The feminist movement is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes, committing itself to social and economic egalitarianism. However, the way feminism is now presented in pop culture and mainstream media does not match the original ideologies of the movement. The ideologies of feminists presented in westernised cultures promote a victim’s mentality amongst young women and have been a heavy influence over the societal backlash towards the feminist movement. This has left the leaders of the feminist movement wondering whether feminism will ever see a fair reception from the general public.

Since the feminist movement first began it has been a worldwide subject of criticism. People have questioned the movement’s ideologies and its methodologies have been heavy critiqued. In more recent years, feminists have been a target of much criticism by not just audiences, but by feminists, for allegedly inciting the rise of victimism. In the early 1970’s, second wave feminists struggled with uses of victimism within feminist theory and practice. Feminists debated a host of issues to do with eradicating women’s oppression, including the association with victimhood and powerlessness. They felt they needed to find a balance between feminist’s past achievements and the future liberation to tackle issues surrounding female subordination, but to not undermine feminist’s advancements within the previous movement.

According to post feminists, known as individualist or libertarian feminists, women have abused their sustained social power, in part to the stereotypes bound to women as being calmer, gentler, more believable, less violent and more victimized to render men impotent to public opinions on issues such as sexual harassment, child custody and education. (Lamb, Sharon. 1999). ** find another person who agrees with this.** ** Elaborate own point of view ** Post feminists proclaim that feminists should focus on reclaiming the status that femininity is empowering and a positive message to young women – rather than focusing on obtaining a “victim’s status” that is damaging to women’s psyche.

Post feminists, known as individualist or libertarian feminists, agree with this claim citing that promoting victim discourse undermines the previous advancements of the first and second movements. (Adams, Mary Louise. 1989) – expand or change so this point is in another paragraph

** this is a new point & paragraph ** reiterate central issues of 3rd wave feminism and how methodically encourages the issues are not exclusively women’s issues.

18. Postfeminists don’t argue that rape and domestic violence never happen, but they do argue that rape is not nearly so widespread as second-wave feminists would have us believe, and domestic violence is a problem of “mutual violence” rather than primarily men’s violence against women

– what’s political about the new feminism’s?

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**On the counter argument, feminists have claimed that they need to be viewed as victims to get across that they are an oppressed group * to gain political and psychological advantages
** “As Faludi has accurately stated, “If feminism stands for anything, it is the belief that women can and must stand up and speak out. Feminism identifies victimisation not so we can wallow in it, but so we can wallow it.”