Where Does She Belong

As Emily discussed, these three readings focused on first wave feminism and the struggle to oppose de jure inequalities, with a primary emphasis on achieving the right to vote. Woman wanted to have their voices counted in the political structure of society. It is interesting to note that parallel to women’s suffrage, African Americans most often worked separately and not with this group. When Lucretia Mott, a white, feminist delegate, was refused the right to speak at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention, the chasm between these two groups was further demonstrated. Isn’t it tragic to think that two groups, slaves and white women, who were both being oppressed by the same force, refused to join together. Would these movements have been more productive if they had united? One may hypothesize that a larger group, with a wider array of participants, would have had more significant influence. The distressing result was that African American women often remained isolated.

Along with Emily and Cait, I also found Sojourner Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?”, to be the most empowering. She was not only a woman, but also a black woman. She was not treated to any of the “privileges” that a white woman’s lifestyle offered. Instead, she was forced to work as a slave as well as bear children. Women, like Sojourner Truth, appeared isolated in a world where others were struggling for rights. They fit in with neither black men nor white women. They remained an excluded subgroup of a subgroup and thus had a weak voice.

When one moves to the twenty-first century and examines the 2008 presidential election, groundbreaking advancements were accomplished. The 2008 Democratic primary was the first time that a woman, Hillary Clinton, was running for the Democratic nomination for president. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, became the first black president of the United States. It is important to note that nowhere within these presidential campaigns was a black woman nominated for the position of president or vice-president. One might suppose that this subgroup of the population continues to lag behind. It is important to recognize that Michelle Obama, the first black first lady, has impressively high popularity. “Barack Obama's approval ratings are good. Michelle Obama's are better” (Page).

rad

In tuesday's class we discussed the differing paradigms of feminism. One of the notable differences between radical feminism and liberal feminism is that the former believes they must work outside the system in order to instigate change. They believe that since this is a inherently patriarchal world, simply changing the laws in place won't accomplish anything, we must re-program our society into a completely different way of thinking. Initially I was unsure of who I believed to be correct. At first glance it appears as if those who have been working inside the system have accomplished a lot; equal pay for women, voting rights etc. But after reading this articles I've begun to rethink my initial assessment. The three works we read for tomorrow were written quite a long time ago. A few of these women's dreams have come true, but the truth remains that women are still not treated as equals, exemplified by the subject of this course and the discussion/debates we partake in. There is still much work to be done. But how is that possible, after all this time that the issue remains prevalent? It appears to me that the radical feminist were right. We can change laws, but that will not change the rebirth of the same mindset. Men may go along with the "idea" of treating women as equals, but how many of them actually believe in this idea? I guess the problem remains that the radical feminists have a much more difficult time creating concrete change since its not easy to work outside the system we have in place. 

I, like emily, enjoyed the "Aint I a woman?" speech. I remember my 6th grade english teacher reading it to us all that time ago. Obviously my interpretation and response to the speech then is quite different that it is now, having gone through adolescents and had some experience in the "real world". This may be cliche to say, but there aren't enough conversations such as this in todays world. I'm starting to understand a bit more why Levy is so disappointed in our generation's outlet for "rebellion" ...

First Wave

Readings due for tomorrow's class discussion were quite short and direct to the point. First wave feminism sought and fought for women's suffrage, to be included in political decision making and thus included in society where they have been excluded.

In some ways I was surprised to read that Lucretia Mott was refused permission to speak at the world anti-slavery convention in London, even though she had been an official delegate. Did they not invite her to speak? Then again times then were much different than they are today for most women in the world, and we have only Mott and women like her to thank for that. If not for her and her colleagues women's rights may still look very much like they did in the 19th century. However, things are different yet two waves have not answered all of our questions or needs. In an ever changing society and world so will our needs and wants need to be changed. People regardless of creed are excluded for one reason or another. We, as women, will always have to fight to be included and accepted. That may be pessimistic but that is what I believe.

Out of all three readings I truly enjoyed reading Sojourner Truth "Ain't I a Women?" It was powerful and moving. Here she is a women, a black women, a slave who sees and acknowledge her differences than Mott and women like Mott but still hopes for Motts success. "Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him." is my favorite part of this speech. If you are a Christian and believe in Jesus than Sojourner is absolutely right!!! I love her spunk and attitude.

Feminism?

This post is only about Betty Friedan excertp from The Feminine Mystique. I, like Cait found this piece to be incredibly sad. I could not imagine being in these women's' shoes. They went to amazing universities learned about history, economics, politics, government, literature and ended up spending the rest of their lives at home raising kids and taking care of the house. Of course these women were not satisfied!! When you've been exposed to knowledge and worldly things and then are only left to make choices about which type of brand of laundry detergent will really get those tough stains out, of course you are going to be bored and ask is this really it? I feel for these women and what is worst is that they were ashamed to even be admitting that they did have those feelings. That must have been terrible. I was also shocked to read that men took this issue so lightly and even proposed that women should not be admitted to four year universities so that they may not be burden with these feelings. I was disgusted to read that.

Again, like Cait, my mother has a career- actually more than one. She's the type of women who needs to be always doing something and is constantly pushing herself. I've always admired her for this reason. She is the opposite of these women. I had to ask myself what would my mother do if she lived then instead of now? The first thing that came to my mind actually scared me, and I think it was because I was also asking what would I do? Now there is nothing wrong with staying at home and raising a family but knowing thats all you were ever going to be able to do... to me is depressing because I have dreams just like these women did. After asking this question, I thought about my grandma. She is another strong women in my life who I've always looked up to. She's tough, doesn't put up with crap, yet is always friendly- to everyone and not in a phony way. I realized that my grandmother is the women in these excerpts, and then a memory came rushing to me. I went and saw Mona Lisa Smile with my grandmother and normally my grandma falls asleep at the theatre, but during this movie when I looked over at her she was crying, she grabbed my had and squeezed it tight, and then leaned over to me and whispered I'm so glad things are different. I am too.

Men and Women Successfully Exchange Roles

Betty Friedan, Alice Echols, and Ariel Levy, are all authors who offer varied perspectives of women’s struggles for equality. Each of these authors wrote in different time periods. Friedan’s article, “The Problem That Has No Name”, was written in 1963 and discusses the “second wave” of the Women’s Movement. Friedan notes that women are questioning themselves, “Is this all?” Is this because women are gaining an interest in education and careers outside of the home? “For over fifteen years there was no word of this yearning in the millions of words written about women, for women, in all the columns, books, and articles by experts telling women their role was to seek fulfillment as wives and mothers” (Friedan 570).

In 2005, approximately forty years after Friedan’s article, Ariel Levy reexamines the Women’s Movement. Levy points out that many attempts towards equality failed. The author further clarifies that some past feminists had been destructive in this movement. Levy explains that there were two early groups of feminists, antiporn feminists and pro-porn or “sex-positive feminist.” The Women’s Movement in the sixties and seventies became divided. Congress Passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but many women instead focused on their goals to achieve sexual freedom and pleasure. While Levy is often critical of feminism movements in the past and present, she offers limited solutions to resolve the continued inequality. Although women have no yet achieved true equality, the opportunities that exist today are far greater than before these movements began.

Tara Parker-Pope, a writer for The New York Times, explores the varied reasons why women choose to leave the house and pursue a career in her article, “She Works. They’re Happy.” “Ever since Betty Friedan urged women to leave the house and pursue careers, people have argued over whether women’s marriages and romantic prospects would suffer for it” (Parker-pope ST1). Parker-Pope elaborates on the emergence of financially successful women today. A report from the Pew Research Center recent Census data divulged that women are the primary breadwinners in 22 percent of couples. This has increased 15 percent since 1970. While it has been hypothesized that these couples would have a higher divorce rate than more traditional couples where the man is the breadwinner, this is not true. The author cites a 2009 report from the Center for American Progress that points out that married, educated women, who are economically independent, are less likely to get a divorce. Perhaps women, with equal opportunity, choose men of interest instead of men who offer economic security. I agree with Cait that Playboy and sexual scandals continue to make headlines but the progress that has been made should not be overlooked. While the rate of progress has been disappointing to some, it has moved in a positive direction.

ambiguity and sadness

In our readings assigned for tomorrow there was lot of information going in many different directions. Its all difficult to stomach. In this chapter of Levy's "Female Chauvinist Pigs" we dive deeper into the issues present in our world today. One element of the this chapter that struck me was the ongoing comparison between the "sexual revolution" as defined by the likes of Hugh Hefner, and the CAKE organization, versus the feminist movement. In class we discussed whether the feminist movement was inherently liberal or conservative, but we left the question up in the air. I believe this to be quite telling, as much of this movement is drenched in varying opinions, different circumstances and general ambiguity. But back to Hugh and his sexual "liberation" of women. I think his argument was most compelling to me because he embodies a lot of what this movement is plagued with, he is saying one thing when in reality he means something completely different. He claims to be liberating women  by celebrating their beauty and allowing them to express it. He is in opposition to the conservative prudes who try to suppress women's freedom to flaunt their attributes. I think Hugh is lost in a cloud of his own cigar smoke. He is "celebrating" only the aspects of women that are pleasing to men. He is "celebrating" blondes and boobs and while there is nothing wrong with being blonde and having boobs, I agree with Levy when she says that we shouldn't pretend like this movement is something that it isn't. I think Brownmiller put it well when she asked Hugh in their televised confrontation if he'd like to prance around on stage wearing bunny ears. If a woman is proud of her body and she wants to show it off (perhaps it's all she has going for her...) then so be it, go for it. But Hugh shouldn't cloud our judgement by comparing his enterprise with the feminist movement. 

I found Betty Friedan's chapter to be profoundly sad. It was difficult to read as a young woman in college. Times have obviously changed since she wrote this book, but I know these problems still reverberate today, and thats a difficult notion to swallow.  I got my copy of "Feminism In Our Time" from Amazon.com. For those who don't know, that means that my copy is used and was sold to me by some random person in the US. Oddly enough, within the pages of my copy is a wrinkled post-it note, written on it in purple ink is, "waffles, frozen vegetables, cereal (one box) milk, oj, pasta, construction paper, safety pins, bananas" I found this to be a bit ironic as I read through this chapter, hearing story after story about bored housewives who's lives consist of nothing beyond housework and pleasing their husbands and children. I began to imagine the woman who wrote this list. I wondered if the construction paper was for her. I wondered what she needed the safety pins for. I wondered if the one box of cereal she was buying was her favorite, or if it was Lucky Charms. Perhaps I'm reading too far into this post-it note, but I think it helped me put the pain of these women in perspective. I've never been in their shoes, and since my mother has a career, I've never even seen this sentiment played out in real life. But I have profound empathy for these women. I found the bit about society constructing these "norms" for women to be particularly sickening. How women were enticed to desire new washing machines and baby cribs to help fuel the economy. It made these women seem like drones. Just following the crowd to please someone else. After being abroad for a semester, and then returning to our painfully homogeneous campus, I cant help but liken the girls that I walk amongst everyday to the future sufferers of this livelihood. 

This post is particularly pessimistic, but I can only hope our future readings will lighten my viewpoint a bit.

Raunch Culture

Like Alex said above, Ariel Levy's Female Chauvinist Pigs, discusses how women have changed the way they think about how and what it means to express their sexuality. Levy states that only thirty years ago "Our mothers were 'burning their bras'" (Levy,3). Now women are purposely dressing scandalously and asking to be put on camera with very little clothing or none. I do not think Levy has specifically asked the question why this has happened, at least not in the introduction or the first chapter. Instead, in these first 50 or so pages, she gives examples of how society has transformed from the once very conservative to the now more liberal society that it is.

Levy does however begin to question if we (our society) is post-feminist. Yet, by reading between the lines one might begin to think that Levy does not believe this. That this new culture is not representative of being post-feminist, but may in fact be a step backward. Her writing style, what she chooses to italicize and the examples she uses allows the reader to come to this conclusion.

At many times throughout this reading I agreed with Levy. Are women really more liberated and empowered because they feel comfortable enough with themselves to display all their "goodies" to anyone who asks? Yet, at the same time I also see the other point. It takes a large amount of confidence to go out and wear these "scandals outfits". Like my mother always told me when we went shopping for cloths "If you are not comfortable in this it shows." Now this didn't mean my mother was pushing raunchy cloths at me, quite the opposite. I am just saying the women who choose to wear short skirts or low cut tops have a certain air about them, they are confident. It appears that more women are taking control of their own sexuality and their way of displaying their sexuality. Having control over this means they have power to make this choice, thus they are empowered. The one thing, that I would think, all feminist strive to promote is empowerment and equality.

I think there is more to this than what we have read. I found it very interesting that GGW (Girls Gone Wild) videotapes young women when they are completely intoxicated. (Yes I knew this already, I think what they have to say about it is interesting). Most to all of us have probably done something we wished we hadn't while under the influence. So for me, it's somewhat insulting that this organization gloats on how women are so comfortable with themselves. If this was the case why don't they video tape women who are sober? They probably wouldn't have the same reaction from girls or have girls be so willing to expose themselves for a measly "hat". I think that since GGW and other organizations similar to it there has been a new culture of younger girls seeing this and thinking its completely appropriate. What women choose to do is their choice, if someone is comfortable with that than great... but I do not think it's right to say it is the norm. Saying it is the norm, may make other girls feel like they have to do this, and that is not the case. To be empowered means to make your own choices on what you think is right for you.

Ariel Levy’s book, Female Chauvinist Pigs: Woman and the Rise of Raunch Culture, examines and often criticizes women’s decisions to participate in raunch culture. The author, as a feminist, questions why women continue to feel intrigued as well as empowered by this objectifying culture. Is a women’s wish to fit in with the male culture an adequate reason for such a choice? “They wanted to be ‘one of the guys’; they hoped to be experienced ‘like a man.’” (Levy, 4) While Levy thoroughly explores aspects of women’s decisions to participate in this industry, she omits various conflicting views.

Levy interviews women who substantiate her argument. Although she mentions the money that is often exchanged for participation in this “adult industry”, she does not adequately explore how this money is being used. This income may pay for graduate school, a child’s medical bill, a mortgage, or extravagant, frivolous goods. One must consider that these jobs pay significantly higher wages than working in Starbucks or Barnes and Noble. Perhaps, some of these women are taking advantage of their marketable appearance in order to accomplish specific goals. Is this subgroup of women devaluing themselves or working for profit? When a woman exposes her breast for only a t-shirt, has she made a poor decision? When an eighteen year old voluntarily decides to expose her body, does she comprehend later ramifications? Society consists of a world in which privacy is often limited. Actions are often documented on video, the Internet, and magazines. Ten years later when this woman delivers her first daughter, will she dwell her past decisions? This often impulsive decision made as a youth, which was once viewed as empowering, may now be regretted.

Levy does not explore the role of parents in their adult children’s decisions to participate in this raunch culture. Parents often attempt to instill their values in their children. Can upbringings be modified in order to prevent future generations from making similarly decisions? A woman’s objectification of her body as well as women’s chauvinistic objectification of other women’s bodies has been perpetuated over time. Each woman’s decisions must be evaluated individually. While it unacceptable when a woman is abused or forced to participate within this industry, is it wrong if a woman voluntarily partakes in raunch activities? Male strippers and porn stars are infrequently criticized. It may be more effective or prudent to first eliminate women that are forced to participate in this industry instead of the woman that choose this path.