Girl Power Feminism

Girl Power Feminism and the Illusion of Control Girl power feminism ala the sort represented by today’s new age pop starlets like Miley and the other graduates of the Mickey Mouse Club school of adolescent sexuality have embraced their sexuality—as they say—though what it appears objectively to symbolize is their willingness to be objectified by the male gaze so long as they can control the discourse, the narrative, the image—and not be “shamed” for what earlier generations would have deemed “slutty,” “trashy,” or “tasteless.” In other words, there is a tendency for today’s post-Feminists or “girl power feminists” to attack or fight back against any criticism of their use of their sexuality, even if that criticism is valid.

The attention-getting that comes from flaunting one’s sexuality, or joining in the bandwagon of the #MeToo or #TimesUp movements, is the reward that the girl power feminists seek—or as Miley so aptly puts it: “I think it’s cool to be a woman and be, like, super in charge” (Zaslow 47).

This is not a movement that aims for gender or sexual equality—it is movement in which the girl power feminists assert their right to be as randy, debauched, objectified, sexually-aggressive, hypocritical, and shameless as they want to be—because they are women. The hypocrisy of this movement is so blatant that to name it feels unnecessary.

Yet, if a man were to say the words of Miley, replacing “woman” with “man,” he would be instantly labeled a misogynist who is egotistical and chauvinistic—part of an out-dated patriarchal system that wants to oppress women. This is a power struggle—and women are not even really at the heart of it. They are being used.

Miley is being used by a media dynasty that now is eager to exploit her sexuality, just as it was eager to exploit her innocence when she was younger. They get her and many other young women to prance about on stage like strippers by telling them that this type of behavior is empowering. What it empowers them to do is not clear.

What is clear is that the money that they get for doing it certainly empowers them to have a nice life, and the attention and fame that the media gives them reinforced the idea that they are in some way doing something that is “good” for women—liberation, aggression, freedom, whatever handle they want to attach to it. What they don’t say is that this liberation is just a fad, too. The novelty wears off. The act grows old and routine.

Miley and the other girl power feminists are not really doing anything special for women by twerking on stage, exposing themselves in public, or acting immodestly. Modesty is a virtue—i.e., a good habit to cultivate. Explaining that in this day and age, however, has become very difficult because no one wants to hear that they need to exercise some self-restraint. Why? Because the consequences of being “free” are so obvious—at least for someone who is getting paid millions to show off that way.

For young women who are not getting paid big fat checks, the consequences of behaving like Miley are obvious: risky sexual behavior, drug use, a lifetime spent falling behind the curve because at every opportunity you sought pleasure and your own short-sighted self-interest instead of cultivating a disciplined mind and heart and adhering to principles that have been upheld by traditional families for centuries if not for thousands of years. The girl pop girl power feminism that is seen today is just.