USABLE PERFORMANCE FEMINISM FOR OUR TIME 353 measured by our entry to the privileged white male sphere."55 Jennifer Pozner lays the blame squarely on the mainstream media,which have been heralding the death and trumpeting the triviality of feminism since its inception,and which continue to define "women's issues"(rape,abortion,child care)within a narrow "pink ghetto," while eschewing gender as a lens for analyzing issues that "implicitly affect women's survival (for example,economics,global trade,war)."s6 Noting the smothering em- brace between media and industry("the vast majority of newspapers,magazines,and network,cable,and on-line news and entertainment outlets in this country are owned by just ten multinational corporations"),she reminds us that the same profit motive that shapes the news in the image of corporate concerns also drives "[o]ur most com- mon organ of socialization,"as "lplop culture images help us determine what to wear, whom to date,whom to vote for,how we see ourselves,and how we relate to racial, sexual,socioeconomic,and religious 'others.'"57 How Friedan has fared with the third wave has much to do with mainstream me- dia.Four television appearances aired between 1963 and 1994 offer a means of tracing Friedan's fall from grace less via the content of her discourse than via her appearance, relation to the camera,and the performance styles of those around her,especially younger women.The style and stylishness from which she increasingly deviated are symptomatic of a relentless need for camera worthiness that metastasized in tandem with the women's movement(think Nixon vs.Kennedy on television),affecting virtu- ally every component of public discourse and interpersonal relations.3H Not for nothing is a recent essay on"whither the third wave and whence a new leader?"titled "Who's the Next Gloria?The Quest for the Third Wave Superleader,"and not "Who's the Next Betty?"5 Long-haired,lean,and ever stylish,Gloria Steinem plays as a leader with legs(pun partly intended),while Betty Friedan is nobody anybody would want to be on television.It was not ever thus. In 1963,Friedan appeared on a Philco special in a clip of a speech she had given to the National Women's Press Club,where she addressed a luncheon and repackaged key ideas in The Feminine Mystique."It reminds me,"she said,"a great deal of The Doll's House."She comes across as vibrant,eager,lively,warm,wanting to please,and bursting with what one might almost see as joy,looking much like many middle-class, suburban Jewish moms,with her short hair,simple makeup,and unfussy dress.The special is called The World's Girls and is rife with shots of women's rear ends and voice-over text along the lines of "the great and eternal game of watching pretty girls [is]available to all men.He looks.She looks.A man.A woman."Woman is defined as "man's supplier.The keeper and administrator of his money...a chronicler...in other words...gossipper."Friedan and an alumnae gathering of thirty-somethings s Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards,"Who's the Next Cloria?The Quest for the Third Wave Superleader,"in Catching a Wave:Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century,ed.Rory Dicker and Alison Piepmeier (Boston:Northeastern University Press,2003),159-70,quote on 160. "Jennifer L.Pozner,"The Big Lie':False Feminist Death Syndrome,Profit,and the Media,"in Catching a Wave,31-56,quote on 38. 7bid,4437. s Any list of topics to shore up this claim would be impossibly long,but two that are salient here are politics and body image,both of which are damaging to women at every level,from school and the workplace to government candidacy. Baumgardner and Richards,"Who's the Next Gloria?" This content downloaded from 183.195.251.166 on Sat,16 Jan 2016 12:04:58 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsUSABLE PERFORMANCE FEMINISM FOR OUR TIME / 353 measured by our entry to the privileged white male sphere."55 Jennifer Pozner lays the blame squarely on the mainstream media, which have been heralding the death and trumpeting the triviality of feminism since its inception, and which continue to define "women's issues" (rape, abortion, child care) within a narrow "pink ghetto," while eschewing gender as a lens for analyzing issues that "implicitly affect women's survival (for example, economics, global trade, war)."56 Noting the smothering em￾brace between media and industry ("the vast majority of newspapers, magazines, and network, cable, and on-line news and entertainment outlets in this country are owned by just ten multinational corporations"), she reminds us that the same profit motive that shapes the news in the image of corporate concerns also drives "[o]ur most com￾mon organ of socialization," as "[p]op culture images help us determine what to wear, whom to date, whom to vote for, how we see ourselves, and how we relate to racial, sexual, socioeconomic, and religious 'others.'"57 How Friedan has fared with the third wave has much to do with mainstream me￾dia. Four television appearances aired between 1963 and 1994 offer a means of tracing Friedan's fall from grace less via the content of her discourse than via her appearance, relation to the camera, and the performance styles of those around her, especially younger women. The style and stylishness from which she increasingly deviated are symptomatic of a relentless need for camera worthiness that metastasized in tandem with the women's movement (think Nixon vs. Kennedy on television), affecting virtu￾ally every component of public discourse and interpersonal relations.58 Not for nothing is a recent essay on "whither the third wave and whence a new leader?" titled "Who's the Next Gloria? The Quest for the Third Wave Superleader," and not "Who's the Next Betty?"59 Long-haired, lean, and ever stylish, Gloria Steinem plays as a leader with legs (pun partly intended), while Betty Friedan is nobody anybody would want to be on television. It was not ever thus. In 1963, Friedan appeared on a Philco special in a clip of a speech she had given to the National Women's Press Club, where she addressed a luncheon and repackaged key ideas in The Feminine Mystique. "It reminds me," she said, "a great deal of The Dolls House." She comes across as vibrant, eager, lively, warm, wanting to please, and bursting with what one might almost see as joy, looking much like many middle-class, suburban Jewish moms, with her short hair, simple makeup, and unfussy dress. The special is called The World's Girls and is rife with shots of women's rear ends and voice-over text along the lines of "the great and eternal game of watching pretty girls [is] available to all men. He looks. She looks. A man. A woman." Woman is defined as "man's supplier. The keeper and administrator of his money ... a chronicler ... in other words . . . gossipper." Friedan and an alumnae gathering of thirty-somethings 55 Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, "Who's the Next Gloria? The Quest for the Third Wave Superleader/' in Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the list Century, ed. Rory Dicker and Alison Piepmeier (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2003), 159-70, quote on 160. 56 Jennifer L. Pozner, "The 'Big Lie': False Feminist Death Syndrome, Profit, and the Media," in Catching a Wave, 31-56, quote on 38. 57Ibid.,44,37. 58 Any list of topics to shore up this claim would be impossibly long, but two that are salient here are politics and body image, both of which are damaging to women at every level, from school and the workplace to government candidacy. 59 Baumgardner and Richards, "Who's the Next Gloria?" This content downloaded from 183.195.251.166 on Sat, 16 Jan 2016 12:04:58 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions