Throughout the course of women studies we have delved into many works of literature and writing that depict different aspects of feminism. Some I agree with, others I do not. We have reached an area in time where the fight for women's rights is at a standstill. It's not that we are not making progress, it's just that so many feminists are on a different page in regards to the direction our 3rd wave is heading. Through discovering other writers' perspectives, you get insight into how different women feel in regards to our progress. Overall, each reading helped me to shape my view and gave me new perspective on how I view women in general.
One interesting article in particular, "All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave" gave great insight into the struggles of Black feminists. Never had I set down to discover what other feminists have to deal with. As I discover feminism, I notice that there are so many injustices towards women in general and then you look at other races and they have double to injustices. Not only do they have to deal with gender inequalities but racial inequalities as well. Hull really portrays a picture of the struggles black women face on a daily basis and she effectively shows that this is yet another divide between the feminists of the 3rd wave. Never will we see complete equality until we iron out the flaws that lie within racial and gender inequality. Until both are completely equal, men and women around the world will not truly be seen as the same.
Another book that had a major impact on how I viewed not only feminism but society in general was the book The F Word: Feminism in Jeopardy. I really enjoyed this book, it not only gave great insight into the struggles we've faced from the beginning as feminists but it shows the continued struggles we face in politics and everyday life. My favorite quote in the book was one placed at the beginning of the second chapter were Marie Curie is quoted saying, “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done” (Finkbeiner 19). This quote can really describe myself. Not only was I blind to the struggles we faced but I was blind to the continued efforts of women in my generation. I've always taken my rights for granted. Never had I truly sat down and thought about all the things I'm able to do, all thanks to women of my past and present. These women fought hard to see change and yet I have done nothing. I was grateful to read about all the inspirational events that have taken place through history that have helped me to be successful as a women today. The fact that I'm in college writing this essay right now is a testament to the inspirational women of feminism's past.
Manifesta is another reading that I really enjoyed. When we had the young woman visit our class one Wednesday, she referenced this reading. I immediately became interested in it and I was glad it was one of our lasts. This reading was full of emotion. It was inspiring, it made me laugh, and it also made me sad. The idea of having a dinner party where women of all types, ages, and beliefs could gather together to just talk is amazing. A place where these women could speak freely about anything and everything without being judged. I have a lot of respect for the girl that came to our class. For her to implement this idea and make it an actual event instead of something we just merely read about truly shows the amount of persistence women of our generation have. We have the ability to make a difference. Just like the women of our past, we have a passion to see changes made and we won't sit back and just let life pass us by. In events like these, it shows that women don't have to be catty enemies. We should accept each other for how we are and support all of our different hopes and dreams for our world.
"The Opt Out Revolution" reading by Lisa Belkin is yet another reading that gives insight into the diversity within feminism. Throughout this reading, Belkin delves into the trend of successful women giving up their careers in order to raise their children at home. This article brings up the question, Since women have the right to leave their jobs and raise their children, does this give them equality in the workplace? The answer in my opinion, Absolutely not. First off, Belkin admits that these mother's are part of the upper class. They have this option because they have successful husbands that are making more than necessary for their families to survive minus their wives working. Although many women would love to take advantage of this, it's not a universal privilege. It gave me insight into this trend, and it made me question if it is something I would partake in the future. After examining, although it does seem like the best of both worlds, getting to work for awhile and then raising a family, staying at home 24/7 would create too much boredom for me to handle.
The last reading that had the greatest impact on me was The Eternal Feminine. To me, this play ties in all of the readings and shows the importance of each. I believe this reading really ties in all aspects of feminism. The author Rosario Castellanos really does a beautiful job of hi-lighting many aspects involved with feminism. Whether it be discussing the past struggles like the F Word does to showing what needs to be done, this play really ties all of our readings together. I love how the playwright, Rosario Castellanos catches the essence of each women and what they are going through. One great way she did this was when Lupita would try on the different wigs and become a different woman with a different lifestyle. It showed the prostitute, the lover, and the writer. She gave light to all different types of women and I believe she affectively showed the diversity of our past, present, and current generations. No matter their type, she shows we are all women and deserve equality. The greatest thing I took away from the play was to be myself. Don’t change who I am don’t try to be someone different because I have a voice and an opinion that matters.
With every reading this Women’s Studies class read this semester I learned that every woman does have a voice of her own opinion. Each reading really portrayed the voices of many kinds of women. Whether it be the past, present , or future women, we all have a voice. These readings inspired, made us think, and challenged us to accept other people's views because if we aren't united in this fight for feminism, we won't make a change.
sources:
"All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave" by Gloria Hull
"Manifesta" by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards
"The F Word: Feminism in Jeopardy" by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
"The Opt-Out Revolution" by Lisa Belkin
"The Eternal Feminine" by Rosario Castellanos
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