A woman's leg coils around an erect metal pole while dozens of entranced men stare at her greased body. A female teenager in a miniskirt and revealing halter-top struts past a group of drooling high school boys. A sorority member carefully coats her face with multiple shades of makeup because she considers the task art.
By passionately embracing traditional notions of feminine sexuality and allowing herself to be admired by others, is a woman obtaining high levels of social control and personal empowerment, or is she simply consenting to her own objectification? Postmodern feminists would argue that a woman who takes advantage of her powerful feminine sexuality harbors a great deal of control because she can easily persuade others--especially men--to give her exactly what she wants. On the other hand, traditional feminist thinkers may label this tactic mere manipulation, claiming that the best way for a female to obtain social and personal power is to reject traditional feminine aesthetic ideals and established gender roles. Postmodern feminist thinkers, in response to this viewpoint, may accuse traditional feminists of expecting women to adopt traditionally masculine characteristics and thus deny their unique feminine instincts, but traditional feminists would shoot right back that permitting others to view oneself as an object leads to both one's dehumanization and powerlessness.
Although both viewpoints have merit, I will take a position that is more similar to that of traditional feminist thinkers for Paper 3. While I do not endorse completely rejecting traditional feminine ideals of beauty and social roles--wearing mascara and deciding to stay at home to raise children are not problematic in and of themselves--I do believe that adhering to models of extreme femininity in dress, behavior, and speech is an ineffective method of gaining power because no one could truly respect the intellect and rights of a woman who, say, looks like a stripper. Since one of the keys to power is respect from both others and oneself, it is necessary for women to exercise their femininity moderately so as to appear and feel respectable. This does not mean that females must act like men to succeed in society; however, presenting herself as a feminized object ready for consumption will never earn a woman respect for her personality, her feelings and opinions, and her personal rights.
