The Spire

Lizzie Swanson ‘28

Chief News Editor

In honor of Women’s History Month, I would like to expose a few sexist narratives and encourage a productive and respectful conversation about the way in which we speak about women. In recent days, I have noticed an increase in blatant sexism both in the greater political and media landscape as well as in my own life (which I believe is a by-product of a culture which accepts misogyny as ‘normal’). While women are statistically succeeding in the US more so than ever before in terms of academia, the workforce, the arts, etc., an attitude has been adopted in popular culture which reduces a woman to sex and belittles her intelligence in accordance with her gender. One of the biggest examples of this is the current treatment and sexualization of professional women in the public eye. Women from both sides of the political spectrum have been humiliated publicly in a way which reduces their value to sex. 

Two women in politics from different sides who are notably experiencing this the most (at least in my feed) are Erika Kirk and Kamala Harris. Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA and wife of the late political personality Charlie Kirk, is constantly being sexualized and degraded online in response to her conservative politics following her husband’s assassination. Much of the online discourse pertaining to Kirk involves cheap jabs at her makeup and clothes as a way to undermine her politics. Kamala Harris, the 46th Vice President of the United States similarly faces this problem for her opposing views. The slogan “Joe and the Hoe” was used heavily during the 2020 election, reducing Harris to a sexualized object. Additionally, AI deepfakes of Harris circulate frequently online and produce images and videos which are not real and emit no resemblance of truth. Clearly, a woman, no matter her politics, cannot win in the face of current sexism perpetuating in our culture. Furthermore, deepfake and AI violations exist in a world which currently does not regulate ethical and moral guidelines around the sexualization and degradation of women via Artificial Intelligence. Sexism is still sexism even if you do not like the woman you are disagreeing with. Attacking a woman’s gender identity, lived experience, and womanhood delegitimizes any real qualm one might have with her beliefs. 

This brings me to my second argument: the belittling of women’s intelligence. In a culture that profits off quick clips designed to paint women as dumb and uninformed, I’d like to propose a term we don’t hear that often but exists in the bias of many: ‘The Performative Woman’. This term was recently brought to my attention when I heard my own name used as a synonym for it in response to past news articles I have written. The speaker, a man whom I have never formally met, took it upon himself to assume my politics based on my prior writing in the News section. In a political context, ‘The Performative Woman’ describes a woman whose political beliefs only exist to cater to the appetite of men. The idea that any woman would form her own opinion in order to appease or appeal to men is sexist and delegitimizes her intelligence and ability to form her own thoughts, unrelated to her gender and sexual identity. Any claim otherwise does not understand the societal biases imparted onto them as a response to the society we live in – one governed by values which promote gender based hate. ‘The Performative Woman’ pursues politics which are inherently anti-woman, personally stunning me as a proud feminist and advocate for gender equality.

The infantilization of women is extremely prevalent in our society. Whether it is my Uber driver telling me how unsafe it is for women like me to be riding alone or a professor telling me how disadvantaged I am just because I am a woman, the paradigm needs to shift. Now I’m not sure if this issue stems from a male savior complex or a guilty conscience, but women do not need to be enlightened about their roles in society. We are perfectly capable of understanding the societal context in which we live. This is in no way a ‘male bashing article.’ I write only to expose sexist narratives which too often fly under the radar. The ‘othering’ of women does not inform women-kind of anything they do not already know. It is demeaning to think women live in a world where they are unaware of their own disadvantages as this indicates women are uninformed and ignorant. Sexism is alive and well in our social circles in addition to our political discourse. Gender biases have no place in our government or our community here at Holy Cross. Debate a woman on her viewpoints not her womanhood. Let’s get a little more creative, shall we?

Featured image courtesy of LinkedIn