Beyond Social Media: Examining the Complexities of Third Wave Feminism in the Digital Age

The First-Wave of Feminism began in the late 1800s and continued into the early 1900s. Its goal was simple: to create equality between the sexes, therefore, leading to a sense of female liberation. Since then, three waves of feminism have followed, Second, Third, and Fourth. The Third-Wave of Feminism in the late 1980s had one main goal, the liberation of all marginalized individuals. These strong and independent people fought for equality in all senses and are considered the most radical. They preached sexual equality, intersectionality, and gender fluidity before the era of the “GirlBoss.” Unfortunately, the battle of Third-Wave Feminism has been shoved into a harmful box because of misinformation resulting in the sexualization of women for the patriarchy. This box has made feminists overly hopeful allowing them to believe that complete liberation is possible. The misinterpretation of Third-Wave Feminism through the media has pushed women to believe that sexualization of self is liberation from the patriarchy when, in reality, there cannot be liberation from the patriarchy unless the patriarchy is dismantled.

Part I: The Patriarchy and Third-Wave Feminism

The patriarchy revolves around the relations of power between men and women. It is a system that separates gender, class, and social standing, and is a driving force within capitalist America (API-GBV). According to an essay by Renee Gerlich, the patriarchy is as old as civilization itself, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia 4000 BC. It nested in the need to claim ownership over children then in turn claim the same ownership over women’s bodies, which is strikingly familiar in 21st Century America. The patriarchy can be seen everywhere from Instagram comments, media like Mad Men, and the dynamic between men and women at Thanksgiving dinner. It is embedded within the world as much as colonialism and bread. The history of the patriarchy is concrete, but the definition of the patriarchy means something different to each feminist group, and even each wave of feminism. In Veronica Beechey’s famous article “On Patriarchy,” she categorizes the differing definitions of the patriarchy that exist between key feminist ideologies. When defining the ideas of Marxist feminists, she states, “Marxist feminists have attempted to analyze not simply 'patriarchy' but the relationship between patriarchy and the capitalist mode of production” (Beechey 3). Beechey means that Marxist feminists believe in a direct correlation between patriarchy and capitalism. According to the Marxist Feminist, patriarchy and capitalism work together and grow within influence from each other, which creates a codependency. The argument of the Marxist Feminist is insufficient because the integration between these two ideals does not align historically based on the fact that the patriarchy existed several thousand years before capitalism. Beechey continues with the definition created by radical feminists, which is the most widely understood and concrete meaning of patriarchy. She states, “Politically, radical feminism has been primarily concerned with struggles against male power and the social institutions through which it is reproduced, marriage, heterosexuality, and the family” (Beechey 5). In short, dismantling the patriarchy, in terms of radical feminists, means creating equality between the sexes leading to a more cohesive world. In order to dismantle the forces that promote sexism, discomfort, and the need for female liberation, the understanding of the patriarchy needs to have one true definition. Due to ever-expanding feminist theory, that is practically impossible leading to the 4-waves of feminism fighting against all odds to hopefully live as intersectional equals.

Since the patriarchy is so prevalent within societal structure as we know it, its effects on the behavior of women can go unnoticed. Feminist theorist Deniz Kandiyoti coins these effects as patriarchal bargains, which are the indication of rules and regulations regarding gender relations (Kandiyoti 14). In Kandiyoti’s article “Bargaining with the Patriarchy,” she comments on the influence of these bargains explaining how “These patriarchal bargains exert a powerful influence on the shaping of women's gendered subjectivity and determine the nature of gender ideology in different contexts. They also influence both the potential for and specific forms of women's active or passive resistance in the face of their oppression” (Kandiyoti 3). Here, Kandiyoti proves that the subject of gender roles and defense of the roles are based within the same patriarchy that intersectional feminists are attempting to dismantle. Due to the relationship between human behavior and the patriarchy, it would be near impossible to dismantle it because the same emotional tactics needed in order to extinguish the patriarchy formed underneath the same said patriarchy. The world, especially capitalist America, prospers from this distinction because the socio-economic class structure is based on the ideal of the patriarchy. Women are always subservient to men, no matter how much they try not be, because of hierarchy in the household, workplace, and everyday conversation. Kandiyoti’s theory that the woman will remain subservient and manipulated seems false when looking at it through a narrow lens. Of course, the feminist will always fight for liberation, especially in today’s society with movements like MeToo and The Women’s March, because they crave to have autonomy in all forces. Women do not want just self-autonomy but instead want to be viewed with as much freedom as every white cisgender male. These efforts are not in vain and do fight for a real cause, but the feminist will still unfortunately not win. What Kandiyoti means is that within society, the woman is subservient and manipulated because of the patriarchy and how the patriarchy formed social structure. The woman does not choose to be subservient and manipulated but is instead viewed as such and forced to be put in that role. This force is seen everywhere from musical lyrics to supreme court decisions. The subservient woman holds many unexpected similarities to the sexually liberated woman of Third-Wave Feminism.

Third-Wave Feminism is a movement that began in the late 1980s and focused heavily on destigmatizing the sexually active woman. Third-Wave Feminism was different from the waves that came before because it revolved less around equality and more around liberation while being led by younger individuals. According to Martha Rampton in her article “The Four Waves of Feminism,” “The ‘grrls’ (girls) of the third wave stepped onto the stage as strong and empowered, eschewing victimization and defining feminine beauty for themselves as subjects, not as objects of a sexist patriarchy. They developed a rhetoric of mimicry, which appropriated derogatory terms like ‘slut’ and ‘bitch’ in order to subvert sexist culture and deprive it of verbal weapons” (Rampton). In other words, these young girls were using the words formally to degrade them and reclaimed them as a form of empowerment. They protested clad in lipstick and low-cut tops all while creating an environment that is multi-cultural and rejects gender identity and heterosexuality. Third-Wave Feminists were true rebels and were the first to create intersectional feminism, an ideology that promotes activism towards all forms of oppression, not just that of white women. The Third-Wave feminist and the subservient woman hold more similarities than one would assume. Taking it back to Kandiyoti’s theory of the subservient woman, Kandiyoti commented on female conservatism in China, where the women become interested in the same topics that oppress them (Kandiyoti 8). The Chinese Women morph themselves into the perfect patriarchal woman as a form of survival within their own circumstances. The Chinese women are similar to Third-Wave feminists, who reclaimed their sexuality for their own power because they knew the patriarchy could never provide them with the same sexual equality as a man. Third-Wave Feminists were ostracized in the same way that the radical feminist will ostracize the Chinese Woman who submersed themselves within the interests of the patriarchy without realizing that both parties are feeding into the same patriarchy.

Part II: The Misinterpretation of Third-Wave Feminism and its Implications

Third-Wave Feminism, as discussed in Part I, was proactive and inclusive, celebrating an environment that many, even in today’s times, is considered radical. These feminists created an environment for everyone and focused on intersectionality all in their young age. Unfortunately, this environment led to a disconnection from older and newer generations of feminists. A large misinterpretation of Third-Wave Feminism lies within its comparison to Second-Wave Feminism of the late 60s. R. Claire Snyder plays into the misinterpretation perfectly in her article “What is Third-Wave Feminism? A New Directions Essay.” Snyder states, “In contrast to their perception of their mothers’ feminism, Third-Wavers feel entitled to interact with men as equals, claim sexual pleasure as they desire it (heterosexual or otherwise), and actively play with femininity” (Snyder 6). Oftentimes, Second-Wave Feminists tend to neglect that what the new Third-Wave activists were doing was monumental. Third-Wave Feminists acted for themselves rather than their fellow man, or woman, all while uplifting those around them without fear of judgment. Although in large part, the movement did revolve around equality of the sexes in every sense and re-claiming femininity on new terms, its main goal was to create intersectionality and to find empowerment in a new modern age.

A large misconception about Third-Wave Feminism is that its existence was for women’s promiscuity. This dishonest idea is expanded in an article by Bridget J. Crawford in which she explains, “Theirs is a feminism that asserts the right to enjoy a spanking without any risk of subordination (Dailey, 2002) and the pleasures of compensated nude dancing (Frank, 2002) and sexual intercourse for hire (Pullen, 2002). In the third-wave worldview, pornography, to give one example, has no meaning or significance other than that which the actor or consumer gives it (Doyle and Lacombe, 1996)” (Crawford 1). Crawford’s examples distance themselves from the core goals and values of Third-Wave Feminism and instead misconstrue personal sexuality with sexual liberation, in a negative connotation. Martha Rampton explains the clear main goal of Third-Wave Feminism when she states, “In this phase, many constructs were destabilized, including the notions of ‘universal womanhood,’ body, gender, sexuality and heteronormativity” (Rampton). Third-Wave Feminism was less about than sex, it was about deconstructing the normativity of modern society as we know it while living for oneself and defending others. Third-Wavers were beginning to embrace their personal interests, gender identity, and take back their bodies from the patriarchy that sought control. The direct misunderstandings of Third-Wave Feminism have resulted in many harmful repercussions, especially with the rise of social media and pornography accessibility in the 21st century.

As the times have progressed away from the late 20th century and into a new age, Third-Wave Feminism has garnered a new meaning, through the media and the patriarchy, that keys in on sexual liberation and pornography. With the rise of TikTok, Instagram, and OnlyFans, as well as the rise, and fall, of Tumblr, many young girls are being exposed to sexual content in the name of feminism. The issue is these young girls are impressionable and significantly influenced by their surroundings. From influencers such as Bhad Bhabie, Danielle Bregoli, creating an OnlyFans on her 18th birthday, and making $52 million dollars, to provocative TikTok dance trends, one can assume why these children begin to sexualize themselves. Stephanie V. Ng, M.D. comments on this harm when she states, “Emerging empirical research also corroborates the notion that while sexualization of females is rewarded online (usually by males), females are also punished for these same displays and are quick to be labeled by other female peers as ‘sluts’ or ‘skanks.’ This perpetuates sexual double standards that reinforce gender stereotypes.” The young girls of the 21st Century are seeing women speak positively about the sexualization of self on the internet in the name of a misinterpreted Third-Wave Feminism and men responding positively through the anonymity of the internet. Young girls notice influential individuals putting their bodies on display, for empowerment, and desire to copy these individuals. Within the digital age, many fail to realize that their online platform matters to all who view it. Influencers are looked up to in the same way as Barbie to young girls, but unlike Barbie, they are not catered to young eyes. Johanna M. F. van Oosten elaborates on Stephanie’s point when she states, “Such images reinforce the message that women should be first and foremost judged on their physical appearance and sexual attractiveness” (Oosten). This sexualization is completely harmful to the young teenage girls who find themselves looking up to these women because of the attention they are receiving from men on the internet. In short, these young girls are seeing the patriarchy and gender constructs first-hand at the most vulnerable time, when they crave attention. Unfortunately, many blame the sex-positive mindset of Third-Wave feminism due to its twisting of meaning from the media.

Young girls today feed into the system that Third-Wave Feminists fought to destroy. As the country moves into a progression of Fourth-Wave Feminism, a large concern lies within the fact that the Third-Wave remains known for sexual promiscuity, when that was never the goal of their fight. Third-Wave Feminists fought for the liberation of all. These feminists fought against all forms of oppression and fought for everyone, not just cisgendered women. They were progressive, daring, and bold. They were true rebels. Unfortunately, the liberation Third-Wave Feminists craved will not come to be as society exists underneath the same patriarchy as the ancestors before them. This patriarchy feeds into the sexualization of minors, which, unfortunately, and accidentally, became a byproduct of Third-Wave Feminism. In order to seek true liberation, women need to dismantle the systems that cater to men including sexualization. The misinterpretation of Third-Wave Feminism through the media caused immense amounts of harm and pushed the rhetoric that self-sexualizing is liberation, when in reality that liberation will not exist while the patriarchy continues to rule the world. So, if there is no liberation from the patriarchy without dismantlement, we should take a look at the true goals of the Third-Wavers to hopefully build an intersectional community that embraces differences and fights for equality.

Works Cited

Beechey, Veronica. “On Patriarchy.” Feminist Review, no. 3, 1979, pp. 66–82. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1394710.

Crawford, Bridget J. The Third Wave's Break from Feminism, 2010, https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1635&context=lawfaculty.

Gerlich, Renee. “The Creation of Patriarchy: How Did It Happen?” Writing by Renee, 2018, https://reneejg.net/2018/12/creation-of-patriarchy/.

Kandiyoti, Deniz. “Bargaining with Patriarchy.” Gender and Society, vol. 2, no. 3, 1988, pp. 274–90. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/190357.

Ng, Stephanie V. “Social Media and the Sexualization of Adolescent Girls.” American Journal of Psychiatry Residents' Journal, vol. 11, no. 12, 10 Mar. 2017, pp. 14–14., https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.111206.

Oosten, Johanna M. F. van. “Adolescent Girls' Use of Social Media for Challenging Sexualization.” Taylor & Francis, Taylor & Frances Online, 12 Feb. 2022, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09718524.2021.1880039.

“Patriarchy & Power.” Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence Website, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence, 4 Jan. 2018, https://www.api-gbv.org/about-gbv/our-analysis/patriarchy-power/.

Rampton, Martha. “Four Waves of Feminism.” Pacific Magazine, https://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/four-waves-feminism.

Snyder, R. Claire. “What Is Third‐Wave Feminism? A New Directions Essay.” Signs, vol. 34, no. 1, 2008, pp. 175–96. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1086/588436.