Is Feminism a Sell-out? Andi Zeisler's In-depth Analysis of Modern Day Feminism

Last women's day, I saw many statuses on my news feed preaching many different things. Some claimed that getting a discount at the spa was indeed the only purpose of the day, some argued for what the movement truly aims for (which is gender equality), and some were very angry that men's day isn't a "thing" and that "women's day is just something girls use to get free desserts" and "it promotes inequality by separating men and women".

One status that belonged to the last category really triggered me despite my usual neutral netizen self, and I launched into a heated debate about what feminism is about. My opponent claimed that feminism is something that promotes free manicures but does nothing to establish gender equality.

This got me thinking how capitalism has changed the everyday person's interpretation of the word, and how the media has skewed our perception of a spirited political movement. I wanted to read up on this, and that is how I came across Andi Zeisler's detailed analysis of marketplace feminism.

This book is a collection of essays that deal with feminism in different fields such as advertising, fashion and film. Zeisler talks about the many flaws in how the "marketplace" has used and abused feminism, for example, underwear that has feminist written on it (featured in articles such as "9 Feminist Lingerie Brands to Empower Your Closet") - because the next big thing in feminism isn't wage equality or women's safety, it's feminist underwear.

I thought her best essays were the ones on advertising. "The business of marketing and selling to women literally depends on creating and then addressing female insecurity, and part of the revelatory potential of women's lib involved rejecting the marketplace's sweet-talking promises about life-changing face creams and shampoos—not to mention the entire premise of women as decorative objects. There was good reason for industries that sustained themselves on the self-hatred of women to dread the potential reach of feminist movements," she writes.

She points out how feminism was once a word that carried weight and represented an actual fight for equality, but has now become a label that celebrities choose to take on in order to increase their credibility. While there are actual women who are fighting for equality in education and work, the media chooses to focus on twerking as a feminist activity - I suppose they think it's prettier.

Zeisler spoke of the history of feminism in pop culture quite a bit in this book, and honestly I was surprised by the current statistics, and by how little things have actually changed for women in the past few decades. However, there were some things that I didn't agree with, such as the writer's vehement advocacy of Beyoncé as a feminist icon, because this went against many points the writer herself made previously in the book.

This book is more of an analysis of marketplace feminism than it is a concrete solution to the problems with such feminism; it is difficult to magically solve such deeply rooted flaws in our society. I would recommend this book to any young person who is confused about what feminism means in the modern day, and how this movement has evolved in pop culture and capitalism.

The writer is passionate and unapologetic, and this is definitely a great read. But you must keep an open mind - remember that the writer will change many of your preconceived notions about modern day feminism, but it is also okay to agree to disagree with her at times.

Aanila Kishwar Tarannum started hating on everything the moment she realized why her parents put so many As in her name: because they knew her transcript would be devoid of any vowels. Find out about her relentless rants at aanila.tarannum@gmail.com