Empowered

Sarah Banet-Weiser

In Empowered Sarah Banet-Weiser examines the deeply entwined relationship between popular feminism and popular misogyny as it plays out in advertising, online and multimedia platforms, and nonprofit and commercial campaigns. Examining feminist discourses that emphasize self-confidence, body positivity, and individual achievement alongside violent misogynist phenomena such as revenge porn, toxic geek masculinity, and men's rights movements, Banet-Weiser traces how popular feminism and popular misogyny are co-constituted. From Black Girls Code and the Always #LikeAGirl campaign to GamerGate and the 2016 presidential election, Banet-Weiser shows how popular feminism is met with a misogynistic backlash of mass harassment, assault, and institutional neglect. In so doing, she contends that popular feminism's problematic commitment to visibility limits its potential and collective power.

Preface  ix Acknowledgments  xiii Introduction  1 1. The Funhouse Mirror  41 2. Shame: Love Yourself and Be Humiliated  65 3. Confidence: The Con Game  92 4. Competence: Girls Who Code and Boys Who Hate Them  129 Conclusion: Rage  171 Notes  187 References  193 Index  211