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oai:keep.lib.asu.edu:node-2010642025-06-12T22:26:32Zoai_pmh:alloai_pmh:repo_items

201064 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.201064 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2025-05 41 pages Santaella, Noemi Barca, Lisa Ostling, Michael Barrett, The Honors College School of Public Affairs Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business School of Sustainability Department of Management and Entrepreneurship This thesis explores how capitalism has co-opted feminist ideals to market products and exploit women’s labor under the guise of empowerment. Through historical and contemporary case studies, from Edward Bernays’s “Torches of Freedom” campaign to Unilever’s Dove “Real Beauty” initiative, this paper traces how corporations have aligned themselves with feminist rhetoric while perpetuating structural inequalities. The analysis discusses the commodification of body positivity, the burden of emotional labor in service economies, and the rise of neoliberal feminism, which emphasizes individual choice over collective action. It also critiques the entertainment industry’s manipulation of female fan communities for profit. By exposing these contradictions, the thesis argues that corporate feminism often reinforces the very systems it claims to challenge. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for increasing corporate accountability and also creating more authentic feminist engagement in marketing and labor practices. Feminism Neoliberal feminism Corporate feminism Emotional Labor Feminist marketing Commodification of empowerment Branding and gender Beauty Standards Branded Empowerment: The Commodification of Feminism in Capitalist Markets