Hugh Hefner seems to think that the young women who watch his show are part of a post-feminism generation. So what do I think about that, you ask?
Well, the show itself fits right into the “doing what you want is true feminism!” mindset of third-wave feminism. So what if they’re basically kept women who have curfews and have to adhere to the schedule of an elderly man? They’re doing what they want, and that’s okay! I think old Hef is onto something, despite being an outdated model. I think it is time for the post-feminism generation.
Now, I’m not naive enough to think that the average person watches TV thinking “This is an example of the third-wave in action!” That being said, I do think that of those who watch certain things, The Girls Next Door in particular, the ones who find it genuinely interesting are indicative of the post-feminism mindset. They may not want that kind of lifestyle for themselves, but they accept that some people might and that’s just fine.
A more microcosmic (read: self-centered) example is what has been happening as I plan my wedding. I’m rejected by the “anti-brides” because I want a white dress and a DJ that plays The Chicken Dance (please don’t judge me), and they
consider themselves to be the radical feminists, standing up for womens rights. On the other hand, I certainly don’t fit the traditional bride crowd because my mother’s walking me down a garden path and not down a church aisle, and I’m not having a 7 course meal followed by a twirl on the dance floor with my father
Feminism hasn’t entirely achieved its goals, I don’t think it ever will, as perceptions of those goals are constantly shifting. For example, are you a feminist if, as a woman, you have a child and return to work? If you dedicate yourself to your career and don’t have children at all? If you become a stay-at-home mom? So, to that end, today’s younger women, don’t have much of a united cause because there are so many choices. I don’t think there’s complete equality, we need a few more generations to cycle through before we can get to that, but I think this generation is a good start to that. It’d be my hope that when the “post-feminism” generation gets to be to the position of being “the elders” that feminism and equality won’t even be issues, they’ll just be the accepted standard.