Disruptive Tides. Feminist Counter-discourse as Resistance to Patriarchal Imagery in Gendered Media Representations

Abstract

This paper examines women's self-determination within patriarchal discursive regimes, specifically in the cultural texts produced by the fashion industry. In westernized capitalist consumer societies, women's gender identity is structured according to oppressive patriarchal figurations of femininity that dominate popular culture. Endorsing aesthetic dissonance as a political practice, women can reclaim their voices by producing a counter-discourse based on alternative fashion practices and disruptive self-imaginings. This is enacted by the unconventional fashion blogger Courtney Trop.

Keywords

• feminism
• gender
• social media
• aesthetics
• capitalism