A New Wave of Feminism and Backlash
Susan Faludi argues that there has been a sustained ‘backlash’ against the advances of second-wave feminism; conversely, Astrid Henry posits that American women confidently embody a ‘third wave’ of feminist politics. Can the both be right? You should illustrate your answer with specific examples.
In order to discuss whether a new wave of feminism is currently going on, and whether or not this can or cannot exist with a backlash to the previous wave of feminism, it is important to look at this previous wave of feminism in its relation to the so called third wave, and the backlash that resulted from it. From examining the political and media backlash, from President Regan and benefit cuts to films such as Fatal Attraction, I will look at its effects on feminism and where, or if, it stands in relation to a new wave of feminism, epitomised –according to Astrid Henry- in the hit television series Sex and the City.
The second wave of feminism was concerned with political action and gaining women’s rights. At a time when there was very little equality between the sexes, both in the home and the working world, women campaigned to be allowed the same basic rights as men. Instead of following the traditional route of domesticity and motherhood, women campaigned to get equal rights for women in the working world and to have their voice recognised. However, in the 1980s, a backlash directed at that which women had been fighting for emerged in society, brought on by the media and politics. This backlash is vital to the formation of the third wave of feminism. As Cathryn Bailey points out, a ‘wave’ is something that happens in succession, and is both similar and different from the other occurrences . She argues that waves often overlap, and that this is the case with second and third wave feminism, which make the backlash directly relevant to the two cases. Susan Faludi writes that the backlash has demonstrated women as depressed, lonely and miserable because of the
In order to discuss whether a new wave of feminism is currently going on, and whether or not this can or cannot exist with a backlash to the previous wave of feminism, it is important to look at this previous wave of feminism in its relation to the so called third wave, and the backlash that resulted from it. From examining the political and media backlash, from President Regan and benefit cuts to films such as Fatal Attraction, I will look at its effects on feminism and where, or if, it stands in relation to a new wave of feminism, epitomised –according to Astrid Henry- in the hit television series Sex and the City.
The second wave of feminism was concerned with political action and gaining women’s rights. At a time when there was very little equality between the sexes, both in the home and the working world, women campaigned to be allowed the same basic rights as men. Instead of following the traditional route of domesticity and motherhood, women campaigned to get equal rights for women in the working world and to have their voice recognised. However, in the 1980s, a backlash directed at that which women had been fighting for emerged in society, brought on by the media and politics. This backlash is vital to the formation of the third wave of feminism. As Cathryn Bailey points out, a ‘wave’ is something that happens in succession, and is both similar and different from the other occurrences . She argues that waves often overlap, and that this is the case with second and third wave feminism, which make the backlash directly relevant to the two cases. Susan Faludi writes that the backlash has demonstrated women as depressed, lonely and miserable because of the