The Myth of Postfeminism - Why the '00s Were So Sexist

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As our culture collectively revisits the misogynistic treatment of the Britneys, Parises, and Megans of the 2000s, we have to ask: WHY was this era so deeply toxic for women? A key answer to this question is a thing called "Postfeminism": the belief that misogyny and sexism are over, and therefore “feminism” is no longer necessary.

Surely, many films or shows that can be called “postfeminist” contain some wonderful complexity, honesty and humor, and there are many people who identify with or take empowerment from postfeminism’s emphasis on individualism and freedom. But those values can’t be a replacement for addressing the structural problems that women continue to face.

• Popular shows and movies started to portray society as a world where women have everything they could ask for, free of misogyny and sexism (Sex and the City, Ally McBeal, Bridget Jones etc.) but also suggested that their freedom wasn't making women happier. Hollywood pushed the idea that women had it better when they had fewer choices.

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2nd wave feminists at the time, apparently HATED the show, because Ally, who was a screwball comedy rendition of a 3rd wave feminist, was very feminine and neurotic and wore miniskirts to work/court and carried a torch for her male childhood crush.