Why do women shy away from proclaiming themselves feminists?This is a question that Deborah Siegel addresses in her book Sisterhood, Interrupted, analyzing second and third wave feminism and how politics and pop culture played a role in how they developed.
According to a TIME/CNN poll that Siegel cites, 94% of women said that the feminist movement helped women become more independent and 82% said that it was still improving the lives of women, but only 33% of women identified themselves as feminists (115).
Of the many factors contributing to public attitude that Siegel analyzed, one that kept jumping out at me was comments made by celebrity icons. She quotes Shakira saying: "I'm not a feminist, no. At least I wouldn't like to hang that sign around my neck" (23) and Jennifer Anniston, who reassured she wasn't a "bleeding heart feminist" (9).
Siegel also quotes a line from Bridget Jone's Diary, a highly popular and no doubt influential novel: "Nothing is more unattractive to a man than a feminist". Young women like to identify with celebrities and follow pop culture ideas. With all kinds of media pushing this negative feminist stereotype of crazy, undesirable women, this generation's women are bombarded with warped ideas towards feminism that are hard to break.
How can girls be expected for formulate their own opinions if popular culture is effectively deciding it for them?
I agree with the premise of your last question - our society has become dominated by the likes of Aniston and people hardly make up their own minds anymore. I would go even further to say that our society has formed in such a way that it is virtually impossible to think independently. Every time you read the newspaper, you are reading into a certain narrative. Every day you're in school, although the teachers don't admit to this, you are being told what to think and how to think it. And every time you watch a TV show, listening to music, etc, you are getting a message funneled through your head. That's the way our lives are set up, and even though you might think that you're thinking independently, your thoughts are only the product of what you've heard, seen, etc. Celebrities bother me the most though - why would anybody even take them seriously?
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