Black Swan sings the problematic tune of this “post–feminist” era. The woman is presented with two opposing versions of hyper–femininity and, unlike the women of a previous feminist era who were forced to choose, they are enticed to perform both. As Nina shows, women fall short in both roles and, due in part to their incomprehension of the tasks, irrationally flail and self–destruct. In fact, the moment of Nina’s death is that of her greatest of accomplishment; she literally loses her life in the pursuit of a dual femininity.
I hypothesize that the experience of conflictual femininities and social roles, a paralyzing intra-battle of the sexes, is pronounced in the lives of Canadian woman doctoral students. The conflict is one of identity. As my supervisor aptly puts it, women attempt the identity of both the independent, motivated-beyond-reason, mind-without-a-body academic and the leggy blonde protagonist (read: wilting cinderella) of the Hollywood rom-com genre (think Pretty Woman, You've Got Mail, He's Just Not That Into You). These identities, and the embodiment/representation of such, are so oppositional, they'll make your head spin. The conflict plays out in the superficial (Can I wear red lipstick to a conference presentation? Does my new boyfriend get turned off when I talk about neo-Marxism in bed?) and the deeply psychological (What does it mean that I can feel myself dressing for the male gaze? Why can't I enjoy a casual pub chat listening to my guy friends explicate last night's sexual escapades anymore?).
This is the topic of my most recent academic writing. For the purpose of being "scholarly", my approach will focus on the implications of this social role conflict for "Canadian society". For example, I'll argue that the seemingly silly middle-class woman identity crisis has material consequences in Canadian culture, namely affecting fertility rates, the institution of marriage and the economic efficiency of government investment in students. Red lipstick and pub chats aside, what about the contrasting roles/representations of student and mother? Butch and femme? "Straight" and queer? Unkempt writer and Martha Stewart? Thinker and feeler?
I'll probably narrow in on family formation to give my argument some political clout (*sigh). It's sort of bland and biased insofar as this is a classed, raced and partially heterosexed target group, but interesting to me nonetheless. And interesting to a government of positive eugenicists who are fighting a "dangerously low" fertility rate, no doubt. Check out these stats, SSHRC: The average age of a doctoral graduate in Canada is 36. Given the average Canadian doctoral student takes 5 years and 9 months to complete at Ph.D., we can infer that there is a significant cohort applying to and beginning doctoral studies around age 29-30... and... wait for it... this is roughly the same average age of women giving birth in Canada (29.7). What sorts of social and biological pressures are in the mix here?
Back to the writing assignment due Monday! Please post feedback on this one :) It'll shape my thoughts for the next 5 years!
I appreciate the pain speaking through the art and will make sure I see the Black Swan. I also appreciate the analysis you sympathetically offer. I have however a few questions about where you see this all going.
ReplyDeleteIn my own period of academic formation, I studied under our department's feminist psychoanalytic scholar: Naomi Goldenberg. I participated in men's movements, both pro-feminist and mythopoetic, and, led some men's groups in the process. The identity confusion Nina typifies reminds me of what feminists derisively referred to as "pink men": men who totally agreed with the feminist critique but somehow lost their masculinity in the process. Already two decades ago feminist women were in some cases choosing macho men such as motor cycle gang members over "pink men." I suppose quite a number of men have made careers out of working this identity confusion, but I've moved on and lost track.
My question for you then Amanda, is if you're a pheminist rather than a feminist; are you trying to accomplish anything beyond getting a job? I realize that might have sounded attacking, but believe you me, I'm looking for who you really are and what you're trying to do. For example, a google search on Pheminist brought up this essay near the top: http://www.endervidualism.com/sunni_m/phuck_pheminism.htm
Admittedly you have not talked about phucking pheminism, but are interested perhaps in embracing the label, but i do notice some similarities in style and approach between the two of you. She is a self-admitted career girl, and of course, pursuing a PhD is quite probably about becoming a professor or something.
My second question perhaps will help tease out the answer I'm fishing for with the first one: are you a "world saver" or femaleist of some kind? You may be post-feminist, but do you have some ideology or approach you intend to perpetuate or develop? (By ideology I mean: what's wrong with the world and how to fix it)
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ReplyDeleteNow my response to the post.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the coincidence between the age students begin grad studies and the age they start childbearing is a bit of a nonstarter, as presumably women who are beginning to bear children would be doing something equally demanding of their time if they were not pursuing an academic career.
As for the white swan/black swan dichotomy, it was complicated in the film by the fact that the protagonist was a victim of awful abuse, that paralyzed her emotionally. First, her mother's cruel manipulation and interference forced her to remain "a little girl" well into her twenties. Then her choreographer/director sexually harasses her and assaults her... twice. And finally, her colleague poses as a confidante and drugs her! I suppose the abusers could represent the immutability of the constraints that society places on a woman. Really, there is no other way to look at the film, but I think the circumstances depicted in the film are pretty extreme, and in that respect Black Swan is maybe a bit simplistic. We all have conflicting roles to play in our lives, but the roles are not so mutually exclusive as those of the white swan and black swan, and balanced people reconcile them fairly well most of the time. Recommended viewing: Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Apartment.
By the way, my guideline for lipstick would be: the better the funding for the event, the more neutral the colour.