Hi All,
For your make-up assignment, I would like you to think more about the meaning of feminism and what it is about. I would like you to keep in mind some the discussions we had in lecture on Tuesday and to try to incorporate the key terms "subject position/positionality" and "intersectionality" into your response, even if you are just trying these terms out for the first time.
Please read these two articles that discuss feminism from a wide range of opinions and perspectives, political opinions, and in relation to oppression, and share with us how you understand the meaning of feminism now after we have read about it and discussed it a bit more. Has your understanding of the term "feminism" or "feminist" shifted, and if so, how? Did anything surprise you or stand out to you and why?
Please write at least two paragraphs. If you would like to comment on another student's post, you are welcome to, but it is not a requirement for this assignment.
This is DUE by the time your normal section would end on Friday 10/6. Add your response in a comment below this prompt.
http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/21/515799019/today-s-feminism-too-much-marketing-not-enough-reality
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/a21728/feminism-political-commitments/
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10am: POST #3
For your final blog post, I would like you to read and respond to the poem "I Want a Dyke for President" written by artist and act...
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For your final blog post, I would like you to read and respond to the poem "I Want a Dyke for President" written by artist and act...
I consider modern day feminism to encompass the support for economic, social, and political equality for all groups that are marginalized or oppressed. These articles have very similar views to what I think it means to be a feminist. For a very long time feminist groups and movements have been very selective in who they support, mainly white, middle class women. Both of these articles spoke of the importance it is to have the movement become intersectional, meaning to include people of color, diverse sexualities, gender, and class.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the parts of the first article that touched on "A day without a woman." I think it is important to acknowledge that just because a person is not participating in these mainstream feminist events does not mean they are do not believe women and other oppressed groups should not have equal rights. A lot of women of color and in low social classes are not able to afford to participate in events like these where there is a possibility to lose money and/or their jobs. I think that while this movement has come a long way, there is more we could do to include all marginalized groups of people.
Before this class started I defined feminism as fighting for equality of the sexes. This class has made me realize that feminism is so much more than that. I was not aware of the problem of intersectionality until Tuesday during lecture and it made me realize that feminism needs to be a movement with reaching the goals of equality of all, despite someones race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. This class has already made me realize that feminism is a movement that involves all people, not just women.
ReplyDeleteSince this idea of intersectionality is so new to me, I really enjoyed reading parts of the first article about intersectionality in today's feminist movement. It was interesting to read the connection to the Black Lives Matter movement as well. Also, the idea of being a "lifestlye feminist" was new and interesting to me as well. I have never heard that term used before but as I was reading the article I realized that that term is very accurate. Feminism is relatively new to me and both of these articles shed more light on the fact that equality is still needed in many aspects of life. It showed me just how many different groups are still fighting for equality and how many people are affected by inequality through intersectionality.
In the two articles I read, modern and mainstream feminism is criticized for being exclusive to straight upper/middle class women. It fails to be inclusive of queer, women and trans women of color, working class women.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it is no surprise that white feminism ignores racial and economic inequality. It centers a white woman’s struggle rather than including a queer, or poor women of color or trans women of color experiences on oppression. Today’s feminism fails to acknowledge how sexist institutions negative affect the everyday life of women of color by subjecting them to living in poverty, being discriminated against, and having to work more for less. In the article “Today’s feminism too much marketing not enough reality,” the writer criticizes the Women’s March as a strike for upper/middle class white women to show unity. “Pussy” hats, t shirts with feminist slogans and merchandise was sold to show unity and solidarity. However, this failed to include how race and economic inequality stopped many poor and queer women of color from attending or having access to attend. It was a privilege to be able to attend this event. If anything, I think the march proved the ignorance of intersectionality and a women of color’s position in sexist and oppressive system. The “pussy” hats remains problematic as it only include women with vaginas, excluding trans women of color.
I also really like what the writer of “If Your Belief Are Oppressive, You Are Not A Feminist,” criticizes lifestyle feminism. Before reading this article, I understood the idea or concept of this type of feminism but did have a name for this. The writer Evette Dionne, criticizes feminist who claim to be feminists yet contribute to sexist oppression by being with the system that harms women. She describes it when a women is comfortable with her feminism it is because their “feminism” does not force them to reflect and change their beliefs. Most of the topics mentioned in both articles did not surprise me, but did clarify the meaning and meanings of feminism and how if practiced without intersectionality and with the goal of dismantling a sexist system it really is not feminism.
Growing up in a military community, I was sheltered from feminism for the most part. As a woman and lover of all people, I wanted equality, but I was living in a structured, male dominated society, where the man worked and women were support. It was not until later in my teens that women began to emerge in the military workforce rather than just a supporting role. The discussions and readings have helped me to develop my own view of feminism, and how society has not only created the divisions between people, but also is affected by these divisions as well. A person’s background and experiences molds their viewpoints, so being able to put a term to it, subject positionality, leads me to not only listen to what other’s view, but ask about life experiences that may have led to see things the way they do.
ReplyDeleteI did not realize until this class how wide the scope of feminism is. Feminism has a focus on intersectionality, which not only includes male versus female, but also incorporates many other issues, including race, class, sexuality, violence, etc . Equality versus equity is also such a powerful issue of feminism, that has been ignored for so many years. Feminism is viewed differently by many people, based on background and experiences, but one thing that can be seen through the movements, history, and opinions of people today is nothing will change in society by just calling oneself a feminist. Work has to be done to make society change. For society to end oppressive acts, it takes a feminist to lead their life by example, and not oppress anyone themselves, otherwise it is just adding to the problem.
My understanding of feminism is that it is inclusive and intersectional in every aspect: from race, gender, sex, sexuality, religious creed, and other personal attributes that may or may not dictate a person. The overall goal of feminism should achieve equal and equitable rights, opportunities, and reward for all peoples. After reading both sources, it seems that my definition is certainly reminiscent of Evette Dionne’s own definition, which states, “At its core, feminism is a movement that mobilizes women across identities to dismantle oppressive systems." In both sources, however, do I also share similar disillusionments in how the feminist presence is typically central in progressiveness for white middle (and upper-middle) class women. While I don’t believe that to be the final state of feminism, I do believe there is a ways to go until true intersectionality is achieved.
ReplyDeleteAs a woman of color, I can confidently say that my experiences growing up were not entirely the same as a white woman. While we could, perchance, have grown up similar households with similar backgrounds, financially, politically, and any other way to make us as similar as possible, there is still the differences in which we navigate society and how society reacts in response to our presence. As Amy Alexander discusses in her article, today’s feminism has become more of a marketing trend and public display than an actual movement for change and progress. While the recent Women’s march certainly did a number in reminding the American people about the presence of feminism, there was little immediate reaction in form of political discussion and/or legislation. Though, change does take time, there is still little reward that comes from these events. All in all, after reading these articles, it has cemented for me that I am a feminist at heart. What needs to be brought to attention is the need to understand and recognize that in order to be united as one movement, there has to be the acceptance of any and all differences of its people. From there, can we pivot ourselves in the right direction of equal and equitable rights.
Prior to taking this course, I was not entirely sure what my stance on feminism was. To be honest, I hadn’t given the topic much thought until I watched Emma Watson present a speech presenting the “He For She,” movement. Since then, I have come to harbor what I would describe as a blind passion for the feminist movement. I say blind because I still feel I do not fully comprehend the inequality other women have faced. I can speak from my own first hand account that I have felt, but after Amy Alexander’s article, I see the role intersectionality plays in the movement.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty as viewing the matter as black and white. Men and women should be equal, end of discussion. However, there are so many other factors at play that affect the inequality so many live with. I am beginning to see this as not just a social issue, but a human issue. It seems that it has become accepted for certain groups of people to not only be marginalized, but completely dehumanized. I am curious to understand the positionality behind this mindset. I do not understand the thought process of an individual that does not define as a feminist, and I believe that is an important step in learning hot to combat it.
My definition of feminism began with a simple introduction as it being the fight for equal rights of the sexes, a women’s history course I took at my community college expanded on that to broaden the scope of what feminism covers. This course so far has solidified and added to my knowledge about Feminism. Intersectionality was explained to me by a friend, who then applied it to feminism to correct a statement I had made. This helped me grasp the importance of intersectionality in feminist movements and how important it is to really understand all sides of an argument from people of color, different class backgrounds, and different upbringings. Over time my definition of feminism grew to include intersectionality and a better understanding of feminism that wasn’t just white middle class feminism. In this class though positionality is a new term to me, although the concept rings familiar. I hope in understanding positionality I can broaden my understanding of what feminism truly is.
ReplyDeleteIn the NPR article on feminism being too much about marketing and privilege it is easy to agree with the author that some aspects of current day feminism are not realistic and still center on white-based feminist ideals. Starting off, I personally observed many of the same shortcomings of this past year’s feminism displays from brands using it to market to the white presumably middle-class women who organized days without women or immigrants for that matter, not understanding why some could not participate. I agree though with her that today’s version of feminism could do well to understand the struggles of people of color, specifically women of color and those participating in the black lives matter groups. I also enjoy that the second author, of “if your beliefs are oppressive”, bringing in hooks notion that there could be as many kinds of feminism as there are women because in contrast to that I believe that feminism is one movement that just is not quite united in understanding all sides of feminism. I wholly agree with the author though that you cannot call yourself a feminist if you are aligning yourself with the beliefs of an oppressive system and continuing to invest yourself in harmful politics.
As a women of color growing up in a predominantly white wealthy suburban area, I was always conscious that I was never just my gender, but my gender and perceived race. I was not simply a girl, I was the “brown” girl against white walls and white bodies. My race was and continues to be a significant part of my identity in unity with my gender. My positionality as a women of color ensures that I see racial disparities as a feminist issue. Furthermore, coming from a working class family, I agree with Amy Alexander’s critique on how A Day Without Women, “while well-meaning, doesn't take into account the fact that some women can't miss even a single day of work without fear of being fired or docked a full day's pay.” This pertains to our class discussion on how feminism has a recorded history of neglecting women of color and working women, which brings me to the conclusion that if your feminism isn’t intersectional, then it’s not feminism.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how Evette Dionne recognized the difference between the reality of feminism and the perception of feminism, — an idea our class discussed last Tuesday — a notion she termed “lifestyle feminism," which Hooks defines as "the notion that there could be as many versions of feminism as there are women." I must confess that I, too, am guilty of lifestyle feminism, and now that I have recognized the hypocrisy within my ideals, I will intentionally aim to be more of an intersectional feminist. While I have found our lectures riveting, much of what we have discussed, I learned previously, excluding Ida B Wells, a woman I very much admire as of now. Feminism, to me, is the purposeful deconstruction of systematic oppression based upon, race, sex, gender, class, religion, and any other premise.
Like Rory Dicker, I was introduced to feminism later than most people. I grew up in a very conservative environment with my father as the head of the family and my mother as a housewife. The word "feminism" was never used or heard of in our household. I've only come to familiarize myself with it recently. Prior to my familiarization, I always thought of feminism as only exclusive to women. However, the readings and discussions we had in class has helped shaped my understanding of feminism as a movement to gain equal rights for both women and men of all backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the terms “intersectionality” and “subject position” are completely new to me, the discussions in class helped give me an idea of their meanings. Through the readings, I found it interesting how both articles shed light on the topic of intersectionality within feminism because as we learned in the lectures, feminism is an umbrella term that is made up of many factors. In Evette Dionne’s article “If Your Beliefs Are Oppressive, You Are Not A Feminist,” she addressed intersectionality by sharing the types of struggles different women of different backgrounds face, such as Palestinian women being “oppressed in many ways, including lack of healthcare and poverty” due to Zionism. In Amy Alexander’s “Today’s Feminism: Too Much Marketing, Not Enough Reality,” Alexander shows the difference in situations between the middle-class white women and the working-class black women and Latinas. The information provided by the two writers helped me better understand that intersectionality is about having more than one element of the subject position.
Admittedly, I felt just as guilty reading the article by Evette Dionne as I felt intrigued, because now I understand that there is a word for the type of "feminism" I had been subscribing to for most of my college career. In all honesty, for the past three years I have only ever thought of feminist notions when specific issues at hand affected me personally, which is essentially how Dionne describes "lifestyle feminism," a mindset in which the holder feels no obligation to challenge their beliefs and attitudes outside their own positionality. Of course, when I read news stories of women, like the transgender women targeted and killed as mentioned by Dionne, I find myself caught up in anger, cursing the tilted system we live under, but never was I angry enough that it compelled me to act. Instead, I also have to admit I bought into the "marketed" feminism delineated by Amy Alexander and considered myself a feminist by the standards set by the mainstream movement, without a second thought to its lack of conversations of intersectionality and its convenient assumption that all women share comparable oppressions. I believed that by pursuing a career in STEM, a field severely lacking in women, I was already doing my part as a feminist, but I failed to recognize the privilege of my own subject position that allowed me to pursue the sciences in the first place.
ReplyDeleteWhile I found the article by Dionne fascinating and enlightening, I did feel uncomfortable with some of her claims. Her commentary about the frivolous use of the term "feminism" rang all too true for me, but her logic in supporting freedom for both Israel and Palestine could have been elaborated. Instead, it strikes me as an inherent problem that her definition of feminism carries; it has become so overreaching that it loses a sense of clarity. She states that any woman who buys into oppressive and harmful attitudes towards any other women is not a feminist, which makes sense and looks good on paper, but I have serious doubts that the multitude of women's issues in this country is as clear cut as that sounds. At the same time, I appreciate her challenge that so-called feminists reevaluate their attitudes in all aspects of their societies and not just the ones that directly affect themselves, a challenge that I wish to take upon myself.
Feminism isn’t a term I am completely familiar with. In fact, it wasn’t until the controversy that occurred before and during the presidential election that I started to hear about the word feminist. As my curiosity grew, I began reading articles about what it meant to be a feminist; little by little I began to understand that I agreed with all the definitions of a feminist. Feminists believe in the equality and equity of ALL people, it is inclusive and intersectional. I have been a feminist my whole life without realizing there was an actual name to it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the article, “Today’s Feminism: Too Much Marketing, Not Enough Reality” because it is an honest article that shows the flaws of a feminist woman. For instance, it talks about ‘A Day Without Women’ which is a great way to showcase the pivotal role a woman undergoes in America; however, as it is stated it pertains mainly to middle class women, as they are the ones able to afford a day without working. What happens to feminist in the minority that want to show their support but can’t because they risk losing a day of work? I'm glad there's articles being written about these issues and more importantly that they are being questioned.
From a young age, I identified myself as a feminist. However, that definition continues to evolve the more educated I become on the topic. The belief that feminism is the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes is the common definition many identify with. However, the more I learn the more I understand that, in order to be a true feminist, your definition needs to go much deeper.
ReplyDeleteAs a white woman from a upper middle class family, I definitely need to be aware of my positionality. The way I experience sexes would be much different than the ways someone who grew up differently would experience it. The two articles we read delve deeper into this idea. Evette Dionne's article discusses how feminism needs to be intersectional and encompass the many different identities of women. She claims that you are not a feminist if you are not actively working to combat oppression in all forms that it takes. You cannot use feminism to merely enhance your own life and elevate yourself in whatever way deemed convenient. Feminism needs to be inclusive. The NPR article points out that today's feminism is largely based upon marketing, and has almost become a brand aimed to profit mainly white, upper middle class women.
In taking this class, I hope to be able to further encompass what it means to be an intersectional feminist. I do not want to be a "lifestyle feminist" and I want to be able to empower women across all walks of life.
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ReplyDeletePrior to taking this class, I did not have much exposure to modern day feminism. I thought that feminism was classified as solely equality for the sexes. After the discussions in class, I have come to realize that feminism pushes true equality, with the same liberties being afforded to all persons regardless of sex, gender, race, economic status, sexual orientation, or religion. After all, people are shaped by all aspects of their lives, so considering intersectionality is necessary when discussing equality.
ReplyDeleteUpon reading the articles, I realized that much like during the first wave of feminism, there is a discord among the feminist movement. While some women believe they are standing up for all womens' rights when calling for a protest on a weekday, others believe that these protests are not in the interests of the working class woman who cannot afford to take off work. Additionally, some women of color feel as though the central feminist movement does not have enough focus on race, and have turned to movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement in order to vent their frustrations. In my opinion, this divisiveness only harms the true feminism and its search for equality, since feminists need to be united in order to make a change. By not having a current central focus, feminism lacks the direction it needs in order to have a firm presence. However, I don't think that there's necessarily a fix for this issue. Because each individual will have differing backgrounds and values, it may be difficult to find a cause that all feminists can agree upon.
In the few days after starting this class, I have learned more about feminism than I had ever previously learned. As a woman, I have always felt passionate about women’s rights, and have always had this inner tantalization to identify as a feminist, but never did due to having little knowledge about what it really meant to be one. Society and the media negatively portray it as the “F-word” and as a movement for women to be supreme, when in reality most people have a very vague understanding of it. I believe the meaning of feminism is aiming for equity amongst all genders while taking intersectionality into consideration. I do not believe that feminism is meant to dominate men like the media sometimes portrays-- that would just be hypocrisy. I do, however, believe the goal of feminism is equity. Equity is more fitting than equality when the issue of intersectionality is brought under the scope. I agree that intersectionality plays a huge role in the experiences of every woman who has faced sexism. The situation is very different for women of color than it is for white women, and it differs across different religion, socioeconomic statuses, sexual identity, etc. I felt like Evette Dionne did a well at addressing intersectionality in her article; she not only lists all the ways that women can be different, but gives support. For example, she gives statistics exhibiting how poverty is more prevalent in black and Latino populations. And like Amy Alexander said in her article, poor women have more to lose when they fight for their rights. These articles helped me gain a better understanding of how intersectionality affects women and their rights. Touching on equity again, some women are more privileged than others, so equity would be giving every woman a fair chance to become equal amongst themselves and amongst men. I believe feminism has a goal we should all be aiming for, and does not correspond with all the negative stereotypes that society and the media portray.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started this class, I considered myself a feminist, but with a decidedly narrower definition of feminism. I believed that being a feminist involved advocating for the equality of the sexes. I now see that that is an incredibly narrow definition of feminism. Feminism is such a variety of different things at different times, each to different people. Because we are such a diverse community, from various races to sexual orientations to views and more, feminism means a different thing to each person, even if we all unite under similar goals. It is the intersectionalities, the crosses between being female and every other aspect of our lives, be it race, socioeconomic status, education level, or sexual identification, that make each of us unique and give each of us our own specific brand of feminism. It is nearly impossible to extrapolate ‘women’s issues’ without bringing other things to the table that are a result of one’s life experiences. We must address and accept each person’s subject position and how that affects their views and opinions.
ReplyDeleteIt can be easy to write off feminism as a well-meaning, if slightly oblivious, movement. While some may be fighting for their right to wear what they choose without feeling that they are being censored (still a worthy cause), there may be a woman struggling to find food to feed her family using her low-income job, who simply does not have the energy or resources to be able to care about what she wears. However, this just shows that feminism is a variety of different things at different times. It is the “resilience” and “unflashy problem-solving” (Alexander) that makes the feminist movement what it is. While it is emphasized in hugely public events like the Women’s March, feminism exists in everyday situations, which is what makes it so powerful. Rather than there being one blanket definition to feminism, I think it means a variety of things to a variety of people, each centered on the fact that women are capable and powerful individuals who deserve equity, whatever that means to each person. As the article suggests, feminism isn’t only about the massive marches or publicized events, it’s also about many facets of day-to-day life, something that looks different for each of us. It is what each of us chooses to stand behind and work to change, all under the pretext that oppression of women should no longer be an option.
Before coming to college, I didn't really think about political and social issues very much at all. I was definitely more blind to the injustices created within institutions today. I always knew, however, that somehow, women meant something less than men in society. Even as a young girl, it was common knowledge to me that women got paid less than man did, and learning about women's suffrage in grade school made it clear to me that women were not always considered equal to men. That was my basic understanding of feminism - that women were less than men due to old-world traditional values.
ReplyDeleteHowever, once I came to college, I became a part of a community of color that I identify with directly. Through the programming that they offered, my eyes were opened to the struggles that face PoC in this country, and I realized the amount of privilege that I had grown up with. This added another layer to my understanding of feminism, as well as helped me to really understand my own subject positionality and claim it for myself. As a Pinay, I came to realize that Filipinx wxmen like me are exoticized. This was something I had never before ever fathomed to be relevant to me. But as I kept learning more about the hxstory of my people that is buried under years of colonialism, and the struggles that the Filipinx community face in America today, I realized the parts of feminism that white-feminism fails to acknowledge. Ultimately, I began to understand intersectionality and why it is an important aspect to all forms of activism and all social and political issues. After learning more about the undocumented and the fear that they live with every day, I understood that their struggles should concern anyone who identifies as a feminist. For these womxn, they cannot change the fact that they are also womxn of color, immigrants, and perhaps even undocumented. That is why their issues should be issues that any self-proclaimed feminist fight to fix too. Upon reading the two web articles, I was reminded of all this knowledge that I was bestowed in the last three years. I was very happy to see that both articles discussed intersectionality and the issues of womxn of color.
Currently, I feel like if you can identify as a true feminist, then you are able to understand all of societies injustices. I think that realizing the dynamics of one power structure and its background and origins leads you to be able to discover more and more power structures and injustices. As a woman of color, I believe that activism, similar to identities, is very intersectional, and this class definitely very strongly reinforces this belief.
My mother is works as a housekeeper in the Los Angeles area, and her experiences as a woman of color working in a predominantly white area has served as foundation in how I came to understand feminism. I remember a specific event where a client of hers of 8 years, that treated her like family, started taking advantage of her workload and would add more and more to it each week without raising her pay. She eventually stopped working there after deciding enough was enough. Many elements of feminism were starting to show themselves to me as she explained her situations in the workplace, unknowingly at the time. I came to understand feminism as a movement for equality of all sexes, but it wasn't until years later that I started to see the world as less black and white and more for the social, economic, and political gradient that it is
ReplyDeleteI understand now that there is such a thing as toxic feminism, a movement formed by white women that want equality, but enough to leave them comfortable in their bubble. Other movements like "Day without Women" and "Day without immigrants" are a way to make it seem like they are doing work without putting in any actual work contributes to the equality of all women. This is why intersectionality is the prime example of feminism, it meets in the middle satisfy the women of all backgrounds without being toxic to people of color. We as a society cannot continue ignoring things that don't affect us while continue to "fight" for equality, it may seem like something powerful at the moment, but it is not beneficial to society as a whole in the long run.
Before starting this class, I consider feminism means women fight for the equality for their job opportunity and their voting rights. After I read these two articles and in class discussion, I knew that the feminism is not only the equality issue in economic and political. It is a complicate issue and its intersectionality causes it would not be a single principal. In long time ago, the feminism was belonged to the white and middle-class women. However, the modern feminism should be included the race, color, gender and class of people.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I heard about the word of feminism but I am not really known what it means. After I read these two articles, I know that feminism is an issue includes people of color, gender, race and class. I really like the idea about accepting and realizing ourselves experiences of “resilience, self-love and fundamental understanding that one's self-worth”. This is the way that we can see our value and recognized our life. Though fighting for the political and economic equality is important but the self-values are also important for us. Feminist fights for the rights for the women, I think the feminism also be a sense of self-value.
Before attending the gender studies lectures my definition of feminism was advocating for the equality of both women and men with in the political, social, and economic spectrum. However my definition changed after being informed that feminism isn't about fighting for the equality of both genders. Feminism is about being inclusive to those who identify themselves as female, male, lesbian, gay, queer, and trans. Also, feminism encompasses all racial ethnicities, religions, social, and economic backgrounds. Being able to have a clear understanding of the definition of feminism is important to me because I recently identified myself as a feminist. In order for me to advocate I need to be knowledgeable of all topics associated with feminism.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the articles I was shocked to be informed that the feminism of 2017 isn't inclusive. Instead, the feminism of 2017 promotes superficial beliefs rather than putting the effort required when addressing the facts of inequality. In order for feminism to be successful as a group we need to be inclusive and considerate of everyone who is struggling to dismantle oppression. Also we need to be able to recognize the "multidimensional layer of inequality". Lastly what stood out to me while reading the articles was the idea that one can't claim to be a feminist if they have oppressive beliefs. If one is close minded and not considerate of other's needs then one won't be able to successfully disintegrate the social patriarchy and the oppression that comes with it. Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of what feminism is so we can successfully advocate for our rights.
I’m still learning what the word “Feminism” means. Now that I have read a little bit about it and sat in on the lectures, I have an idea. Feminism has a ton of different interpretations. However, I believe that feminism is the fight to eliminate intersectionality. Intersectionality is a word I just learned, but I think it sums up the fight to annihilate: oppression, domination, and discrimination.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to take this class to get a perspective of what Feminism means through an educated point of view. In high school, I remember celebrities and my own classmates claiming that they were feminists. I did not really take them seriously because they did not engage in the movement or unification of women. They just said things like, “I’m a feminist.” Moreover, there was a Feminism Club in my high school and I joined it to broaden my horizons. I remember walking into the first club meeting and looking around to see who was there. I instantly felt unwanted because the students that were there were people who had oppressed me. I knew that was not an act of feminism. When I think of feminism, I think of unification and sisterhood. After reading both articles, I think some of today’s feminists are more obsessed with the label of feminism that they are not willing to do the work to relieve society of intersectionality. Reading about the histories of feminism really enlightened me because women were willing to sacrifice it all to gain equal right to men and more. Are women still doing all they can do to alleviate patriarchy, oppression, and discrimination?