In general, the commodification of art does not operate in the interests of feminism, and feminist aesthetics returns the favor. Compared to the size of its audience, a feminist aesthetic earns very little patronage. Censors, critics, gallery owners, collectors and dealers, teachers, publishers, patrons, and administrators have all participated in the current consensus of canon-bashing, and this makes it difficult to construct a positive feminist aesthetic beyond mere critique. A profusion of commercialism now undermines the capacity even of the market to establish worth. The art market replicates the condition of aesthetics, and if there is any future in feminist aesthetics, they must develop strategies to circumvent, transcend, or transform the marketplace.
Aesthetics are neither universal nor morally tone deaf.
What we value, whether as practitioners, audience, or patrons, is culturally assigned and determined. Cultural forces are behind every creative act, and they play an important part in audience response and reception of works of art. At its most vital, art occupies the cultural borders where change takes place, and it is one vehicle by which cultural values and practice are transformed. Footnotes Eagleton, Terry. The Ideology of the Aesthetic.