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“Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do?”  


Author:  Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D..; Meda Chesney-Lind, Ph.D..


Source: Volume 06, Number 04, Spring 2014 , pp.39-44(6)




Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly

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Abstract: 

One of the major techniques used by a misogynistic culture to keep girls and women in their (subordinate) place is to apply the tried-and-true technique of divide and conquer/divide and rule. Thus, the frenzy we often hear in the media about catfi ghts between teenage girls fighting over the same boyfriend or between two celebrities sniping at each other in public makes it appear that females just can’t get along with each other. But as the authors see it, “The problem is not girls, but rather a culture that denigrates, commodifies, and demoralizes women and then gets a kick out of watching the divide and conquer consequences.” Thankfully, this article leaves readers with a list of 12 recommendations for countering our sexist cultural ethics that drive so many women to compete with and fight each other rather than empowering them to join together in unity against a common foe.

Keywords: Trivialization of girls\' anger; power and subordination

Affiliations:  1: Colby College; 2: University of Hawaii at Manoa.

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