femininity

I’m sure almost all of us have heard the phrases toxic masculinity, toxic men, and toxic women, but have you heard of toxic femininity? If not, the term "toxic femininity" is used to describe a broad concept of womanhood that is restrictive and repressive, including the pressures women experience to live up to stereotypically feminine features and behaviors.So it’s nothing new that women are constantly being told the way they need to dress up, behave or obviously, be a mother. In simple words, anything that women think,…

In the realm of TikTok trends turned into mass cultural reality shows, few have captured attention quite like Alabama rush. For weeks in August 2021, TikTok was awash in content about the intense, highly scrutinized and anticipated process of sorority recruitment: daily “OOTDs” (outfits of the day), rush recap videos from freshly tanned and coiffed prospective new members (PNMs), and reactions to 18-year-old girls either elated or devastated by the high-stakes game of likability that is rush.The same process in August…

A Chinese influencer displays looks inspired by Thai, Western and Korean femininity. Credit: Qingyue Sun Over the course of the last century, Western beauty ideals—thinness, light skin, large breasts, large eyes, a small nose and high cheekbones—have seeped into countries and cultures around the world. But cracks are starting to…