Final Essay #2

Many of the readings of this course have impacted me, in good and bad ways. Feminism is so multi-faceted that it was hard for me to pull out one theme out of these readings. The readings I chose are “The Beauty Myth” by Wolf, “Opt Out” by Belkin, The F-Word: Feminism in Jeopardy by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, and Feminism is for Everybody by Bell Hooks. The theme that I discovered throughout all these readings is the empowerment of women and the ongoing battles that women are still fighting. Being a woman is not an easy thing (it never has been), and these articles explore the current battles women are fighting and attempt to propose solutions to these problems. These readings have really opened my eyes to the many inequalities women still face today. Before this class I always thought we were pretty equal to men with a few minor exceptions. Now I know that this is not really the case Body image, I believe, is one of the most important issues women face today. You would think after all the battles women have fought and won like the right to vote, we wouldn’t be worried about something as silly as body image right? Wrong. Anorexia has run rampant among adolescent girls, cosmetic surgery is constantly on the rise and it is no wonder why. In the F-Word chapter “Tracing the Divide: Campus Women, Social Issues, and Volunteerism”, social and media images of women were on the top ten social issues list for college age women. Every single day we are bombarded with unrealistic images of emaciated, blond, and made up models who we are supposed to look like because that is what “beautiful” is. Airbrushed and sexed up women are used to sell everything from beer to dental floss. These defined beauty standards are degrading and irrational. In “The Beauty Myth” Wolf discusses how the beauty myth is the last powerful feminine ideology still in place after all these years. Sadly it will probably be many years before it is dislodged. The Beauty myth exists universally and will continue to exist because women long for it and men desire women who embody it. The myth states that beautiful women are more fertile and that these events that perpetuate these beauty ideals are a never ending circle that cannot be broken. Obviously this is not true and I found Wolf’s article extremely refreshing and empowering at the same time. Chapter 8 in the F-Word and the Belkin article both discuss the current state of motherhood. Balancing a career and children is an exhausting and challenging job. In “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Current State of Motherhood” Rowe-Finkbeiner discusses how earlier in the feminist movement, women who decided to stay and home and raise children were ridiculed and seen as part of the problem for “giving in” to the chains of being a woman. Part of the third wave of feminism is accepting all types of mothers, traditional and non-traditional and those who attempt to combine the two. Rowe-Finkbeiner highlights these challenges of the working mother. It is common for women to put their career on hold and then take time off work once they have children. Many of them try to get back into the workplace unsuccessfully because of companies unwillingness to work with the demands of employing a mother. I think a quote from Ruth Todasco really embodies this problem, “Only when women’s unwaged work is acknowledged and valued will women’s demands and needs be valued.”So, although women have made great strides towards keeping their identity when they are married, now the main obstacles are arising upon the birth of children. The “Opt Out” article by Lisa Belkin explores a rising trend in motherhood: starting a career only to “opt out” of their jobs when the children arrive to stay at home. This article is extremely controversial and I thought it was one of the most interesting articles we read this semester. Opponents of Belkin argue that she only focused on a few upper class women who cannot possibly represent the majority of women because most do not have the opportunity to opt out even if they want to. Although I think this argument is probably true I think the more important issue here is that most women would want to opt out if given the chance. This article just goes to show you how difficult it is for women in balancing work and family. These are issues women will always have to face. Chapter 4 in the F-Word discusses the need for women, especially young women, to raise their voices about important issues. It also brings up the point that young people aren’t as apathetic as most people tend to think. According to a survey based on college women in the United States, 82% of these young women vote. They are concerned about such issues as gender equality, reproductive rights, self-identity, balance in everyday life, violence against women, economics, education, health care, images of women in media and society and civic engagement. Young women need to realize the power of their vote and continue to fight for their rights that others in the past have fought for because “democracy is not a spectator sport”-Marian Wright Edelman. Although I do not agree with many of the readings this semester I think I still have gained much from them. I never really thought about feminism that much before this class other than to dismiss it with a wave of my hand. I think awareness of the world around you and sharing opinions with others is a vital to becoming a well rounded, educated person and this material along with the class has helped to get me a little closer to that goal. These readings will help me later in life as I myself struggle with being a woman and everything that it brings. Some things I am still curious about is feminism around the world. I would have liked to read more about that. In hooks chapter “Sisterhood is still powerful” she highlights another of the current problems the feminist movement is still facing. When feminism first started gaining momentum, it created a foundation for women to come together within a sisterhood to fight sexism. It was extremely helpful in casting away the change of patriarchal thinking. At first the sisterhood was strong and accepting of women with different races and classes. As the movement continued to grow however, the sisterhood began to weaken. It was hard work to keep the foundation that they had formed strong. Large groups of upper class white women made the decision to continue to have domestic servants, namely women. Obviously this is no way to have a sisterhood with all women. Women need to take a step back, learn to accept all women for who they are, and repair the foundation that has been damaged throughout the years. We now have a much better understanding of feminist theory and have had much time to learn from our mistakes in the past. The sisterhood can still be, and is, a powerful thing.

Sources:

“The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf

“The Opt Out Revolution” by Lisa Belkin

“Between A Rock and a Hard Place: The Current State of Motherhood” (Chp 8 in the F-Word) by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

“Tracing the Divide: Campus Women, Social Issues, and Volunteerism” (Chp 4 in the F-Word)

“Feminism is For Everybody” by bell hooks

Final Essay #1

Feminism can be defined many ways and means different things to different people. The definition has also changed throughout the three waves. A quote from the F-Word defines feminism as “the radical notion that women are human beings”- Cheris Kramarae. This definition makes sense to me in some respects but I do not like the fact that it only includes the female gender. Merriam Webster gives two definitions: “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes,” and “organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” I hate to admit that I, myself, was one of those individuals who thought of most feminists as bitchy, man-hating, obnoxious, lesbians. After taking this class however, I realize that feminism is, for the most part, not like that. Just like there are different types of Democrats, Republicans, Muslims, and Catholics, there are all different kinds of feminists. I think that a good basic definition is that feminism is the idea that women and men should be treated as equals and be given the same respect and consideration as human beings. Like I mentioned before however, there are an endless supply of definitions and one of the things I have learned from this class is that there is not just one right definition. In order to define and better understand what feminism is, it is imperative to discuss the history of the movement. The first wave of feminism in the United States began in the 1880’s. The famous first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls in 1848. This convention fueled the beginning of this newly forming movement. A Declaration of Sentiments was prepared, demanding women receive equal treatment. Everyone knows now however, that it would not prove to be that easy. During this time period slavery was also a hot button issue and several famous abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth spoke publicly in support of women’s rights. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were on the forefront of this fight. The right to vote was obviously their main focus during this first wave but they were also concerned about other issues such as independent citizenship and the right to work outside the home. Marches, protests, and hunger strikes ensued. Many women were jailed and fined during these frequent demonstrations but this certainly did not stop these courageous women. In 1913 there was the famous demonstration of 10,000 people at President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. Alice Paul, the suffragist leading the group was arrested and put in jail with several of the other demonstrators that night. As soon as they were set free, they were at it again. The HBO movie “Iron Jawed Angels” that we watched in class showed just how much courage and resilience women from the first wave had. A light seemed to appear at the end of the tunnel when an amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote, was introduced in 1878. Sadly it was shot down and proceeded to be defeated every year for the next forty years. The 19^th amendment was finally passed and ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote. Along with the right to vote women had also gained something greater: a voice for themselves. The second wave of feminism, from roughly 1960 to the 1980’s, was all about women getting involved in politics, reproductive rights, gender equality in the workplace, and gaining their independence from men. Not all women were equally included in the first or second wave however. Especially starting in the 2^nd wave, women of color and poor women got very little representation in the movement. Along with racial and class tension came age tensions as well. Older women and younger women, although perhaps agreeing somewhat on what they wanted the end result to be, had very different views about how to go about it. Despite the many tensions however, many important legal battles were won and more and more options were becoming available to many women as a result of the second wave. Although perhaps not as monumental as the gains made in the first movement, the second wave was essential. With the third wave has come the radical idea that there are many different ways to be a woman. If you want to stay at home with your children and be a traditional housewife then that is fine and no woman should be ridiculed for that. If you would like to juggle a career and children then that should be your prerogative. Balancing work and family was mentioned in many of the readings this semester. Belkins article “Opt Out” deals with the concept of having a career and children at the same time and the F-Word has entire chapter devoted to the current state of motherhood. The third wave is often referred to as being post-feminism but I do not think this is the case. I think women are starting to take for granted the rights that we have today because we were not the ones who had to fight to get them. My generation and several before me have always had the right to vote. I also think that women are not banding together as much as they should. Young women especially are not making themselves heard, giving the impression young women simply do not care. We have made much progress but as Rowe-Finkbeiner states in the F-Word, women are still not getting equal pay, motherhood is undervalued, marriage and relationships are being threatened, and women of color have a long ways to go before they reach equality even to white women. Women’s Studies is closely related to feminism for so many reasons. As hooks talks about in FIFE, the introduction of women’s studies courses to campuses has exposed young women to important information about themselves and the women that came before them and provides them with a self haven to share their ideas. I think it is a great thing that people, especially young women (who are still forming ideas about themselves and the world around them) can come together and learn about issues women struggle with. Whether one considers themselves a feminist or not, I think it is important that everyone be aware of the history of women and the many other important things included in the Women’s Studies curriculum. The history of women is a rich and extensive one and is an extremely important part to both the feminist movement and to Women’s Studies. I do not claim to have all the answers and I certainly do not wish to bash those who do consider themselves feminists. In thinking about writing this paper and deciding whether or not I considered myself a feminist or not I realized that there were not many readings this semester that I could use to back up my claims. The chapter in the F-Word about motherhood briefly touched on the fact that women should be able to choose what kind of feminist they were, traditional or not, which I found refreshing but most of the other articles all included ideas that I simply do not agree with. Despite the fact that I have a more positive view of feminism after taking this course I still do not consider myself a feminist. Although I have learned that just because I do not agree with all the feminist “issues” does not mean I cannot be a feminist I personally do not wished to be labeled as such. I am extremely pro-choice because of my religion and with reproductive rights being central to so many feminist ideas I do not feel comfortable wearing the feminist label. Another issue I have with feminism is that I feel that by simply labeling the movement “feminism,” women themselves are going against the very ideals they so vehemently try to uphold. Why call it feminism if women and men are to be treated equal? Why not include both of the genders instead of just women?

Sources:

The F-Word: Feminism in Jeopardy by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Iron Jawed Angels, HBO

“Feminist Education for Critical Consciousness” (a chapter in Feminism is For Everybody by bell hooks)

“The Opt Out Revolution” by Lisa Belkin