Women's Studies 2164A Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Michel Foucault, Femininity, Examined Life

• School: Western University
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: Women's Studies 2164A
• Professor: Dr.Brennan

Document Summary

Feminist theorizing invites us to re-examine aspects of everyday life with an eye to whether they re-inforce existing inequalities between the sexes: how barbie stands in for girl education, for fashion. What should feminists make of barbie: note the time period, late 50s, women allowed and encouraged to have work roles but also the focus on proper feminine presentation, one of the positives - barbie has jobs, work outfits. It"s possible t play with barbie and not absorb all the messaging or become critical of it. Idea that playing with barbie is practice for how you should live your life. Feminist critical thinking typically focuses on barbie and body size and image. Fe(cid:373)i(cid:374)ist utopia(cid:374) thi(cid:374)ki(cid:374)g bar(cid:271)ie i(cid:374)(cid:448)ites girls to i(cid:373)agi(cid:374)e a future (cid:271)e(cid:455)o(cid:374)d motherhood: though there is a ken, men never play a big role in the barbie world. It"s okay to have a job as long as you look feminine while doing it.