It may be old fashioned, but I miss the days when a woman’s commitment to the feminist movement was not measured by her degree of comfort in talking about her masturbation habits or how often she can slip the word “vagina” into every day conversation. When did it become a goal of feminism to obsess about gentiles more than men? It seems that modern day feminist activists garner their power from focusing their projects on their hoo-ha. That may be the most accurate way to describe Lena Dunham’s new book, Not That Kind of Girl. Creator, director, and star of the HBO series, Girls, Dunham seems religiously committed to sharing every intimate, “too much information” moment of her life in the name of equality. Dunham has been hailed as the voice of our generation (the females, at least). Whether you agree with that or not, she has great power. She had the chance to say something truly important - to make a difference. Instead, she opted to write a 261-page book covering topics such as “My Worst Email, With Footnotes”, in which she regales the reader with her …show more content…
But since the book is about her life only, the focus is very narrower. Rarely does she mention anything that does not have to do with her life experiences. She does not discuss any important issues facing our generation of woman, she does not explore any great ideas, and there is no push for the reader to do something about what they read. Dunham tells her story simply because it deserves to be told. Apparently this is in response the “forces conspiring to tell women that our concerns are petty, our opinions aren’t needed and we lack the gravitas necessary for our stories to matter.” She combats those forces by sharing such observations as: “I once pet my mother’s vagina thinking it was our cat”, “He was wearing a fucking fedora”, and “Last summer my vagina started to sting…” Yeah, that will show those forces whose
Gneiss in Breezy Point are scattered "fish" fragments that appear mixed in the sand with other forms such as schist, granite, etc. These materials were most likely transported shoreward onto Breezy Point while the late Pleistocene transgression was occurring. The materials also managed to escape the grinding action of wave energy by remaining in the sediment buried for a long period of time.
A bold title from a promising author was what persuaded me to pick “Still Needing the F Word” by Anna Quindlen. I am familiar with her work, her commencement speech at Mount Holyoke College being my latest read. As usual, she didn’t disappoint. Throughout this essay, her use of sardonic language cannot be ignored as she touches on deeper issues within our, contrary to popular belief, “pre-feminist” world. As she mocks the world’s oversensitivity towards the use of the “F-Word,” Feminist (if you were wondering), she analyzes the status of women’s rights in modern times through the lens of a study on female undergraduates at Duke University. Now instead of stressing to be the “perfect homemaker,” women must obsess over “being the perfect professional,”
While her book was considered "obscene, lewd and lascivious material" (Gray, 43), Sanger was convinced that education about these topics were necessary. Through the publishing of What Every girl Should Know, Margaret Sanger demonstrated to common women, to her adversaries, and to the government that women deserve the right to learn about and understand their bodies.
She has written four books, all of which discuss feminism and politics. Her third book called The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women received the Independent Publishers Book Award in 2010 (Jessica Valenti). Her most recent book Sex Object: A Memoir was released in June
In Lena Dunham’s short memoir “Difficult Girl” her experiences with different therapists show how hard it is to receive mental health help that is designed for you and will help you feel better. Throughout her first few meetings with people she felt like she wasn’t understood and like she was never given real solutions to her problems. “I leave feeling worse than when I went in,” she said. Through this quote she wasn’t able to feel anymore supported by her problems or like she was getting the help that she neededThroughout the story she talks about not feeling like adults really understood her, or how mature she was, “she will know that I am not like other nine-year-olds” but that she was looked at as a child and nothing more. Her reaction
Writer, actress, and political activist Lena Dunham is applauding Dr. Willie Parker, who claims to be a Christian called to be an abortionist, and has hailed him as a “pro-choice hero.”
In her Instagram account, Dunham shared a note, saying "sorry," along with the pic is an explanation, "When I heard my own quote I was like 'Jesus, Lena, no.' I wasn't making a joke about domestic violence-I was over-emphatic in my attempt to capture how damaging the Internet can be (not just to celebrities)," she wrote. "When I first discovered the world wide web as a teenager it felt like salvation."
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” share a common theme of the expectations of ones heritage. For instance “Everyday Use” explores cultural norms of cultural practices. Dee and Mama argue over whether the family heirlooms should be preserved or used. While “Girl” focuses on the strict culture norms of what it means to be a respected women in her environment. The girls’ mother has a set of rules that her daughter must obey so she can be viewed positively. “Everyday Use” and “Girl” challenge the norm of their time. “Everyday Use” which was published in 1973 goes against thoughts held during the black power movement regarding cultural preservation. “Girl” which was published in 1978 argues that girls should not have to follow the social norm to be respected. Both stories challenge the commonly held beliefs of their time.
It’s nice to read about a book about a girl defying gender stereotypes while dealing with having to see the racial
This is my favorite quote because it explains the scenario perfectly. Throughout her book, but especially on her HBO channels Eve Ensel uses various voices and forms of humor to lighten her not so talked about topic. This form of interaction allowed her to enhance her discussions and make a connection with not only her audience but girls around the world too. Ensel's main purpose for writing her novel was to let women know that the vagina is a natural thing, it should not be hidden, visually or verbally because there is nothing to be embarrassed of. "They asked me to be present for the birth" Ensel explained when talking about her son's baby(Ensel 119). Now that instance was what Ensel described to be her key moment where she realized how amazing the vagina actually was. How it could give life and all. On Academic Search Elite I found that Michelle hammers, a journalist stated "Ensler's concern is this: if we cannot talk about the vagina openly, respectfully, and publicly, how can we ever hope to change the attitudes that underlie the violent and oppressive practices that are visited upon women?" (Hammers). By the end of her book, the auhtor just wanted women to feel as if though they could talk about their vagina and feel good about it rather than being ashamed for it. Ensler made an impact on women everywhere, and that is why her novel is not simply
The women’s liberation movement (or feminism as it is now known) of the 1960s and 1970s touched every home, business, and school (WA, 705). The movement even touched the sports and entertainment industries, in fact, “There are few areas of contemporary life untouched by feminism” (WA, 717). The word feminism in the early 1960’s wasn’t often used and when it was it was used with condescension or hatred. However, in the late sixties that changed thanks to a new group of women. This new diverse group of women included the: young, old, heterosexual, lesbians, working class, and even the privileged. This diverse group came together and collectively created the second wave of feminism.
Society is often seen to have different biases or perspectives on topics such as the role and perception of women. The short story, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, consists primarily of a catalog of commands and instructions, the purpose of which is to make sure that the mother’s daughter is constantly in check and not getting into any trouble. Jamaica Kincaid utilizes a wide range of techniques such as symbolism and diction in order to showcase the theme of how the depiction of women rely mainly on how they present themselves in the public and how they are so easily described as impure or filthy.
In Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl,” the narration of a mother lecturing her daughter with sharp, commanding diction and unusual syntax, both affect the evolution of a scornful tone, that her daughter’s behavior will eventually lead her to a life of promiscuity that will affect the way people perceive her and respect her within her social circle. As well as the fact that it emphasizes expectations for young women to conform to a certain feminine ideal of domesticity as a social norm during this time and the danger of female sexuality.
Feminism has been an explored topic since the early 19th century and has remained an important conversation in our society still today. At the time when Roxanne Gay was approaching this topic within her collection of essays, there were some major feminist triumphs occurring. 2014 was a time where Rape on college campuses was finally announced a national issue. In 2003, there were just 74 women in congress, yet 2014 was the year where we finally hit 100 women in congress. With all of the support and the successes of feminism at this time, it was crucial that Roxanne Gay discuss the way in which she fully supports the feminist movement, while staying true to herself. In "Why I am a Bad Feminist," Roxane Gay colloquially portrays how she imperfectly performs feminism in her daily life and how to deal with the constant struggle of trying to achieve "ideal" feminism while also being human. Gay touches on the fact that as a society, we place a high degree of pressure on women to be perfect. Whether the perfection lies in their looks, actions, or personality traits, women are constantly held to unrealistic standards. Gay effortlessly sheds light on this situation using rhetorical strategies to describe how she does not meet these standards. These rhetorical strategies include imagery, to create a picture of what she is saying, as well as a strong use of ethos and pathos, revealed throughout her essay. Instead of being ashamed she shares how to embrace her inconsistencies while still trying to be a feminist and role model.
For centuries, women have had the role of being the perfect and typical house wife; needs to stay home and watch the children, cook for husbands, tend to the laundry and chores around the house. In her short story “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid provides a long one sentence short story about a mother giving specific instructions to her daughter but with one question towards the end, with the daughter’s mother telling her daughter if she had done all the instructions to become a so called “perfect” woman, every man would want her. Kincaid’s structuring in “Girl,” captures a demanding and commanding tone. This short story relates to feminist perspectives. The mother expects a great deal from her daughter to have a certain potential and she does not hesitate to let her daughter understand that. As a matter of fact, the story is about two pages long, made into one long sentence - almost the whole time the mother is giving her daughter directions to follow - conveys a message to the reader that the mother demands and expects great potential in her daughter. The daughter is forced to listen and learn from what her mother is telling her to do to become the perfect housewife. Throughout the story, Kincaid uses the symbols of the house and clothing, benna and food to represent the meanings of becoming a young girl to a woman and being treated like one in society. Women are portrayed to appeal to a man to become the ideal woman in society, while men can do anything they please.