GRSJ224FeminismandMeToo

Feminism in a Post-Feminist Era

There are many voices out there which claim that we now live in a post-feminist era, a time when the goals of previous feminists have been achieved and therefore there is a "contemporary sensibility proclaiing that women are now "empowered" [...] to return to normatively feminine pursuits and disavow feminism as no longer needed or desirable" (Dosekun, 2015:960). However, the recent revelations of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior within Hollywood reveals that this is not the time to relegate feminism to a corner of the literature or abandon the social struggle, but in fact feminism is as needed as ever. If we are living in a world where even the most powerful, rich, and famous women can be groped, abused and raped in exchange for roles, and a world in which some of the most powerful leaders, including Donald Trump, can openly claim they have abused women, then feminism is needed to continue its tradition of modern, democratic struggle. In fact, recent movements such as #MeToo are a form of this feminist, democratic struggle, which continues the tradition of human rights struggles for equality and fairness in modern societies. Not only is feminism not needed, powerful movements such as #MeToo show that today's women are as determined and as ready to be involved in activism as their grandmothers were.

Background Information

October 5, 2017, is the date considered the official starting date of the #MeToo movement, when New York Times published an article about Harvey Weinstein and the women he abused (Kingston 2018). The     #MeToo hashtag took its name from Tarana Burke’s activist group dedicated to survivors of sexual violence, Me Too. Actress Alyssa Milano contributed greatly to the popularity of the hashtag, encouraging survivors of sexual abuse to use it. Initially Tarana Burke did not think this was a good idea, because social media was not a safe place for the victims, as social media means a lot of exposure. However, to her surprise the hashtag took on a life of its own, being used millions of times and giving women courage to share their stories. This included celebrities like Ashley Judd and Michelle Williams (Brockes 2018). The movement had many positive outcomes, including Hollywood celebrities establishing a defence fund for sexual abuse survivors, Time’s Up (Canadian Women's Foundation). #MeToo was used on social media to encourage women to share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment. It has also became a symbol of gender equality, promoting open conversations and unmasking inappropriate behaviours that are still practiced within the workspace (Canadian Women's Foundation). The movement fast-tracked the adoption of Bill C-65, offering sexual harassment protections to federally regulated workers. In courts the complainants' rights are respected more and cross-examinations are not as abusive and focused on victim-blaming as they used to be in the past (Kingston 2018). Thanks to the far-reaching campaigns of #MeToo, women date more cautiously, watch their drinks, but also feel more empowered to speak out if something or someone makes them feel uncomfortable. More importantly, men know they will be called out and confronted for harassment and some men have become more aware of boundaries and the importance of communicating about consent in their approach to dating. More open conversations about what is permissible are starting and women are trying to get out of the role of people pleasers when they are pressured into sex (Barcella 2018). Some victims of sexual abuse and harassment get a better understanding of what happened to them in light of reading the stories of other victims (Canadian Women's Foundation). Finally, novelists are tackling more often subjects that were considered taboo, like rape and sexual assault and readers develop a greater taste for reality and profound themes in literature (Hughes 2019). Some of the drawbacks to this movement include some women's exaggerating or falsely assuming the status of victims, and some men making fun of the slogan without understanding what it stands for, especially on t-shirts (Brockes 2018).

Viewing:

Trump on #MeToo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOpJsTNIY5Y

Ellen on #MeToo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmYgdOTPE3w

Canadian journey

·       In Canada the #MeToo movement started earlier in 2014 with the allegations against the CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi. This started other hashtags, including #IBelieveWomen and #RapedNeverReported. Unfortunately Gomeshi was acquitted in 2016 (Kingston 2018). Twelve days after the New York Times article against Weinstein, Leanne Nicolle was the first Canadian woman to accuse publicly a high-profile man, Marcel Aubut, former president of the Canadian Olympic Committee (Kingston 2018). Aubut, who had already made headlines two years earlier for his improper behaviour, stepped down as president (Kingston 2018). High profile Canadian actors, like Ellen Page and Rachel McAdams, also spoke about sexual abuse in the Canadian film industry. In December 2017 there was a symposium hosted by Globe and Mail and a march in Toronto in support of #MeToo survivors (Canadian Women's Foundation).

#MeToo as Modern Feminist Struggle

When the Weinstein scandal broke out, women rallied behind victims and there was a huge wave of disclosure, something which came under the umbrella of #MeToo. However, it is easy to see this movement as being more a moment in history, something that happened and is now over, as some problems were revealed, some people lost their jobs, and therefore the situation is greatly improved. That is not the case. The movement is just a symptom of a much larger disease which is affecting modern society. What women are facing today is a lot more subtle than the obvious oppression that held them back from attending school or voting a hundred years ago. Today, feminist thought and the feminist struggle is constantly undermined by a seemingly benevolent society in which neoliberal dogma says that women have a "choice," or many "choices," and therefore they can "choose" not to be feminist (Dosekun, 2015:960). Instead of being feminist, which is old and boring, today's women can be good consumers of beauty products, feminine, slim, sexual and desirable (Dosekun, 2015:960-961). But if indeed women were empowered and didn't need feminism anymore, then movements such as #MeToo would not be so popular and receive so much support. In reality, the fact that even the most powerful women can become victims shows that we are live in what McRobbie (2007) calls a "resurgent patriarchy." Writing in 2007, long before the Weinstein scandal broke out, McRobbie (2007) was voicing concerns of many feminists that the world has come to undergo a shift to the right, which means extreme neoliberalism, involving young women in the global markets, but also undermining the work of previous feminists, by restricting radical social movements. By sending the message that all problems of the world have been solved or have become common sense, the hegemonic system is saying that "there is no longer any place for feminism in contemporary political culture" (McRobbie, 2007:720). However, this illusion that women have won the battle for equality and that there is no need for critique of "hegemonic masculinities" has been shattered by the #MeToo movement, which reveals that we are still living in a world that's very much male-run, a world in which no amount of money or celebrity can buy women safety and respect.

References

Barcella, L. (April 19, 2018), “After the reckoning: #MeToo, sex and dating in 2018”. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-reckoning-metoo-sex-dating-2018-n867086

Brockes, E. (January 15, 2018), “#MeToo founder Tarana Burke: ‘You have to use your privilege to help other people’”. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/15/me-too-founder-tarana-burke-women-sexual-assault

Dosekun, S. (2015). For western girls only?: Post-feminism as transnational culture. Feminist Media Studies, 15(6), 960-975.

Hughes, S. (February 17, 2019), “Women’s battles become page-turners as #MeToo inspires novelists”. The Observer  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/17/metoo-inspires-female-novelists-post-weinstein

Kingston, A. (October 5, 2018), “Inside the first year of #MeToo”. Maclean’s https://www.macleans.ca/society/inside-the-first-year-of-metoo/

McRobbie, A. (2007). Top Girls? Young women and the post-feminist sexual contract. Cultural Studies, 21(4-5), 718-737.

Rosen, B. (January 12, 2019), “The next steps for the #MeToo movement”. The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/425053-the-next-steps-for-the-metoo-movement

“The facts: the #MeToo movement and its impact in Canada”. Canadian Women’s Foundation https://www.canadianwomen.org/the-facts/the-metoo-movement-in-canada/