). Still, all this is not to be confused with different
contemporary strands of feminist theorizing such as e.g. feminist materialism, corporeal
feminism, post-human feminism ... (see also Lykke, 2010, p. 131).
https://doi.org/10.32320/1581-6044.31(5-6)5-12 5
