What is feminism?

I define feminism as the advocacy for equal rights and the termination of oppression across all genders. I have heard people incorrectly describe a feminist as an angry and aggressive man-hater. However, feminists believe no sex is superior to the other.

Reading A World Without Feminism and A History of US Feminisms made me more grateful for all progress that has been made. Everything that women can now do and were not given the choice to do before was fought for. Our lives now are so much different, however, there is a still a lot of progress that needs to be made. Conformity still exists in my culture and in many others. I grew up in a Hispanic culture that is predominantly patriarchal. The women around me are stay at home moms and the men are responsible for providing for the family. I am breaking my culture’s stereotype. There are large inequalities that our society is still facing. I was shocked to read about how low the percentages of female workers in corporate boards, politics, and STEM are. I had assumed the percentages were higher. The readings have broadened my definition of feminism because it does not only aim to eradicate the oppression of women, but also of oppression based on race, class, age, and sexual orientation.

Miss Representation shows how the media objectifies women. A soon to be mom is worried about having her daughter grow up in a society like this. The documentary shows a variety of women and their experiences. The way women are shown on the media is demeaning and is negatively influencing the way girls see themselves. Little girls are cutting themselves and starving themselves from the pressure of society to be “perfect”. Even the models on magazines, music videos, and commercials are photo shopped. The media pushes the idea that world revolves around appearance and finding love. Most female news reporters are on the air with low cut, v neck blouses, and short skirts. Story lines of female protagonists in movies are mostly all about finding the love of her life. It’s common to see female singers go up on stage with little clothing when you would think the vocals would be enough to get people to hear you. Miss Representation tells girls you “don’t have to use sexuality to attain empowerment in the world”.

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry focuses more on the history of the feminist movement and the sexism that was fought against. Betty Friedman wrote the book The Feminine Mystique, inspiring women to take a stand. Interviews of people against the feminist movement included both men and women that thought the place of the women was in the household. Regardless, most women were united and determined to be heard. A group of women decided to catcall men to call for change. Because these women refused to conform to society’s norm, we have more rights than before. Now we need to take a stand and fight against culture’s oppression.

 

Rebecca Walker

Rebecca Walker is said to be the start of the Third Wave of feminism. She was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969. Her parents are Alice Walker, an African American feminist author and her father is Mel Levanthal, a Jewish American civil rights Lawyer. When she was eight years old, her parents divorced. She felt like her parents were always too occupied with their careers to care about her. At age 14, she had an abortion, but turned her life around in high school.

At the age of 22, Walker was a student at Yale and published “Becoming the Third Wave” in Ms. magazine. She is known for presenting the ideas of race, class, culture, and gender.    She was not happy with the second wave because she thought there was more to be done. She finishes her article the article saying,”I am not a postfeminist feminist. I am the Third Wave”.

Feminism: Cutting across Social Platforms

Coming from a background lacking in knowledge of feminism, I only had superficial thoughts on the topic based on snippets of information I have heard in the past. To my understanding, feminism describes the movement promoting women’s rights with the goal to the close gender disparities in the U.S.

“Sex appeal is a job requirement, wearing makeup is a rule, and women are fired if they exceed the age or weight deemed sexy” (“A Day Without Feminism”).

After reading the essay, I found myself feeling anger in imagining life without the freedom women utilize today. Although I remembered women were restricted in control, I had forgotten how severe the restriction was compared to today and my blood reached boiling point while reading the offenses qualifying as sexual harassment in today’s culture. The introduction was not an emotional read, but it did solidify my understanding of how feminism aims to free all women and that the bond of sisterhood symbolizes homogeneity among women of all demographics. Unfortunately however, the first wave of feminists neglected the individual needs of women who were not well-off white housewives – poor women and black women.

Another issue with the initial feminists was the exclusion of transwomen. This begs the question of how feminism intersects with gender. “Night to His Day” (“Night to His Day:  The Social Construction of Gender”) hits the nail on the head when it comes to explaining the complexity between the need for the social categories, the presence of variation among individuals, and the uneasiness which occurs when someone cannot be neatly categorized. A piece of information some people forget is the fact some people assume the other gender in order to fit into a desired group or occupation; this however does not mean the person’s gender identity lied in that role permanently. It begs the question of where the line between gender identity and gender roles resides. Do people take on gender roles in consequence of their gender identity or do they identify with the gender complimenting self-chosen roles. The article also shows how much culture has changed as far as language, using the terms “transsexual” and “transvestite”, both of which have a negative connotation in today’s American society.

Another facet of feminism often forgotten is the fact different countries are in various stages of equality between the sexes. I admire the Nicaraguan dancers for their courage and drive to share their country’s story and be activists with Women in Action (Daughters of Corn Dance Troupe). I found the history of Women in Action empowering, but also eye-opening at the difference in culture – the US has domestic abuse, but not as the cultural norm. I understand the work of Women in Action in the neighborhood of La Primavera in Managua to have the goal of balancing the power of the sexes. Historically, men dominated their wives, and nothing was done because it was the norm. Women in Action seeks to break this chain of abuse by hosting meetings with the women in the neighborhood. Women are generally being treated better since Women in Action started, but that is not to say problems have disappeared. Some husbands go through with killing their wife because they figure they are going to jail anyways; that conclusion is disheartening, but I have hope the newer generations are growing up with different values than their parents and grandparents. The talk made me realize feminism is globally connected – countries deal with similar cases of power imbalance and violence despite differing cultures and locations. I know in some countries, I think in the Middle East or maybe in Africa, rape is not a concept – if a man leaves his partner unattended, she is open to assault without legal repercussions on the attacker. I would like to know about programs in other countries/towns like Women in Action.

We Are What We Consume

People have likely heard the idiom “you are what you eat”. Could the idiom apply to media as “you are what you consume”? Signs point to yes. Media today includes everything public – TV, movies, websites, social sites, radio, commercials. One salient influence of the media is its influence on people’s perception on the meaning of being a man or woman. Femininity and masculinity are portrayed as hyperboles of the norm through visual media – auditory media too, but most obviously in the visual sources. Although people often think they are not paying attending to things like ads, it is the cumulative effect of seeing the same motifs that result in influence. The influences of media, while sometimes positive, are often negative as one group is lifted at the expense of another.

Historically, to be feminine is subordinate to being masculine; this leads to trends such as it being socially acceptable for girls to wear pants and shorts, but socially deviant for boys to wear dresses and skirts. A woman objectified in an add is viewed without question, but a man objectified raises uproar. Commercials often use sex to sell products – the tactic makes for a memorable ad, which means customers are more likely to purchase the company’s product due to familiarity. The problem, however, lies in the fact women are usually the ones being negatively sexualized for the product. The female body is often nude and dismembered; when the head is included the face will be obscured.

The result?  People are conditioned to view women as a sum of their individual parts instead of a whole person – with emphasis on the breasts and butt since they are associated with sexual contexts.

While media turns women into isolated parts, men hear they should be callous, immune to all emotions, yet they should express aggression to assert power. Media tells men compassion and sadness equal weakness, and expressing them makes them less manly. Because compassion and showing sadness are deemed feminine traits, telling men they are bad essentially relays the message femininity and being feminine – that is being a woman, is bad. Idioms like “don’t be such a girl”, “man up”, and “you throw like a girl” reinforce the notion girls are weak and subordinate to boys. Always has a commercial focused on the “…like a girl” idiom. Boys and girls of various adolescent ages are asked to demonstrate “throw like a girl” and “run like a girl”. The older participants displayed stereotypical running and throwing involving poor form, weakness, and dramatization of pettiness, like the “oh my hair” exclamation. The youngest participants displayed normal running motions when asked the question. This social experiment provides evidence the degrading of girls and feminine qualities is a socially learned association.  Continue reading

Natan Santos

Natan Santos is a 21 at Dartmouth. I made the best of my high school years, earning his place at the top of his class. Natan has been part of 10 different organizations that help give back to the community. Natan is most proud of his creation:  he clothing company Son of King a line to empower generations to come. He is also the creator & leader of his young gentleman group to help young males all across Boston.

Check out my website:
Sonofkingclothing.com

Olivia Goodwin

Hello internet world!

I am from North Carolina, but I was born in Ganzhou, China and was adopted around the age of 1 year old. I came to Dartmouth College because I felt at home in the outdoorsy atmosphere of campus with its smaller student population. I joined Spectra – the LGBTQIA+ club on campus; I identify as lesbian/gay, and my gender identity would most accurately not be labeled because I don’t quite know what makes someone boy or girl, aside from one’s personal affirmation – that said I present as cisgender female and accept she/her/they/them pronouns. Although I always enjoy discussing my sexual orientation and gender, I highlight myself as a pole vaulter. I was recruited to the Dartmouth Track and Field team as a pole vaulter/long jumper and have been doing track overall since around 5th grade. I do not find I am socially awkward, but rather I often feel I don’t fit in with “popular” social groups. Growing up, this led me to make friends with the other people who the main body decided were outcasts. Thanks to that tendency I have a diverse friend pool.

I have always liked school, even if the topics of class were uninteresting in the moment. As of now I intend to major in sociology; in high school I took the sociology class and absolutely loved it. I am also set on taking the pre-health track with the destination of medical school. Since middle school I have wanted to be a surgeon – the world will always need doctors; I am always amused when people think something is “gross” and I seem unhindered, so the idea of digging around someone’s innards sits with me okay. Also, again I like school so it’s not a problem I’ll be in it for a long time.

Extra information:  I have a Google blog of personal, creative, and random thoughts here. Additionally, my junior and senior year of high school I wrote up a short story explaining how I came to realize I’m lesbian. Click here to read it on Wattpad.

Thanks for getting to know me,

Olivia

High school track meet 2017