The newest wave of feminism is seemingly taking the movement down a path of debatable progress. In one sense, surface-level feminism has become more widespread than ever, having taken such a strong root in popular culture. Simultaneously, there is potential that watered-down notions of feminist ideals have been made too digestible and have lost some of the weight they once carried.
“Barbie” is one of the most prominent examples of this. By no means has the “Barbie” movie hindered feminism in its most basic sense; it tackles various levels of sexism and the inherent experience of being a woman. It makes sense the film had the success it did. However, the concern begins when that movie is the most prominent piece of feminist media of the past several years.
The feminist voice of a generation cannot stop speaking after mentioning beauty standards. That voice must go further and dig deeper into what such beauty standards suggest about the objectification of women and how these standards propel forward rape culture. There is a very diseased, matted underbelly to the toy poodle of mainstream feminism that must be seen.
The ever-glowing public image of Taylor Swift as some sort of revolutionary feminist icon falls into this same vein of empty feminism. Of course, there is something to be said about Swift’s reclamation of her music in the scope of the feminist lens and her success as a female artist. The question is ;however, if her monopolization of the music industry is hurting other, lesser-known female musicians who would benefit far more from a moment in the sun than she would, having already amassed such an extreme following.
While Swift has based much of her public image on empowering women, her actual political statements are nothing special. Her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign for the presidency, for example, was to be expected given her political history. She made a very surface-level political endorsement into something overly profound and borderline pretentious. Her silence on the Israel-Hamas War also conveys a deep discomfort with taking any political stances that don’t directly affect her and other wealthy white women.
Alongside the surface-level nature of “Barbie” and Swift’s feminist identity, the “I’m just a girl” trend on the surface is very unassuming. The world is a frightening place right now on many fronts and is incredibly hard to navigate. People open up their phones and can see anything from famine and bombings to footage of mass shootings. No one knows how to navigate those things, especially those going through them.
Bowing out and shrugging, “I’m just a girl” past the age of fifteen; however, encourages escapism from and apathy toward present realities that render the girls and women using those phrases as completely helpless, as an entity different from those who are “just a girl” in Gaza, in Myanmar, in Lebanon, in Nicaragua and in every other country on genocide watch.
Beyond removing oneself from the greater context, the phrase subconsciously minimizes girls and women. It has always been acceptable to be “just a girl.” In fact it was largely preferred. Women who are loud, who are opinionated, who are passionate have always been a threat.
The No Doubt song “Just a Girl” so often associated with this meme itself is a statement in which Gwen Stefani rails against the expectation of her to be “just a girl” and nothing more. To remain “just a girl” is to remain a limp body, a doll that can be molded and positioned at the will of others.
Being a woman is brutal. This brutality must not be confined to surface-level feminist statements about beauty standards and problems that only hinder wealthy women of the global north. It must not be watered down into defeatism. Even if they are hard to swallow, the stories of less palatable and universally relatable aspects of the experience of being a woman must be heard.
Megan is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Megan? Email her at md396520@ohio.edu.
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