Feminism: way too much of a good thing
August 27, 2013
In other words, women have succeeded in becoming the men they hated.
Wait. Women have struggled to move into seats of real power in the film and television industry in order to . . . make sex ugly? . . . Not quite. For feminist critics, the sex not only has to be ugly, it should be fat, too . . .
Mary Waldman (Slate!):
This trend coincides with a broader one: A greater number of American college women are binge-drinking, even as alcoholism rates for men are leveling off. Kitchener’s quest to find out why led her to a conclusion that seems obvious, though maybe only after the fact: Women are sick of presenting shiny, demure surfaces to the world. They want—as Kesha would say—not to give a what. . . .
And second, is playing by the body-fluid-soaked rules of the boys’ club actually such a liberating experience for women? I’m not convinced. Obviously, there’s rape. (And rape and rape and rape and rape.) But also, while some ladies of Olympian stamina do exist and enjoy projectile-vomiting contests—which is fine!—others prefer their goldfish in cracker form. How do we know that the women seeking out frat culture as the one space where women can “relax” and “be themselves” aren’t just getting chained to a new set of rules?