making mountains out of molehills.
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required reading
british feminist natasha walter’s new book, pictured above, is due out february 4th. her latest foray explores today’s wave of feminism, or, rather, it’s lack thereof: “i believed sexism in our culture would wither away. i was entirely wrong.”
she dives headfirst into how sexism is ever present in british culture, though i think it can apply across the board. i mean, i’m finding examples as widespread as singapore, so it would seem this strain is filtering its way across borders, continents, oceans.
her argument poses that in “liberating” themselves, women have turned to embodying a certain image, perhaps most aptly described as the porn star look: revealing lingerie-style clothes, along with the fake tan, fake nails, and fake breasts. these women say they find “empowerment” in stripping and pole dancing when really they are just playing into the age-old adage that the gender has worked so hard to quash.
Photo via Guardian c/o Sarah Lee
what’s most disheartening about natasha’s observations is that she has found that girls who are uncomfortable with playing this part kowtow to their peers under pressure, afraid they’ll be seen as prudes. “i was surprised by the attitudes of the girls i interviewed,” natasha says, “who seemed to feel that they would be mocked if they protested within their peer groups. you know, when I was at university [in the 80s] it was ok to be annoyed about sexism, to take it quite seriously—if you argued about it, it didn’t make you the subject of mockery.”
i have to say, i understand today’s woman’s caution with throwing the f word around. a decade into the 21st century, feminism probably seems antiquated to many, something that your mother fought for or dealt with, but certainly not something a young woman in 2010 should have to deal with. but we do. it’s there. it’s what has given natasha walter’s work meaning, as well as tuff titties.
needless to say that i will be going out and picking up this book as soon as it hits the shelves. read an excerpt of the book here. it’s a delicious taste of what’s to come.
natasha walters, you are the ultimate tuff titties hero.
