Toward a Feminist Food Rhetoric

Abstract

In 2012 The New York Times’s “Ethicist” column hosted a public writing contest, asking participants to defend eating meat. The contest sparked controversy due to its panel of judges—all white men. Analyzing this case study and the debate it catalyzed—a dynamic conversation about the problem of yoking animal ethics expertise to white masculine authority—issues calls for a feminist food rhetoric. Applying such an analytical lens illustrates both who may address food with authority and how such power is cultivated from gender stereotypes.

Notes

¹ I am grateful for the enthusiastic and supportive feedback provided by RR peer reviewers Melissa Goldthwaite and Bryan Moe. Jane Greer’s generous responses to drafts strengthened my work considerably and Kathleen Hunt’s expertise expanded my knowledge of communication studies scholarship.

² See also: Dubisar, Abby M. “Promoting Peace, Subverting Domesticity: Cookbooks Against War, 1968-83.” Food, Feminisms, and Rhetorics. Ed. Melissa Goldthwaite. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2017. 60-74.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Abby M. Dubisar

Abby M. Dubisar works at Iowa State University as an assistant professor of English and an affiliate faculty member in Women’s and Gender Studies and Sustainable Agriculture. Her publications cover topics such as the rhetorical strategies of women farmers, teaching rhetoric through the issue of food waste, women’s activist cookbooks, and students’ videos that launch feminist rhetorical criticism, among others. The courses she teaches include social justice rhetorics, popular culture analysis, and gender and communication. She may be contacted via email: [email protected].