Who-Stole-Feminism.-How-Women-Have-Betrayed-Women

Chapter 11The Backlash MythWhen regard for truth has been broken down or evenslightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful—ST. AUGUSTINEA couple of years ago, American publishing was enlivened by therelease of Susan Faludi's Backlash and Naomi Wolfs The Beauty Myth, twoimpassioned feminist screeds uncovering and denouncing the schemesthat have prevented women from enjoying the fruits of the women'smovement. 1For our purposes, what these books have in common is moreinteresting and important than what distinguishes them. Both reported awidespread conspiracy against women. In both, the putative conspiracyhas the same goal: to prevent today's women from making use of theirhard-won freedoms—to punish them, in other words, for liberatingthemselves. As Ms. Wolf informs us: "After the success of the women'smovement's second wave, the beauty myth was perfected to checkmatepower at every level in individual women's lives." 2Conspiracy theories are always popular, but in this case the authors,writing primarily for middle-class readers, faced a tricky problem. Noreasonable person in this day and age could be expected to believe thatsomewhere in America a group of male "elders" has sat down to plot waysto perpetuate the subjugation of women. How, then, could they persuade