Feminist = a political position
Female = a matter of biology
Feminine = a set of culturally defined characteristics
FIRST WAVE
‘sexism was coined by analogy with the term racism in the American civil rights movement in the early 1960s. Defined simply, sexism refers to the systematic ways in which men and women are brought up to view each other antagonistically, on the assumption that the male is always superior to the female
‘(Michelene Wandor 1981:13)’
SECOND WAVE
the feminist literary criticism of today is the product of the women’s movement of the 1960’s
‘(Barry 2017:123)’
THIRD WAVE
‘rebellion of younger women against what was perceived as the prescriptive, pushy and ‘sex negative’ approach of older feminists.’
(344)Barker and Jane (2016 p. 344)
According to Barker and Jane (2016), third wave feminism, which is regarded as having begun in the mid-90’s has following recognisable characteristics:
- an emphasis on the differences among women due to race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion
- individual and do-it-yourself (DIY) tactics
- fluid and multiple subject positions and identities
- cyberactivism
- the reappropriation of derogatory terms such as ‘slut’ and ‘bitch’ for liberatory purposes
- sex positivity
‘a product of the unresolved feminist sex wars – the conflict between the women’s movement and the sexual revolution‘ .
Ariel Levy (2006:74)
‘Raunch culture is the sexualised performance of women in the media that can play into male stereotypes of women as highly sexually available, where its performers believe they are powerful owners of their own sexuality’
Hendry & Stephenson (2018:50)
Intersectionality :
The idea that the focus of struggle was based around the struggles of the average white women whereas other races and sexualities where ignored, whereas once intersectionality started to gain traction more peoples struggles where starting to be recognised.