choice feminism / bimbo feminism (rant)

contrary to popular belief, women can make decisions that are rooted in misogyny and perpetuate sexism, even unconsciously. many choice feminists believe that anything a woman does is inherently feminist which couldn't be further from the truth. your decisions do not exist in a vacuum. think about why you're doing what you're doing. if you shave because you "prefer it that way" think about why!! if you wear makeup because it makes you feel pretty, think about why!! none of these decisions are being made "for yourself" if you have been persuaded that not partaking is gross and makes you less attractive. body hair on women wasn't seen as disgusting until around the 1920's when razor brands started marketing towards women. think about why makeup (and often skincare products) are referred to as "beauty products". children learn very early on what is considered pretty and socially acceptable, along with what isn't. why are teenagers being advertised "preventative" botox? people who get botox and cosmetic surgery more than likely are doing it to get a desired look. why is one look so undesirable that it requires injecting chemicals in your face to change? and the plastic surgery industry convinces middle aged women with wrinkles that injecting plastic and chemicals into their face will make them look younger and therefore more attractive. the only thing benefiting here is pedophilic, sexist beauty standards created by the patriarchy. 

also, why are we as feminists so okay with encouraging trends like "girl math" "girl dinner" "girlsplaining"???? have we gone so far backwards that the only way to make something accessible and understandable for women is to dumb it down? pairing feminist and leftist beliefs with women who are okay with dumbing themselves down (as a joke or otherwise) only makes those real and important movements look stupid. again, your choices don't exist in a vacuum. you can be a hyperfeminine feminist and radical leftist without calling yourself a bimbo and dumbing yourself down. although bimboism is intended to be ironic (which at this point the irony has been completely lost), it still encourages traditional gender roles and the idea that to make something girly or for women is to dumb it down. 

i understand bimboism to be the antithesis of the "i'm not like other girls" trend, but these two movements accomplish the exact same thing, which is isolating the opposite group of women for validation. "pick me girls" often fear becoming a stereotype and feeding into harmful conceptions misogynists have about women, so they swing far in the opposite direction by avoiding anything too feminine. femininity is a great thing, but using it to reclaim traditional gender roles and intellectually separate women from men is not the move. women are not braindead, why are some feminists okay with treating them as such? again, if this was ever done ironically, the irony has been completely lost at this point. "reclaiming" words like slut and whore doesn’t make those words become positive and empowering. being called a slut today is just as degrading as it was 20 years ago. the negative connotations associated with a word don’t disappear just because you decided so. 

i'd even prefer the 2010's corporate girlboss trend to either of these. at least that encouraged women to go for higher paying, more difficult jobs that are typically given to men. at least that was a blow against the patriarchy. feeding into negative stereotypes against women in the name of reclamation accomplishes nothing, since those with a sexist worldview only see you as a manifestation of their bigoted beliefs. think about why you want to dumb yourself down under the guise of "well, i'm only a girl after all!!" women should not settle for this belittling and infantilizing form of feminism. reclaiming traditional gender roles is never going to help abolish them, it only feeds into them. how is this empowering? again, at least in 2010's #girlboss culture women were told they are just as worthy as men and that they are capable of everything a man is. now it's becoming increasingly more common to have trends like "girl math" that go against everything feminists have been fighting for. it’s so disheartening.