Feminist Camps Brawl Over Sex and Booze

Double X scribe says untamed 'lifestyle' feminism hurts cause
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 17, 2009 4:20 PM CDT
Feminist Camps Brawl Over Sex and Booze
The feminist movement has continued to evolve since its inception; the current trend seems to be infighting about whether wanton, irresponsible lifestyles hurt the cause.   (©bobster855)

It's second-wave feminism vs. the "Slut Machine." A writer on Slate's women-oriented Double X site recently blasted bloggers on Jezebel for shrugging off date rape and boasting about boozing. Self-indulgence furthers no political goal, cried feminist Linda Hirshman. Retorted Jezebel: "I have seen misogyny and, most of the time, it looks a lot like the ideology Hirshman has the audacity to call 'feminism.'"

Some big-name feminists have backed Hirshman, saying Jezebel's sexy, boozy lifestyle credo runs contrary to feminist goals—like equal pay, cracking the glass ceiling, and gaining political clout, the Guardian reports. "Feminism is not the freedom to act like a dickhead," said one activist. "These women are individualists, not feminists." (More feminism stories.)

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