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Showing posts with the label Feminism

Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday: Did she have the makings of an unexpected revolutionary?

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  Yesterday would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday. It is in tribute to the great feminist icon (who shares my love for bright red lipstick!) that I will write this post observing the many ways she shaped the last century's fashion, popular culture, and film, and, most of all, the way that women's presence in society could be regarded, surpassing all kinds of stereotypical ideation demonstrated through the presence of the male gaze, and other huge chauvinist attitudes that were apparent in the film industry in the US during this period. We can thus very clearly consider her as way more than just the perennial stereotype of the heavily sexualised glossy pop icon that she has for too long been portrayed as, and even go so far as to view her as, in her own rights, a true revolutionary and a good comrade. When reflecting on the ways in which the stereotype of subservience, submission and reliance on men has been considered as an integral aspect of her character, howeve...

The link between gender and political orientation: why female politicians continue to remain underrepresented

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After a short break from posting and sorting out some university stuff, I am back online and will continue posting more fire soon. Enjoy. Politics globally, regardless of sovereignty and international influence of governments and the political leaning of politicians, continues to remain a primarily male dominated field and one that is not without its stereotypes amongst voters. There tends to be a misconception that the typical characteristics of female politicians are similar to those of stereotypical females in general (Scneider, M.C and Bos, A, 2014). In spite of this, this is rarely the case with females perhaps entering politics with their main intention being perhaps to go against female stereotypes and further encourage women to enter a field which continues to have a workforce consisting largely of males. The stereotypes associated with males generally relate to their strength, virility and perhaps lack of sensitivity with greater assertion and more likely use defence and force...

The Politicisation of Feminism as Applied to Marxism

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With many interpretations of feminism and sexual expression being based around Marx and Engels' ideas, and with these ideas being very much in line the radical feminist ideas of women being heavily sexually oppressed with all relations between women and men featuring an exploitation and imbalance in power by the men over them as the lesser sex (or akin to the proletariat while the men function as the bourgeoisie as described by Marx and Engels) with this largely being attributed to their role and position in society, the liberation of women and social progress in understanding their rights can be seen to largely be supported by a more liberal and progressive socialist society. As a result, the development of the theory of Marxist Feminism and the women's revolution against their treatment when working in domestic labour, as can be observed throughout the last century, can lead to the politicisation of feminism and this being associated with socialist movements. In his 1848 Comm...