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Reprint Retrospective: The Funhouse Mirror from Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny
- Advertising & Society Quarterly
- Advertising Educational Foundation
- Volume 24, Issue 3, Fall 2023
- 10.1353/asr.2023.a911195
- Article
- Additional Information
Abstract:
This article is the first chapter from the 2018 book Empowered: Popular Feminism and Misogyny (Duke University Press). It critiques corporate feminist ads for focusing predominantly on individual empowerment and sentimentality, overlooking systemic barriers and broader inequalities. The chapter suggests these ads fit into shallow corporate social responsibility campaigns driven by consumerism. It also examines popular misogyny, detailing how men's rights groups parody feminist campaigns, often portraying women as threats to male power. Banet-Weiser urges readers to scrutinize the efficacy and intentions of feminist messaging in advertising, emphasizing the need to address existing power structures that disadvantage women in various spheres, including media and politics.