Feminism's Failures

Feminism has never been short of enemies. Evangelicals, red state conservatives, anti-abortion groups, grassroots organizations like Eagle Forum founded by the Napoleon of all anti-feminists, Phyllis Schlafly, have been standing athwart the Ms. Revolution, yelling "stop" since its beginning. Now, a new generation of feminist critics has come along—Louise Perry, Helen Joyce, Helen Roy, and Erika Bachiochi, to name just a few—who look nothing like past dissenters. They’re hip, (mostly) urban, highly literate, and accomplished knowledge-economy workers, yet they see a contemporary feminism—defined by girl power, lean-in careerism, sex positivity, and sexual monomorphism—as essentially a formula for immiserating young women.