Female Masculinity and Empowerment

The patriarchal society, sets restrictions on defining feminism and masculinity. Gender leads to the pay gap because of female versus male occupations. Society puts individuals into boxes. Women who do not fit the typical description in beauty are viewed as a threat.

Pre-teen girls who act like tomboys are viewed as going through a phase. However, when masculinity is part of her identity, then she is viewed as threat. “While childhood in general may qualify as a period of ‘unbelonging’ for the boyish girl arriving on the doorsteps of womanhood, her status as ‘unjoined’ marks her out for all manner of social violence…” (Halberstam, 7). Girls face pressures from their peers, teachers and parents if they do not conform to traditional roles. Female masculinity symbolizes freedom and empowerment, however the media oppresses these viewpoints. From personal experience, my mother was not supportive of my sister, because she viewed Political Science as a male-dominated field. My sister exhibited female masculinity, because she wanted to push the boundaries and redefine a woman’s occupation.

Kesha is a famous woman, who represents empowerment. Unfortunately, fame has degraded her accomplishments, because she was controlled in the image she was projecting in her songs. She went through challenges because “in October of 2014, the pop singer Kesha filed suit against her producer Dr. Luke, saying that he had ‘sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abuse her for more than a decade…” (Uffalussey, 1). Kesha’s producer, Dr. Luke felt threatened by her success and he wanted control. Not only did he control her, but he also manipulated her music and creativity. Sony Records and Dr. Luke’s contracts restricted her creative freedom. Kesha has stated “… Dr. Luke not only had abused her, but also asserted full creative control over her career, restricting her ability to control her own image” (Uffalussey, 1). Our society feels threatened by women in power. Kesha’s role in being a famous singer, plays into the fact that her success was controlled through a man. However, masculine women are seen as threat because it challenges this country’s social fabric.

Kesha is an example of what young women face when they have masculine traits. Rather than being awarded for their potential, they are subjected to violence. For example, “…witch-hunting in Europe was an attack on woman’s resistance to the spread of capitalist relations and the power that women had gained by virtue of the sexuality, their control over reproduction, and their ability to heal” (Fedrici, 170). Women were healers and controlled their reproductive system. This society does not respect women’s decisions, because reproduction is viewed as a supply for workers in the capitalist system. Women are viewed as objects because society created conditions for young girls to be a feminine women. When woman show masculine characteristics it represents power. Men such Kesha’s producer and Sony Records, try to control women because they do not want to see them in leadership positions and taking charge. They use controlling methods such as sexual, psychological, and mental abuse. In other words, Kesha and women in top positions represent female masculinity, because they ventured outside their intended societal role.

Women who are different are oppressed and this impacts how society views them. Women need to gain confidence and become empowered so that they can embrace their individuality and not be afraid of their inner-erotic. “In order to perpetuate itself, every oppression must corrupt or distort those various sources of power within the culture of the oppressed that can provide energy for change” (Lorde, 53). In order to embrace who you are you have to get past the oppression and the obstacles and understand what you desire from life.

Women who identify as masculine are viewed as a threat. However, intelligent women faced stereotypes that lead to persecution. Our society is constantly changing and women need to be accepted for their intelligence.