The Feminist Review

Nina Power’s article “Ten Things Feminism Can Do Better” is a breath of fresh air for feminists who are consistently misunderstood in mainstream culture. Power prioritizes the core feminist agenda – it’s sad that we need this reminder! But the concerns of culture and media routinely distract us from our own priorities, and we spend time answering questions and critiques rather than proactively striving toward our goals.

I particularly appreciate Power’s timely caution that feminism not allow “bombs to make its point” through military and cultural imperialism that claims to be liberating women throughout the world.

I haven’t read anything else by Power, but I am now interested in her book, “One Dimensional Woman” in which she apparently claims that the real c-word is capitalism. This desire to shift feminism away from sexual matters appears in this article as well, as she warns that “if feminism spends too much time focusing in on questions of sexuality, it risks losing sight of other significant questions — unequal pay, non-sexual violence, and so on.” I certainly agree, though I also believe that women’s bodies are at the heart of our oppression and a fundamental reframing of our bodies will  be necessary in our liberation. I was surprised that sexual objectification and control through body image dogma don’t show up on Power’s top 10 list in any way.

Filed under: uncategorized on July 15th, 2010 by Anna Lisa