Her Body, Her Choice: Tough Girl Affect, Trump Support, and the 2020 Pandemic

When anti-lockdown protests erupted in the United States during the 2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many right-wing women crudely appropriated the feminist slogan "my body, my choice" in defiance of liberal fears and in support of Donald Trump. Looking at the widely shared image of a young woman holding a sign with the phrase at a rally in Texas, I discuss the communal charge of what I call tough girl affect—a politically saturated vibe, touting a notably youthful, right-wing femininity that is deliberately feisty, fun, and provocative, yet compliant with the hetero-patriarchal agenda of Trump's neoliberal macho politics. I am interested in the way body and choice evoke white femininity as affective strategy, negotiating a public feeling of privileged belonging to the nation. The article works through the tenets of body, border, and nation as central to this investment, suggesting that the tough girl image mobilizes femininity to affectively strengthen conservatism, whiteness, and homeland in the face of the pandemic. Staging a fantasy of impunity, the tough girl intimates the invincible conservative body in opposition to the porous emotionality of feeble liberals. At the same time, the spectacle of white femininity necessarily fuels national fears of permeability and hence charges negative (even fatal) attachments to fantasmatic sovereignty. While mobilizing vulnerability to energize femininity, whiteness, and borders, the image ultimately exposes the compromised bargains of living and dying in (Trump's) America. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Camera Obscura is the property of Duke University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Politics of Female Anger in Older Age: The Good Fight , Older Femininity and Political Change

This article identifies an important conversation about the politics of female anger in older age in the CBS show The Good Fight (2017–). By centring the narrative around the emotional life of a woman in her 60s, the show offers older femininity as a site for discussing social and political changes that have occurred in the USA in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump. Through a close analysis of the four seasons that were released before the Covid-19 pandemic, this article maps the emotional journey of Diane Lockheart through her personal, economic, and political crises, showing how different emotions are connected with Diane's engagement—and at times disengagement—with politics. Ultimately, the article contributes to the field of feminist cultural studies by exploring the way The Good Fight offers female anger in older age as key to feminist engagement and political change. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Television & New Media is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

From aesthetic labour to affective labour: feminine beauty and body work as self-care in UK ‘lockdown'

This paper draws on qualitative survey and interview data with 72 participants focusing on feminine body and beauty work practices in the UK's first Covid-19 ‘lockdown' in 2020. The data suggest that the affective dimensions of beauty were intensified, accelerated, and expanded during this period. Feminine beauty and body work was deployed to produce desired affects: namely positivity, productivity, and the elimination of stress and anxiety. I argue, therefore, that beauty practices became oriented less around aesthetic labour – the work of improving and maintaining appearance – and more explicitly and substantially a project of affective labour – the deep feeling work of generating and maintaining a disposition that aligns with the needs of capital. Using the lens of affective labour provides insight into the way that the affective harms of the pandemic crisis were individualised and managed by feminine selves through practices of beauty and body work. Participants' affective labour projects produced two interrelated sets of immaterial outcomes. First, they helped maintain a ‘market ready' set of positive and productive dispositions that were particularly crucial for those subjects in heightened conditions of precarity, insecurity or isolation. Second, affective labour was key to the deeply gendered, racialised and classed moral formulation of the ‘good' pandemic citizen who would, and could, follow the directive to ‘stay at home' in order not only to care for themselves and others, but to use the ‘opportunity' of lockdown to transform and improve the self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cultural values and changes in happiness in 78 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of data from the World Happiness Reports.

The concept of happiness is consistent across cultures to a significant extent, and encompasses both internal (subjective) and external (situational) aspects. Cultural values and norms shape emotions and behavior from an early age, and hence play a key role in influencing cross-national variations in happiness. Cross-national variations in culture can thus play a key role in influencing the relationship between adverse circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and happiness. The current study examines the relationship between the six dimensions of culture, defined by Hofstede and his colleagues, and subjective ratings of happiness in 78 countries, obtained before (2017-19) and during (2020-21) the COVID-19 pandemic, based on data from the most recent World Happiness reports. The key results were: (a) countries were as likely to experience an increase as a decrease in self-reported happiness during this period; (b) distinct domains of culture were significantly correlated with happiness at each time point, though there was a certain degree of overlap; (c) pre-pandemic levels of happiness were negatively associated with changes in happiness during the pandemic; and (d) among cultural dimensions, long-term orientation was positively associated with changes in subjective happiness, while indulgence was negatively associated with this variable. Certain cultural values may play an important part in fostering a path to well-being in the face of stressful or traumatic circumstances. This path may be similar to the concept of mature happiness, derived from existential philosophy, which is characterized by achieving a balance between the positive and negative aspects of one's life.

Stresses of COVID-19 and Expectations for the Future Among Women: A Cross Cultural Analysis According to the Femininity/Masculinity Dimension

The COVID-19 pandemic created stressors and uncertainty, particularly for women. This international study explored whether the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's stressful experiences and future expectations is associated with Hofstede's cultural dimension of femininity/masculinity, which refers to the cultural constructions of gender role differences. In total, 1218 women from 15 countries varying in cultural femininity/masculinity provided narrative data by answering open-ended questions via an online survey. Data were analysed using mixed methods, starting with thematic content analysis followed by logistic regression analyses. The findings from the regression analysis indicate that many stresses and expectations that were mentioned in the narratives were unrelated to the cultural femininity/masculinity. However, women from masculine cultures more often expressed disorientation, while women from feminine cultures more often wrote about negative emotions. Additionally, women from masculine cultures had more future expectations regarding daily activities, while women from feminine cultures had more expectations regarding social activities, work and economic revival, and universal social issues. The pandemic seems to confront women in both types of culture with similar challenges. The differences between women from feminine versus masculine cultures indicate that increased societal participation and responsibilities of women in feminine cultures was associated with negative affect during the pandemic, but they also propelled plentiful expectations for the future "after COVID-19".

Leaving home: Safer spaces beyond the neoliberal family

The instruction to #StayHomeStaySafe during the Covid crisis was for many women and girls as much a threat to life as the virus itself. Domestic violence not only escalated during lockdown but the routes to safety that many had come to rely on were no longer available. This chapter argues that the rupture created by Covid-19 offers a space in which we can radically re-evaluate how we understand the relationship between gender, violence and concepts like 'home' and 'family'. Taking a critical posthumanist approach, Debra Benita Shaw proposes that we need to take into account the symbiotic relationship between bodies and architecture and how the objects that we interact with in everyday life enable a perpetuation of ontological ideals. In this way, she suggests, we can begin to formulate a radical critique of the social structures that make a place for gender based violence to exist. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Understanding the pregnant women's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Macao: A qualitative study.

Objective: To explore and interpret the experiences of pregnant women in Macao during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Recruitment advertisements were published through multiple social platforms in Macao. A purposive snowball sampling method was adopted to select interviewees. Eighteen women who were confirmed as pregnant from January to May 2020 participated in this qualitative study. Data was collected from November to December 2020 using in-depth personal interviews. One-to-one interviews were conducted by telephone to avoid personal contact. Thematic analysis was used to perform the data analysis and identify emergent themes. Results: Five themes emerged from the data analysis: changes in daily life, psychological distress, unique experiences of pregnancy follow-up, trying to pay attention to health information but also feeling overwhelmed, and change in hygiene behaviors due to fear of infection. Six sub-themes were identified: being confined at home but understanding the reasons, financial pressures and timely support from the government, perceived risk of catching the infection, retaining optimism with various help and support, adequate personal protections, and obsessive hygiene behaviors. Conclusion: During a pandemic, there is a risk of greater individual isolation, particularly for vulnerable groups such as women in pregnancy. The humanized attention to and support for the residents from the government buffered the adverse impact on the study participants. Preplanning for such events is needed to focus on psychological distress, financial constraints, and prenatal health services. Alternative service delivery, such as telemedicine, online counseling, and virtual reality (VR) technology, should be applied to offer pregnant women timely support and avoid a crisis.

Gender norms shape perceived threat to self and others and mask wearing behavior in response to COVID-19

As the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact the globe, it is increasingly urgent to determine to what degree individual differences predict risk perceptions and protective behaviors that can potentially mitigate the spread of the disease. Past research has linked masculine and feminine gender norms with risk perceptions as well as a variety of health behaviors. The current study surveyed U.S. adults (N = 479) about their perceptions of the COVID-19 threat to themselves and other people, mask wearing, and conformity to relevant gender norms. Results indicate that conformity to gender norms shape risk perceptions and mask wearing behavior. Specifically, masculine autonomy norms, risk-taking norms, and antifeminine norms either directly or indirectly predicted less mask wearing, often due to lower perceived threat to self or others. Feminine communal norms predicted greater mask wearing due to increased perceived threat to others. This indicates that conformity to different gender norms may alter risk calculations and that concern about others is at least as important as concern about the self in understanding what motivates people's protective health behaviors. Public health messaging that aligns with communal norms by emphasizing one's ability to protect others or that aligns with masculine norms such as how the behavior will promote their self-reliance may be particularly effective at promoting a range of COVID-19 prevention behaviors that will likely be required for several years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement The present study suggests that gender norms shape people's responses to COVID-19, including mask wearing behavior and whether they are primarily concerned about risk to themselves or to other people. Those who value their autonomy are less likely to wear masks, and those who value relationships are more likely to wear masks because they are concerned about others. This shows that how individuals perceive risk is important for developing specific public health messaging that engages different audiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Feeling protected: protective masculinity and femininity from Donald Trump and Joe Biden to Jacinda Ardern

This article emphasises the role that political leaders’ discourse plays in evoking positive emotions among citizens in uncertain times, such as feeling protected, secure and proud in addition to the leaders’ (often interconnected) role of encouraging negative feelings such as fear, resentment and anger. The article argues that such discourse frequently involves performances of gendered leadership. It cites examples from a range of countries to illustrate the points being made, but focuses on the 2020 US presidential election which saw a contest between two forms of protective masculinity: Trump’s exclusionary, macho, hypermasculinity versus Biden’s more socially inclusive, empathetic and softer version. Trump’s protective masculinity failure over managing the COVID-19 pandemic was arguably one of the factors contributing to his electoral defeat, while Biden aimed to make voters feel safer and more protected than under Trump. The article also provides examples of protective femininity, with a particular focus on the discourse of New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. © 2022, Policy Press. All rights reserved.

Exploring dimensions of sexual issues in disasters and conflicts: Need to bridge the gaps between policy and practice

Summary Background Disasters and conflicts are becoming more severe in nature over the decades. Though a number of efforts are made for disaster management, yet the sexual issues arising in disasters are often not understood, explored and discussed to ensure adequate interventions. Methods This qualitative study is based on systematic observations and documentations in different disaster management programs between 2001 to 2020 with a number of survivors (at least 100 families in each disaster) across India. The community-based participatory research was adopted to collect information, document the same in daily, weekly, and monthly reports. Through a number of interactions, systematic documentation of the interventions, personal bias and social barriers were neutralized to bring a constructive and conclusive understanding. Results There are a number of sexual and reproductive health issues among the women, girls, boys and men, that often lead to multiple coercive sexual relationships and high-risk sexual behavior leading to exploitation and abuse. Sexual rights are severely compromised during emergencies and conflicts which often leads to multiple coercive sexual relationships and high-risk sexual behavior leading to exploitation and abuse. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic imposed a number of sexual difficulties and increased sexual activities over virtual platforms. Conclusion Protection of sexual rights and preventing the survivors from experiencing sexual violence are essential for their rehabilitation and recovery. The various policies on disaster management have no clear focus for addressing these through effective programming. Considering the wider array of sexual issues, the recommendations for disaster management are formed for the sexual well being of survivors.

Concern About Contracting COVID-19 Predicts Men's Preference for Female Facial Femininity, But Not Women's Preference for Male Facial Masculinity.

OBJECTIVES: Humans have evolved a behavioral system that responds to perceptual cues suggesting the existence of a pathogenic threat in other individuals and the environment. While previous investigations have reported that individuals' sexual preferences are influenced by a pathogen threat, the empirical support for face preference is mixed (i.e., the association of pathogenic threat and individuals' preferences for masculine and/or feminine faces is equivocal). The COVID-19 pandemic provides the opportunity to investigate the association of pathogenic threat and men's and women's preferences for sexual dimorphism of faces in the opposite sex in a real-world pathogenic situation. METHODS: Data were collected during COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) from men and women in the United States, and women in Iran, on preferences for masculinity in men's faces using women participants, and femininity in women's faces using men. RESULTS: Results showed that concern about an actual pathogenic threat (i.e., contracting COVID-19) predicts men's preference for female facial femininity, but not women's preference for male facial masculinity (for both U.S. and Iranian women). CONCLUSION: By using an actual pathogenic threat, our results support previous findings that men's preferences for female faces are shifted to less feminine faces under pathogenic threat. Moreover, our results provide support for the distinction between the behavioral immune system and pathogen disgust, at least for men's preference for feminine female faces. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40750-020-00158-w.

Depression is Associated with Moderate-Intensity Physical Activity Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Differs by Activity Level, Gender and Gender Role.

PURPOSE: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and associated restrictive measures have implications for depressive symptoms (henceforth depression) of young people and risk may be associated with their reduced physical activity (PA) level. Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between depressive symptoms and PA among college students with different gender and gender role (masculinity traits and femininity traits) during the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study included 628 healthy college students from nineteen different locations. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scales (CES-D), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and the 50-item Chinese Sex-Role Inventory (CSRI-50) were used to measure depressive symptoms, PA continuous (weekly metabolic equivalent minutes, MET-minutes/week) and categorical indicators (activity level category) and gender role, respectively. The statistical analyses were used in partial correlation analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, moderation model tests, and linear regression model tests. RESULTS: Total of 34.72% participants had clinically relevant depression (16, CES-D scale). Total of 58.6% participants were classified as a "low" activity level for spending less time on PA. Depression significantly negatively correlated with MET-minutes/week in moderate-intensity PA but not vigorous and walking scores. Of note, the depression-PA association was only moderated by the "low" activity level group in terms of categorical scores across gender groups. Participants with higher masculinity traits were less likely to have depression among all participants. Moreover, more recovered cases and fewer deaths could also predict the lower depression risk in the "high" activity level group. CONCLUSION: Moderate-intensity PA is beneficial for reducing depression risk among college students at a low activity level. College students with fewer masculinity traits (regardless of gender) are highly vulnerable to depression during the outbreak of COVID-19. Effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic seems critical to alleviating the burden of mental disorders of the public including depression.

Gender Diversity and Work-Life Conflict in Changing Times.

The aim of the study is to contribute to the "well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion" dialogue of the post-pandemic era. Specifically, we explored the joint effects of biological sex and gender diversity in self-identity on the role demands-work and family conflict relationships. To advance the inclusion of scientific knowledge, the present study was conducted in the cultural context of a Chinese society. We surveyed a sample of 317 Taiwanese employees. We used structured questionnaires to collect data on biological sex, gender identity (self-endorsement on masculinity and femininity traits), work and family demands, work-to-family conflict (WFC), and family-to-work conflict (FWC). We found two sets of significant three-way interactions (sex × femininity × role demands) in predicting work and family conflict. First, for men, identifying with high femininity traits strengthened the positive relationship between work demands and FWC; for women, identifying with low femininity traits strengthened the same relationship. Second, for men, identifying with high femininity traits strengthened the relationship between family demands and WFC; for women, identifying with low femininity traits strengthened the same relationship. Our findings highlight the importance of jointly examining the biological, psychological, and social aspects of gender on the work and family interface. Contextualizing in an Eastern cultural tradition, we put the spotlight on societal pressure on people of nontraditional gender identities.