Buzzfeed's Fake Feminism And The New Double-Standard | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

Buzzfeed's Fake Feminism And The New Double-Standard

How Buzzfeed's "Third-Wave" feminism hurts men more than it helps women.

2069
Buzzfeed's Fake Feminism And The New Double-Standard
etsystatic

In February of 2016, Scaachi Koul, a Senior Writer for BuzzFeed Canada, tweeted a request for pitches stating that BuzzFeed was "...looking for mostly non-white non-men," followed up with, "If you are a white man upset that we are looking mostly for non-white non-men I don't care about you go write for Maclean's." She then followed up again, tweeting, "White men are still permitted to pitch, I will read it, I will consider it. I'm just less interested because, ugh, men."


What's wrong with this picture?

As a writer and an editor myself, I appreciate the need for diversity within your team - it's something I strive for, particularly as I head up a team in the heart of the South - but something's a little off with these tweets. Maybe it's the tokenism, which here seeks to target people of color not because of their value in the Buzzfeed community and their talent as writers, but simply because of their race. Or, maybe, it's those final, biting words: "Ugh, men."

I get where she's going with this. Buzzfeed, statistically, receives most of its readership from women, so it makes sense to request pitches exclusively from female writers. Content for women, should, of course, be created - at least mostly - by women. But that isn't what Buzzfeed professes to be; it doesn't exist purely to create and curate content for women, and it's never pretended otherwise. Buzzfeed is the self-proclaimed "leading independent digital media company delivering news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people around the world."

More concerning, though, is the attitude behind those two final words.

What's confusing about Buzzfeed's pseudo-feminism is that on the surface, they really do appear to be the epitome of modern, internet-soaked feminism, in all its gif-filled and sparkly glory. Indeed, Buzzfeed does its best to present itself as a feminist publication, and in some ways, it succeeds. It published several stories during the election cycle that condemned the sexist rhetoric that ran unchecked during the last 18 months. It generally runs articles which are heavily pro-women, publishes pieces that matter to women (and, therefore, the world), and employs a diverse panel of women (including women of color, LGBT women, and women of all body types), for which, in my opinion, they deserve commendation.

But here's the thing: exclusion isn't feminism, and disparaging men definitely isn't feminism.

Remember when Buzzfeed posted that awful (and hugely inaccurate) story about a male birth control study which insinuated that the men who dropped out of the study did so because they were experiencing side-effects similar to symptoms experienced by women with PMS?


The writer of that piece is quick to dismiss the pain of the men in the trials, and even goes as far as to insinuate that these men were weak, but she skates over the fact that men experienced reduced rates of fertility, as well as depressive episodes and even mood disorders. But of course, "ugh, men." Men deserve to suffer, right? (To be fair - another Buzzfeed writer published a follow-up story pointing out the inaccuracies of the original story, but the damage had largely already been done. The fact remains that original story was widely shared despite the follow-up)

Buzzfeed regularly publishes fiercely opinionated (and rightly so!) articles that condemn female body-shaming. On the other side of that, though, are articles such as this one, which praises Lorde for body-shaming Diplo.




Granted, Diplo started the dialogue by suggesting the use of crowdfunding to get Taylor Swift a bigger butt - but I'm pretty sure this is one of those instances where fighting fire with fire is absolutely counterproductive. The kind of body-shaming this and other such endorsements promotes - body-shaming over the size of a man's genitals - is trite, sexist, and downright wrong. Buzzfeed proclaims the wrongness of shaming a woman for her breast size while hailing Lorde for "clapping back" with taunts about Diplo's body.



On that thread, Buzzfeed also condemns instances of female objectification in the media - again, rightly so - but it fails to see its own problem with objectification, this time of the male body.

Can You Guess The Celebrity By The Imprint Of His Bulge?

The Most Impossible Game Of "Would You Rather": Butts Vs. Bulges

Stop What You're Doing And Look At This Hot Harry Potter Boudoir Shoot

Yikes. Worryingly, all three of these are real - and fairly recent - articles published by Buzzfeed, and besides being cringe-y and hopelessly vapid (opinion: if you get salaried pay for creating content, you should probably do a little better than this nonsensical clickbait, but that's a segue I'd rather not get into), these headlines are also ridiculously hypocritical. Imagine a headline that read "Can You Guess The Celebrity By The Imprint Of Her Boobs?" What about "The Most Impossible Game Of 'Would You Rather': Boobs Vs. Butts." Neither of those would be okay-ed for publishing (at least not by Buzzfeed) - so why is it okay for them to publish the same headlines that objectify men? Feminism - true feminism - isn't about women being better than men, and it isn't about turning the tables of objectification and sexism around and subjecting men to the same nonsense women have faced for centuries. It's about equality, for every person, and making it about "Women versus Men" is a gross oversimplification, and is completely contrary to what feminism is actually about.

And so, Buzzfeed, readers of Buzzfeed, feminists, everyone - don't proclaim your feminism while simultaneously contributing to the very inequality you're trying to stop. Don't objectify, body-shame, or ridicule. Always fight for what you believe in, and always call out inconsistencies, but don't lose sight of what you're really trying to accomplish.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

185276
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

11546
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

455473
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

25108
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments