While conducting research for my group's teaching project topic on feminist icons/role models in music, I came across a refreshing piece at Jezebel entitled "Stop Hailing Women as Good or Bad Role Models." Not only did the piece touch upon an angle of our topic that I'd love to discuss with the class but it also drew relevance to the concept of self-branding as discussed by Banet-Weiser and Juhasz. Here, author Tracy Moore addresses the danger of assigning glorified "role model" labels to public female figures. As women, it's hard not to deny that many of us are quick to dismiss the quintessential Hollywood "wild child" (i.e. Miley Cyrus) as a bad role model while exalting other more "acceptably" behaving female celebrities as good role models. Moore believes this habit is toxic for young women to allow into conversation - arguing that "it insults girls, who are more individual, and already more developed as people than we give them credit for by treating them like blank slates who will copy and absorb every thing they ever seen on command."
First, Moore's argument begs the question: what is the line between freedom of expression and disrespect toward oneself as a woman? At the start of the course, many of us expressed mixed emotions toward Miley Cyrus's antics on the VMAs as well as June of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo's behavior on her TLC series. My point of view coincides with Moore's because as women, we deserve to behave in a manner that reflects our personal beliefs whether that manner is widely accepted or not. As a woman I will always endorse my right to make mistakes or act in any way others may even perceive as "flawed, misguided, shitty, awesome, talented, [or] cool" as Moore puts it in her article. I feel that many classmates would agree - which leads to a second question: why shouldn't we grant female figures the same lenience we would ourselves or our friends?
Passing judgment on public figures as discussed in Moore's article is something that all of us, including myself do on a regular basis. Of course, what we say about women in the public eye will likely never reach them. But unwarranted negativity only further contributes to this problematic myth of the "One Correct Way for Women to Conduct Themselves" as Moore puts it in her article. Banet-Weiser and Juhasz discuss feminism as a means of understanding "self-empowerment" as a three-part "larger process." One of these processes is discussed as "building community" by "enabling other’s voices and connecting varied forms of expression." If this is indeed a vital aspect of post-feminism then I feel there is room for greater levels of acceptance within our pop culture dialogue.
Article Link: http://jezebel.com/stop-hailing-women-as-good-or-bad-role-models-1459649358
-Marisa Okano
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