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Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny
In Empowered Sarah Banet-Weiser examines the deeply entwined relationship between popular feminism and popular misogyny as it plays out in advertising, online and multimedia platforms, and nonprofit and commercial campaigns. Examining feminist discourses that emphasize self-confidence, body positivity, and individual achievement alongside violent misogynist phenomena such as revenge porn, toxic geek masculinity, and men's rights movements, Banet-Weiser traces how popular feminism and popular misogyny are co-constituted. From Black Girls Code and the Always #LikeAGirl campaign to GamerGate and the 2016 presidential election, Banet-Weiser shows how popular feminism is met with a misogynistic backlash of mass harassment, assault, and institutional neglect. In so doing, she contends that popular feminism's problematic commitment to visibility limits its potential and collective power.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 15, 2025
LOVEEE when a book for school is genuinely interesting and makes sense. immediately understood and recognized the concepts made in this book. understanding popular feminism and popular misogyny was incredibly interesting and will stick with me for a while.
February 11, 2021
Ve smršti "dietních" populárních knih o feminismu, které mají na přebalu růžovou, aby dostatečně daly najevo, jak boří stereotypy, je Empowered zajímavým náhledem na populární feminismus.
Banet-Weiser ho jasně definuje jako jeden z proudů současného feminismu, který je viditelný díky cirkulaci na sociálních sítích a v médiích. Ačkoliv se liší od postfeminismu v tom, že znovu reflektuje genderovou nerovnost, je uhlazený, stravitelný, zaměřený spíše na jednotlivce. Pokud jste někdy viděli některou z emancipačních reklam (Nike, Always, Dove), bylo vám řečeno, že musíte milovat své tělo, nebo jste se z magazínu dozvěděli, že jen potřebujete nabýt sebevědomí, abyste byli úspěšní v kariéře, gratuluji. Setkali jste se s ním. (Pro hlubší definici doporučuji přečíst knihu.) Zároveň podotýkám, že populární feminismus převážně bílý a hetero, tudíž neočekávejte debatu o intersekcionalitě či LGBT+, což v tomto případě nevnímám jako něco špatného. Zajímavé by bylo pokračování o popularitě TERF s J.K. Rowling jako významnou tváří, tam už by se tato debata otevřít mohla a hlavně měla.
Banet-Weiser rámuje knihu zvolením Trumpa do funkce. Jak je možné, že v době, kdy je feminismus znovu předmětem diskuze a populární natolik, že můžete najít nespočet variant na "Girl Power" a "This Is What a Feminist Looks Like" trička, je zvolen někdo tak otevřeně sexistický a misogynní? Právě populární misogynie je podle autorky odpovědí na tuto otázku. Stejně jako pop feminismus je pop misogynie závislá na viditelnosti a zrcadlí otázky feminismu, jen je zkresluje pro vlastní argumentaci (jako pouťové zrcadlo). A oba mají společné to, že hovoří o sebevědomí.
A diskuze je to věru hodnotná. Banet-Weiser popisuje reklamy (odborný název pro emancipační reklamy je "femvertizing"), organizace a spolky zaměřené na pomoc dívkám, technické vzdělávání, apod. Přeneseno do českého rybníčku, stačí si ukázat na Czechitas, které se snaží poskytovat ženám IT vzdělání a jejich beznadějně obsazené kurzy. Poptávka existuje a stejně je v ČR nesouměrně málo žen pracujích v IT. Proč je tedy tak malé zastoupení žen na IT programech na vysokých školách?
Narážím tu na to, že mnoho arguemtnů se dá vztáhnout i do našich končin. Komentářové sekce pod články o sexuálním násilí či nedejbože #MeToo jsou plné populární misogynie. Jenže u nás se debata stále vede na okraji a zejména v časopisech jako Elle a Heroine. Celospolečenská diskuze neproběhla a i přesto se u nás objevují záblesky feminismu a populárního feminismu. Za mě je nejkrásnější ukázkou nedávný příslib Andreje Babiše, že požádal svou ministryni Schillerovou, aby po vzoru Skotska našla řešení menstruační chudoby u českých žen. 5 minut pozitivního PR zajištěno.
Zpátky ke knize - jako někdo, kdo zná a "byl" při mnoha zmiňovaných událostech online (GamerGate, HeForShe řeč Emmy Watson), jsem byla nadšená z poměrně aktuální knihy reflektující proměny současných feministických proudů. Nehledají se totiž snadno. Přeci jen ale musím zmínit, že občas se Banet-Weiser argumentačně opakuje, zejména kapitoly dva a tři se mohou trochu při čtení táhnou.
V závěru se vracíme zpět ke Trumpovi a jeho volební kampani, kde autorka podotýká paradox adorování Hillary Clinton jako feministky vzhledem k její politické historii.
I přes to ale podle počtu hlasů voličů (ne elektorátu) měla Hillary vyhrát. Nakonec ale USA ovládl zástupce populární misogynie, protože tak zafungoval americký volební systém.
Banet-Weiser ho jasně definuje jako jeden z proudů současného feminismu, který je viditelný díky cirkulaci na sociálních sítích a v médiích. Ačkoliv se liší od postfeminismu v tom, že znovu reflektuje genderovou nerovnost, je uhlazený, stravitelný, zaměřený spíše na jednotlivce. Pokud jste někdy viděli některou z emancipačních reklam (Nike, Always, Dove), bylo vám řečeno, že musíte milovat své tělo, nebo jste se z magazínu dozvěděli, že jen potřebujete nabýt sebevědomí, abyste byli úspěšní v kariéře, gratuluji. Setkali jste se s ním. (Pro hlubší definici doporučuji přečíst knihu.) Zároveň podotýkám, že populární feminismus převážně bílý a hetero, tudíž neočekávejte debatu o intersekcionalitě či LGBT+, což v tomto případě nevnímám jako něco špatného. Zajímavé by bylo pokračování o popularitě TERF s J.K. Rowling jako významnou tváří, tam už by se tato debata otevřít mohla a hlavně měla.
Banet-Weiser rámuje knihu zvolením Trumpa do funkce. Jak je možné, že v době, kdy je feminismus znovu předmětem diskuze a populární natolik, že můžete najít nespočet variant na "Girl Power" a "This Is What a Feminist Looks Like" trička, je zvolen někdo tak otevřeně sexistický a misogynní? Právě populární misogynie je podle autorky odpovědí na tuto otázku. Stejně jako pop feminismus je pop misogynie závislá na viditelnosti a zrcadlí otázky feminismu, jen je zkresluje pro vlastní argumentaci (jako pouťové zrcadlo). A oba mají společné to, že hovoří o sebevědomí.
A diskuze je to věru hodnotná. Banet-Weiser popisuje reklamy (odborný název pro emancipační reklamy je "femvertizing"), organizace a spolky zaměřené na pomoc dívkám, technické vzdělávání, apod. Přeneseno do českého rybníčku, stačí si ukázat na Czechitas, které se snaží poskytovat ženám IT vzdělání a jejich beznadějně obsazené kurzy. Poptávka existuje a stejně je v ČR nesouměrně málo žen pracujích v IT. Proč je tedy tak malé zastoupení žen na IT programech na vysokých školách?
Narážím tu na to, že mnoho arguemtnů se dá vztáhnout i do našich končin. Komentářové sekce pod články o sexuálním násilí či nedejbože #MeToo jsou plné populární misogynie. Jenže u nás se debata stále vede na okraji a zejména v časopisech jako Elle a Heroine. Celospolečenská diskuze neproběhla a i přesto se u nás objevují záblesky feminismu a populárního feminismu. Za mě je nejkrásnější ukázkou nedávný příslib Andreje Babiše, že požádal svou ministryni Schillerovou, aby po vzoru Skotska našla řešení menstruační chudoby u českých žen. 5 minut pozitivního PR zajištěno.
"...circulation becomes the politics rather than a route to politics." (str. 143)
Zpátky ke knize - jako někdo, kdo zná a "byl" při mnoha zmiňovaných událostech online (GamerGate, HeForShe řeč Emmy Watson), jsem byla nadšená z poměrně aktuální knihy reflektující proměny současných feministických proudů. Nehledají se totiž snadno. Přeci jen ale musím zmínit, že občas se Banet-Weiser argumentačně opakuje, zejména kapitoly dva a tři se mohou trochu při čtení táhnou.
V závěru se vracíme zpět ke Trumpovi a jeho volební kampani, kde autorka podotýká paradox adorování Hillary Clinton jako feministky vzhledem k její politické historii.
Clinton's femaleness stood in for feminism. (str. 174)
I přes to ale podle počtu hlasů voličů (ne elektorátu) měla Hillary vyhrát. Nakonec ale USA ovládl zástupce populární misogynie, protože tak zafungoval americký volební systém.
My argument in this book has been about this relationship between popular feminism and popular misogyny, and the fact that we need to give our attention to this relationship because it has structural consequences. Within an economy of visibility, popular feminist expressions and practices are important for public knowledge, but when their visibility becomes their politics, and this visibility hails us, asks us to pay attention to its spectacular expression, it also distracts us from the structural costs of popular misogyny’s response, the aftermaths of this relationship, the violent effects of its rage. (str. 184)
April 16, 2025
Sarah Banet-Weiser surprised me quite a bit with Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny. The way that Banet-Weiser went about their analysis of the interplay between popular feminism and popular misogyny wasn’t what I expected.
What Banet-Weiser set out to demonstrate is that popular feminism and popular misogyny, both defined as “popular” because they actively participate in the limited attention economy, play against one another in a continuous dialectic. Although, with how Banet-Weiser goes about the analysis it’s more like a Adornoean negative dialectic. Gone is Georg Hegel's belief in historical positivism, and in is the idea that a synthesis between two contradictory ideas won’t necessarily lead to progress. Granted, Banet-Weiser doesn’t default to the same pessimism as Adorno but sees the current trajectory as leading to ultimately more of the same.
Popular feminism in Empowered can pretty much be summed up as a paper tiger or meaningless opposition. Although, Banet-Weiser doesn’t apply or imply anything conspiratorial to popular feminism. Rather, popular feminism is basically a simulacra of an actual gender struggle. It’s selling you t-shirts with slogans, getting you to vote for a warmonger for president due to her gender and it’s giving you the #girlpower to become a C-suite executive that can exploit works just like a man. It’s fa strain of feminism that works well in ads but will do absolutely nothing to shake up the status quo. Popular feminism as such isn’t about creating systemic critiques but teaching you to deal with the hardships that women suffer under the current political paradigm.
And in true dialectical fashion, popular feminism gives rise to popular misogyny, a movement of people that is wholly reactionary towards the changes that feminism has brought about in the last century or so. It’s the people threating violence towards female journalists, the people that demean women due to their looks and the people that will excuse the violence that is aimed at women.
And while Banet-Weiser obviously isn’t too sympathetic towards the people within popular misogyny, I would be remised to not notice the sliver of understanding that is within this counter-reaction to popular feminism. Apart from just borderline nihilistic opposition towards women, popular misogyny is also reacting to actual material problems that men (and other people) experience in their lives under late-capitalism. And as popular feminism is a product of and by late-capitalism, it both offers a fitting target and offers no solutions of its own.
What Banet-Weiser set out to demonstrate is that popular feminism and popular misogyny, both defined as “popular” because they actively participate in the limited attention economy, play against one another in a continuous dialectic. Although, with how Banet-Weiser goes about the analysis it’s more like a Adornoean negative dialectic. Gone is Georg Hegel's belief in historical positivism, and in is the idea that a synthesis between two contradictory ideas won’t necessarily lead to progress. Granted, Banet-Weiser doesn’t default to the same pessimism as Adorno but sees the current trajectory as leading to ultimately more of the same.
Popular feminism in Empowered can pretty much be summed up as a paper tiger or meaningless opposition. Although, Banet-Weiser doesn’t apply or imply anything conspiratorial to popular feminism. Rather, popular feminism is basically a simulacra of an actual gender struggle. It’s selling you t-shirts with slogans, getting you to vote for a warmonger for president due to her gender and it’s giving you the #girlpower to become a C-suite executive that can exploit works just like a man. It’s fa strain of feminism that works well in ads but will do absolutely nothing to shake up the status quo. Popular feminism as such isn’t about creating systemic critiques but teaching you to deal with the hardships that women suffer under the current political paradigm.
And in true dialectical fashion, popular feminism gives rise to popular misogyny, a movement of people that is wholly reactionary towards the changes that feminism has brought about in the last century or so. It’s the people threating violence towards female journalists, the people that demean women due to their looks and the people that will excuse the violence that is aimed at women.
And while Banet-Weiser obviously isn’t too sympathetic towards the people within popular misogyny, I would be remised to not notice the sliver of understanding that is within this counter-reaction to popular feminism. Apart from just borderline nihilistic opposition towards women, popular misogyny is also reacting to actual material problems that men (and other people) experience in their lives under late-capitalism. And as popular feminism is a product of and by late-capitalism, it both offers a fitting target and offers no solutions of its own.
January 8, 2025
A good read that demonstrates the interwoven nature of popular feminism and popular misogyny. Argues in part that the individualistic (white) nature of popular feminism works in favour of the patriarchy. Think lean in, girlboss etc. but done in contexts where you didn't realise.
Even though the book was published many years ago, the examples are still just as relevant.
Even though the book was published many years ago, the examples are still just as relevant.
September 25, 2020
The goal of Empowered is to approach popular misogyny as a structural force and to examine the relationship between popular feminism and popular misogyny. Specifically, how popular misogyny reacts against and challenges popular feminism. The authors argument is that popular feminism and popular misogyny are engrained in one another so it would be impossible to have one without the other.
The author studies popular feminism and defends it by saying that popular feminism has, “allowed us to imagine a culture in which feminism doesn’t have to be defended but rather, accessible and admired.” However, that does not mean that popular feminism doesn’t have its issues. Many parts of popular feminism are performative. For example, celebrity feminism gets more visibility than media that analyses patriarchal structures.
The author even mentions that popular feminism is white, middle-class, cis-gendered, and heterosexual and that is a problem with popular feminism. Due to this, the author doesn’t study Trans Feminism. This adds to the illusion that feminism will always be white, middle-class, cis-gendered, and heterosexual. I think it is entirely possible that the author could have made the argument while also examining trans feminism. She is adding to the structural issues of feminism by not making a space for branches of feminism. She mentions “transgender” only three times throughout her entire book and “trans” only five times. The author is better at examining Black feminism than trans feminism.
Having spoken with the author, I understand she made the decision to limit her discussion on trans feminism because at the time she had not read enough into it. I would encourage her to do so with her future research and I look forward to reading more from her.
The author studies popular feminism and defends it by saying that popular feminism has, “allowed us to imagine a culture in which feminism doesn’t have to be defended but rather, accessible and admired.” However, that does not mean that popular feminism doesn’t have its issues. Many parts of popular feminism are performative. For example, celebrity feminism gets more visibility than media that analyses patriarchal structures.
The author even mentions that popular feminism is white, middle-class, cis-gendered, and heterosexual and that is a problem with popular feminism. Due to this, the author doesn’t study Trans Feminism. This adds to the illusion that feminism will always be white, middle-class, cis-gendered, and heterosexual. I think it is entirely possible that the author could have made the argument while also examining trans feminism. She is adding to the structural issues of feminism by not making a space for branches of feminism. She mentions “transgender” only three times throughout her entire book and “trans” only five times. The author is better at examining Black feminism than trans feminism.
Having spoken with the author, I understand she made the decision to limit her discussion on trans feminism because at the time she had not read enough into it. I would encourage her to do so with her future research and I look forward to reading more from her.
December 6, 2018
Good ideas but hard to read
This book had an interesting perspective on current feminist movements and how they fit into the neoliberal understanding of society. However, it assumed a lot form the reader. It. assumed a familiarity with feminist pokitical theory as well as American popular culture, the latter of which will make the book feel dated very quickly. Additionally, the author's writing style made the book difficult to read. She often repeated herself and frequently used very similar terminology in slightly varying ways which made me feel like I was reading in circles. I wanted to, but did not enjoy reading this book.
This book had an interesting perspective on current feminist movements and how they fit into the neoliberal understanding of society. However, it assumed a lot form the reader. It. assumed a familiarity with feminist pokitical theory as well as American popular culture, the latter of which will make the book feel dated very quickly. Additionally, the author's writing style made the book difficult to read. She often repeated herself and frequently used very similar terminology in slightly varying ways which made me feel like I was reading in circles. I wanted to, but did not enjoy reading this book.
November 16, 2020
Read for class. Her analysis of the neoliberal nature of popular feminism and the individualized rhetoric of empowerment was interesting, as well as the reactionary relationship between popular feminism and popular misogyny. Mostly though, it all felt pretty obvious and stuff I generally knew already. The analysis didn't go very deep and mostly what I felt while reading this was like yeah, and? I appreciate that she attempted to make an intersectional argument but it felt like an afterthought and rather shallow.
May 15, 2024
Banet-Weiser critiques the neoliberal, individualist and consumerist nature of popular feminism; and makes clear how misogynists appropriate the language of injury and victimisation for political gains. By exploring the failings of popular feminisms and misogyny, Banet-Weiser makes their dialectical relationship apparent. Even better, her work is detailed, brilliantly put, and critically conceptualised.
October 28, 2020
Go popular feminism.
November 14, 2020
Read for GWS-235. This was super interesting and engaging. I loved the way Banet-Weiser broke up the material into themes of affect.
March 2, 2025
Very helpful in examining how we’ve arrived at the present moment
April 4, 2025
So the patriarchy is an endless soulless trap… gotcha 😭💔
July 4, 2025
Read in gndr studies 348💜
October 4, 2025
Got kinda repetitive when she repeated basically the same analysis for every new example, but the main point is good and the examples are a good encapsulation of the gender politics of the 2010s.
May 15, 2024
"We need a lasting feminist rage." Boom.
Great metaphor of the funhouse mirror effect - whereby men distort themselves as victims. Chapters about popular feminism, popular misogyny, the economy of visibility, and politics of visibility; shame and humiliation (alongside LYB discourses); confidence and the con game; and competence, toxic geek masculinity, and toxic technocultures.
Great metaphor of the funhouse mirror effect - whereby men distort themselves as victims. Chapters about popular feminism, popular misogyny, the economy of visibility, and politics of visibility; shame and humiliation (alongside LYB discourses); confidence and the con game; and competence, toxic geek masculinity, and toxic technocultures.
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February 8, 2019305.42097 B2157 2018
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