The White Album

Didion sees the revolutionary power of feminism as contrived and views the women’s movement as vacuous. She blames followers of Karl Marx—a 19th-century political philosopher who promoted the overthrow of capitalism—for trying to turn marginalized classes into revolutionaries. Didion claims most marginalized people care about practical issues and gaining access to what the majority has. She accuses feminists of turning women into a class and forcing a consciousness on them that reduces them to “victims.” Didion doesn’t think the world has clear victims and predators, and she doesn’t view marriage, cooking, or raising children as automatically oppressive. Makeup advertisements and eating alone don’t bother Didion, and she doesn’t feel constantly raped.

Didion admits that sexism harms some women but she notes that others get along fine. Didion believes no one can force a woman to conform to sexist norms, so what feminists are upset about is that their lives haven’t met their expectations. She sees the women of the feminist movement as children who don’t want to face the murky and harsh reality of the adult world. They continue to crave unrealizable fun and romance. Didion believes the women’s movement isn’t a tangible cause for women but a symptom of their immature fantasies.