File this under “How the Hell Did I Miss This?” Ana Marie Cox of Wonkette fame wrote a scathing review of Katha Pollitt’s new book on July 2nd. (I was on vacation at the time.) Cox’s review got trashed by feminist bloggers, including Echnide and Ehrenreich.
I don’t have much to say about Pollitt or the book. I haven’t read the book, and I rarely read her column. Her predictability factor is fairly high. I did see her give a talk once, and she was very funny, so quiet yourself about feminists without a sense of humor.
Cox’s biggest problem with Pollitt and old guard feminism is its obsession with the fashion choices of other women. Cox likes a fine pair of heels and doesn’t want to be shamed for liking them.
When women dress up damaging choices as empowerment, it weakens feminist argument. But when feminists start lecturing about wrong choices, it lessens their numbers. I wish I had an easy answer about how to navigate between stridency and submission. Then again, I wish Katha Pollitt did too.
First of all, I really hate the whole grouping all feminists together thing. I side with the feminists that value nontraditional measures of success.
I support feminists that direct their attention to society and political structures, rather than on tut-tutting other women who aren’t cookie cutter replicas of themselves. It is insane to make the claim that my fashion choices have any impact of oppressed women abroad. If the women in Islamic fundamentalist countries are forced to wear burkas, then it makes more sense to figure out how to put pressure on those governments to change, rather then yelling at heel-wearing women on 5th Avenue.
And, yeah, there has to be some common sense here. Some compassion for those who lack the zealous fervor of others. Some understanding that there is a big difference between women being forced to wear burkas and women having fun trying on tank tops at Anthropologie.
Call me crazy, but I just don’t think that feminism should have anything to do with footwear.
There is a generational gap going on between the old guard and the new. Our obstacles to success and fulfillment are different from theirs. I think we have to respect and admire the important work that the previous generation did for us. But I also think that they need to listen to us and stop the hectoring.
Apt. 11d 
It does feel like such a generational thing–where is the 30 or 40 year old version of Linda Hirshman? I don’t think there is such a critter. I don’t know why.
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I spend a lot of my time in the midst of the collision between generations of feminism in the academy — and not because I want to. By virtue of being female and working on certain issues, I’ve been handcuffed and shoved into the back seat of one of the colliding vehicles. And it’s going to be sooo much worse next year, as I’ve been put on the Women’s Commission for the college (despite having requested explicitly not to be).
My main wish at the moment is that the older generation would accept the honor we pay them as genuine, rather than just lip service pronounced as we (in their view) pound stakes into the heart of everything they did for us. Admitting that second-wave feminism made mistakes is NOT the same as denying that it accomplished anything, dammit.
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I have never quite figured out if women really do have their pinkie toes removed in order to fit into Jimmy Choos or if that’s just another urban legend (like bra-burning).
Some understanding that there is a big difference between women being forced to wear burkas and women having fun trying on tank tops at Anthropologie.
Yes. That’s just crying wolf. It’s one thing to point out that our American (at least Anglo-American) standards of beauty are too confining and too draconian, and sheer hyperbole to compare that to what women in Afghanistan go through.
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I’ve read Pollitt’s book, and actually she never says women should not enjoy clothes. I’ve seen her read and it sure looks to me like she enjoys clothes herself! I’ll bet she even shaves her legs. Maybe you think she is predictable because you read her, when you read her, through your own idea of what a feminist over 40 thinks–hairy legs, birkenstocks, humorless, that whole cartoon. I’m not saying those women don’t exist, but Pollitt is not one of them. Pollitt just thinks women need to keep their eye on the ball. Whatever they wear. She thinks there’s more to say about breast implants than “I just want to raise my self esteem.” She thinks cutting off your toes to fit your shoes is crazy. And yes, this is a real thing — at least if you believe the New York times, which reported on it.
I hope people will take a look at Virginity or Death — wonkette did not give an accurate picture of what’s in the book. it’s pretty funny!
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Predictability doesn’t mean that I disagree with her. I just know exactly what Pollitt will say about a given topic before I ever read her. She’s an ideologue. Not that there is anything wrong with ideologues. There’s a place for them in the world, too. I just get bored reading stuff when I know exactly where it’s going to go. I consider myself a liberal, but don’t read Kos for the same reason. Very predictable.
When I saw Pollitt, she wasn’t a hairy lady. In fact, I think she was cuter in real life than the NYT’s caricature. But she also wasn’t a fashion plate. Not that it matters. And that is exactly my point. I don’t think that feminism should be wasting any breathe on what women wear. What a distraction from real problems in the world.
Frankly, I think she has taken her eye off the ball by wasting time talking about the pinky toe thing.
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I haven’t read Pollitt’s book – but I did really enjoy her latest column here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060717/pollitt
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Is it really not a feminist issue if fashion dictates that women’s shoes be very hard to do anything physical in? That doesn’t make you an anti-feminist or a traitor for wearing heels, but I think it’s worth noting that current standards of fashion can put women in a position where they have to choose between dressing attractively and appropriately, or wearing shoes that they could walk a mile in. It’s not the biggest issue out there, but it’s an issue.
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Sandy — OK, I take it back about Pollitt. I really liked that article, esp. the last paragraph.
It’s one thing to say that a particular footstyle makes it hard to walk in and it’s a whole different thing to say that women who wear those shoes are bad people who are somehow responsible for women wearing burkas in Iran. Ehrenreich seems to be making those claims.
I have never felt pressured by fashion to wear any particular footwear. I’m going through a girlie phase right now. My last hurrah before my bod totally disintegrates. But I wore Doc Martens for years. I doubt that my footwear choices have had any impact on the patriarchy either way.
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The frustrating thing about this discussion and the Cox review is exactly what you’re also saying– letting Cox reframe Pollitt’s arguments in ways that suit her and then arguing with that straw-feminist. No one’s saying that every time a Western women puts on stilettos, a woman in the Middle East is simultaneously forced into the burqa. What we are saying is that fashion and clothing, how women present themselves and their bodies, is indeed part of greater systems of meaning. Individual choices are made inside greater systems- there’s no getting around that. Isn’t that what Linda Hirshman says too?
Also, letting Cox review Pollitt was ridiculous in the first place– her beat is Washington politics, not feminism, and she’s nowhere near Pollitt’s level as a writer or cultural critic. Amy Richards or Jennifer Baumgardner, both prominent third-wave feminists, would have been much better choices.
And in case anyone wonders, I’m 27– not a second-waver.
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No matter how you slice it, very high heels render a person helpless. And I can’t think of a male fashion that does that – unless it’s those awful jeans that are so low slung the whole bum actually pokes out. I guess that would hamper someone trying to run – but somehow I don’t think the kind of dude who would wear those things would be overly concerned with his pants dropping around his ankles.
I was unfortunate enough to catch an episode of “Bratz” when some bored children started channel-hopping the other day. The Bratz, who are supposed to be junior school kids, all teeter around in four-inch heels while the boys appear much freer and less obsessive.
Heels damage legs, feet and spine and prevent exercise. They aren’t health-neutral, and they’re not politics-neutral.
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I guess I just don’t want anyone telling me what to wear — not religious conservatives and not fellow feminists. You should have seen the pointy shoes I was wearing last night at a wedding, but I still danced for four hours.
Growing up, I had to deal with my mom, who is so Catholic that she’s practically a nun, telling me that clothes are distraction from the most important things in life, making me put slips on, and even refusing to buy me clogs. It’s funny how religious conservatives and feminists are on the same page about all this.
I WANT to wear pointy shoes sometimes. I WANT to enjoy pretty things. Sure, you shouldn’t make a big deal about these things. Pretty things can be a distraction from politics (and spirituality). But you have to enjoy life, too. It can’t be ALL politics ALL the time.
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There is something to what Laura says about a nexis between religious conservatism and feminism (although I would point out that there is a variety of church lady who is always dolled up and glossy–this may be a regional feature). My husband teaches a class on love and sex and for one lecture, he pairs Andrea Dworkin and John Paul II in their respective treatment of objectification.
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I also like to wear pretty things sometimes. I just don’t tell myself that it doesn’t matter or that it’s a feminist choice. It’s not.
I forgive myself if sometimes I do things that don’t advance the feminist movement because hey, it’s hard to be counter-hegemonic all the time. But I don’t go around saying it doesn’t matter. It does. Some things matter more, but that doesn’t make the issue of fashion matter less.
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I’m so baffled by “feminist choices.” I guess because before I started swimming in these multi-disciplinary waters in the blogosphere, most things I read about women’s issue came from a political science perspective, not philosophy or feminist studies. In political science, we always examine the impact of political institutions on women. If I venture into the sociology stuff, I would ready about societal pressure on women. I never read anything about personal decisions about footwear having any impact on the larger inequities in the world. I could see if the fashion industry was forcing only one shoe on all women that made them hobble about. But I feel like I have choices and I make one last night that made me happy. What’s the beef? I still fail to see why it matters one way or another.
Like Cox, I’ve pushed my way into lots of boys clubs. I’ve made myself the enemy of the local PTA, because I refuse to join unless they let men attend their meetings. I’ll probably be the only female member of a political science department in the fall. I’m first on line to protest any sexist law or practice, but don’t ask me to be part of the sackcloth lifestyle. It’s just too oppressive for me.
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Actually, I feel like I do not have choices. I want a lower heel, a cute look, and an affordable price. If I go into Payless, there are a zillion impractical cute shoes and ugly practical shoes. No one’s interested in mass-marketing the cute practical shoe at a low cost.
My plantar fascitis would really be thrilled with a more practical shoe that didn’t make my fashion merchandising majors roll their eyes when I walk into the room.
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heh. I’m very familiar with the selection at Payless, which should be two words instead one. Does Payless mean than you don’t have to pay at all?
Payless shoes are made of plastic and are pretty much all uncomfortable. Every now and then, I score something great like the sandals I am wearing today. They’re flat and practical. But too casual for work.
Naturalizers make some fashionable, mid-range comfortable shoes. The Macy’s in NYC has one shoe department just for comfortable shoes. I found my comfortable shoe options are much greater when I wear pants for work. I have a couple of pairs of shoes with big square heels. Ballet flats are also very cute.
Screw the fashion merchandising majors.
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What exactly are we talking about here? There are plenty of alternatives to four-inch Jimmy Choos that don’t fit into the sackcloth genre, including the rather adorable two-inch pointy-toed brown t-strap numbers I’m currently wearing at my office (purchased at DSW, by the way). Indeed, even my size 8W feet can walk a mile in these lovelies if called upon. However, you don’t have to be an aspiring nun or complete dork to object to the ridiculous stilettos or overly feminized (and sexualized) preschool togs they sell out there, or to recognize that that particular subset of the style world reflects and perpetuates some broader social phenomena. I can’t ignore the social significance of the fact that the girls these days aren’t wearing the oxford blouses and big t-shirts of my 1980’s adolescence. And, if you look at the old pictures, some of those second wave gals were pretty stylish. But I’m guessing they usually could walk.
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Ooooh. I love t-straps.
Yeah. We’ve gotten off topic. I just don’t think that we should be wasting good energy talking about shoe choices as feminist or anti-feminist. Really high heels are hard to walk in for long periods of time, but most women save those shoes for special occasions. It’s silly to make this issue into a big issue. And it’s silly to waste energy talking about the three people in Manhattan who have had their pinky toes removed.
By chastising women who like to wear their pointy shoes on special occasions and their somewhat less pointy shoes at work, you really lose a lot of people who could be supportive on more important matters.
What the kids are wearing today is sort of a different topic, but around here it is baggy hoody sweat shirts and flipflops.
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I think Barbara Ehrenreich needs a time out
Via Laura McKenna, I found this Barbara Ehrenreich blog post defending Katha Pollit’s book from Ana Marie Cox. Without wading into the deeper waters of feminist thought — a swim for which I might lack the proper training — I…
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I think Barbara Ehrenreich needs a time out
Via Laura McKenna, I found this Barbara Ehrenreich blog post defending Katha Pollit’s book from Ana Marie Cox. Without wading into the deeper waters of feminist thought — a swim for which I might lack the proper training — I…
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If Linda Hirshman were writing about shoes, she wouldn’t be saying “be mindful of your choice of shoes,” but rather, “you are betraying feminism by wearing high heels.”
Me, I don’t wear high heels except on the rare occasions when social conformity requires it. And never super-pointy Jimmy Choo style stilettos, either.
I won’t call you unfeminist for wearing pointy-toed heels, if you don’t tsk tsk the frumpiness of my flats or chunky but comfy shoes.
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With regard to pointy, teetery shoes, I don’t see the point in criticizing someone who is obviously already being punished.
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“I don’t see the point in criticizing someone who is obviously already being punished.” heh.
“I won’t call you unfeminist for wearing pointy-toed heels, if you don’t tsk tsk the frumpiness of my flats or chunky but comfy shoes.” Of course. I just see these things just as a matter of good manners, rather than feminism.
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Sorry, the sarcasm flag was missing. 🙂 The mommy wars hinge on criticism of other people’s parenting choices. I don’t tell WOHMs that they are ruining their children by putting them in daycare or hiring a nanny, so I appreciate not being told that I’m wasting my intellect by taking care of a kid. So, why not apply the same principle to shoes?
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Sorry for being a dolt. 🙂
Yes, I just want across the board tolerance. I think that Hirshman was writing off this attitude as “relativism”, which I find amusing since I’ve heard conservative Catholics use that word many times when I defend gay marriage.
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Cox’s biggest problem with Pollitt and old guard feminism is its obsession with the fashion choices of other women. Cox likes a fine pair of heels and doesn’t want to be shamed for liking them.
Could you point me to where you see this “obsession” manifesting itself? And from whence this “shaming” is coming, and in what form? Thanks.
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I was summing up Cox’s point. If you think that I misrepresented Cox, then that’s another issue.
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It does feel like such a generational thing–where is the 30 or 40 year old version of Linda Hirshman? I don’t think there is such a critter. I don’t know why.
There is no 30-40 y.o. version of Hirshman because many of us have learned from an earlier generation’s mistakes. Look at Miriam Peskowitz, Judith Stadtman Tucker, and momsrising.org for some smart feminists in this generation.
Even Alix Kates Shulman and Betty Friedan learned from their mistakes, as you can tell from their later writings. It’s rather sad that Hirshman did not learn anything from second wave failures, but I see this as an individual lack, not respresentative of most older feminists.
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Your post, and many of the comments, seem to take the idea that some feminists criticize the shoes of others as a given. I’m just asking for some examples of this happening.
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onthelookoutforstrawfeminists,
Why on earth are you picking on Laura? She’s not exactly enemy number one.
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strawfem — I hope you didn’t come here spoiling for a fight. We all consider ourselves feminists here. For an example of a feminists who concern themselves with footwear, read that Ehrenreich link that I provided in the post.
Sandy — I don’t know if Hirshman is representative of that generation or not. I guess it’s dangerous to make those strong lines in the sand. Pollitt seemed to renounce her, but Ehrenreich didn’t. I don’t know. But did you catch the hatred between Hirshman v. Miriam Peskowitz and Judith Stadtman Tucker?
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This is probably the Pollitt essay that Cox gets worked up about:
>As a plot the story may be silly, but as a metaphor it’s powerful. There’s a reason “Stepford wife” has entered the American lexicon. It expresses, dramatically and succinctly, two compelling and in some ways competing explanations for women’s subjection within marriage: Men insist on it, and women–other women–insist on it. In the 1970s, when feminism was new, both these truths were obvious. Now, they are obscure: Women have learned to describe everything they do, no matter how apparently conformist, submissive, self-destructive or humiliating, as a personal choice that cannot be criticized because personal choice is what feminism is all about. Women have become incredibly clever at explaining these choices in ways that barely mention social pressures or male desires. How many bright little essays have I read by young brides who insist that giving up their names is just the sensible, logical, mature, modern, feminist thing to do, the very proof of their marriage’s egalitarianism? Probably they actually believe this. And yet, were it not for those social and masculine pressures, it is difficult to imagine that women would make some of the “personal” choices they now truculently defend.
>After all, you have to wonder, as Catherine Orenstein did in a much-discussed New York Times op-ed, if women are free to be whatever they want, why are they still so obsessed with fitting narrow and rigid definitions of beauty? Feminism was supposed to send those to the trash can along with girdles and white gloves. Who would have thought in 1975 that thirty years later women would be tottering about in excruciating shoes–and having their little toes cut off to fit into them? Or injecting their faces with botulism toxin and undergoing plastic surgery at ever younger ages? Even teenagers are getting breast implants–11,326 girls 18 and under had them in 2003, nearly triple the previous year’s figure. Just try, though, to find a female in a plastic surgeon’s waiting room who’ll admit that breast augmentation has anything to do with pleasing men. Oh no, that expensive and painful operation, with its attendant, well-publicized dangers, is all about curing a tragic disease (micromastia, aka small breasts), finding clothes that fit or boosting her self-esteem. But why does her self-esteem hinge on having big breasts in the first place? Forget self-esteem. What about self-respect? Why can’t she feel good about herself by accomplishing something–climbing a mountain, painting a picture, reading a book? That’s what real self-esteem comes from. In fact, according to several studies, women with breast implants are three times as likely to kill themselves as other women, even the flat-chested.
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Thanks Joe O. I’ve been thinking about that passage for a day now and I’m just as unsatisfied by it as I was when I first read it. Let’s see if I can make this short.
It’s just bad, bad politics to ridicule women who change their name after they get married. Something like 94% of women change their names. Probably more. Why would create a movement that only accepts 6% of the female population? And then you cut out the ones who like to wear high heels, who wear make-up, who make less money than their husbands, whatever and you’re left with 3 bead-wearing ladies on the upper West Side. Good Lord, that’s no way to get something done. That isn’t politics; that’s a religion.
( I did not change my name and am quite strident about people not calling me Mrs. N. But I don’t give a fuck what other women do.)
In politics, there is always a tension between liberty and equality. Movements that stress the equality, always fall short on the liberty. I’m a freedom-loving girl, so I’m always going to fight efforts to make everyone equal by taking away their freedom.
Does this kind of stuff make me go running from the word “feminism.” No, because Pollitt and others do say many other things that I agree with. Also, I don’t recall anybody dying and making Pollitt “Queen of the Feminist Ideal”. There are others out there who are a lot more moderate.
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Sex and Sexuality
My post about flip-flops generated a lot of good conversation, and I appreciate that. You may not realize I appreciate your comments, because I’m always throwing aside my inbox in favor of my typepad box, but I do. Thank you.
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White Womens Shoes
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