The Rise of Enlightened Sexism: How Pop Culture Took Us from Girl Power to Girls Gone Wild

by Susan J. Douglas

Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Publication

St. Martin's Griffin (2010), Edition: 0, Paperback, 384 pages

Description

Women today are inundated with conflicting messages from the mass media: they must either be strong leaders in complete command or sex kittens obsessed with finding and pleasing a man. Here, cultural critic Susan J. Douglas takes readers on a spirited journey through the television programs, popular songs, movies, and news coverage of recent years, telling a story that is the cultural biography of a new generation of American women. Revisiting cultural touchstones from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Desperate Housewives, Douglas exposes these images of women as mere fantasies of female power, assuring women and girls that the battle for equality has been won, so there's nothing wrong with resurrecting sexist stereotypes--all in good fun, of course. She shows that these portrayals not only distract us from the real-world challenges facing women today but also drive a wedge between baby-boom women and their "millennial" daughters.--From publisher description.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Nickelini
In this book, Douglas examines how girls and women are represented in the media. Popular culture says that full equality for women has been achieved. Of course, any reflective, thoughtful adult would recognize that this is a myth. But the media doesn’t recognize it, and instead perpetrates the
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idea that feminism is now pointless and even bad for you. This is part of what defines “enlightened sexism.” The definition also includes the idea that, because women are now equal, it is amusing to resurrect sexist stereotypes. TV shows and movies that show women in power—the judges, high-powered attorneys, police chiefs and surgeons—while very nice to see, do not reflect the reality of life for women in our society. One of Douglas’s main points is that these fantasies distract us from the ongoing status of women as second class citizens.

Douglas examines a vast array of shows and personalities to expose enlightened sexism. She cites others as good examples of feminist media. Just some that she discusses include: Murphy Brown, Beverly Hills 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Loreena Bobbit, Ally McBeal, Living Single, Grey’s Anatomy, Sex & the City, Cosmo and Vogue magazines, reality TV, Mean Girls, Clueless, celebrity culture (including the search for the ‘baby bump’), Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Desperate Housewives and the dearth of lesbian characters and celebrities. This is a partial list, and she discusses many others.

Although I haven’t seen half of the shows she discusses, I still found Enlightened Sexism extremely interesting. At times it was so discouraging and depressing that I had to put it aside for a few days. However, Douglas has a great sense of humour, which helped to elevate the extreme bleakness of the material. She also writes in a conversational tone that makes for smooth reading.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in cultural studies, media studies or women’s studies. Also recommended for anyone who is female or knows anyone who is female.
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LibraryThing member 2chances
Well, this was interesting. It was. The thing is, first the author states her basic premise - that popular media, under the pretense that sexism is so last century, is perpetuating damaging sexist stereotypes and colonizing both male and female minds with female images that are not substantially
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different from those of the 1950s. And truly, Douglas makes a powerful case, and I have only minor differences with her. The only thing is...

...Oh, I feel bad even saying this. But it just gets kind of boring. She keeps saying the same thing over and over and over, using different media examples. Also, I found her chatty style a bit off-putting after a while. This is kind of a scholarly work - I guess I like to see a little more dignity in this kind of a read. But it IS interesting, really, and if you are a big fan of modern media, this is worth your time.
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LibraryThing member boredd
In Enlightened Sexism, Susan J. Douglas argues that the through the combination of "enlightened sexism" and "embedded feminism," the media and popular culture conceal the very real need for continued feminism - the very idea of which having become almost a dirty word. In embedded feminism, tv shows
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and the media present women in power as fait accompli, leading women to believe that feminism is part of the cultural landscape and hiding the fact that there still exist many disparities between women and men in this country. Through enlightened sexism, women continue objectified and exploited in popular culture, but the viewer is meant to watch with irony.

Douglas writes in a conversational tone that immediately pulled me into her writing and kept me interested. I also enjoyed reading the examples she cites of movies, tv shows, and popular culture in which embedded feminism or enlightened sexism are at work. This book definitely got me thinking more about feminism, and the role that it plays in my life. It's not something I've really considered before, and I'm definitely watching tv shows and movies in a new light now. Overall, I'd say that this book is illuminating and well-written, but be wary before picking it up if you're not completely interested in the subject material.

You can find my full review at Rantings of a Bookworm Couch Potato.
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LibraryThing member Devil_llama
One of the best books on feminism I've read in a long time (OK, so I don't read all that many books on feminism; if they were all this good, I might). The author doesn't set out to prove that women are superior, or to bash men, but instead to restore feminism to a role in our society that it's
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lost. She is no easier on those women who claim to be feminists but promote the idea that women somehow are unable to do math, science, etc, and that our role is to raise kids. I think everyone who goes around thinking sexism is dead should be given this to read.
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LibraryThing member mariabiblioteca
A smart, funny, and sobering analysis of sexism in the media and culture, and the utter necessity of real feminism. "But really, haven't we had enough? Isn't it time, Buffy-style, to take a giant stake and drive it right through the beastly heart of enlightened sexism? Because I think that, in our
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heart of hearts, we do miss feminism: its zeal, its audacity, its righteous justice. So let's have some fun, and get to work."
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Language

Original publication date

2010

Physical description

384 p.; 8.23 inches

ISBN

0312673922 / 9780312673925

Local notes

Media and Pop Culture

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