The persuasive mask of postfeminism: Claire’s hegemony and sexual politics in House of Cards

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on a particular discussion in the sphere of TV series that revolves around women’s empowerment: the recurring confusion between feminist efforts to improve the condition of women and minorities as a structural group and postfeminist rhetoric of individual struggle and hard work, the latter being frequently used by politicians. Using the six seasons of the House of Cards (HoC) TV series as a case study, I argue that Claire Underwood exercises a hybrid femininity frequently portrayed as inclusive in discourse but ultimately seeks to increase her political influence by leveraging social issues such as abortion and sexual harassment. In light of the Roe v. Wade overturned and the use of postfeminist rhetoric by politicians such as Hillary Clinton, hybrid forms of femininity both contribute to and reinforce systems of inequality. These forms highlight the systemic differences between ordinary women and those who have reached the top of the political hierarchy.

KEYWORDS:

• House of cards
• hybrid femininity
• postfeminism
• sexual politics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The concept of gender order maintains significant relevance within the masculinity framework, contributing, as explained by Connell (1992, 1995, 2012), to the contextualized and historical understanding of individual characteristics. Messerschmidt (2016) argues that masculinity scholars should not only consider gender discussions but also mention the role of other social dynamics, such as race, class, and sexuality. Collins and Chepp (2013) and Collins (2015) criticize the specific reductionism of gender order, which they consider part of monocategorical thinking, which lacks an interdependent understanding of systems of domination.