In this piece, moderately famous feminist internet celebrity Anita Sarkeesian gives her opinion on choice feminism and the effects it has on the lives of the women of today. In this video, she states that she does not subscribe to the concept of “choice-feminism” – the notion that women can individually choose for themselves and consider it an inherently feminist act. Simply, anything can be considered feminism by anyone. The grounds on which Sarkeesian refutes this concept encompasses many factors, the two largest being her own background and views and the views of other feminists within her community. She believes in sum that all feminists should work together as one cohesive group to cease the oppression of all women in all places. While she does touch briefly on campaigning for other identities – LGBTQA+, people of colour, and other miscellaneous token minority identities – her main focus is the conglomerate of women. Sarkeesian’s focus on feminism as a mob-like system of overcoming female oppression is a closed minded and dangerous viewpoint in the fight for intersectional freedom. The overarching theme of the video in question is the persistence of Sarkeesian that there is one right way to be a feminist, and therefore, choice-feminism is not a valid question. While she alludes to the existence of intersectionality, she refuses to accept or touch on the fact that intersectionality can be the cause of choice-feminism. There is such a large variety of oppression that
Roxane Gay, author of the article entitled “Bad Feminist”, is a very accomplished American feminist writer. Her publication of “Bad Feminist” in 2012 gained national public attention (1). Feminism, as defined in the dictionary, is “the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes” (2), but Gay explains throughout her article that being a feminist is not just as simple as agreeing with this need for gender equality. The feminist label is too narrow and because of this the feminist movement is breaking apart. In this piece, Gay addresses how our society currently defines feminism and explains why this definition does not encompass everybody that it should.
Until the 1960s, feminism was widely regarded as a sub-set of liberalism and socialism, rather than as an ideology in its own right. Today, however, feminism can be considered a single doctrine in that all feminists subscribe to a range of ‘common ground’ beliefs, such as the existence of a patriarchal society, and the desire to change gender inequalities. Then again, it can be argued that feminism is characterised more by disagreement than consensus, as three broad traditions: liberal feminism, Marxist or socialist feminism, and radical feminism, which often contain rival tendencies, are encompassed within each core feminist theme. This essay will argue that, despite tensions between its
The intentions of ‘Feminism’ are still often misinterpreted even today in the twenty-first century despite this being a modern era. Marilyn Frye’s discussion on the role of women in society in the text “The Politics of Reality” focuses on her definition of ‘oppression’, its criteria and how it applies to feminist theory. Frye immediately opens her discussion with this statement; “it is a fundamental claim of feminism that women are oppressed”, (1983, p:1). It is important to note that she has used the word “claim” as it implies that the oppression of women is still a matter of debate. As a disclaimer, she makes it clear that the purpose of this text is not to prove that women are in fact oppressed, but to gain clarity on the meaning of the term
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.
When thinking about feminism in today’s society we tend to direct our minds and thoughts to a more radical and powerful train of thought. Feminism has been going on for centuries, with two main ideologies at the forefront; liberal and cultural feminism. Someone who identifies as a liberal feminist is someone who believes that women and men are a like and equal in most respects and deserve equal roles and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). And cultural feminism is someone who identifies as someone who believes that men and women are fundamentally differently; you have different rights, role and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). The women’s rights movement can be understood and broken down into three “waves”.
In choosing for this research project I have decided to challenge the ethical problem of the shortcomings of feminism. There has been much debate over feminism, the questioning of its purpose, its design, its inclusiveness, it is stance on other matters that connect to it. In a quest in finding the shortcomings, and bringing them to light. Using other essays as sources I plan to make this bibliography a journey into the scope not just feminism, but the history of feminism, intersectional feminism, the wage gap, and what defines a feminist. We will take into account of all aspects of feminism and how authors of some essays included have offered their
Women are often confined to a set of ideals and expectations because of one simple fact: they are women. Many of the women who contributed to this book have faced gender stereotyping and discrimination. Instead of allowing traditional social norms to confine them to an unwanted lifestyle, they challenged these conventional ideals, risking failure and facing condemnation from strangers as well as people close to them. People often associate feminism with negativity and pessimism. In “Feminism is a Dirty Word,” Cindy Simon Rosenthal talks about how people refuse to define themselves as a “feminist.” However, the movement does not advocate for women’s special privileges. Feminism celebrates social equality and supports the utilization of all talents.
Sarkeesian’s focus on the portrayal of women in video games and media is important because media is a massive part our society’s daily lives. Not many other feminists take a stance specific on video games and media as Sarkeesian does, as it looks from the outside to be a male-dominated industry, shown in #GamerGate, though men and women consume this form of media fairly equally (Nielson). Along with her relevant content, Sarkeesian’s ability to produce analysis in a manner that is accessible and inclusive, is reason as to why she should be added to mainstream feminist rhetorical study. In our paper, we will discuss Anita Sarkeesian’s background and compare her to bell hooks, Sally Miller Gearhart and Sonia Johnson. Additionally, we present Sarkeesian's view of The Nature of the World, Feminism and outline a few Rhetorical Options that she has proposed over the years.
The modern definition of feminism: “an ideology that, in its most basic form, directly opposes sexism by supporting gender equality and portraying women and men as equal.” (Finsterbusch 59). This definition was the early direction towards treating women like human beings rather than a housebound body, and this is why feminism should not be viewed as a harmful ideology. By exemplifying the importance of the ideology of feminism, by refuting those who claim that women have used feminism to exploit their personal wants and desires, and by presenting women’s first hand encounters of inequality, case studies, sound arguments and documented research one will be persuaded that the ideology of feminism is not discrimination towards men, but rather an encouragement for a woman’s rights and equality.
Truth was the intersection of racist and sexist oppression and she stood alone in her struggle. This piece draws on a blind spot and how there are privileges afforded to one because of one’s race or class. I found it interesting how, in a speech, Laverne Cox references Truth as she highlights her intersectionality as an african american, transgender woman. This solidifies the idea that being a feminist means supporting the equality of all; we are all subjected to our own distinct set of battles; rather than measure against one another in a pyramid of oppression, it is fundamental that we embrace the diversity of oppression in order to fight it. As Kathryn Gines pointed out, people are often reluctant of accepting intersectionality because it complicates the already vague idea of feminism and gender equality; it means recognizing privilege and serving as a distraction from individual issues. And although I recognize the nuances that intersectionality creates, I feel that it supports the end to all prejudices and of elevating all maltreated people in society, not just
Choice feminism is a brand of feminist framing that claims women have the right to make their own choices, and whatever they choose is considered a feminist choice. Jessica Valenti is a choice feminist because she has openly talked about the problems that are supposedly concealed to the public, and calls for all women to do something about it. A study that was presented in her book has concluded that women are able to make more money if the people who are in a senior position are women too. The idea of this study was to show that women help other women. Valenti
“You cannot be a humanist unless you are a feminist. You either advocate equality for all or you are a misanthrope” (Michael A. Sherlock). From women’s suffrage to abortion laws feminism has evolved with contemporary battles and a variety of approaches. The
By admitting some of the genuine challenges that are being faced by non-mainstream feminists, Gay forces her audience to face the chilling reality of many women whose struggles are not being equally represented. Gay is aware that her target audiences are perhaps either side of the feminist movement and via this rhetoric she challenges both audiences to take into account whether or not this is “good feminism” versus “bad feminism”.
Feminism, in theory, binds women from all over the world. They come together to protect their rights as equal human beings. For such a long time, men have dominated over women, looking down upon them and perceiving them as lesser beings. Feminism has allowed women from all cultures and races, to come together to fight for their rights. However, nothing is ever as simple as one may hope. Feminism constitutes women from all over the world, making it difficult from time to time to understand and empathize with each other due to different cultures, races and religions. Teresa de Lauretis (2014) says that “the identity as a woman of color is one not given but acquired, attained, and developed out of the specific historical experience”.
Throughout the last century, women have had to fight to have the same opportunities as men. Women have had to earn the right to vote, the right to have a career, and the right to autonomy. However, these are all rights that men have simply been given, which is why today’s feminists work to promote equality. Despite these efforts, feminism is often misunderstood and is interpreted with a negative connotation. According to a study conducted by Precopio and Ramsey (2017), “feminism is commonly recognized as a movement driven to grant social, political, and economic equality to both women and men.” The participation of others besides women is crucial to the spread of equality among the genders. Furthermore, the stigma and negative feelings surrounding feminism must be reduced in order for the ideals of feminism to have a greater impact.