Reply #62: question [View All]

[ant]

Third wave feminism is often about being feminine.

What does that mean? What are you when you are feminine?

All kinds of women are accepted- women who wear high heels, women who love the word "cunt", women who burn their bras, and women who love to wear girdles.

So are all these women "feminine," or does being feminine now mean being a human being, with individual tastes and preferences not restricted by or comforming to any externally imposed standard?

I have a negative reaction to the word feminine because it makes me think of pink frilly things and unicorns, and it seems to me that it's freeing women of that stereotype that 2nd wavers were all about. Since you seem to acknowledge that individuality is a sign of progress - and I agree that it is - it strikes me as contradictory to then try and fit all these different types of people back into the "feminine" box. How can third wave feminism be about being feminine on the one hand but also about diversity and individuality on the other?

To be clear, I do believe there are fundamental differences between men and women, and I don't think there's anything wrong with saying so. Sexism is about values, after all, not statements of fact. So, if you are using "feminine" to refer to things like how we think and communicate, for instance, then I understand, but it's not clear to me from your post.