How Empowerment Became a Purchasable Product
Originally used by social workers to encourage marginalized communities to rise up from poverty and oppression, the term “empowerment” has taken on completely different definitions in recent years. It’s been transformed into a mass-marketing tactic—especially when pertaining to women—flaunted by corporations (like the #StrengthHasNoGender campaign from Brawny paper towels, a company owned by Koch Brothers who have spent millions funding anti-abortion programs) with the sole intent of moving more product. An article in the NYT contemplates the sincerity and meaning of this new “empowerment,” arguing that its diluted nature can actually be disempowering. Read more at The Times.
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Via nytimes.com link opens in a new window
