Hegemonic Femininity Essay

In the United States there are several ideals of what makes a “perfect man” or a “perfect women.” These ideals are attributed to hegemony, which can be defined simply as the dominant culture in a society. Hegemonic femininity and masculinity can be defined as the way the society views what is feminine and what is masculine and the traits that society associates with being a woman or a man. Hegemonic femininity and masculinity can cause problems when individuals deviate from what society considers normal behavior or normal character traits for a female or a male. This paper will focus specifically on hegemonic femininity and how ideals of what constitutes a “perfect female” in the United States can be toxic to those it is imposed on. The toxic nature of hegemonic femininity will be …show more content…
This leads to mental disorders such as eating disorders and depression. Some alarming statistics and examples were provided in Miss Representation. For instance, about 65% of American women have an eating disorder and 78% of 17 year old girls feel unhappy with their bodies. The film also mentioned that the rates of depression among girls and women have doubled between 2000 and 2010, which is also alarming. On top of mental disorders, more and more women and even teenaged girls are turning towards plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures, because they are unhappy with the way they look. The “Generation Diva” article by Jennifer Bennett, mentioned previously, says that the amount of cosmetic surgeries performed on girls 18 and younger have nearly doubled in the last 10 years. The statistics and examples from Miss Representation and “Generation Diva” are shocking and sad. They show examples that media representation of what is considered an ideal female has obvious implications on the self-esteem and positive body image young girls and women should