The (Feminist) Conversation: Ashley Judd's Media Attack

So did you hear about Ashley Judd and her "puffy" appearance? Well, neither did I, until today. Apparently news sources and tabloids have recently been discussing Ashley's "declining" appearance, calling her puffy and claiming that she had plastic surgery. Today, Ashley Judd fought back, writing a piece for The Daily Beast in which she attacks the media for their misogynistic comments. Judd offers reasons for her appearance (being sick, taking steroids, and not exercising) but she offers much more. She offers a criticism of our society, our media, and the conversations about women's bodies that negatively affect women and girls. The whole article is worth reading, but this is my favorite section:

That women are joining in the ongoing disassembling of my appearance is salient. Patriarchy is not men. Patriarchy is a system in which both women and men participate. It privileges, inter alia, the interests of boys and men over the bodily integrity, autonomy, and dignity of girls and women. It is subtle, insidious, and never more dangerous than when women passionately deny that they themselves are engaging in it. This abnormal obsession with women’s faces and bodies has become so normal that we (I include myself at times—I absolutely fall for it still) have internalized patriarchy almost seamlessly. We are unable at times to identify ourselves as our own denigrating abusers, or as abusing other girls and women.

After reading this today, I was thinking, "Tell 'em Ashley!!" I especially like the part about patriarchy being a system in which women and men play a part; she implies that women can be misogynistic, too. This is something I've always tried to express but never been able to word as clearly as she does in that sentence.

Also, call me easy to please, but I was really pleased to see her use the word "feminism" in her piece. (She wrote, "If this conversation about me is going to be had, I will do my part to insist that it is a feminist one, because it has been misogynistic from the start.") Ashley Judd has been an outspoken feminist for a long time; the first time I ever saw a "This is What a Feminist Looks Like" T-shirt was in a picture of Judd wearing one. And I know that feminism seems to be making a bit of a comeback, with women fighting against all the latest attacks on women's bodies, health and decision-making rights. But, it is still nice to see a mainstream figure using the word feminism with no shame and no explanation. She puts it out there because there is no other productive way to talk about these issues.

I, for one, love that Ashley Judd wrote this piece. Women in the spotlight, actresses, musicians, athletes, they all deal with constant objectification, speculation and criticism surrounding their bodies, their clothes and their decisions. Today at the grocery store, my boyfriend and I noticed all of the tabloid magazines by the checkout counters: headlines about the Kardashian women having been "abandoned" by their men, unflattering pictures of "overweight" celebrities with their faces covered and the tagline 'Guess Who?!', speculations about who's getting married, who's getting divorced, who's engaging in adultery. We are bombarded with the policing of women, and celebrity women have to handle it constantly. But Ashley Judd didn't just stand by and take it. She didn't just speak out with reasons for her less-than-stellar appearance. Instead, she pointed out the flaws in the criticism against her. She pointed out that the problem is not with her and her body, but with the media which thinks it has a right to degrade her in such an aggressive and negative way. She pointed out that this "insanity" over women's bodies is a problem for everyone, and that we are all limited by it. And most importantly, she pointed out that we need feminism, feminist discussions, and feminist activism in order to fight it.

Tell 'em, Ashley!

Stop Acting So Crazy!

Today, a friend or two on Facebook posted this article on their wall, and I immediately needed to share it. This is an article written by a man explaining how men in our society have been socialized to treat women's normal emotions (anger, frustration, sadness, etc.) as "crazy" and "irrational," you know, because emotions are just so feminine. Since the article is titled "A Message to Women From A Man: You Are Not 'Crazy,' " you can guess where the author's opinions lie.

This article is so refreshing! It's really great to see a man understanding, and speaking out about, the deeply ingrained misogyny in our society (and though I know it happens, I still love seeing a man openly identifying as a feminist). Many men (though I am not saying all), even those who see themselves as progressive and forward-thinking, tend to fall back on this kind of reaction to women's emotions.



Men and women have been socialized to feel and express emotion totally different.** Women are taught to be passive, more in touch with their "feminine" emotions and their expressions (like feeling sad and then crying) while men are taught to "man up" and express as little emotion as possible. So it makes sense that men see women's emotional reactions as abnormal or different (just like when women don't understand men's seeming lack of emotion). Any one man by himself is not at fault for not understanding a woman's emotions at any given time.

The problem really comes in with the way our culture created and reinforces the idea that women's reactions are not just different from men's, but "crazy" and "irrational." How many movies have you seen where a man discusses his "crazy" ex-girlfriend who constantly "freaked" out about nothing? This stereotype associates natural emotion with mental illness, instability, and illogical thinking. It's a terrible way to think about the women of the world (and a terrible stereotype that undermines and ignores the many, many people of the world who have mental illness and can cope and lead stable lives).

I would write more about this, but honestly, the article that inspired this post is written so well, I really suggest you read it in its entirety. However, don't read the comments after; surprise, surprise, they are filled with misogynist reactions attempting to undermine the author's piece.



**I would just like to point out that when I discuss men's emotions and women's emotions as categories, I am talking about two things: 1. the way these gender groups are socialized to feel and express emotions and 2. the way that members of each of these gender groups tend to express emotions. I recognize that every person feels and expresses emotion differently, and many people may not fit solidly into one, or either, of these categories. I am simply using the categories as they are used in society to reinforce these stereotypes.



Update: Just discovered this follow-up to the original article. Here he specifically responds to the misogynistic comments the first post received. I love it!! I think I'm gonna start following this blog.

Misogynist Messages in Disney Films

“The pleasure of consuming pop culture makes critiquing it one of the more challenging projects for feminists.” Andi Zeisler, Feminism and Pop Culture

As the quote above points out, one thing that sucks about analyzing pop culture from a feminist perspective is that you have to call into question cultural objects that you love. I grew up with Disney films and loved all the Disney princesses; however, it's hard to avoid that the messages in these films are hardly progressive when it comes to women. But, instead of analytically tearing these films apart, I discovered a few Youtube videos that did the analyzing for me, with a sense of humor. If you want to see an absolutely hilarious representation of Disney's anti-feminist messages, watch the "Advice From a Cartoon Princess" video series. They have advice from Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Belle. If you grew up watching the Disney princesses and you appreciate a good dose of sarcasm, you should definitely watch these videos!