Sunday, July 8, 2001
http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Books-X!ArticleDetail-37826
,00.html
Grrrlz 2 Men KILLER WOMAN BLUES Why Americans Can't Think
Straight About Gender and Power By Benjamin DeMott Houghton
Mifflin: 256 pp., $26
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
In "Killer Woman Blues," DeMott
argues that popular culture is pushing women toward a
masculine identity whose signature is toughness. He's
referring to the ruthless aggression, cutthroat
competitiveness and cavalier disregard for intimacy displayed
by so many female characters in films, sitcoms, self-help
books and even literature. DeMott maintains that this process
of "women-becoming-men" is a profound violation of the
original feminist vision, with dire consequences for all of
humankind.
DeMott's thesis is not entirely
convincing, but his premise certainly is. He assembles such
an arsenal of examples--including more than 150 recent
films--that it seems undeniable: Women are embracing a new
model in which autonomy and aggression are valorized. At the
same time, DeMott asserts, there is a comparable shift in the
masculine ideal. The "male sensitif ," as DeMott calls him,
is a staple in high-rated sitcoms and top-grossing films such
as "Friends" and "Jerry Maguire." As women learn to fight
back, men begin to feel back, and for DeMott, this empathetic
figure is an emblem of men becoming women. Is that bad?
DeMott thinks so.
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