women against feminism's new media matrix of (anti)

185 Pages·2016·5.2 MB·English

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
OpenSIUC
Dissertations Theses and Dissertations
5-1-2016
GLOBALIZED BACKLASH: WOMEN
AGAINST FEMINISM’S NEW MEDIA
MATRIX OF (ANTI) FEMINIST TESTIMONY
Margarethe Mapes
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at:http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations
Recommended Citation
Mapes, Margarethe, "GLOBALIZED BACKLASH: WOMEN AGAINST FEMINISM’S NEW MEDIA MATRIX OF (ANTI)
FEMINIST TESTIMONY" (2016).Dissertations.Paper 1163.
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GLOBALIZED BACKLASH: WOMEN AGAINST FEMINISM’S NEW MEDIA MATRIX OF
(ANTI) FEMINIST TESTIMONY

by

Margarethe J. Mapes

B.S., St. Cloud State University, 2010
M.A., Southern Illinois University, 2012

A Dissertation
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Doctor of Philosophy Degree.

Department of Communication Studies
in the Graduate School
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
May 2016
Copyright by MARGARETHE MAPES, 2016
All Rights Reserved
DISSERTATION APPROVAL

GLOBALIZED BACKLASH: WOMEN AGAINST FEMINISM’S NEW MEDIA MATRIX OF
(ANTI) FEMINIST ESTIMONY

By
Margarethe Mapes

A Thesis/Dissertation Submitted in Partial

Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in the field of Communication Studies

Approved by:

Nathan Stucky, Chair

Suzanne Daughton

Nilanjana Bardhan

Rebecca Walker

Meghann Pytka

Graduate School
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
April 4, 2016
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF

MARGARETHE MAPES for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in COMMUNICATION
STUDIES, presented on April 4, 2016 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

TITLE: GLOBALIZED BACKLASH: WOMEN AGAINST FEMINISM’S NEW MEDIA
MATRIX OF (ANTI) FEMINIST TESTIMONY

MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Nathan Stucky

Feminisms are oftentimes confronted with dissonance, resistance, and backlash. Invested in
criticizing the cultural and institutional emergence of patriarchy and calls to re-order structures
of inequality make feminism threatening to status quo power dynamics. “Women Against
Feminism”—a social media phenomenon and space for women to post anti-feminist messages—
began gaining notoriety in 2013. By 2015, “Women Against Feminism” expanded to multiple
social media platforms, gained thousands of anti-feminist submissions, and received ample
support and criticism across news outlets. This study explores “Women Against Feminism” as a
potential site of 21st feminist backlash, noting nuanced rhetorical strategies that rely on fearing
feminism, declarations of interpersonal and intrapersonal love, and co-opting feminist ideology
to propagate anti-feminist narratives. I situate backlash as a communicative phenomenon of
perception rather than a clear-cut movement reacting toward a stated goal of progress by a social
group. In this way, feminist progress functions as an illusory cultural script where backlash
reacts toward the perceived enactment of a feminist goal, rather than (although not excluding)
the successful feminist execution of that goal. Thus, this study dually investigates what backlash
strategies are used while also uncovering how differing audiences perceive feminism. Finally, I
set forth a series of suggestive practical methods for feminist engagement across dissonance and
difference.

i
DEDICATION

I wish to dedicate this document to my mother, Dr. Jan Kircher, whose scholarly and
personal presence has guided me to become the feminist scholar that I am today. Mom, I am
indebted to your sacrifices and am forever grateful.

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to thank my advisor and mentor, Dr. Nathan Stucky, for his intellect, diligence,
humor, and being a true beacon of light throughout my studies at SIU and during this writing
process. I also want to thank my past advisors; namely, Dr. Elyse Pineau and Dr. Tami Spry, two
women who have pushed me as a scholar, challenged my boundaries, and cheered me on through
every success and obstacle that arose. Thank you to my committee member, Dr. Rebecca
Walker, for her savvy feminist rhetorical insight. Thank you to Dr. Suzanne Daughton for her
patient editing and providing caring and loving feedback. Thank you to my committee members
Dr. Nilanjana R. Bardhan and Dr. Meghann Pytka for their thoughtful feedback and suggestive
research directions—both of which have been vital to the success of this project.
Thank you to my fierce Southern Illinois University friends: Diana Woodhouse, Benny
LeMaster, Greg Hummel, Nora Klein, and Elena Esquibel. Thank you all for the many hours of
listening to my scholarly ramble, providing emotional and intellectual support, and being
incredible friends.
Thank you to my family: Jan Kircher, Michael Mapes, and Ethan Kircher. I am where I
am because of their love.
Thank you to my love, Mike Selck—for every brainstorming session, every emotional
breakdown, every supportive statement. Mike, you are the seabed to my ocean: strong,
foundational, and unrestricting. I love you.
Finally, thank you to James Denekas and Sherri Permeswaren, two teachers who taught
me what it means to be a feminist, an activist, and a pedagogue.

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... i
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ iii
LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................v
CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1 – Introducing “Women Against Feminism” ..................................................1
CHAPTER 2 – Defining Feminist Backlash .....................................................................27
CHAPTER 3 – Scary Feminism: The Angry Feminist Trope and Anti-Traditionalism ...49
CHAPTER 4 – Postfeminism, Love, and the New Backlash ............................................88
CHAPTER 5 – The Sameness Difference Debate: A Nuanced View of Anti-Feminist Co-
Option ..............................................................................................................................115
CHAPTER 6 – Concluding Thoughts and Recommendations for Future Research .......142
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................163
VITA… ........................................................................................................................................175

iv
LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE PAGE
Figure 1.1 .........................................................................................................................................3
Figure 3.1 .......................................................................................................................................58
Figure 3.2 .......................................................................................................................................72
Figure 3.3 .......................................................................................................................................85
Figure 4.1 .......................................................................................................................................89
Figure 4.2 .....................................................................................................................................105
Figure 5.1 .....................................................................................................................................121

v
CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCING “WOMEN AGAINST FEMINISM”

I am a feminist. I believe in equity between genders, fair distribution of resources,
transgender equality, and the importance of collective action toward change—radical or
reformist—to reduce oppression. Growing up with a single mother of three, feminism was not
only something that I believed in, it was something that I lived. Because my feminist sensibilities
are integral to my individual ethos as a scholar, activist, and person, I became disappointed and
enraged by sources declaring that feminism is boring, outdated, and may be reaching an
expiration date (Wakefield; Moore). I soon realized that claims of feminisms’ irrelevancy were
just the beginning. Laura Bates speculates that feminism has become a modern scapegoat, where
“feminism is ruining everything” has become common anti-feminist commentary—commentary
that Bates labels as backlash (par. 3). The emergence of these observations—or its presence in
my own work—coincided with a secondary phenomenon, the online “Women Against
Feminism” campaign.
The “Women Against Feminism” campaign is an online forum for women who are
unhappy with feminism to voice their concerns. “Women Against Feminism” (hereon WAF)
developed its online photo campaign in 2013, and by the summer of 2014, WAF’s online
presence had expanded as a virtual space where women declared why they don’t want or need
feminism, photographing themselves with their concerns on a poster or placard. For example,
one placard reads, “I know the dictionary definition of feminism, yet the words and actions of
many modern feminists do not match that” (July 20). Tumblr and Facebook function as the main
organizational sites for WAF; however, WAF lacks a centralized entity, instead privileging any
and all contributions from women that criticize feminism. Many placards and posters begin with
1