Roxane Gay’s collection of essays, Bad Feminist, falls under third-wave feminism. Third-wave feminists focus on the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and social class. Gay talks about all of these issues in her book, calling upon her own experiences as a Haitian-American to explore the intersectionality between growing up a woman and growing up biracially in America. More than anything else in her book, Gay focuses on her imperfections as a human being that cause her to interpret feminism differently from anyone else. “We don’t all have to believe in the same feminism,” she writes. “Feminism can be pluralistic so long as we respect the different feminisms we carry with us, so long as we give enough of a damn to try to minimize the …show more content…
Gay writes, “A lot of ink is given over to mythologizing female friendships as curious, fragile relationships that are always intensely fraught. Stop reading and writing what encourages this mythology.” Likewise, Gay challenges the notion that only books by women are given the title of “women’s fiction,” and that topics of marriage and children, and parenthood are primarily marketed towards women when they concern both men and women. She argues against the stereotype of angry feminist as well. “When women respond negatively to misogynistic or rape humor, they are ‘sensitive’ and branded as ‘feminist,’ a word that has, as of late, become a catchall term for ‘women who does not tolerate bullshit.’” Gay says that women have always had to fight for their rights, when men have not, but that women’s struggles to succeed are chalked up to lack of ability. “What goes unsaid is that women might be more ambitious and focused because we’ve never had a choice. We’ve had to fight to vote, to work outside the home, to work in environments free of sexual harassment, to attend the universities of our choice, and we’ve had to prove ourselves over and over to receive any modicum of consideration.” She also finds great offense at the media’s portrayal of female relationships: “Abandon the cultural myth that all female friendships must be bitchy, toxic, or competitive. This myth is like heels and purses -- pretty, but designed to SLOW women down.” Like many third-wave feminists, Gay fights to draw attention to these issues in order to change
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,”
Both Barbara Kingsolver and Lisa Miller address “nontraditional” family stereotypes, such as gay and failed marriages, in argumentative form. The authors approached each issue by providing ethos, logos, and pathos along with making connections to texts, events, and personal experiences; but also differed by the amount of rhetoric used in each writing. Targeted audiences for these arguments are people who wish to understand other viewpoints on topics in which society battles with.
After earning a doctorate, Castro was hired by a small men’s college in rural Indiana to teach feminism theory and women 's literature to thirty-five men. She was prepared and ready for the disagreements, the drop outs and the failures that couldn’t open up their minds on feminism. But she values those voices, the questions and hostility because "they taught me how to make feminism 's insights relevant to people outside a closed, snug room of agreement" (Castro, 98). She had learned how to create feminism theory, critical race theory and observation about class privilege relevant, exciting and even needful to people who had no material reason to care. She learned diplomacy.
Culture often thrives off of polar opposites—hot and cold, bitter and sweet, male and female. By setting up these opposing constructs, one can easily find a set definition for each. A hot surface could scorch someone or a cold temperature could cause them to shiver. In the same way, a bitter substance would be less enjoyable to eat than a sweet one. These terms are often defined by mentioning their antitheses. Because it’s comfortable to embrace specificity and certainty, topics such as gender and gender expression often get simplified into binary existences—however, they don’t quite operate under the same parameters. In an essay entitled “Bad Feminist”, Dr. Roxane Gay explores and warns against the dangers of binary thinking. Throughout
“There are many ways in which I am doing feminism wrong, at least according to the way my perceptions of feminism have been warped by being a woman” (373 Gay). This is just one of the ways that Gay uses the topic in her
Because of this, there is controversy as to where Gay stands and whom she is criticizing. Gay initially distances herself from the feminist movement and even cringes when someone refers to her as a feminist (2). However, she later states that, “If I am, indeed, a feminist, I am a rather bad one” (6). She ultimately reveals that she is a bad feminist and she “would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all” (10). Here we can see how Gay’s stance has evolved throughout the article from shying away, to maybe, to definitely yes. This is because of the transformation of the definition of feminist that Gay identifies with.
Carol Emshwiller didn’t start her writing until she was thirty, a mother, and married. Emshwiller, “was just learning the lessons of feminism on the front lines of domestic lines” (539). In Carol Emshwiller’s short story during the 1980’s “Abominable”, Emshwiller shows how men, in their sexual confusion, ethnic inexperience, and self-disasters, are not capable of understanding women and their needs, anger, and bitterness. The unnamed and self-styled man in the story shows his stereotypical, phallocentric attitudes to understand women becomes more humorous, rather than angry. From transforming the battle of sexes into the man’s search for an misleading species akin to
When reflecting on Frankenberg opinion and arguments it is seen that she holds the ideas of third-wave feminism. It is through Frankenberg’s main focus on race, with less emphasis on women’s rights and women’s reflection of a sexist structure of power, that leads one to believe that Frankenberg’s is a third-wave feminist. Not to mention that she also comments on this book being in the process of making it in the 1980’s when the second-wave feminists only lasted till the 1980’s.
In the essay titled “A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories” by Roxane Gay, the author expresses the invasion of the privacy of celebrities and other well known individuals by society. The essay revolves around the LGBT community which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and the issues that occur due to society pressure and anti-gay governmental legislation . Gay uses the coming out stories of 3 well-known individuals in her essay in a persuasive manner to prove the idea that although celebrities losing their privacy is unfair, they have an obligation to speak up in order to benefit the greater good. In order to benefit the greater good Roxane Gay repeatedly expresses that fellow LGBT members must stand up and be counted.
In Feminism is for Everybody, hooks introduces a popular theory of feminism rooted in common sense and the wisdom of her own personal experience. In my opinion, hooks’ book is perfectly poised to become THE OFFICIAL “handbook” or “cliff notes” to feminism. Although it’s short, Feminism is for Everybody is powerful. It addresses all of the most prevalent issues facing the contemporary feminist movement, everything from where feminism stands, reproductive choice, beauty, violence, race, class, work, all the way to where feminism will go in the future. She uses simple, direct language to express complex issues. However, that is not to say that she “dumbs-down” such topics. Rather, she makes them more comprehensible to those not as familiar with feminism as a discipline. This book offers everyone (man or woman) a chance to explore feminism. It serves as an eye-opener to all those “would be” feminists who are afraid to label themselves as such for fear of being called a man hater or worse, a lesbian! She dispels these myths and others, forcing her audience
The short story starts with Martha Hale leaving her house to go with her husband, the sheriff, the sheriff’s wife, and the county attorney. They travel to a neighbor's farmhouse which is described as lonesome looking. Mrs. Hale thinks about how she should have came to visit Minnie Foster (Wright) over the years. All of them enter the house and stand in the kitchen, while Mr. Hale describes what had happened the day before. Mr. Hale tell how he had came the day before to talk to Mr. Wright about a telephone. When he got there he found Mrs. Wright looking uncomfortable in her rocking chair. She told him that Mr. Wright was there but he couldn’t speak because he was dead. He had been hung. After Mr. Hale tells them everything he know the
In the Feminist Theory, bell hooks provide vivid examples and assertions on how mainstream feminism exclude the issues of women of color. Mainstream feminism in America pertains to the ideals of “white, middle-class privileged woman” as they “reinforce white supremacy by negating the issue of race and class amongst woman of color” (hooks, 2000, pg. ). Due to not fulfilling the attempt to gain equality, as they may claim to do, it also can be an organization that displays “narcissism, insensitivity, sentimentality, and self-indulgence” (hooks, 2000, pg. 3). As mainstream feminism shuns the needs and interests of African-American women, it allows current social issues and inequalities to persist.
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.
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.
Thesis: In recent years during the 21st century more and more people in the media have been calling out fairytales for their anti-feminist attitudes with sexism, body standards as well as societal comments about women being dependent on men.