Susan Brownmiller: Femininity

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This activity contains 3 questions.

How is Brownmiller defining “femininity” here? In what ways does she suggest that contemporary culture values femininity? In the twenty or so years since this essay was written, to what extent have notions of femininity changed? Is femininity still valued in the same way?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

As you were growing up, what images of gender difference were you presented with? How did you learn to distinguish between “feminine” and “masculine”? Looking back from your present perspective, how accurate or fair do these distinctions seem?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Analyze some current media images for their portrayal of gender roles. You may wish to look at recent television series, films, advertisements, contemporary music, and the like. Make sure that the examples you choose are clearly related.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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