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Femmephobia in the Media

Part of the reason that feminine people, activities, etc. are not taken seriously is because we are trained to see them as silly, trivial, and unimportant. One way that this is communicated is by making femininity the brunt of a joke.

We see this a lot in the media!

For example, have you ever noticed that femininity is used to mock or ridicule political leaders? Or perhaps you've noticed that femininity is sometimes the punchline or the brunt of a joke? On Saturday Night Live or scrolling through Instagram, viewers roll with laughter at the sight of a man in makeup or a dress. Sometimes we even use this "feminine joke" to mock men in power (e.g., Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin) and to "take them down a notch," so to speak.

We see the feminine joke subtly and not-so-subtly throughout the day, and typically give it little thought or attention — because using femininity to "poke fun" at someone happens all the time (e.g., feminizing sports teams or athletes by calling them "princesses").

But why is this funny? Why and how does femininity "take down" men in power? And how might treating femininity in this way contribute to other forms of gender-based oppression, such as sexism/misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia?

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Whether we're using femininity to demote, mock, or "entertain," the feminine joke keeps femininity as something that's seen as "lesser." As a result, we take feminine people less seriously and see them as less credible, less competent, less authentic, and less powerful.

We see the same thing happening in children's media, where femininity is used as a disguise or to communicate deception. For example, Bugs Bunny (a male cartoon) is often depicted in bonnets, dresses, skirts, and makeup to trick Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. This repeated message teaches children that femininity is not to be trusted: it's a form of trickery that holds ulterior motives.

Femininity, hyper-femininity, and femininity in men are also used to show that someone is a villain, amoral, or otherwise nefarious. Disney villains like Scar (Lion King) use "feminized" traits like flamboyancy, mannerisms, speech, eyeliner, and vanity to signal to the audience that the character is not to be trusted. Other examples include the Power Puff Girls' HIM character, who wears high heels, makeup, and speaks in a high-pitched voice; Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Jafar (Aladdin), and the giant snail Tamatoa (Moana), who is obsessed with jewelry.

Taken together, these messages are dangerous: not only teaching children that it's okay to mock and ridicule femininity, but also to be distrustful and skeptical of femininity on certain people and done in certain ways. These lessons can become stepping stones to future aggression and violence toward women and feminine people, shaping both the mistreatment our children come to tolerate from others and the mistreatment they may enact toward people who express femininity.

When femininity is used to signal that someone is deceptive, a villain, or has poor morals, what messages do children of all genders receive about femininity?

While these representations of femininity can begin early in childhood, they persist throughout the lifespan, socializing us to treat femininity as suspect, untrustworthy, and amoral.

🎬 Activity

Thinking back to your own childhood or to experiences you've had with your child/children, what are some examples of femmephobic media representations or characters you've noticed?