Reflective Reflection On Feminism

The most prevalent and popular stereotype of the post World war II era in America is one filled with women abandoning their wartimes jobs and retreating into the home to fulfill their womanly duties. In Joanne Meyerowitz’s Beyond the Feminine Mystique: A reassessment of Postwar Mass Culture, she shows how far women departed from this one dimensional image. While Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique is reflexive and focused on the mainstream, Meyerowitz’s analysis is a broader and more inclusive exploration of media, as she draws upon multiple sources. Although Friedan effectively unveiled the thought process and reasoning behind society's belief that the message of media was to make women think that their place was to be the happy housewife, Meyerowitz expanded her media archives and found a differing message in analyzing both female responses to media and exploring their stories.

There were some information that I have been exposed to, but this course really got into all the cracks of the minor and major issues women face.

This class has brought a lot of change to my views on the seemingly everlasting prevalence of sexism in America. Before taking women and writing this semester I had not realized how the stereotypes surrounding masculine identity have taken hold of much of the Greek life on college campuses, male-dominated/labor intensive jobs, as well as influencing a significant portion of the mainstream advertising and media that my peers and I consume on a daily basis. The readings that accompanied the course were clear, informative, and provided me with more insight to the challenges and inequality that women have had to confront in the past and continue to face in the present. This class taught me many things about the current

I am a feminist. I believe in the equal rights and treatment of men, women, First Nations, blacks, whites, Asian, etc. Considering the fact that I support equal ideas in my free time, I believe that this is an amazing class.

Before this class, I was aware of feminism but also uncertain on the meaning. I knew gender inequality existed throughout history and currently. Growing up in the rural Midwest, feminism was not perceived as a positive movement. Little was taught or said about feminism in any primary education. We learned about women’s suffrage and that was it. After, taking this class, I understand that feminism is so much more than woman’s suffrage in the early 1900s.

Daddy’s princess. Big brother’s responsibility. Daddy’s little girl. Some people view these as a sweet pet names for young ladies, but these verbal cues inexplicitly condition women to view themselves as the property of men starting at a young age. These learned notions may take hold as women begin to develop. As young girls mature, they find themselves striving to please their fathers and other male figures as one of their main aspirations in life due to this conditioning from society. (Rholetter p. 1) The submissive nature of young girls is a common theme in literature, but looking through the Feminist Lens offers readers a better understanding of the struggle surrounding remaining submissive or demanding power occurs.

While I was able to apply almost every concept from the course to some aspect of my own life, I believe that the most important thing was learning to recognize just how much privilege I have experienced. At the very beginning of the quarter, Professor Roy used the example of the fish not being aware that it lives in water. I think that translates perfectly to my experience – as it should for many of us taking this class. While I recognized the privilege of having basic needs like food and shelter taken care of, other things like my race, gender and education really hadn’t resonated with me until I took this course.

Before entering the course I had a mediocre level of understanding about women and gender issues. Prior to the course, I understood that women and men were viewed in different ways. This difference created issues for women such as the unequal pay gap in the United States. The material presented to me throughout the course has aided me in seeing the vast amount of issues women face in their daily lives and the complexity of the issues. It has influenced my perspective into view the issues through a wider lens which take into account each part of the problem.

In the history of England, there have been many rulers, but none quite like the queens. Between the time of the first Queen of England and the present Queen, there have been many drastic changes. Though these two women share the same name, Elizabeth, they are known for their own contributions and styles during their life in the monarchy. Their eras were full of rich culture and historic importance. These two women made an impact on not only England, but all over the world. Their decisions and actions lead to both times of celebration and times of grievance.

The definition of feminism is very elusive. Maybe because of its ever-changing historical meaning, it’s not for certain whether there is any coherence to the term feminism or if there is a definition that will live up to the movement’s variety of adherents and ideas. In the book “No Turning Back,” author Estelle Freedman gives an accurate four-part definition of the very active movement: “Feminism is a belief that women and men are inherently part of equal worth. Because most societies privilege men as a group, social movements are necessary to achieve equality between women and men, with the understanding that gender always intersects with other social hierarchies” (Freedman 7).

During these last thirteen weeks, I have discovered a lot about myself, not only as a student, but as a feminist. Before taking this class, I knew that I wanted to be a feminist. I believed that women should stand up and exercise their rights to be equal to men on every level. Be that as it may, I lacked the education required to develop my own sense of feminism--my feminist manifesto, if you will. When approaching the topic of feminism, every person needs to ask themselves a list of questions: Who am I? Who do I want to be? What has influenced me as a person? How can I help? These are the beckoning questions we, as developing and purposeful human beings, ask ourselves every day, and these are the questions that will lead each and every person

Intersectionality is known to be one of the prominent social theories in feminism. This theory explores the factors that represent one’s identity. The purpose of this article is to explain the theorizing on race, class, and gender by Canadian feminist. Intersectionality portrays how women experiences are interconnected. The article “Feminist Intersectional Theorizing” written by Daiva K. Stasiulis, mainly talks about the intersectional theorizing of different factors that woman in Canada encounter. The vocalization of gender and class had a breakthrough in 1970s and 1980s. Along with racism, sexism and class is a source that is primary for oppression. This article looks at men and

Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues.

Throughout my years in the Women and Gender Studies program here at the University Of Toledo, I have enhanced my mental capacity in many ways. Being introduced to the program was a gift. Feminist concepts, ideals, methodologies, understanding myths, stereotypes was beneficial to my overall success at Toledo. Using the theories and critical thinking skills that were essential to the program in my professional and personal life helped shape me into the strong woman that I am. Intersectionality, body image, and privilege are three major themes that will be ingrained in me as I continue on my collegiate journey.

For myself in this course I was here to receive an education, after taking this class and understanding things more I now can say I’ve been here to claim my education. When I first thought about taking this, my impression was it was going to be the history of things not on current events and topics that were discussed. This course has opened my eyes and mind to another aspect of the world. Asserting myself and being heard and not just seen is something I have been working on with my counselor. Finding my inner voice and making my wishes heard, not letting others speak and decide what is best for me. This course teaches on how it was and is through several readings and with each reading I was able to have that “click” moment where I connected with the topic and it made it more real to me. Feminism is not just a word anymore it now has meaning to me.