REVISION: The “Feminine-Feminist”: A Counter-Argument to Modern Feminism
Society remains fundamentally patriarchal, and patriarchy is one of the most fundamental forms of oppression, wherein males are the oppressors and females are the oppressed. “In order for the oppressed to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation, they must perceive the reality of oppression not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform.” (Frier, Pedagogy of the Oppressed) In their plight for equality, the “Modern Feminist” compels women to performatively engender masculine qualities in an attempt to reverse implicit misogyny and escape the bounds of patriarchy. This mission by the Modern Feminist is fundamentally flawed because it forces women to compete in a male-dominated arena scored against intrinsically masculine traits.
Equalists understand that all people, regardless of gender, race, or identity, deserve equal rights and opportunities. In this vain, Modern Feminists often translate this statement of equality to gender-blindness and, in doing so, fundamentally devalue what inherently sets women apart from men. This false stereotype of feminism is inherently anti-female and relies on the trope that women will only be respected through adopting male traits: strength, aggression, and boldness. This notion fundamentally devalues the innate qualities of women by postulating that a woman can only demonstrate worth through acting as a male.
To empower women, individuals must lean towards “Feminine-Feminism.” Rather than devaluing female traits, we must place them on the same pedestal as male traits. It is impossible to avoid the existence of patriarchy. A Feminine-Feminist can recognize the bounds of this system that will take generations to remedy. Further, She will recognize that society is made for men by men; this is not to deter Her from competing in it but rather to justify why her equal effort may yield lower outcomes as She automatically competes at a disadvantage.
Within the lens of modern America, society is built upon patriarchy. Systems of social and professional organizations are constructed upon the backbone of implicit misogyny; men are implicity granted more opportunitie and are subconsciously preferred to women. This historical system, rooted in categorization to create systematic roles to divide labor, is fundamentally based on recognizing that women and men are not the same. The Modern Feminist crudely turns away from the acceptance of this basic fact and attempts to remedy this century-old issue through performative acts of masculinity. The Feminine-Feminist does not deny that implicit misogyny exists; rather, She challenges the devaluation of females by refusing to stray from the fundamental nature that makes her female and urges men to change their dated, self-entitled paradigms that place male traits on a pedestal above female traits.
I claim my gender identity as female, I want to be that: a woman. This falsehood that I will only succeed by acting as a man entirely underwrites the female identity. Modern Feminists have reinforced the patriarchal notion that women are not men and, thus, stripped away the value of female communal traits. This subconscious reinforcement undermines the feminine identity. I do not want to be a man. I do not want to act like a man. Yet, Modern Feminists declare that the path toward equality occurs by claiming an identity that is not my own. True equality should not require me, a woman, to compete in a society made for men by acting like a man!
One of the most common approaches to conceptualize both gender stereotypes and gender self-concept is through the distincttion between “masculine, agentic” and “feminine, communal” traits. Agentic traits include self-assertion, decisiveness, and independence, while communal traits pertain to interpersonal sensitivity, trustworthiness, and morality. “Research has revealed that agency and communion are indeed stereotypically defined as gender-related traits, but the relationship between biological sex and agentic and communal traits is more complex.” (Abele, 2003) A unique interplay of these traits exists and develops between men and women. It is therefore naive to discount the importance of both qualities or deny their personal manifestations of their existence within all people.
This implicit gender bias towards strength fails to recognize women’s crucial role as nurturers yet devalues women if they are not automatically drawn toward those roles. Women traditionally played a crucial role as nurturers, caretakers, and homemakers. While women should have the option to participate in male-dominated tasks, we must put equal value on the dichotomous value provided by traditionally female roles. If all men were eradicated but one, society would endure. If all women were eradicated but one, society would immediately crumble. Men fundamentally could not make up for the traits women seamlessly complement within our patriarchal society.
Patriarchy has created a fundamental sense of inequality; the Modern Feminist approach to counteract inequality exists through rejecting the very traits innate to women that have catalyzed their marginalization. The rejection motif towards patriarchal cultures exists because “patriarchy is a system in a social structure, a practice that placed men in a dominant position, to oppress and exploit women.” (Asri, Women’s Rejection Towards Patriarchy Culture) This male-dominated system so crudely fails to recognize the importance of communal traits and instead exploits them via female subordination. Patriarchy dictates the standards that elucidate what it means to be a “good woman,” yet still places those traits beneath genetic male traits. Modern Feminists respond to these dated ideologies by insisting all individuals should act like men and adopt male traits in order to earn respect. The Feminine-Feminist, however, entirely challenges this ideology. She questions why this system persists in our modern society and urges individuals to recognize the value of feminine, communal traits.
Modern-Feminists ascertain women should not only compete but also outperform men, while lacking male biological traits within a structure built for male biology. Forcing a feminine woman into a male role and emphasizing that she must act with male characteristics is solely a disservice to her; she will not succeed when faced with the competition of traditional, masculine, genetic men. By pitting women against men, in an implicity patriarchal society, a woman’s “ wings are cut, and then she is blamed for not knowing how to fly.” (Beauvoir, The Second Sex) Women will never outperform men at this male game, yet the Modern Feminist still succumbs to these patriarchal rules. To truly empower oneself, the Feminine-Feminist must restructure the power dynamics entirely to create a game that does not require Her to change Herself in order to not only compete but also win.
Men and women are fundamentally not equal. It is a disservice to women to fall into the imaginary trope that we can only gain respect by becoming men. This flawed mentality dictates that women require a performative male strength, and because that strength is simply an act, She will never be able to outperform men. Modern Feminists urge women to counteract patriarchal norms to become a person they inherently are not. Biology serves as the primary evidentiary source of the physical differences that persist between the two genders. For example, the female 28-day hormone cycle bears no resemblance to the male 24-hour hormone cycle, yet the 9–5 structure was built upon the male hormone cycle. Women should honor their innate differences from men and find the strength within those discrepancies. She should feel empowered to recognize the communal traits She embodies; those traits which are entirely absent from men and fail to be honored within our patriarchal society.
To try to compete in this male arena as a woman automatically devalues innate female characteristics. She is able to empower Her communal traits, and honor the caring, nurturing, feminine side that defines her. This “Self-knowledge is no guarantee of happiness, but it is on the side of happiness and can supply the courage to fight for it.” (Beauvoir) Being a Feminine-Feminist means having the courage, despite this patriarchal system, to fight for HER through honoring the innate characteristics that compromise Her.
Citations:
ASRI, Yasnur. “Women’s rejection toward Patriarchy Culture: A Feminism Study in selected Indonesian novels.” Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Languages and Arts (ICLA 2017), 2018, https://doi.org/10.2991/icla-17.2018.35.
Beauvoir, Simone De, and H. M. Parshley. The Second Sex. Penguin, 1972.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Green Bee, 2010.
Abele, A. E. (2003). The dynamics of masculine-agentic and feminine-communal traits: Findings from a prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(4), 768–776. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.4.768
