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Reproductive Justice and Gender

'Sarah Palin Feminism'? More Like Sarah Palin Sexism

By Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check. Posted September 15, 2008.


Feminists believe in voting for a candidate based on what he or she will do for women. Unfortunately, Palin's uterus alone won't help much.
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Have you heard the news? After years of mocking us, the right wing has discovered "feminism!" Well, sort of. In their Rovian factories of deceit, they've minted a new kind of feminism that shoves those of us who have actually been working for women's rights out of the picture (we're in the dreaded community organizers demographic). They've taken the proverbial F-word, the term we love, fight over, continually redefine, and work ourselves to the bone for, and re- appropriated it into: "Sarah Palin feminism."

"Sarah Palin feminism" means something very different.

Actual feminism means fighting against genuinely sexist slurs, some of which have been used against Palin, like the "VPIL..." meme, the "can a mother be a politician?" question and the sexist action dolls. These are genuine, if surface-skimming, instances of sexism, because reducing a woman to her body, or her motherhood, make her less than a full person. And the attitude behind the dolls and the bikini photos is connected to anti-women policies that don't just make us feel bad, but curtail our freedoms.

We've heard lots of complaints against this actual sexism from real feminist quarters, and not much from the right wing. On the other hand, what they have complained about loud and clear are the attacks on Palin's qualifications. "Sarah Palin feminists" claim to believe that the media's aggressive questioning of her record as Mayor of Wasilla and Governor of Alaska is sexist. Nothing sums this up more clearly than Jon Stewart's montage of conservative figureheads scoffing at claims of sexism from the Clinton camp, and then turning a 180 to cry "sexist!" once Palin arrived in their corner.

Unfortunately, while feminists believe in voting for a candidate based on what he or she will do for women, "Sarah Palin Feminists" also believe that female voters will flock to Palin merely because she is a woman. The callous reasoning behind the Palin pick was partly the idea that women voters will say "You have a uterus? I have a uterus! Let's get together!"

Now it seems their calculation may have had some success. One widely-seized-upon poll seems to show a gargantuan shift in female support to Palin from Obama, voters in the much-coveted "white women" demographic. (The Obama campaign disputes this polling.) Chris Matthews is titillated beyond belief because the "regular folks" (aka white folks) are back in play. 

One month ago, a different poll conducted on behalf of the National Women's Law Center showed that "women are significantly more pessimistic than men in their attitudes about the status quo in America, both on a societal level and in terms of their own lives." On issues like health care, reproductive rights, and the economy, women in this poll would seem like the prime Obama demographic: hungry for change, eager for a just government to help level an unfair playing field. Have women been so wooed by the Palin hype -- or offended by the Palin controversies -- that they're moving against their self interest?


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See more stories tagged with: feminism, sexism, women voters, sarah palin, women and politics

Sarah Seltzer is an RH Reality Check staff writer and resident pop culture expert. Sarah is a freelance writer based in New York City. Her work has been published in Bitch, Venus Zine, Womens eNews, and Publishers Weekly among other places. She formerly taught English in a Bronx public school.

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View:
No, we're not sexist!
Posted by: LionHeart on Sep 15, 2008 7:24 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
""Palin's uterus alone won't help much."" I somehow missed the article focusing on Obama reproductive parts..

Let the sexism continue!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: No, we're not sexist! Posted by: leTerrassier
THIS AIN'T ABOUT FEMINISM
Posted by: VZEQICVA on Sep 15, 2008 7:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Palin was picked to be McCain's running mate by the hard right Christian Evangelicals. It's that simple. I don't believe that Feminism in any form is on their agenda. It's about their rules which Palin believes in and lives by. Gilding the lilly with theories is a waste of time. Her mission is religion clear and simple. They call it "values". I say that anyone waiting to learn about values from the White House is probably already in jail. And the rest of us are really OK. But Palin looking like a very pretty 'Churchlady' scares me. Thanks, ANNA

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I'm just curious...
Posted by: Q30 on Sep 15, 2008 7:37 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...why a woman needs to pass an ideological litmus test on abortion before she can be designated by feminists as being an authentic woman.

Furthermore, I've been told (in response to general criticisms about feminism but never in response to general praise about feminism) that "there are many kinds of feminism" and the movement is too diverse for any general statement about it to be true. Well how can the author make general statements about it, then? What makes the authors' particular brand of feminism the "correct" brand? The fact that she says it is?

It seems to me that the Palin nomination has exposed the fact the author's brand of feminism is pretty hollow.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: I'm just curious... Posted by: leTerrassier
» RE: I'm just curious... Posted by: emmas
» RE: I'm just curious... Posted by: leTerrassier
» Nice ad homs Posted by: Q30
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: Axiom69
» Perhaps Posted by: Q30
» RE: Perhaps... The Men Posted by: AngryWhiteFemale
» RE: Perhaps... The Men Posted by: Q30
» i call BS Posted by: goatini
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: emmas
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: Q30
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: emmas
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: Q30
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: emmas
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: Q30
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: emmas
» RE: Nice ad homs Posted by: leta
Feminism means real woman-friendly policies
Posted by: CA NOW on Sep 16, 2008 1:41 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Excuse me, but how can anyone claim feminism without even supporting equal pay? We may argue about feminists with opposing views on reproductive health issues, or issues of race and class, but at its essence feminism has to be able to the belief that women and men are fundamentally equal and entitled to equal opportunities and recognition.

There's plenty of evidence of McCain's misogyny, and choosing a female VP doesn't negate that. Moreover, simply being female, even a working woman, even a mother with a high-powered career, does not mean that you will be good for women.

Most working mothers want equal pay, paid sick leave to care for their kids, a maternity leave policy that doesn't leave the U.S. years behind every other industrialized nation, and a nationwide health care plan that works. Republicans have road-blocked every single one of those proposals, and they show no signs of actually becoming family-friendly.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» (Giggle) Posted by: Q30
» RE: (Giggle) Posted by: emmas