Stereotypes and Feminism
I’ve heard the words sexism, feminism, and patriarchy many times throughout my life. I’ve heard stories about bra burning and protests and I’ve learned about suffrage in school but I had never heard what negative stereotypes feminism has been given until I started this course. I first realized this after talking to a friend of mine from high school who I had always really respected. I told him that I was taking a course in women’s studies and immediately he said, “So now you’re going to become a ranting, man-hating, lesbian, huh?� Not only was I offended, but I was also confused; why is it that the word feminism is paired with so many stereotypes?
The first time I encountered this problem was in the bell hooks reading. She discusses how feminists are thought of as evil, “how ‘they’ hate men; how ‘they’ want to go against nature- and god; how ‘they’ are all lesbians� (hooks pg. vii). It confuses me where this backlash comes from but I imagine that it’s from the effects of change. When someone first stands up for something that has been happening for centuries, there is bound to be backlash. I also agree with what Mikaela says in her entry, that men are not the problem necessarily but the system of patriarchy is to blame because of a possible loss of power that comes with anti-sexist reforms.
The other misconception of feminism that confuses me is that the movement is against family and motherhood. Sara Evans discusses this common misconception in her article “Tidal Wave�. Evans quotes Phyllis Schlafley to say that feminists are “anti-family, anti-children, and pro-abortion� (Evans pg. 6). This statement seems so false in my opinion because from the reading, feminist mothers are not against having children and having a family but instead against raising a child in a patriarchic home and in a sexist world. The backlash of being anti-children also seems to stem from the fear of change. Introducing the male to be more present in the care giving and avoiding sexist family practices isn’t anti-family. Instead it’s a way of raising anti-sexist children and possibly a closer, more open family. The misconception of feminists being against motherhood is unfair. Having and wanting children shouldn’t make me seem sexist or anti-feminist as long as I educate my children to know the dangers of sexism
Comments
Kirsten, I totally agree with you and feel that feminists being anti-family or anti-children is wrong. I believe that feminists wish to pursue education and career before starting a family and having the chance to pursue whatever they wish to do, not by doing what is expected of them by society.
Posted by: Kari Kummer | January 28, 2007 10:09 PM
i had the same reaction from some good friends when i told them i was in this class as well. your post is exactly what i planned on writing about only im such a procrastinator many people beat me to it; however that is one thing that gets me is how feminists have been and probably always will be to most people, grouped in a "they" and the chances of it being a positve "they" aren't always good.
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