Society is the collective result of each individuals choices and beliefs across time.

The current structure of American society is a capitalist patriarchy where

competition brings success and success means value; however, certain arbitrarily
assigned in-groups (white, heterosexual, male, etc.) are assumed to be able to
compete easier and given preferential treatment. Numerous studies have shown a
broad range of biases against people of color and women. A 2014 study found that
professors were more receptive to potential doctoral students that had names
associated with white males. Another 2014 study found that men are more likely to
be perceived as innately brilliant individuals, whereas women are seen as hard
workers, which can contribute to the gender bias in academic disciplines. White
men are assumed to be better leaders, more intelligent, more capable, trustworthy
and accomplished even when their demonstrated value is identical to that of a
woman or a person of color. A healthy capitalist system requires a meritocracy but
the patriarchy is a system of inequality that unfairly favors select competitors. Their
contradictory natures guarantee a constant tension between members of the
oppressed majority and the ruling minority.
In the past, women were sternly punished and ostracized by society for acting in
any way that showed their independence, sexual or otherwise. Women were not
allowed to extend lines of credit and often if they divorced their husband, no matter
the reason, their children would be taken away. The Feminine Mystique called
attention to the problem with no name exposing the dissatisfaction women felt
with their ambitions limited to the household. Womens liberation focused on freeing
women from all areas of oppression but little is remembered of this history. Asking a
random person on the street about the legacy of womens liberation and they would
likely only acknowledge the sexual revolution. Womens lib popularized
contraceptive and harkened back to progressive ideas about female sexuality,
which were popularized during the roaring 20s and the Second World War. Political
lesbians exemplified the subversive tone of the movement by doing away with men
altogether. Music was another way that women empowered themselves, from
Cherry Bomb to Oops I Did It Again; women openly discussed their sexuality,
experiences and feelings. From the turmoil of the 60s and 70s the 80s focused on
empowering women. The 80s were a time of huge economic growth and
deregulation in the United States. Women were encouraged to pursue any ambition,
have children or not and to accomplish things that women before them never felt
possible. Through the 1990s, notions of women empowerment led to programs,
public awareness campaigns, and media that inspired young women and girls to be
anything that they wanted to be.
Womens liberation challenged the notion that women were less than men. The
popular understanding of feminism has been from womens perspective. In the after
math of the second wave individual men have not been explicitly labeled complicit
in Patriarchy. Many in the feminist movement, as well as other progressive thinkers,
have blamed Patriarchy as the cause of gender inequality while ignoring the

individuals that keep the system working. Men have grown increasingly bitter and
violent towards women, especially in recent years. Men and mens issues are
increasingly being worked on by feminists, while the manosphere, a group of
bloggers and sites devoted to bringing back ideas of male dominance, have
increased in popularity and virulence.
The widespread backlash to feminism began in the mid 2000s. Gender roles were
redefined as product and consumer. Clothing and makeup trends changed to reflect
the male gaze. Girls Gone Wild and pop acts such as The Pussycat Dolls began to
associate sex with passivity and getting approval from men. Men rewarded Women
that objectified themselves with approval and preferential treatment, compliments,
gifts, attention. Women and even young girls were encouraged to be sexual and to
see their appearance as the only thing of value. The old codes of male sexual
dominance, glorified in Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight, are defended as legitimate
sexual kinks, which ignores that kinks cannot by definition be a societal trend. Men
mount crusades against pubic and body hair, humiliate women that send them
nudes on Twitter and slut shame girls as young as 11 in popular news publications.
To many women, feminism and sexual empowerment has become a fashion trend,
to many men this accessory has become a new way to objectify women and use
them to demonstrate their power in society which they lost in the aftermath of the
sexual revolution.
Men were re-centered in the conversation and culture and feminists have yet to
mount a response. Women used to be respected for their ability to give birth and
take care of the home, but now they are valued for nothing. It is assumed that
everything a woman can do, a man can do better. A woman is brought in simply
when there isnt a man to find to fulfill the role. In this culture of devaluation, the
message of female empowerment rings hollow. The goal of the female
empowerment narrative was to release women from their overly restrictive roles.
They needed to be freed from a repressive regime that limited their autonomy. That
isnt the issue now. The problem is devaluation. Women are assumed to be inferior.
Across the board men are seen as better leaders, more intelligent and more capable
to do any job. The idea of girl power isnt enough to counteract the feminist issues
of today. These ideas, which are rooted in bad science and bigotry, must be
eradicated, and feminism must elevate the discussion in order to address the
current power dynamic.