Feminist Values Research Articles

#Freebritney: strategies of counternarratives and self-regulation in digital feminist counterpublics

ABSTRACT The conservatorship of Britney Spears represented a legal arrangement that placed multiple restrictions on the celebrity’s autonomy. The conservatorship also became the center of an activist movement that demanded a restoration of her rights, commonly known as #FreeBritney. Since 2009, this primarily online group has worked to raise awareness of and bring an end to Spears’ conservatorship, an objective that was ultimately achieved in 2021. Through a thematic analysis of interviews with self-identified #FreeBritney activists, we analyze this movement as a digital feminist counterpublic through two key themes: 1) #FreeBritney’s central mechanism of generating counternarratives about Britney Spears’ conservatorship and 2) its self-regulating structure. Taken together, these themes surface #FreeBritney’s feminist values, specifically regarding its attention to representation, narrative, and non-hierarchical organization practices. We argue that #FreeBritney poses compelling questions about key tensions at the intersection of fandom, digital activism, and feminist media theory. By positioning #FreeBritney as a digital feminist counterpublic that achieved its main goals, we interrogate the multifaceted nature of digital engagements with feminism, building on important work in internet, media, and feminist studies.

“It’s a bit of a paradox, as she considers herself a feminist”: Tensions of doing household-related occupations as a young cis-heterosexual couple in France

ABSTRACT Despite a rise of feminist values, the organisation of household-related occupations remains unequal. This research aimed to problematise the tensions existing in the organisation of household-related occupations of cis-heterosexual couples who self-identify as feminist. Narrative data were collected through individual and joint interviews with two couples. Individuals’ and couples’ storylines were studied through a narrative analysis. Subtle reproductions of traditional gendered roles were revealed, despite each couple’s strategies to reach equality. Their organisation was not explicitly negotiated as a couple but embedded in daily life. Couples’ task allocation rationales were related to the context within which they live and work, and occupational preferences rooted in unconscious gender stereotypes. Feminist values were paradoxically acting as a constraint for the women interviewed, adding perceived norms to conform to. The study responds to calls for occupational science to move beyond individualistic approaches to occupation and embraces a critical stance towards the complexity of ‘doing feminism’ in everyday life, thus revealing many layers of intersecting tensions.

All the President’s Women? Female Leaders, Family Ties, and Gendered Cabinet Appointments Worldwide

Abstract This study investigates the nexus between the rise of female leaders and the appointment of women to cabinets and how family ties, crucial for women’s political ascendance, impact these appointments. Using a unique dataset across 160 countries from 1966 to 2021, we find that female leaders generally appoint more women to their cabinets and key cabinet roles. However, this effect is significantly moderated by the “Goldilocks” principle, defined by the nature of a leader’s family ties. Specifically, female leaders with moderate family ties are most likely to appoint women. In contrast, their counterparts from political dynasties and those without familial political ties are less inclined to do so. The exploratory analysis suggests potential mechanisms driving this dynamic: female leaders with a “just-right” degree of political lineage are more likely to have advanced degrees and Western education, potentially aligning them more closely with liberal and feminist values.

Compliance and the Second Sex

As women’s participation becomes increasingly visible within far-right movements, the question of agency is often brought up; are women in the far-right agents? Although this question has been explored before, only a limited sect of this literature has analyzed this phenomenon through a feminist theoretical lens. This is notable considering much of women’s participation stems from an initial rejection of feminist values, often citing feminism as being the root cause of their lack of quality of life. Throughout this paper, I will argue that women’s agency in far-right movements can be better explained through the application of Simone de Beauvoir’s theoretical framework. I will situate this argument within a literature review that analyzes the previous understandings of women’s agency within the far-right. Following this, I will additionally present literature on hegemonic masculinity and its relationship to far-right women’s complicity. Furthermore, the strength of using de Beauvoir’s theoretical framework to analyze women of the far right will be asserted through an analysis of the case study of Ayla Stewart, an infamous far-right online influence. This paper ultimately aims to answer the following: How can de Beauvoir’s theoretical framework help better understand the agency of women within far-right political and social movements?

Understanding Sarinah as an Arena for Feminism Education Based on Local Culture

General Background: Feminism education is crucial for fostering mutual respect and understanding of gender differences, emphasizing the social identity of archipelago feminism. This approach embraces the values of womanhood rooted in Indonesian culture and customs. Specific Background: The book "Sarinah" by President Sukarno offers a foundational perspective for exploring the historical and cultural significance of feminism education in Indonesia. Knowledge Gap: Despite analyses of "Sarinah" focusing on feminist values and Marxist literary criticism, research on the specific educational arena of feminism in Indonesia is limited. Aims: This study aims to analyze the Indonesian feminism education arena as presented in "Sarinah," using a qualitative methodology, including literature review and event interpretation. Results: The analysis identifies four key aspects: the third phase of civilization evolution, the role of intelligence, motivations of Indonesian feminism, and external influences such as society, family, and education systems. Novelty: The study highlights the distinctiveness of feminism education in Indonesia by focusing on local cultural values. Implications: The research emphasizes integrating cultural and traditional values in feminism education to promote gender equality. It calls for empowering women, recognizing their equal capabilities to men, and eliminating discrimination based on gender, class, or ethnicity. Highlights: Cultural Relevance: Emphasizes aligning feminism education with Indonesian cultural values. Key Factors: Identifies intelligence, motivation, and societal influences in the education arena. Empowerment: Highlights the need to empower women and address barriers to gender equality. Keywords: Pendidikan Feminisme, Arena, Adat, Budaya Nusantara

Disney Princess Movies' Development and Dilemmas From a Feminist Perspective

The purpose of this study is to critically analyze the image of Disney princesses using a feminist perspective. The study aims to explore the positive and negative impacts of the image of princesses and how it has influenced film making as social mores have changed and women's liberation has been promoted. The study explores the ways in which women have been portrayed throughout history through exhaustive case studies, demonstrating how princesses have changed in response to the times in which they have been portrayed. This study recognizes that while significant progress has been made in portraying princesses as more autonomous and powerful, prejudices and fundamental limitations remain. By examining these issues, this study seeks to reveal that the image of the princess still needs to be improved to better align with modern feminist values. It also calls on Disney to be brave enough to break out of the current image of princesses as well as the storytelling framework, and to explore more possibilities in female characters

Conceptualizing Woman-Centred Care in Midwifery

Feminist values conceptualize health care service as a social relationship, and they approach the sharing of information as a self-help activity rather than one between experts and naïve recipients. Woman-centred care embraces these ideas and is a fundamental concept in midwifery, straddling both the biomedical model and feminist health care aspirations. The definition of woman-centred care relies on a list of attributes that highlight choice and control, alluding to continuity of care and empowerment. The midwife/ woman relationship is central to the provision of woman-centred care but is not without controversy. This relationship may not always be achievable due to external structures, a focus on “normal birth,” and concerns about work/life balance. Few formal evaluations exist. Regardless, women were dissatisfied with existing care and care providers, and exploring this model of care introduces the possibility for non-authoritarian, collaborative, and respectful care for women. This article has been peer reviewed.

Teaching and learning feminisms with Pacific Islanders: an emotional journey

ABSTRACT This paper is a feminist reflection of our experience teaching and learning feminisms with Pacific Islanders. We take as a starting point that feminism itself is encased in emotion. In the Pacific, some antagonise the term “feminism” as a foreign imposition and a “threat” to Pacific cultures. To others, feminism instils hope in the context of egalitarian aspirations framed within a development discourse. Some cautiously engage with feminist values, others embrace the notion passionately, generating multiple Pacific feminisms. Indirectly but instinctively, our approach to the teaching of feminism in this context has been to embark with students on a journey of experience and idea sharing and view it as an emotional journey. Acknowledging our positionalities, with their commonalities and differences, we examine the sentiments towards feminism embedded in postcolonial dynamics, as they manifest in our classrooms, and consider strategies for decolonial pedagogies of feminism.

Making Waves in Academia: Asian/Asian American Feminist Mentoring as Activism

Multicultural Feminist Mentoring (MFM) models have provided an important foundation to address the further need for conceptualizing a mentoring model that is specific to Asian/Asian American (A/AA) experiences. In this collaborative autoethnography, six researchers in three mentor-mentee dyads explored what it means to pursue Asian/Asian American feminist mentoring (A/AAFM), through dyadic and group interactive dialogues and collaborative analysis. A/AAFM can be conceptualized as anti-racist praxis, where each mentor attempted to consider mentoring as activism within academia, being grounded in values stemming from A/AA experiences and feminism. Results yielded a model of A/AAFM which emphasizes a convergence of multifaceted racial and cultural identities, feminist values, and activism. Three specific processes emerged: being holistic, relational, and mutual; a focus on community and intergenerational generosity; and intentional flattening of the power hierarchy. Implications for training and activism are discussed.

The revolution of values and the crisis of liberal democracy

One domain of global political economy (GPE) that warrants more serious scholarly attention is the plane of what Jessop (2010) calls ‘cultural political economy’ (CPE). This article connects GPE and CPE, through an exploration of the production and exchange of meaning (semiosis) in the global politics of ‘values’. The point of departure for this exploration is a series of overlapping crises in GPE. From the Great Recession to the global COVID-19 pandemic, these crises are often associated with the rise of dangerous new reactionary forces. Conspiracist far-right and increasingly authoritarian centre-right movements continue their ascendancy. Meanwhile, a (neo)liberal self-proclaimed ‘centre’ decries this ‘rise of populisms’, lamenting a perceived backlash against liberal democracy itself. This article offers a novel reading of the present conjunctural crisis, through the cultural theory of bell hooks. Specifically, hooks’ ([1984] 2000) identification of ‘white supremacist capitalist patriarchy’ as the real Western social model, her analyses of the political-economic crises of the 1990s and her development of Martin Luther King’s notion of a ‘revolution of values’ are all crucial to explaining the present crisis, and exploring the potential of progressive politics today. Reframing ‘liberal democracy’ as white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, it is argued, enables a number of further insights. In particular, this analysis allows us to understand our present moment as a confrontation between truly progressive values – including anti-racist, anti-capitalist and feminist values – and what turn out to be the shared regressive and reactionary values of (neo)liberalism and the far right. The aim of the article is to show, in the terms of Stuart Hall’s Gramscian analysis, ‘how different forces come together, conjuncturally, to create the new terrain, on which a different politics must form up’ (Hall, 1987: 16).

Representation of Liberal Feminism on the 2020 Mulan Movie

This research aims to explore the characteristics of Mulan as the only female soldier of the Chinese emperor in challenging the stereotypes of women that have been formed in society. The film shows Mulan's adventures as the only female soldier of the Chinese emperor. This research method uses a qualitative descriptive approach through observation and analysis of each scene and narrative available to explore the feminist values contained in this film. There were findings that Hua Mulan made efforts to challenge the stereotypes that developed regarding women. Hua Mulan challenges the boundaries that society places on women. In conclusion, Hua Mulan shows the characteristics of liberal feminism in the character Mulan which focuses on individual rights in obtaining opportunities, changes in social and legal policies that are no different for women.

#MeToo in the Manosphere: The Formation of a Counter Discourse on the Swedish Online Forum Flashback

ABSTRACT In Sweden, a relative consensus of liberal and feminist values has long been dominant in public discourse. This could be observed in coverage of the #MeToo movement, which was largely presented in a positive light by legacy media, where critical voices were instead found on alternative and social media. This article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of #MeToo beyond the mainstream discourse by investigating how #MeToo was discussed on the online forum Flashback during the period spanning October—December 2017. Our findings show how the #MeToo debate in this forum reproduced an anti-feminist discourse from the manosphere but also challenged it, as attitudes towards sexual harassment were negotiated and reframed in dialogue with mainstream media. #MeToo thus also contributed to an increased awareness about sexual harassment in this context. However, while a feminist agenda was being strengthened in legacy media, the anti-feminist views on Flashback became more pronounced. Interestingly, while the dominant feminist discourse around Swedish #MeToo avoided the concept “feminism”, it was often used in this counter discourse on Flashback, where it signified a hated, albeit powerful and transformative, force in society.

RHYTHMS OF LIBERATION: TRACING THE DANCE OF EMANCIPATION THROUGH HISTORY

The role of dance as a transformative medium for women’s emancipation, tracing its evolution from the Renaissance period to contemporary times. is a topic that necessitates a broad, multidisciplinary analysis. Dance is presented not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a powerful instrument for social change and gender equality. Through historical analysis, the study highlights how dance has facilitated women’s ability to express their identities, challenge patriarchal norms, and advocate for their rights across various epochs. The research underscores significant contributions by key figures and movements that have used dance as a platform for signalling shifts in societal attitudes towards women’s roles and freedoms. By drawing on the works of scholars such as Goldman (2010) on improvisational dance, Hahn (2013) on the role of creative arts in education and social change, Camp (2002) on dance as a form of resistance among enslaved women, and Åhäll (2016) on feminist security studies, the paper elucidates dance’s multifaceted impact on women’s liberation. From the sophisticated court dances of the Renaissance that reflected societal and cultural shifts to the expressive and boundary-pushing performances of the 19th and 20th centuries, dance emerged as a dynamic force in advocating for women’s emancipation. The conclusion reaffirms dance’s ongoing relevance as a medium through which contemporary women continue to explore their identities, challenge existing norms, and promote feminist values, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on gender equality and empowerment.

Confucian propriety without inequality: A Daoist (and feminist) re-construction

ABSTRACT This work is a thought experiment in re-interpreting the virtue of li or ritual/propriety for the contemporary, multi-cultural, world. Using Zhuangzi, the Lunyu, and Zhongyong as my primary points of departure, I re-interpret the Confucian ideas of hierarchy in terms of the Daoist conception of harmony. Many scholars today argue that Confucianism has a relational ontology, yet at the same time, we find that Confucian values can and do lead to rigid and harmful traditions that have historically oppressed marginalized groups like women. As such, I re-imagine what li might look like if we take relational ontology seriously, Drawing from Zhuangzi, I argue that Confucian harmony and order do not necessarily arise out of hierarchy, and that harmony, the most primary goal of li and of the Confucian project, can be best attained through propriety that is influenced by Daoism and feminist values such as equality.

Problematizing “Security” in Citizen Security: A feminist security studies critique of Mexico's “feminist” foreign policy and women, peace and security projects

AbstractThis article problematizes the concept of “security” within the concept of “citizen security” employed by Mexico, through a feminist security studies critique. Considering feminist security studies critiques that often see security as ultimately tied to militarization, regardless of the security referent, this article shows how this problem surfaces in Mexico's National Action Plan for Women, Peace, and Security and in the claim that Mexico has adopted a feminist foreign policy. Not only do these initiatives largely ignore high rates of femicide and other forms of state and nonstate violence in Mexico, but they are also reproductive of violence, particularly militarized violence, in their attachments to security. The article delves into the literature on how Mexico and other states domestically inimical to feminist movements have instituted national action plans that militarize the women, peace, and security agenda, embraced feminist foreign policies as they have further militarized, or both, often promulgating plans with little or no input from civil society. Mexico is revealed as a Janus‐faced example where seemingly liberal feminist values are promoted abroad but are not implemented at home. Thus, the nation is refashioning itself as a “good global citizen” at the expense of implementing and expanding citizen (and noncitizen) rights and protections within its borders.

Entanglements for Visualization: Changing Research Outcomes through Feminist Theory.

A growing body of work draws on feminist thinking to challenge assumptions about how people engage with and use visualizations. This work draws on feminist values, driving design and research guidelines that account for the influences of power and neglect. This prior work is largely prescriptive, however, forgoing articulation of how feminist theories of knowledge - or feminist epistemology - can alter research design and outcomes. At the core of our work is an engagement with feminist epistemology, drawing attention to how a new framework for how we know what we know enabled us to overcome intellectual tensions in our research. Specifically, we focus on the theoretical concept of entanglement, central to recent feminist scholarship, and contribute: a history of entanglement in the broader scope of feminist theory; an articulation of the main points of entanglement theory for a visualization context; and a case study of research outcomes as evidence of the potential of feminist epistemology to impact visualization research. This work answers a call in the community to embrace a broader set of theoretical and epistemic foundations and provides a starting point for bringing feminist theories into visualization research.

Of Difficult Mothers and Rebellious Daughters: Investigating the Electra Complex in Contemporary Nigerian Feminist Fiction

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta and Lola Shoneyin are undoubtedly three of the most celebrated feminist novelists in the contemporary Nigerian literature. These three women-writers have one thing in common – each has written at least a novel in which she employs the usual problematic relations between a mother figure and a daughter as a means of exploring feminism – inflected issues such as identity-construction, subjecthood, and patriarchy, etc. I am making reference to Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, Atta’s Everything Good Will Come and Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. These novelists thematize in various ways albeit unconsciously the Electra complex. This paper argues that it seems something of a paradox that these women – novelists in engaging in feminist critiques of patriarchy, should to some extent appear to do so through the agency of the difficult relationship between a mother-figure and a daughter even when no psychological exploration in the delineation of these characters appears to be intended in these novels. The paper aims to draw attention to each of these writers’ representation of certain aspects of the relations between the female protagonist of their respective novels, who appears to embody the novelist’s feminist values, and her parents, especially to the uneasy tensions that seem to exist between them. Keywords: Patriarchy, Feminism, The Electra Complex, The Symbolic Realm, The Unconscious

#STOPMENSTRUALSHAMING: XIAOHONGSHU USERS’ ONLINE ADVOCACY FOR WOMEN’S ISSUES IN CHINA

This paper investigates how social media users advocate for women's issues in China, focusing on the activism against menstrual shaming on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, a culturally significant but understudied platform used primarily by women. With women accounting for 90.41% of active users, Xiaohongshu provides a unique social media environment that shapes the way users engage with feminist issues. However, despite the growing literature on digital feminism in China and the surging popularity and significance of Xiaohongshu in the Chinese social media ecosystem, no studies so far have examined the feminist activism on this platform. Our study contributes to this gap by exploring the discourse around menstrual shaming on Xiaohongshu, as a lens into the dynamics of activism on this female-oriented platform. Analyzing 329 posts and 10,336 comments under the hashtag #StopMenstrualShaming on Xiaohongshu, our study foregrounds the salient role of Xiaohongshu in helping women express their feminist values in an online space that they perceive as safe and intimate. In doing so, we employ the conceptual framework of hashtag activism, which refers to the development and spread of online activism with tangible results in the physical and digital worlds. Shining a spotlight on this significant but understudied platform, we illuminate the dynamics of Chinese digital feminism, especially the formation of solidarity, relatability and collective identity on a female-oriented social media platform.

Aladdin——The Live-Action Version: A Feminist Revolt Against Patriarchy

The live-action version of "Aladdin" (2019) is based on the 92nd edition of Disney's animated film of the same name, giving the audience a great visual treat. As a work in the Disney series, the image of the princess in the live-action version of "Aladdin" is one of the major attractions of the film. Disney's portrayal of princesses is varied. From a feminist perspective, the early images of the princesses embodied the patriarchal and husbandly expectations of women, which is a kind of expectation for women. With the public's understanding, Disney's character and image of the princess have become more diverse. With the advancement and development of feminist thought, the princesses of this period got rid of the constraints of a patriarchal society to achieve more individual autonomy. Aladdin" in the "Princess Jasmine" is the Disney company to change the image of a trend. Based on the text of the live-action film Aladdin, this paper uses deconstructionist theory as the main research method and feminism as the focus of inquiry to investigate the shortcomings of Disney's traditional dichotomous narrative in the modern viewing environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of feminism over time and to summarize the development of feminism to date. It is concluded that the live-action version of Aladdin challenged the patriarchal status quo, deconstructed the male/female dichotomy in early princess films, and represented feminist values as a film that achieved mainstream success. The film showed how filmmakers struggled with stereotypical images of women in making the film and provided a strong role model for young women to understand that women should not be tied to the home but should find their own meaning. From a feminist perspective, the live-action version of "Aladdin" breaks the patriarchal mold of previous Disney princess films and provides audiences with a strong, self-reliant female figure.

Brand Activism and Democratic Legitimacy: Exploring Pitfalls through a Habermasian Analysis

Brand activism has emerged as a prominent practice among corporations, as they publicly take a stand on contentious socio-political issues such as gender inequality, climate change, or discrimination, often through advertising. While extensive research has been conducted on the impact of brand activism as a marketing tool, examining its effects on sales, brand image, consumer attitudes, and authenticity, only a limited number of studies have studied its influence on public debate and processes of democratic legitimation. The latter have portrayed brand activism as an empowering force for the supported social movements, the public sphere, and democratic legitimacy, largely ignoring the consideration of potential negative effects. To address this gap, Habermas's political theory and Nancy Fraser's ideas on the resignification of feminist discourse are applied to 'femvertising' (feminist advertising). Fraser's ideas show how feminist values within femvertsing and the cultural progress they spurred, have paradoxically come to legitimate an institutional order that runs counter to feminist visions of a just society. Since this institutional order is based on power structures in which corporations flourish, brand activism should be understood as a form of 'opinion management' in the Habermasian sense of the word. Applying Fraser's ideas moreover shows how brand activism complicates the problems associated with 'regular' public relations. By claiming to be activist, yet legitimating existing power structures, brand activism is not merely depoliticizing but also incapacitating resistance from within. These findings demonstrate how brand activism might be detrimental to public opinion formation and the democratic legitimacy of our institutional order, but also that Habermas might be overly optimistic in his confidence in civil society.