Summary Of Down Girl The Logic Of Misogyny

Discrimination, intolerance, and prejudice towards women are some of the many factors that not only emerge from patriarchal civilizations but also govern the embodiment of what a woman is supposed to represent. As showcased in Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, author Kate Manne debunks the real meaning of misogyny and how it impacts the daily lives of women. While misogyny can affect all women of different religions and classes, misogyny specifically targets women who are in positions of authority that threaten men through stereotypical social norms, the entitlement of power, and the culture of victim-blaming.

To begin, traditional societal standards frequently discourage women from pursuing positions of authority. For instance, while women

To illustrate, due to the desire for control and authority of men such as, “those with a high degree of privilege, seem to have a sense of being owned by women in the coin of the associated personal goods and services” (Manne 106). Men who strive to dominate women are seeking praise and respect for their influence. According to their point of view, men should occupy positions of leadership, just as they have historically and traditionally, which can lead to misogynist attitudes toward women’s capabilities. Similarly, in a supporting article, women who attempt to share authority with men are challenged by “gender-based violence to achieve political gains taking sexual, physical, emotional, mental, social, and economical forms" (Krook). Social and political attributes cause men to become violent, both verbally and physically, as their power has been stripped away. This abuse of power to undercut women in positions of responsibility emphasizes the privilege of power that men continually pursue and demonstrates a blatant bias towards men and their authority. This later connects to the harm upheld against women, more importantly

For example, women who “testify against these men, or even punish the golden boys whose guilt has been firmly established are subsequently reluctant to be believed” (Manne 197). The refusal to be heard depicts how women who speak out about their assaults are doubted, as the perpetrators separate themselves from the unpleasant events of oppressive aggression. This conveys that men are shown sympathy, even when in the wrong, as it is strenuous to acknowledge the problem, more specifically the misogyny and harassment women face. Additionally, introducing the argument that “claiming the moral spotlight as a woman over an equally or more privileged man is about as fraught as giving testimony against him, given a tacit ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬–¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ and often mistaken competition – for sympathetic attention and moral priority” (Manne 209), exemplifies the continuation of silencing and humiliating women who seek solutions for particular offenses. Demonstrating the correlation between women in leadership positions and misogyny relates to the main ideology that, from a man’s point of view, women are secondary and seek attention to gain popularity. It supports the dehumanization of women as it displays the concept of male dominance in communities. Women who attempt to act against those who harm them are ignored or threatened, which is an example of the misogyny women