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Elements of Postfeminism: the Current Landscape of American Politics?

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Elements of Postfeminism: the Current Landscape of American Politics? University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2007 Elements of Postfeminism: The Current Landscape of American Politics? Laura DeLorenzo Denison University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the American Politics Commons Recommended Citation Denison, Laura DeLorenzo, "Elements of Postfeminism: The Current Landscape of American Politics?. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2007. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/151 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Laura DeLorenzo Denison entitled "Elements of Postfeminism: The Current Landscape of American Politics?." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Political Science. Robert Gorman, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Anthony Nownes, Patricia Freeland, Dwight Teeter Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Laura DeLorenzo Denison entitled “Elements of Postfeminism: The Current Landscape of American Politics?” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Political Science. Robert Gorman ____________ Robert Gorman, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Anthony Nownes__________________ Patricia Freeland__________________ Dwight Teeter____________________ Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges________ Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) Elements of Postfeminism: The Current Landscape of American Politics? A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Laura DeLorenzo Denison December 2007 © Copyright 2007 Laura DeLorenzo Denison ii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my husband David and to our girls Zoe, Hannah, Ariel, Esther and Noah iii Acknowledgments I am grateful to my major professor Dr. Bob Gorman who stuck with me through this project for its duration of several years. Your constant support and encouragement were often the boost I needed to keep going while your shared joy at my circuitous “mommy route” has forever endeared you to me. You are a true friend and mentor. I am grateful as well to the rest of my committee, Dr. Tony Nownes, Dr. Pat Freeland and Dr. Dwight Teeter who have also hung on through what could possibly be a record-setting slow dissertation process. I appreciate more than I can say your flexibility, your advice and your support. To my dear friends who listened with what I am sure was at times feigned interest as I recited my newest feminist discovery or postfeminist implication, I must extend my hearty thanks. I want to thank as well my amazing family, my grandparents Bob and Ann Schuckert, my grandmother Juanita DeLorenzo, and my in-laws Bob and Betty Denison who never doubted for a minute that I would actually get this project done and never stopped praying that this would be so. To my sister Sarah, who read the entire dissertation in order to give me feedback and a practice defense, I owe a great number of home cooked meals or something of similar value. I want to thank my parents, Mike and Cathy DeLorenzo for being extraordinary cheerleaders not just over the past few years, but over my lifetime. Thank you for your countless pep talks, your never-ending prayer and your unparalleled encouragement. I also want to thank my beautiful little girls, Zoe, Hannah, Ariel, Esther and Noah for their unceasing prayers for mommy’s “big paper.” Thank you for your understanding when I had to leave and work. Now that I am done, summers can be daddy and mommy time. This project would never have been completed if not for the unwavering support of my husband, David. Thank you for your countless “daddy days” and all the times you pushed me out the door to work. This accomplishment is as much yours as mine. You are the love of my life and I am looking forward to all our post-dissertation days together. Finally, I want to thank the most central source of my strength and endurance. If not for Jesus Christ I would never have started and certainly never have completed a project of this scope. Your grace in my life is astounding, may you be glorified. iv Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to establish the meaning and definition of postfeminism along with an assessment of whether it accurately represents the current era of thinking. It is an historical, descriptive, qualitative analysis of the feminist movement from its inception with the central focus on the newest strand of feminist thought, postfeminism. The progression toward these conclusions entails an outlining of the waves of feminism and the strands of thought within these eras as well as a discussion of third wave feminism, modern feminism and generational differences between the waves. The focus on postfeminism begins with an exploration of the meaning of “post” as well as a look at postfeminism’s strong ties to popular culture and the theoretical underpinnings of this concept. The postfeminist issues of victimhood, work, femininity, sexuality, marriage, men, family and generational collaboration are reviewed in order to determine the definition of postfeminism, assess whether the current era is postfeminist, consider if postfeminism is anti-feminism and measure postfeminism as it relates to the third wave. Finally, the implications of postfeminism and a review of its politics conclude the project. v Table of Contents Introduction: The Question of Postfeminism 1 Introduction 1 Study Framework 3 Why Postfeminism 7 Chapter 1: The Timeline of Feminism 9 Defining Feminism 9 The First Wave 11 The Second Wave 14 The Third Wave 15 The Strands of Feminism 16 Liberal Feminism 16 Marxist Feminism 20 Socialist Feminism 23 Radical Feminism 27 Black Feminism 29 Lesbian Feminism 33 Ecofeminism 35 Cultural Feminism 39 Postmodern Feminism 42 Conclusion 45 Chapter 2: Modern Feminism 46 Feminism’s Third Wave 46 Modern Feminism 53 Chapter 3: Postfeminism 59 The Study of Postfeminism 59 Postfeminism and Popular Culture 62 Postfeminist Theory 74 Conclusion 80 Chapter 4: Postfeminist Issues 82 Victims and Reality 82 Work and Equality 84 Femininity and Masculinity 88 Sexuality and Equality 93 Marriage, Men and Family 99 Women and Motherhood 106 Generations and Collaboration 117 vi Chapter 5: Postfeminist Reality 120 What is Postfeminism? 120 Are We in a Postfeminist Era? 125 Feminism or Anti-feminism? 130 Postfeminism and the Third Wave 134 Chapter 6: The Significance of Postfeminism 142 Political Implications 142 Social Implications 144 Relational Implications 149 Politics 151 Conclusion 157 References 160 Vita 177 vii Introduction: The Question of Postfeminism Introduction Feminism in its varying forms is a topic and movement that has profoundly influenced American society and politics for more than a century. What is most interesting about this, however, is not the longevity of its tenets, but rather the constantly changing nature and face of feminism itself. There is not a comprehensive definition for the term partly because of varied meanings but also because such a venture has been avoided. Nonetheless, feminism in the twentieth century has given way to discussions of postfeminism for many different reasons. It is the intent of this dissertation to discuss and trace feminism in broad terms to assess and make sense of the elusive and confusing references to postfeminism which dot an ever-increasing volume of feminist literature. It is necessary to discuss the eras of feminism to assess whether there is indeed a new era and whether this era is postfeminist. Feminism as a movement has seemingly ‘stalled’ in recent decades in that it appears to be neither widely recognized nor relevant to the average American woman.1 While American women enjoy many of the hard-won victories of feminism such as improved wages and hiring practices, there is arguably little now that appeals widely to women who are busy climbing corporate ladders or raising families or both. In addition, the term postfeminism, which was originally invented by pop culture media, has now begun to creep into feminist literature with none too hearty an acceptance. The most interesting aspect of this emergence is that it appears to be unaccompanied by self- proclaimed postfeminist writers. The vague, confusing and at times contradicting uses of 1 This is evidenced by several indicators which will be discussed at a later point. A striking example is the existence of a “no,…but” feminism which will also be discussed in later chapters. 1 the term postfeminism in pop culture melded with its sketchy introduction into academia has further ensured that postfeminism remains undefined even to those who reference it. It is this gaping hole in feminist thought that this dissertation seeks to fill. The study of postfeminism is vital to an understanding of the modern American political landscape yet it is not without roadblocks not only because of the difficulty in definition, but also because of the heated conversation currently surrounding the idea. This dissertation will be an historical, descriptive, qualitative analysis of the feminist movement from its inception with the inclusion of the splits typical of social movements.
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