Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women

Cover......Page 1
Copyright page......Page 6
Contents......Page 9
Preface to the Fifteenth Anniversary Edition......Page 11
1  Introduction: Blame It on Feminism......Page 19
Part One – Myths and Flashbacks......Page 35
2  Man Shortages and Barren Wombs: The Myths of the Backlash......Page 37
Statistics and a Tale of Two Social Scientists......Page 38
The Man Shortage: A Tale of Two Marriage Studies......Page 43
The No-Fault Disaster: A Tale of Two Divorce Reports......Page 52
The Infertility Epidemic: A Tale of Two Pregnancy Studies......Page 60
The Great Female Depression: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown......Page 68
The Day Care Demons: Make Your Own Statistics......Page 74
3  Backlashes Then and Now......Page 79
The All-American Repeating Backlash......Page 81
A Crisis in Confidence... But Whose Crisis?......Page 91
The Nature of Today's Backlash......Page 102
Part Two – The Backlash in Popular Culture......Page 105
4  The "Trends" of Antifeminism: The Media and the Backlash......Page 107
Cocooners, New Traditionalists, and Mommy Trackers......Page 114
The Spinster Boom: The Sorrow and the Pity......Page 126
Infertility Illness and Baby Fevers......Page 136
True Ms. Confessions......Page 139
5  Fatal and Fetal Visions: The Backlash in the Movies......Page 143
Fatal Attraction, Before and After......Page 148
The '70s: Unmarried Women and Brilliant Careers......Page 154
The '80s: The Celluloid Woman's Surrender......Page 157
Bringing Up the Cinematic Baby......Page 163
The Celluloid Man Takes Charge......Page 166
6  Teen Angels and Unwed Witches: The Backlash on TV......Page 171
From Consciousness-Raising to Cheerleading......Page 179
Nesters and Patriarchs......Page 183
The Single Lady Vanishes......Page 186
Thirtysomething: Stretch Marks and Stress Disorders......Page 191
7  Dressing the Dolls: The Fashion Backlash......Page 199
From Household Rags to Gray-Flannel Stitches......Page 204
Requiem for the Little Bow Tie......Page 206
Lacroix: The Clown Who Would Be King......Page 208
"I Guess They Don't Like Looking Superfluous"......Page 211
Flouncing Into Work......Page 212
Femininity, Undercover......Page 217
Guess and the Year of the Rear......Page 223
8  Beauty and the Backlash......Page 229
From Charlie to Ophelia......Page 233
Keeping a Daily De-Aging Diary......Page 237
The Return of the Breck Girl......Page 240
The Breast Man of San Francisco......Page 243
Cosmetic Surgery: Cancer and Other "Variations from the Ideal"......Page 245
The Makeover of the 5 Percent Woman......Page 250
Part Three – Origins of a Reaction: Backlash Movers, Shakers, and Thinkers......Page 257
9  The Politics of Resentment: The New Right's War on Women......Page 259
Setting the Antifeminist Agenda......Page 265
The War of Words......Page 267
Ladies in Retirement......Page 269
The Heritage Foundation's Superwoman......Page 271
A Spirit-Controlled Woman... Or a Control-Seeking Spirit?......Page 277
10  Ms. Smith Leaves Washington: The Backlash in National Politics......Page 287
Out with the Feminists.........Page 289
...And in With the Fathers......Page 292
Just Not Enough Good Women......Page 297
A Party of One's Own......Page 306
11  The Backlash Brain Trust: From Neocons to Neofems......Page 311
George Gilder: "America's Number-One Antifeminist"......Page 313
Allan Bloom: A Refugee from the Feminist Occupation......Page 320
Michael and Margarita Levin: Boys Don't Cook and Girls Don't Do Long Division......Page 325
Warren Farrell: The Liberated Man Recants......Page 329
Robert Bly: Turning "Yogurt Eaters" into "Wild Men"......Page 334
Sylvia Ann Hewlett: The Neofeminist's Lesser Work......Page 342
Betty Friedan: Revisionism as a Marketing Tool......Page 347
Carol Gilligan: Different Voices or Victorian Echoes?......Page 354
Part Four – Backlashings: The Effects on Women's Minds, Jobs, and Bodies......Page 361
12  It's All in Your Mind: Popular Psychology Joins the Backlash......Page 363
Stage One: Feminist-Taming Therapy......Page 366
Toni Grant: Surrender Into Womanhood......Page 370
Stage Two: Therapy for the Overly Feminine Woman......Page 374
Feminine Masochism, '80s Style......Page 383
13  The Wages of the Backlash: The Toll on Working Women......Page 391
Women in the Media......Page 397
The Sears Case......Page 405
Diane Joyce: Women in the Blue-Collar World......Page 415
Lady Bench-Hands and Gentlemen Testers......Page 420
14  Reproductive Rights Under the Backlash: The Invasion of Women's Bodies......Page 427
Randall Terry: Who Was He Rescuing?......Page 433
The Legacy of the Antiabortion Movement......Page 438
Fetal Rights: Mother Versus Fetus......Page 447
Scalpels and Cesareans: Intruders in the Womb......Page 456
On the Job: The Rise of Fetal Protection......Page 463
Epilogue......Page 479
1  Introduction: Blame It on Feminism......Page 485
2  Man Shortages and Barren Wombs: The Myths of the Backlash......Page 491
3  Backlashes Then and Now......Page 504
4  The "Trends" of Antifeminism: The Media and the Backlash......Page 512
5  Fatal and Fetal Visions: The Backlash in the Movies......Page 519
6  Teen Angels and Unwed Witches: The Backlash on TV......Page 521
7  Dressing the Dolls: The Fashion Backlash......Page 524
8  Beauty and the Backlash......Page 531
9  The Politics of Resentment: The New Right's War on Women......Page 536
10  Ms. Smith Leaves Washington: The Backlash in National Politics......Page 540
11  The Backlash Brain Trust: From Neocons to Neofems......Page 545
12  It's All in Your Mind: Popular Psychology Joins the Backlash......Page 553
13  The Wages of the Backlash: The Toll on Working Women......Page 557
14  Reproductive Rights Under the Backlash: The Invasion of Women's Bodies......Page 566
Epilogue......Page 580
Acknowledgments......Page 581
B......Page 583
C......Page 584
F......Page 585
L......Page 587
M......Page 588
O......Page 589
R......Page 590
S......Page 591
W......Page 592
Z......Page 593
About the Author......Page 594