postfeminism
Beyond-the-movement thinking
Postfeminism is a cultural stance holding that feminism's major battles have been won and its activism is no longer necessary.
The term carries implicit critique—feminists use it to describe complacency about ongoing inequality, while others use it to signal that gender equality has been achieved: Her postfeminist views didn't sit well with the activist crowd.
The word sometimes describes media that celebrates female empowerment while sidestepping structural critique.
Interconnected identity-based discrimination study
- postmodernismSkepticism toward universal truths
- neoliberalismPro-market, anti-regulation ideology
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
- poststructuralismPhilosophy questioning stable meaning
discourse · ideology · deconstruction · subjectivity · agency
Power to act
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- choiceAct of selecting
independence · assertiveness · self-reliance · ambition · self-expression · entrepreneurship · leadership · self-improvement
Strong negative reaction
- depoliticizationRemoval of partisan character
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
- consumerismPreoccupation with acquiring goods
sexism · patriarchy · double-standard · inequality · objectification · disillusionment · skepticism · co-optation
Widely shared entertainment trends
- advertisingPaid promotional communication
- brandingCreating distinctive identity
- chick-litLight romantic women's novels
- chick-flickMovie aimed at women
rom-com · fashion · magazines · influencer · Instagram · celebrity · representation · commodification
intersectionality
Interconnected identity-based discrimination study
- postmodernismSkepticism toward universal truths
- neoliberalismPro-market, anti-regulation ideology
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
poststructuralism · discourse · ideology · deconstruction · subjectivity · agency
agency
Power to act
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
choice · independence · assertiveness · self-reliance · ambition · self-expression · entrepreneurship · leadership · self-improvement · lifestyle
backlash
Strong negative reaction
- depoliticizationRemoval of partisan character
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
consumerism · sexism · patriarchy · double-standard · inequality · objectification · disillusionment · skepticism · co-optation
pop-culture
Widely shared entertainment trends
- advertisingPaid promotional communication
- brandingCreating distinctive identity
- chick-litLight romantic women's novels
chick-flick · rom-com · fashion · magazines · influencer · Instagram · celebrity · representation · commodification · glamour
- feminismgender equality, women's rights, patriarchy, women's liberation, sisterhood
- Feminist Theorypatriarchy, male gaze, intersectionality, female gaze, women writers
- Gender Historysuffragettes, women's suffrage, patriarchy, women's liberation, first wave
- gender rolesgender roles, masculinity, gender stereotypes, traditional roles, gender norms
- feminist mediamale gaze, female gaze, Bechdel test, representation, spectatorship
postfeminismfeminist activism
Organized pursuit of gender equality
second-wave feminism · radical feminism · feminist movement · women's liberation · intersectional feminism