Third Wave Feminism and Pop culture

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individualism and anti-essentialism, diverse sexualities, contradictions and contrasts (Conrad, 2001).

2.4 Third Wave Feminism and Pop culture

During the 90s, Third wavers criticized Second wave feminists' contempt for pop culture and began to redefine pop culture from a media-savvy perspective, and embraced it as a potential feminist stand (Heywood and Drake, 1997). Its integration with popular culture then became a major characteristic of the Third wave. Therefore it led to an energetic fresh feminism pervading the contemporary mass media, in the form of vibrant and powerful young women (Shugart, Wggoner, & Hallstein, 2001).

Third wave feminists adopted popular culture for potential empowerment of women (Hopkins, 2002). Popular culture was becoming more girl-centered; girls became the focus of many pop culture products, such as in music, television, and movies (Hopkins, 2002). A fun and pop-culture based feminism "Girlie" has arisen in the mid 90s. It is a new intersection that comes with the Third wave's brand of fun, and celebration of femininity and girlhood along with the developing mainstream interest in "Girl power" (Baumgardner & Richards, 2001).

Girlie culture, or as it may be called "Girl power" is a central strand within the Third wave. Girlie culture questions the definitions of what it means to be a feminist and seeks to further demystifying the stereotype that came with Second wave by looking into the contradictions and conflicts that shaped young women's experiences (Stacy Gillis & Rebecca Munford, 2004). Girlie culture includes the tabooed symbols of women’s feminine enculturation such as Barbie dolls, makeup, fashion magazines, high heels, and claiming using them isn’t shorthand for "we’ve been duped" (Keller,

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2011). "It is not a sign of our sway to the marketplace and the male gaze; it can be sexy, campy, ironic, or simply decorating ourselves without the loaded issues”

(Baumgardner & Richards 2006, p.302-3). Young women have complicated the previous feminist critique of the male gaze. Instead of seeing the male gaze as a threat to the identity of women, women should exploit the spotlight as a source and energy (Karlyn, 2003).

"Girl Power icons can dress in provocative clothing while demonstrating fierce physical prowess (such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer) or chant the virtues of female power and solidarity while wearing Wonder Bras (like the Spice Girls)" (Karlyn, 2003, p.10). Women’s desires are not simply booby traps set by patriarchy (Baumgardner & Richards, 2001). Commercial artists in mainstream popular culture embraced the term Girl power and inspired with the power feminist principles, it became popular in the late 1990s as a result of the Spice Girl's branding. Girl power is broadly perceived as a pro-girl term that supports girls and girl culture by reclaiming the feminine and marketing it with culture value (Hains, 2009). It is often presented as the idea that girls can do anything they choose, in this regard it owes much to the power feminist ideas been popularized by Wolf (Hains, 2009). The central idea of Power feminism and Girl power is that girls are empowered to only use their inherent power to effect change, instead of succumbing to victim feminism.

Consequently, objects and cultural artifacts that were once deemed sexist toward women are now been looked at with a fresh eye as mainstream girl culture and Third wave feminism converged in the realm of popular culture.

The mainstreaming of girlhood not only became the best selling concept of

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power feminism but it has also led some scholars to characterize the popular culture of this period as "girl culture"(Hopkins, 2002; Karlyn, 2003). Which leads to some feminists began to ask whether feminine-scripted items such as make-up and fashion could be the catalyst for female empowerment and resistance to patriarchal notions of the feminine.

It is to say that post-feminist forms, such as power feminism and Girl power are the main forms that dominate the mainstream media discourse in this era. Vavrus (2002) indicates, "The manner in which feminism has been eclipsed by post-feminism in certain contexts suggests that post-feminism works better as a promotional discourse for luring new consumers to a proliferating set of products for today's new women." (Vavrus, 2002, p.29) Post-feminism collided with commercial capitalist system and depended on mainstream Western media to propagate; therefore thrived and paved the way for power feminism and Girl power. Third Wave is here serving as an umbrella for Girl power, which celebrates media visibility. (Hains, 2009)

Incorporating some Third wave ideas into the mainstream can be considered as a sign of progress (Keller, 2011). In a December phone interview, Baumgardner said,

"I think [third wave feminism and “girl power” are] on the same continuum, it's just that one is more consciously political and understands how power works and the other is more about being a consumer as opposed to having a really active understanding of female power. But the more cheesy, watered down representations of girl power don't offend me — I feel like they just show how much feminism penetrates the culture at large. " Also just as Kristina Sheryl Wong (2003), in Catching a Wave, explains how popular culture function for young feminists:

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"Popular culture provides an effective vehicle to carry the self-celebrating concepts of third wave feminism" (Wong, 2003, p. 296). It is certain to say that fusing the feminist ideas into mainstream, integrating with corporations and assimilating with pop culture is an efficient way to gain more exposure on feminism. In a generation that engages pop culture constantly, Third wavers have learned that it is something good to indulge in, to see as a tool, and to create a healthy relationship with (Baumgardner, J. 2000).

Girl culture is a crucial character of refocusing pop culture, bringing ideas about personal empowerment into the mainstream, and creating a public discourse about feminism (Driscoll, 1999). "Whatever its implications from a feminist point of view, this new focus on girls meant that girls were now seen as a valuable demographic in the capitalist marketplace" (Karlyn, 2003; Keller, 2011, p.2). Like in the study of Stacey K. Sowards and Valerie R. Renegar (2004) showed that young female audiences are empowered by female role models and became aware of their own oppression and the possibilities for liberation through the consumption of popular culture; they take away messages of empowerment from popular television shows and music despite some texts might be problematic from other feminist perspectives (Sowards & Renegar, 2004).

This new feminism that embraces girlish tabooed symbols is about having all those pretty things, be feminine and typically girlish can still be a feminist. Being female, embracing femininity as fun, and playing with femininity is positive and empowering. And as Wolf puts it, power feminism recognizes that "making social change does not contradict the principle that girls just want to have fun." (Wolf,

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1994, p.138)

Some young women during this time felt pressure to accommodate to Second Wave standard of “good” feminism. Third wave feminists questioned the strict rules for what defines “good” feminism or who is a “good” feminist; Such as is a lesbian more feminist than a heterosexual woman? Does putting on make-up make you less of a “good” feminist? (Gilley, 2005).

Therefore Third wave feminism means that younger feminists have different style from Second wave feminism. It is more pluralistic about sexuality and personal expressions, fashion choices and less dogmatic, and it is more involved into using media, consumer practices for a good outcome (Wolf, 2008). To sum up, the central of Third wave feminism is fun, feminine, and sex-positive.