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The rise and development of feminism
Historical background feminism
The rise and development of feminism
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Feminism is not only a theory but it is also a cultural movement for change and equality. Feminism has been defined as ‘the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of equality of sexes’.1 Feminism offers representation to all kinds of women, highlights the inequality within society regarding women and challenges these inequalities. Feminism has changed along side the changing position of women in today’s modern society and emerging from these changes are new theories such as post feminism and antifeminism. In this essay I will discuss how both antifeminism and post feminism has challenged the founding concepts of feminism in today’s modern society. I will highlight my points through contemporary media examples such as the work of Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
An anti feminist has been defined as someone who is opposed to feminism*. Anti feminist movements are becoming increasingly popular in today’s society as people are rejecting the ideas behind feminism and looking past them in order to fight for new goals in an equal world. The word feminist sparks majorly negative connotations that are rooted so far back in society that although change has taken place it has not been major enough to rule out these connotations
Focusing on Lady Gaga as an example of an anti feminist icon highlights how antifeminism has challenged the founding the concepts of feminism and is also being challenged in the 21st Century. Lady Gaga, is one of today’s most famous female celebrities and holds a unique cultural position. She is constantly in the public eye and in a recent interview spoke of her views on feminism. Gaga believes that there has been a misinterpretation in the view of feminism as man hating when in fact “it has nothing to do with them” I ...
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Gaga and Cyrus equally acknowledge and are frustrated by the
Both post feminism and antifeminism are new informed responses to Feminism. Post feminism is an ‘examination of a number of intersecting but conflicting currents’ 331 found in the fundamentals of Feminism. Anti feminism is the complete rejection of feminism which like post feminism is also being challenged in the 21st century. By focusing on te female celevrity culture popstars Miley Cyrus ad Ladt Gaga it is clear how both responses are being challenged by the 21st century and challenging the earliest founding concepts of feminism. Wqithin each reaction I found a new outlook was the intented goal. I believe that feminist views are ofteb spearting the sexist rather than uniting them. Femisnism needs to be redefined and is being redeifined by these challenges in the 21st century.
A feminist is defined as someone who believes in the social, economic, and political equality between men and women in society. However, in recent years, there are new understandings of the feminist movement. The idea of a feminist is often misconstrued as a woman who lives for herself, a woman who despises all men. A lady who refuses to shave their legs or partake in “female stereotypical” grooming to emphasize her standpoint. Though, the argument of this paper is what is the reason behind the misrepresentation of feminism, and where did it come from? Author and columnist, Roxanne Gay brings this question into light in her article entitled "The Bad Feminist Manifesto". In her, essay, Gay responds to the notion that a feminist is a person that acts, and displays certain characteristics to promote the equality of the sexes. In her piece, she mentions "I got into my head that a feminist was a certain kind of women. I bought into grossly inaccurate myths about who feminists are – militant, perfect in their politics and person, man-hating, humourless". Gay discusses the preconceived idea of how a feminist
Madonna is a controversial legend whose attitudes and opinions on sexuality have forced the public to take notice and change the image of females in society. Madonna believed women’s sexuality was a natural aspect of life; therefore, she dared to challenge the rules and definitions of femininity and sought to expand the meaning of it. In a male dominated world, she wanted to focus on the importance of women and let them have a voice of their own. Madonna shattered all the myths on traditional beauty standards and made her statement on sexuality and feminism, which changed how society viewed the standards of beauty. She impacted female power by encouraging sex- positivity into her music and her style. It is mainly because of Madonna that ordinary women, and women in modern entertainment have more choices and freedom which continues to influence further generations.
The most related terms when women’s right is brought up are feminism and feminist. A feminist, by definition, is someone the fights for feminism. The definition of feminism, one the other hand, is very complex. Throughout history, the word has continuously had bad images and connotations thrown its wa...
Feminism has tackled gender inequality in the workforce, within politics, education and various institutes. Within the 20th century some of these issues faced in western culture have been completely reformed due to certain feminist movements that have encouraged women to fight for equal rights. (Crofton: 2011: 272-273) The first and second waves of feminism have proven to be successful by increasing equal rights between men and women. (Kaplan: 1992: 7) Despite these successes which include allowing there is still the fact of the matter remains that women are still objectified by their gender. ()The generalization of gender roles, have proven to be challenging within the feminist movement, this is often due to the objectification of women in the media. Also as feminism, is an ideology it has various schools of which have conflicting ideas of the ‘empowerment of women’ making it difficult to clarify on what is not acceptable in establishing women’s rights. (Fraser: 2014)
What is within the boundaries of the feminine is always considered to have less status and power and is always subordinate and marginal—women always remain ‘other’. I perceive feminism as a part of the process of challenging the boundaries of the socially constructed role for women in our society—a process which through struggle will create for women a different notion of the normal and natural and a different tradition of being female. (Goodman, Harrop 4)
Adichie was born in Nigeria and is most known for giving a TEDxTalk in 2013 about modern feminism. After the overwhelming success of the talk, such as having millions of views on YouTube and being featured in the song “Flawless” by Beyoncé, she decided to publish the speech into an expanded essay named “We Should All Be Feminists.” In this essay, Adichie talks about her life and encounters of sexism from a young age, especially her introduction to the word “feminist” occurring at fourteen. She is having a normal day, playing and arguing with her friend Okoloma, until he “harmlessly” quips, “`You know, you’re a feminist’” (8), which in Nigeria, is not a compliment. She also spends a third of the essay addressing the fact all negativity towards gender inequality has the same root: unwavering tradition. She questions, “What if, in raising our children, we (the parents) focus on ability instead of gender… interest instead of gender” (36)? Simply, if negativity towards the opposite sex is eradicated in a new generation, there will be no more inequality to worry about. She also parallels Wollstonecraft in commenting on the fascinating diversity of males and females. She claims that if men are undeniably strong physically, women should be held in the same
We live in the modern society where women can vote, work, have access to birth control, freedom of speech, and be independent. However, two articles written by feminist writers Jessica Valenti and bell hooks demonstrate that feminism still exist because of an inevitable inequality that women face in the society. Both writers are convinced that most of the people do not really know what feminism is about or they do not look at it closer in order to be able to understand the purpose of this movement. According to them, feminism is not about being anti-men and spreading hatred towards males as many individuals claim. As bell hooks states in her article “[…] I tend to hear about the evil of feminism […] how ‘they’ hate men […]” (11). Feminism does
Feminism developed in four different sections, starting in the 1900 's. Women fought for acknowledgement of their suffering and gender equality. The second focused on 'emancipation and the body ' between the 1960 's up to the 70 's. Then the third celebrates differences rather than equality (1980 's to the 1990 's), But in the present day Artists draw from all three of these developments to further into post-feminism.
In their respective day, both Maria de Zayas and Emma Watson have been heralded as strong advocates for the promotion of gender equality. Seeing the rampant inequities present in 17th century Spain, the fiction of de Zayas sought to bring about greater justice for women. Similarly, Emma Watson has emerged in contemporary society as a champion of women’s rights and a proud self-proclaimed feminist. From de Zaya’ short story “Ravages of Vice” and Watson’s speech at the 2014 HeForShe Campaign, messages related to feminism, gender equality, and gender justice are presented in a manner that makes their audience re-conceptualize their preconceived notions about the role each gender plays in society. While de Zayas berates men for their treatment
Throughout history women have been used as powerful tools in many aspects of life. It is far beyond carrying babies. Women have worked diligently in order to claim equal rights to men. In the last few decades, women have become less known for their accomplishments, as a result of women becoming sex objects in society. Although today’s generation is becoming more sensitive to feminism, the way females are shown aren’t representations of how most women want themselves to be referred to as. While some women are using their bodies in ways to promote positive body image, many are used as a way to make other men and women reach for the unreachable. Women being sexualized in advertisements, social media, music, and everyday life result in negative
Sex has always been a controversial matter in American society. Before the 1980’s, those that openly articulated their views about sex were thought of as promiscuous and perverse, unless they were male. Perhaps, that is why the aura of Madonna stirred raving controversy across America. Fiske notes that her image was not a “model meaning for young girls in patriarchy, but a site of semiotic struggle between the forces of patriarchal control and feminine resistance, of capitalism and the subordinate, of the adult and the young (Fiske 282).” Never before had a woman presented herself so provocatively yet so comfortably.
According to the New World Encyclopedia, there is no single idea of feminism. The word feminism encompasses “the social,cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women.” Unfortunately this is the same word that many people, especially women, do not associate themselves with. The reason why so few women do label themselves is because the English language has misinterpret and misconstrued the central idea of feminism. This is a result from the media, past politics, and feminist themselves who have manipulated the image of feminism.
As said by Gloria Steinem, “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” Throughout the ages, the question of the relevancy of feminism has come and gone. From women arguing for voting rights, to women burning bras in the 60s. With each advancement proponent and opponents argue the same basic points. With all the equality that todays world affords us is the feminist movement still relevant? In order to answer the question we will look into what feminism actually is, the history, women today in households and the workplace, feminism today and role models.
One can hardly talk of a single united feminism, but rather, manifold feminisms. The US feminist movement ‘s main global struggle has been to enable ‘womankind’ to fully lead her existence and live her humanity by standing against the injustices of the dominant patriarchy and sexist discrimination . Throughout history, the dominant mainstream Feminism ( with capital F) tends to have been related to conform to the aspiration of the educated middle-class heterosexual white women who have traditionally been given unequal power to widen their significance--but the movement has lately had more ramifications. Currently, there are different kinds of feminism whose disagreements stem from fundamental intrinsic understanding of what feminism, sexism or phallocentrism mean. Each trend views it from a different perspective as in accordance with its motives or concerns. Nonetheless, they share common claims as to “the body, class and work, disability, the family, globalization, human rights, popular culture, race and racism, reproduction, science, the self, sex work, and sexuality.”
Modern-day feminism is no longer about equality but more about superiority. Today, many feminists go around stating there isn’t a need for men, women can survive on their own, and that women are better than men. As Saira Khan states in her article on Spiked, “modern-day feminists engage in man-bashing rather than dignified demands for equality.” (Khan 1). It just shows how feminists would rather take their anger out on men rather than realize we a...