What do you think of when you hear the word ‘hyperfeminine’? Femininity isn’t something that is easily defined. Anyone who identifies as feminine, will have a different relationship with, and perception of femininity, feminine expression, and feminism. The way femininity is portrayed in 21st century screen media, specifically mainstream Hollywood cinema, has evolved over time and has seen many different tropes and stereotypes of how hyperfeminine, or ‘girly’ women act. Due to a long history of on-screen sexism, femininity has gained some negative connotations in the media.
With this blog, I want to explore the concept of hyperfemininity, and dive into why it is associated with a lack of substance and looked down upon. Why are women constantly placed in boxes and expected to follow rigid forms of expression?
Firstly, let’s go back and briefly take a look at feminism over the last 50 years, to help us frame the context for how femininity has become what it is today.
Throughout history, views on women and how women are treated in society has gone through many changes. There have been many influential movements and key figures who have carved the path for modern feminism to grow and develop on.
Since the late nineteenth century, it is common to refer to the ‘waves’ of feminism, the first wave being the suffragettes that took place in the late nineteenth century. These women fought for the right to vote.
Following this, is second wave feminism. The second wavers denounced stereotypically feminine things to represent the rejection of the patriarchy. They were fighting against being reduced to objects of desire by the patriarchy. This was a huge revolution during the 1960s-70s, with influential figures such as Betty Friedan, Bell Hooks, Simone De Bouvoir. Freidan argued that women were still relegated to unfulfilling roles in homemaking and childcare.
The second wave separated femininity from feminism, which in turn, became an issue and a way for sexism to continue throughout the 21st century. Fast forward to today, the #METOO movement brought a whole new wave of feminism.
Postfeminism, third and fourth wave feminism is when it gets a bit muddled. Although women have so many more rights and opportunities that wouldn’t be available if it weren’t for the feminists that fought before us, being a woman in the 21st century comes with different struggles, ones that are unique to each individual who identifies as feminine. With many unique variations of feminism that have different ideologies and values, feminism has become an extremely nuanced and multifaceted as a discourse.
Feminism is a word that is loaded with negative connotations and assumptions. The stereotype people think of when they hear someone is a feminist still holds strong today, as someone who hates pink, doesn’t shave, burns their bras, and hates men, even if this quick judgement is subtle and subconscious, it’s so engrained in us that a lot of people avoid identifying with the term ‘feminist’ out of fear or lack of knowledge of what it really means to be a feminist. Radical feminists have very different beliefs to intersectional feminists, both sharing very different ideologies within the discourse of 'feminism'. This is why there are so many contrasting opinions and views on the matter.
People are scared of what they don’t know, it’s become a taboo. And this is where a lot can get lost or misunderstood. We are conditioned as women, to be as neutral and digestible to the patriarch as we can. Over the next few blog posts I'll explore how this way of viewing women is seen reflected in films, through the common tropes women are placed into.