Feminists frequently propose that “sex positivity” and breaking free of patriarchal institutions such as marriage will make women happier. Is anyone convinced?
Emily Ratajkowski, the 30-year-old author of My Body, began her modeling career at a young age before transitioning into erotic content. Ratajkowski recently told an interviewer that “for a long time I felt like being able to disrobe and show off my body was some kind of strength.” Her thinking changed, however. “What happens when you really are just a thing to be looked at? That can be the opposite of empowering.”
Meanwhile, Malala Yousafzai, a 24-year-old women’s-rights activist who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban, recently married her beloved, Asser Malik, in a private ceremony in England. When critics said that her nuptials were inconsistent with her previous feminist statements, Malala said, “I was not against marriage, I had concerns about marriage.”
Perhaps the bigger concern is feminism, which rarely satisfies its subscribers.