Victim feminism is a term that has been used by some conservative postfeminist writers such as Katie Roiphe[1] and Naomi Wolf[1] to critique forms of feminist activism which they see as reinforcing the idea that women are weak or lacking in agency.
Among various attributes of victim feminism, Wolf writes that it projects violence and competitiveness onto men or their patriarchy, while disregarding these qualities in women.
[9] Schneider criticizes the dichotomy of feminism in the form of "victimhood vs. agency" from the legal standpoint, arguing that the view of women as either victims or agents is incomplete and static.
[2] Gender studies scholar Rebecca Stringer writes that besides Wolf and Roiphe, other feminist authors have criticized the representation of women as victims and promoted a brand of agency-affirming feminism.
[10] Each of these authors wrote popular books in the 1990s about feminism framed as calls to action, like earlier works by Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer.