Welcome to My So-Called Feminist Life. So what exactly is this?
- An attempt to use new technology to raise some consciousness
- A “feminist action” descended from the women’s movement in the 60s and 70s when women’s voices shined a light on oppression and ushered in changes we had not seen since 1920 when we secured the right to vote
- The means by which 25 percent of my grade will be determined in the women’s studies class I am taking at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
All of the above. This blog is a way to document key learnings from that class in the spirit of virtual consciousness-raising. My professor believes that feminism is not just about learning – it’s about action.
I am not an expert on women’s issues, and I am by no means a scholar. I am a 46-year-old mother of two young children. I am married. I chose to take this course because, while I consider myself a feminist, I didn’t really have much knowledge to back it up. The best I could do was to argue equal rights were “fair.” In addition, I hoped to:
- Expand my base of knowledge about feminism in order to be able to articulate the challenges – and solutions – to today’s women’s issues
- Give myself the freedom to express my views without being concerned by those who roll their eyes at my arguments for women’s rights
- Educate my daughter – to instill in her a sense of gratitude for the women who have gone before her to pave her way to greatness and goodness
- Discover more about myself
At the end of this semester, I will have read more than 80 articles and two books and seen hours of films and documentaries. In addition to an historical review of the first and second waves of feminism, we have discussed the relationship between hip-hop music and misogyny, “queer parenting,” ageism, the beauty myth and anorexia, domestic violence and rape, marriage and motherhood, women in the workplace and politics, and, of course, reproductive rights.
When I entered this class, I had a rookie’s definition of feminism: The right to be who you are in the world regardless of gender, and the right to make decisions freely. So far, I haven’t changed my definition. I have, however, been changed by what I have learned. I am grateful for the opportunity to step outside my everyday routine to explore issues, even if I don’t agree with all of the ideologies. My feminist action is first and foremost a selfish act. I need to meet my curriculum requirement and, by writing just a little about what I have learned, I can further cement and integrate knowledge. But the “action” part of this effort also entails a desire to broaden awareness among an audience that, like me, may not be actively discussing women’s issues.
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11 comments:
Susan -- I applaud your efforts, not only on this specific topic, but on your desire to continue learning, growing and expanding your horizons. You have so much to offer the world -- and Olivia (I love that she makes it into the list of goals for this undertaking).
When I was an undergrad at Smith, I benefited from and was empowered by many feminist beliefs, but "feminism" itself became an ugly word to me, embodied by the most radical of women on campus, with whom I did not identify. I think there is room to re-define feminism in today's society. But if it's all about equality, as you purport, than maybe it needs a less gender-specific name (here I am -- all about branding!) like, simply, "equality" ("equalism"??), to distinguish the evolution from what became radical in the 60s/70s (and continued radically at least on my campus into the 80s/90s).
LAPR, thanks for alerting me to this blog, and Susan, thanks for making it happen! I am CERTAIN that there is a whole generation of 40-somethings who would agree - we are women who believe in equality but don't call ourselves feminists.
I was amazed and intrigued with the reaction from women to Sarah Palin as a VP candidate and would love to hear what this blog's community thinks about her impact on feminism and women who aspire to or are in leadership roles. For better or worse, her presence on the national stage - even if it is for only for the past 2 + months, will have an impact on women in politics and the workplace for some time. I was drawn to her folksy ways, turned off by her political positions and inexperience in world affairs (or even national and state affairs), annoyed with her treatment by the media. When has Katie Couric EVER asked a man what he reads? (Not that I was thrilled with Palin's answer.) Is it progress for women when a mediocre woman is tapped to run for the second highest office in the land? And why is it that men aren't embarassed by mediocre men rising to the top?
I will echo La phillips ryan's comments to an extent. The word "feminism" has never been a word I used to describe myself as it seemed (for some reason and maybe not legitimately)devisive, them vs. us. Of course, some of it historically has been, male bashing...you know the emails you get where the man is made out to be completely incompetent. I think it is important not to belittle the male sex in an effort to make gains towards equality for the female sex.
I admit to not having much of a historical knowledge of it, and I look forward to reading more of the blogs and comments around the topic. Im sure I will have more to write later! Cheers!
Posted on behalf of my technologically challenged mom:
Yes, I'm happy to learn about feminists. One of the memories I have of my childhood is wanting to be able to kiss my elbow because that was the magical way to become a boy. Even then I could sense that something was not right about the way females were treated...in the neighborhood (which was a great one), at school, in social settings. Girls always had to be very well behaved because mishavior would be a blot against the family and people would "talk". But " boys could be boys".
I don't know what the heck a blog is and I don't know that what I have to say would contribute to an A+, which is what I want Susan to earn because I know she is capable of doing just that.
I remember that during my long labor to birth my first baby (boy) at age 22 one of the nurses said to me, "You have to suffer to have a baby." and I felt like smacking her across the face but Ms. Goody Two Shoes would never stoop to doing that. However, I did tell my doctor what she said and asked that she not be allowed at my bedside again. So I have always been feisty about securing just treatment for all including both males and females.
My husband was very chauvinistic in his attitude toward females until God, in his infinite wisdom, gave him four wonderful granddaughters. Then, he suddenly became a champion of rights for women. He went so far as to learn to shop for clothes for them. It helped that they doted on him.
Anyway, what is a blog and from what root word did this term originate? And why does computer vocabulary have to be so confusing thus closing out many golden oldies who are intimidated by all the hoopla?
I'm really looking forward to reading your thoughts and reflections on what you've learned, Susan. And I'm interested in the comments made by us blog followers. I haven't thought about the meaning of the word "feminist" in so long. It seems like a relic of the 60's and 70's to me.
To JG: The word "blog" is derived from a mix of "web log" = "weblog" = "blog". :)
Susan - Reading these comments reminded me of an argument you had with J. Schleckser in Starbucks in Eatontown, NJ (or was it Calabasas?). He made a sexist comment and you called him on it - in public. I would say that you have been paving the way for Olivia for a long time; this is another vehicle - one that allows all of us to engage with you on the topic. I am looking forward to the next 19 days.
Saw this last night on MSNBC:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-11-18/will-secretary-of-state-be-enough-for-hillarys-army/
All -- thanks for your comments and dialog.
I have to get a bit warmed up before I address the Sarah Palin issue [debacle], but I look forward to it.
I have been known to cringe at the "F" word too. Chauvinist, fascist, racist -- feminist. We have a branding issue. I know it's time for a new movement -- and perhaps a new name.
What am I doing wrtes:
I am CERTAIN that there is a whole generation of 40-somethings who would agree - we are women who believe in equality but don't call ourselves feminists.
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I'll expand on that idea. I wouldn't call myself a feminist because I don't subscribe to their overall agenda. And that agenda has ceased to be "equality". It's no longer enough to value all women for the work that they do and pay them at the same rate as men - no, they want to radically change our culture to the end that traditional values of any kind become a counter-culture and are even more repressed and under-represented than women were to being with.
When I was at Smith, Molly Yard (former president of NOW) came to campus and gave one of the most hate-filled diatribes against the Catholic church that I have ever heard. My debate partner took a Women's Studies course and learned that all heterosexual sex is rape. In the county where I currently live less than 1/2 of a percent of households have a stay at home parent.
I don't think feminism is about equality at all - and its proponents certainly don't treat women who disagree with their views as equals. Let's just take women who are against abortion on demand as an example - in the feminist view, these women are either repressed and controlled by male domniated, hierarchical religions (which they are free to leave), or they are stupid, and unenlightened. Is this why you believe that Sarah Palin was a mediocre VP nominee?
Hi Susan, I heard about your blog from my friend Natalie. Very cool! I thought I would offer my 2-cents.
As a kid, growing up in the "Free to Be You and Me" 70's, I considered myself to be pro-women's rights, but I never knew much about the term Feminism or the specifics of the movement. Then, when I was an undergraduate at Carolina, I took a Feminist class. (I did so at the time because I couldn't find any other available classes to fulfill my philosophy requirement.) It turns out that I really enjoyed the class and ended up taking several other women's studies courses. Now, 20 years later, I find myself in my 40s and I absolutely consider myself to be a Feminist.
During my studies, I learned the history of Feminism, which started way before the politically charged 60s and 70s. Our Feminist foremothers, helped women gain the right to an education, the right to own land, the right to vote, the right to birth control, etc, etc. However, during their time, women like Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Sanger were considered to be dangerous extremists. Lots of positive changes for women happened due to the activism of 60s and 70s' Feminists, such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. However, there was a radical ideology among some Feminists of the time that called for extreme and unsavory actions. Unfortunately, this small off-shoot of a varied and complex movement colored the view of Feminism for the majority of the population, even today. Consider, however, that there were also extreme views and actions within the Civil Rights movement during that time, but few today would argue that being pro-Civil Rights is a negative thing.
For me, Feminism is about women being able to control their own lives and destinies, which if you think about it, does require political and economic power to actually accomplish. For women to acquire these things, it has in the past and will continue in the future to require change. For me, Feminism is not about male-bashing or separatism or anything negative. Being anti-male is sexist, not Feminist. Feminism is about positive empowerment for women. It is about equal rights, specifically equal rights for women, which IS a gender issue.
Women's rights have improved drastically during the lifetimes of my grandmother, my mother and my self. How fabulous that we have seen just in the past year, the realistic possibility that there may be a female president or vice-president of the US! I doubt that Barak Obama would have been elected without the hard work of the Civil Rights workers who preceeded him. In addition, Hillary Clinton would not have gotten as far in the campaign as she did, if it had not been for the Feminist workers before her.
Despite the strides that have been made regarding women's rights, we aren't quite there yet. And fortunately, Feminism is not just a relic of the past. There are many contemporary musicians, philosophers, writers, artists, etc who consider themselves to be Feminists. Some of my favorite examples are SNLs Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Bust magazine Founders, and Punk Rock Riot Grrls. These women have shaped their ideologies to fit complex contemporary concerns and issues.
Although I may not agree with all aspects of the Feminist movement, I do agree with the basic principle. Being a Feminist means being Pro-Woman and I am all for that.
Emma writes...
I am a 73 year old feminist. My memory is not what is used to be, sometimes I can't remember what I did yesterday. Yet, I can clearly remember when I first hear the words Feminine Mystique. I was having lunch in my home with my friend Sharon. She had brought her friend Anne along because she thought we should meet. Anne had read the book The Feminine Mystique(1963) by Betty Friedan. She told us all about it. I thought it sounded very interesting, but I did not run out and buy the book. I knew I was not satisified with my life. I was living in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa. I had a nice house and a loyal hard working husband, one child and another on the way. What was there to be unhappy about? The women's revolution really caught my eye when I read about the bra burning at the Miss American Pageant in the summer of 1968. ( We know now that they didn't burn their bras.) However, this is what really caught my attention. I began reading about what these women were trying to do. Gloria Steinem became my hero. I subscribed to MS magazine. I did not know another women who got that magazine. It formed the way I thought and what I knew I wanted to do for myself. I knew I needed to education myself. I was an actress before I was married. I had no college education. I had gotten a degree from the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Drama. I was never an activist for the Women's Revolution. I never joined NOW, however the women who were activists influenced my life completely. I started taking college courses at Pitt. I was on my way to becoming what I was meant to be. I am so grateful that the important women of the
60's and 70's stepped up to the plate and showed me the way.
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