The progress of the women’s rights movement in the twentieth century has certainly produced more gender equality than ever before in American history. Women have gained the right to vote, have become the majority at many colleges and universities, and have united under groups such as the National Organization for Women, founded by Betty Friedan. These developments can be largely attributed to second wave feminists and would seem to set the stage for gender equality in current society. Many people view the sexual freedom and open discussion of sex in modern society as a significant step forward towards gender equality and treating gender related issues with open dialogue.
This openness is undoubtedly reflected in the transition in American pop culture. 1950s pop culture showed June Cleaver dressing up to do housework, taping a lovely note to her children’s lunch, and sleeping in a separate bed than her husband. This “Pleasantville-like” portrayal has given way to modern women, who attend college so they can get a high-powered job and run the corporate world as well as maintaining a family life. This transformation of women in half a century would seem to be a positive shift in gender roles. People believe that these advancements signify equality, but women still earn significantly less than men in similar jobs, are promoted to the top of companies much less often, and so forth. However, Susan Douglas points out that such advancements have created a culture where sexism is now allowed. Douglas coins this term “enlightened sexism” (the same title as her book) and explains that because women have advanced to a perceived state of gender equality, stereotypes and discrimination that used to be considered sexist, now goes unnoticed. Enlightened sexism underlies the belief that, “full equality has been achieved-so now it’s okay, even amusing, to resurrect sexist stereotypes of girls and women” (Douglas 9). Douglas uses examples in reality TV and pop culture to make this claim, in a similar way that Ariel Levy does. I agree with Douglas’ overall point, but I believe the fact that we allow such sexism and discrimination to go unnoticed is indicative to the actual lack of gender inequality. If we truly had gender equality, discrimination could not theoretically exist because it serves a way to suppress a minority.
Ariel Levy and Susan Douglas agree that women have made important strides towards equality and breaking down barriers. The institution of collegiate women’s sports, equality or even majority of women in colleges, and the access of women to jobs that were previously exclusively male, are testaments to this progress. Levy claims that these strides, however, have not prevented women from being judged by their appearance. She references Playboy spreads with women seen in provocative poses, and Girls Gone Wild tapes where women expose themselves merely for a free t-shirt and a moment of fame. Levy believes that the success of women and the progression towards a closer level of gender equality should prevent women from engaging in such raunch culture and she criticizes them for doing so. Douglas differs by blaming society for giving women a mixed opinion on what it means to be empowered and equal.
To explain Douglas’ point, I believe the notion of gender equality has led our society to believe that power no longer comes from gender or race, but social status. Thus, women do not care whether it is their mind, their intellect, or both which contribute to their success-they merely see the achievement of success and social standing as the embodiment of being empowered. This governs over reality television, which is where Douglas roots her argument. She claims that shows such as the “Hills” or “The Bachelor” portray women as being obsessed with relationships and willing to backstab one another to win a guy. Since women believe they are equal, they do not mine playing out gender stereotypes in reality TV shows in exchange for fame. Similarly, Douglas references the LPGA’s decision to hire hair and makeup artists to increase the sexual appeal of female golfers. This would seem like a justified business move to increase the LPGA’s popularity if there truly was gender equality, but rather it furthers the stereotype that women need to be attractive to be successful. Danica Patrick is not referenced by Douglas, but perfectly suits the implications of “enlightened sexism.” Danica Patrick is a skilled racecar driver who has broken the gender gap into Nascar. However, Patrick is much more known for her appearance, having appeared in provocative magazine covers and as the main sponsor of GoDaddy.com. Following Douglas’ definition of enlightened sexism, since people perceive there to be gender equality, it lessens the significance of Patrick’s racing accomplishments. Thus, there is little criticism of Patrick being discussed primarily for her looks.
The pitfalls of enlightened sexism go beyond the entertainment and pop culture world, but also to difficulties for teenage girls who are trapped between society’s rules and their own desires. Douglas claims that teenage girls are confused because they are supposed to act feminine and be obedient, but they are also adolescents who are supposed to be rebellious. I believe, however, that the difficulty for teenage girls lies in our modern raunch culture and the fact that teenage girls are supposed to be enticing to guys, but not promiscuous. This creates a difficult disconnect as girls do not know where to draw the line. They get attention and self-esteem boosts when dressing “sexy,” but is labeled as sluts if they actually act on the urges there supposed to invoke. Teenage girls are a top-consuming group for magazines like Cosmo, which have articles on “how to please your man,” but are delegated as social outcasts if they follow the article’s suggestion. Rebecca Walker (in Listen Up) advocates the knowledge and positive life lessons she learned from having sex at a young age, yet society and teenage peers criticize the girls who do. Even though Walker claims to be proud of her young sexual encounters, she admits that she is shy in divulging what age she lost her virginity for fear of how people might judge her.
As Douglas points out, magazines like Cosmo teach girls to get their self-esteem from their sexual desirability and that attractiveness is associated with success. However, a study shows that a woman who dresses “provocatively” in the workplace is considered less intelligent than their peers (Douglas 185). This confirms Douglas’ main point that society is giving women mixed signals about how they can behave in modern society.
Enlightened sexism, according to Susan Douglas, is when the perceived new gender equality in society allows stereotypes and discrimination to no longer be considered sexist. Hillary Clinton serves as the premier example for this, as her campaign for the highest position in the United States lends to the notion of gender equality. However, Clinton was critiqued on both spectrums of female stereotypes. She was disparaged for always wearing suits and thus exuding manliness as opposed to femininity. Clinton, however, was also criticized when she cried while meeting supporters. This incident reflected her supposed femininity by showing her sensitive side, thus bringing up concerns about her being too weak and issues with her menstrual cycle and how it might impact her decision-making. This epitomizes Douglas’ definition of enlightened sexism, as people presumed they could critique Clinton based on gender stereotypes because her legitimacy as a female presidential candidate proved that there is complete gender equality. While presidential candidates are often criticized from all different angles, Clinton was caught in a winless situation-she was condemned for being too feminine and for being anti-feminine. If we are truly in a society with gender equality, why should it matter if she were one or the other?
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