a string of thoughts
I’ve realized that I didn’t know much about feminism before this class. I limited feminism to a movement to attain rights for women equal to those of men. This is true but I’m recognizing that there is a lot more attached to the definition. I have always believed that females should be considered and treated equal to the male gender but I didn’t have an understood basis for my beliefs. I didn’t deem myself a feminist because I didn’t act on this idea; therefore I thought I was unqualified to call myself one.
After reading the assigned articles, I’ve become truly aware of how little I knew about the oppression of women. I was shocked by the information presented by the authors. “A Day Without Feminism” was mind-boggling to me that women could be treated like so horribly. I had no idea that the conditions women were forced to live under were that terrible. It makes me appreciate the world we live in today, though it’s still not perfect. Every line made my jaw drop. The treatment of women by their bosses made me cringe and the issues regarding pregnancy were ridiculous. The phrase “gets herself pregnant” (4) is just so illogical because a girl can’t possibly do it by herself and for the entirety of the blame to be put on the woman is awful. I can’t believe women were fired or expelled for being pregnant. This also seems contradictory to me following the ideas of sexism. I thought that people believed the role of women was to reproduce. If this was true, I don’t understand why women would be punished for being pregnant. In “Suffragist City” by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, I was taken back by the fact that individuals within the feminism movement would oppose the advancement of their ideals by other women, even if they disagreed with their tactics. I think that this exemplifies bell hooks’ thoughts of an alleged hierarchy within feminism and her idea that “most women, especially privileged white women, ceased even to consider revolutionary feminist visions, once they began to gain economic power within the existing social structure” (4).
Before first semester ended, I was talking with a male friend of mine about the classes that I had chosen for this semester. When I mentioned that I was taking this class, he made a face and a sarcastic reproach about my decision to be in a women’s studies class. At the time, I was surprised by his reaction but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. Looking back on that conversation, I understand that his response stemmed from the negative connotations and associations that feminism provokes but I am still perplexed. I can’t believe that someone I perceive as intelligent, open-minded, and fair would be capable of being so affected by sexism and stereotypes of feminism.
All of this shows that the misconstrued ideas of the past still linger and are strongly present today. Along with fighting the oppression expressed in the articles, I think that the feminist movement focuses primarily on the reversal of sexism. As my eyes have been opened to the obscenity of the crimes against women, I think it is the goal of feminists to help individuals obtain a better understanding of what they’re fighting for so the misconceptions of feminism can be laid to rest and more people can join in the fight.