Final: Question 2

Feminism today is very different than early 20th century feminism. Fighting for the right to vote is a much different task than fighting for reproductive rights or for paid maternity leave. The differences are not in the overall cause of the movement, but in how the movement is promoted, what is being fought for, and what feminism means to individuals. The overall cause of the movement is simple: equality of the sexes. The interpretation of what “equality of the sexes” means is left for the three waves of the movement to decide and the individual to decide.

First/Second wave
A woman’s right to vote is taken for granted every day. It makes sense that this generation of women have become largely apathetic towards their rights as women when they have grown up watching their mothers go to the voting poles. This generation does not understand what it means to not vote. Watching Iron Jawed Angles (while it is a dramatization) made the struggle more clear to me. Not only had women been robbed of their right to vote, but when they raised enough awareness over the issue they were abused. The force feeding depicted in Iron Jawed Angles that resulted from hunger strikes in the women’s prison made me see what it took to gain the right to vote. Being force fed raw eggs and milk for the right to vote is what defines the first wave of feminism.
The second wave of feminism introduced a whole new set of feminist issues, primarily reproductive rights, rejection of what society defined as femininity, and other legislation that would protect women. Videos in class, the F-Word, and a few other class materials alluded often to the “bra burning”, “hairy legged”, and “angry” feminist from the second wave. Making progress in this wave of feminism was closely linked to being a “good” feminist that burned their bras, grew their leg hair out, and was angry at society (whether or not those links were intentional they were and still are there). These characteristics are what made feminism well known in a sense other than voting rights. But these characteristics are also what have survived in our society the most out of the second wave and have been projected onto the so-called feminists today.

Third wave
The F-Word makes a great point at the beginning of the novel: no wonder feminism is regarded as such a dirty word today, it ends in –ism along with words like communism. Common conceptions of what a feminist is were best shown in one of the class videos. It was really easy to tell by a person’s short answer to what a feminist was if they had any experience learning about what feminism actually is. For those who had not, they either thought it was a dirty word, or referred to the second wave images. For those who had taken time to learn, an understanding that feminism has something to do with equal rights was shown.
Since there is a great deal of misunderstanding and ambiguity surrounding feminism, it makes sense that people don’t know if we need feminism anymore. Post-feminism is discussed is great detail in The F-Word. All evidence given in the discussion of post-feminism supports the need for feminism and that post-feminism is a great misconception. One of the most weighted arguments shines light on the fact that women have not been strong voters historically and are not equally represented in political and professional realms. The author argues that feminism is needed to motivate women to act together to become entirely equally represented before they can worry about the issues that divide them. Women will not have a strong enough political voice unless the move together. The entire body of The F-Word is devoted to motivating that there is still a very serious need for women and men to act with feminist ideals.
Once I read through The F-Word, I was able to identify many misconceptions that I had previously held. I was finally read to find my own definition for feminism. The best definition that I have thought of this semester was motivated in Feminism is for Everybody: “Imagine living in a world where there is no dominion, where females and males are not alike or even always equal, but where a vision of mutuality is the ethos shaping our interaction.” I feel that a large part of feminism now needs to have love and respect towards males, which involves admitting that the sexes are not entirely equal in all senses. How does one gain respect if they don’t respect?
The ability to define feminism is a more prevalent idea in the third wave. The Manifesta deals with this directly, instead of droning on about what feminism is, it discusses what feminist is not. It is sad that the movement has had to redefine itself in terms of what it is not, but it gives me hope. There is a greater chance that individuals will take interest in feminism if it can accommodate a large set of personal beliefs.

Women’s Studies
Women’s Studies form the cornerstone for young women to become involved in this movement. In fact, I can’t acknowledge an easier, more accessible way for a college student to learn about feminism. Women’s Studies intersect feminism is two ways. The first is that the institutionalization of feminist ideals is a huge victory for the movement. The academic environment understands the importance of this field of study and acknowledges it. This provides countless opportunity for the feminist movement in terms of ability to publish literature under a university name, have access to more resources, and reach out to students. The second is an expansion of the feminist movement’s ability to reach out to students. Having courses, clubs, and literature available to students is key in educating the public on the need for feminism.

Am I a feminist?
Yes. I believe in a “vision of mutuality” between the sexes and in the beauty of the difference in the sexes. I understand that many inequalities are still anchored in our society, and will not be knocked out unless I do something, which is the take-home message of The F-Word. I also understand that any movement is dead unless activists take motion in fighting for their cause. In terms of being a feminist, I believe in striving to succeed in realms where women are not equal in order to tactfully encourage others to do the same.
...Thanks for a great class!