Feminism and the Guerrilla Girls

Feminism and the Guerrilla Girls

The Bra Burner/Feminazi
The Guerrilla Girls are a group of females that work together anonymously to expose sexist issues in all aspects of social systems and organizations. Bitches, Bimbos, and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls’ Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes, was written by this group of women to focus on a myriad of female stereotypes and how they have gradually developed over time. Each of the stereotypes discussed affect all women individually, whether it is positive or negative, depending on their intersectionality. A Bra Burner/Feminazi is a stereotype that depicts a woman who refuses to be dependent on a man, is a feminine activist, and can also be considered a bitch. This female stereotype can be seen in a positive perspective, as women who were once silenced have now decided to speak their minds and refuse to succumb to male dominance. Nevertheless, the stereotype of the Bra Burner/Feminazi has continued to be detrimental to women because many people believe in the misconception that they are man hating and heartless women who are outspoken, difficult, and aggressive.
The term “bra burner” was coined to represent a group of female protestors in the 1968 Miss America Pageant. Although many people believed that these women had torched their bras as a means of protest, the irony is that that did not actually happen. According to the Guerrilla Girls, the feminists tossed in anything that symbolized femininity into what they called the “Freedom Trash Can”. This included undergarments, makeup, high heels, etc. The media that reported on the story embellished the bra burning idea, when in fact the feminists only burned draft cards. The term Bra Burner eventually evolved into Feminazi, otherwise known as feminists of the 1990s. Conservative Americans that were greatly opposed to the women’s movement adopted this negatively perceived term that combined the words “feminist” and “Nazi” together.
The Guerrilla Girls state that the stereotype of the...

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