Feminism and related ponderings

Feminism and its many vestibules are not unfamiliar to me (afterall, I did take several Womens Studies classes during undergrad, right?). Much of my academic work asks me to critically analyze literature and texts with different lenses; a feminist lens being a very important way of viewing society and power relationships. But what I have recently found, with my random scribbles and poems written for class--is that the feminist movement is indeed a dynamic one, with changing definitions and role-models to match. I finished a poem entitled, "neo-feminism through one night stands" about two months ago. It is mainly about the simple (or maybe not so simple) attainment of power for women during casual sex. For revisions, I was asked to be a little more innovative and was suggested using an epigraph from the many resources available (e.g. Cosmopolitan magazine), which are huge proponents of guiltless sex for women. So, I thought I landed on a landmine when my personal experiences and fluttered thoughts converged into this "neo-feminism" idea of using sex explicitly as power (but like most of academia, someone else has already pondered the same question). I did some research and found that there is a "new" wave of feminism called "lipstick feminism." I'm not quite sure how accepted the movement is, but here is the wiki definition: "Lipstick feminism also referred to as "stiletto feminism" or "slut feminism"...also associates sex with and the power of sexual allure as power over men."

So, agree with that working definition or not, the issue of sex and empowerment definitely plays a pivotal role in how the modern and successful woman is perceived. For example, the women of Sex and the City have undoubtedly helped shape what is thought of as "powerful" or even "sexy/beautiful" and have even caused an influx of similarly scripted shows like Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle. What does that say for the rest of real American women who may not have the socio-economic means that Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte have, but instead have the choice to engage in one-night stands and promiscuous behavior, granted it does not affect their views on equality? As a female, I know that we judge each other for our lack of self control when it comes to engaging in promiscuous behavior when feelings are involved, but why do we tune in weekly for the "dramas" where emotion and sex are not mutually exclusive? I'm not exactly sure if I would consider myself a complete proponent of "lipstick feminism" but I will stand defiantly behind a woman's right to choose whether she wants to fulfill either her sexual or emotional desires...it really is her right to choose. And for the men out there, sex can be used as power--you know that. But the main premise of feminism is that it provide equality in ALL spheres...including sex. The power struggle has shifted, even in sexual politics and perhaps it takes a movement such as "lipstick feminism" to further expose the hushed inequality between men and women (in politics, in economics, in religion, it goes on, and on and on).

With that said, I want to further address the issue of the detrimental effect of dichotomizing typical traits to both male and female genders. Why do we complain about lack of equality (e.g. in the workplace and professional arenas) and then proceed to exclude strong women who are atypically female and call them "bitches?" This contradiction causes blood ruptures in my brain. Smear campaign aside, this is currently happening to Hillary Clinton, candidate for President. Is it an inherent "weakness" of hers that she does not seem timid behind a microphone and podium or is she pigeonholing herself as "the bitch" who will never win the hearts of Americans who want a maternal-figure? We claim that we are ready for a strong, intelligent, independent woman who has enough mettle to represent the female population, yet we are quick to prescribe that the reason many of Americans won't vote for Hillary is because she is a "bitch." Let's really let that thought marinate for a while, and hopefully better reasons why we will/won't vote for her will emerge.

I apologize for neglecting to talk about how "lipstick feminism" affects the GLBT population...wish I had more facts on that and it would really be interesting to see those dynamics.