Main Post 2/1/11

Rebecca Walker “Becoming the Third Wave”

The Hill/Thomas hearing wasnot about the actual sexual harassment charge, it was about women’s credibility and power

“For those whose sense of power is so obviously connected to the health and vigor of the penis, it would have been a metaphoric castration.”

-this is an extremely powerful statement in which the enormity of the Hill/Thomas decision is contectualized. Had Hill won the case, men everywhere would have been at risk of losing their power and the entire dynamic between men and women might have changed.

HIll was repudiated and he was promoted therefore reaffirming mans undoubted power over women

“push beyond my rage and articulate an agenda”

-Walker decided that even though sexism made her more angry than she could put into words, if she was going to make a difference she would have to channel all that anger into something useful ACTION

“To be a feminist is to integrate an ideology of equality and female empowerment into the very fiber of my life”

Walker thought that to be successful in making a difference she would have to integrate feminism into her entire life. While this would surely make a difference, I am not sure I agree that it is in the only way to make a difference. It seems to me that any small feminist act can make a difference

“Challenge Men to Reject Gender Stereotypes”

Gender refers to more than just females, it refers to men too but is often only associated for females. Gender stereotypes tend to be ignored when they are in reference to men, which is unacceptable.

Men need to think about sex as a chance to communicate mutually with women rather than as a chance to dominate and conquer.

This seems as though it would be obvious but the way that men talk about sex, even now, is in a way that is dominating and demeaning to women.

This passage is sending the message that men must help women in creating a gender-sensitive society

“Living the MYTH of male superiority”

-Here, the passage is saying that although men and women have lived with male superiority for as long as they have, it is all a myth (social construct). Not only that, but this myth hinders men as well as women. Men cannot hold jobs that are considered a ‘womens’ job, cannot show emotions, etc.

*gender struggle is not about lifting women to the position of men because men have been put on a pedestal, it is about realizing that men and women are equal and that men have to get off their high horse

"Enlightened Sexism"

Also references the Hill case and talks about how the evidence against Thomas was substantial and hard to make up, yet the Senate, which was 98% male, treated Hill dismissively

Women were energized by Hill, Tailhook, and Backlash (also influential) and emerged as a political force in 1992, which was dubbed “the year of the woman”

Throughout the early 90’s there was a constant battle between enlightened sexism and embedded feminism because while women were gaining leverage politically, they were also infatuated and obsessed with shows like “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Murphy Brown”

In 90210 there were many stereotypes, especially early on in the sitcom’s plot. For example; Brenda’s brother drove Brenda to school every day because she couldn’t pass drivers education (portrays her and women, in general, as unintelligent and codependent). This is just one of many examples where Brandon and Brenda fit into the stereotypes of men and women.

“Dylan and Brandon offer the fantasy of a teen world humanized by girls and feminine values, a world where nurturing and treating girls with sensitivity matters-and is rewarded. Who needs feminism anymore if teen guys are like this?”

-this is all well and good for the show but is completely unrealistic. The show portrays something that isn’t reality and therefore falsely makes girls believe that sexism does not exist

“Melrose Place” was a show where in which Heather Locklear, the main actress, was portrayed as an intelligent business-women in her 30s, while this empowered women, she was also portrayed as being slutty (added by the producers).

This has become the recipe for all “powerful women” on television…while they seem empowered men are really getting exactly what they want (Law and Order)

“Murphy Brown” (1988) completely went the other way and practiced embedded feminism on television. The protagonist, Murphy Brown, was essentially a man in a women’s body. She was in complete control of every situation, was feared by her colleagues (including men), and had no idea how to do things like cook.

Riot Grrrl was a movement during the 90s that was met with a lot of hostility in the media. It empowered women and gained a lot of popularity quickly. “Riot Grrrl was a threat to the conventional notions of girls as compliant and passive, and as primarily obsessed with boys and shopping.”

“Sassy” was a magazine that essentially captured the attention and hearts of women in the 90’s. It was very entertaining but also portrayed extreme feminism. It empowered girls by asking questions like why getting a manicure was looked down upon while lifting weights was not?

-Riot Grrrl and “Sassy” are both great examples of women’s movements that men feel threatened by and try to thwart before they become dangerous to the balance of power in modern society

Women being violent in films is considered sexy by men.

This chapter says that enlightened sexism should be exploited and stoked (especially to sell products) but should be policed and punished (to keep girls and women in their place)

Women being violent in the media became media sensation. Trials were televised, t-shirts were made, etc.

-Amy Fisher and Lorena Bobbitt were both framed by the media as feminists.

-therefore feminism was equated with evil and scandal (was this the intention of the media or a natural result of patriarchal society?)

The Bill Clinton scandal was also a scandal that demeaned women everywhere and was extremely prevalent in the media

Janet Reno never smiled, she had a low pitched voice, she never cracked joke, etc…automatically people considered her asexual, or not a real woman.

Characters like Buffy and Xena were debated about at lengths because people didn’t know whether they should consider them feminists who stood for power and independence or whether they advanced fashion magazine standards of beauty and thinness while exposing much of their skin.

-Buffy and Xena sparked a warrior women obsession but was this good or bad for women?

Follow Up Post: Douglas, Walker, Baumgardner, and Richards

In this excerpt Rebecca Walker’s recount of obnoxiously loud sexist males on a train, jumps out at me because it reminds me of personal anecdotes. Living in the Bronx, sexist remarks and the objectifications of women are bluntly apparent. Walking down the streets of the Bronx as a female you are subject to catcalls and obnoxious remarks from males. I would often try to ignore such comments. However, Walker defines feminism as, “[integrating] an ideology or equality and female empowerment into the very fiber of my life” (Freedman, 400). Reading this made me rethink how I would address these types of situations. I completely agree with Walker’s statement that, “I have come to voice again, and this time my voice is not conciliatory”(Freedman, 400). Here Walker is saying that women should not be passive, but instead, address sexism head on. I would like to be that type of feminist; however, this is easier said than done.

In this excerpt, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards create a Third Wave Manifesta. Something that I found interesting was number nine of the list. It reads, “For women who so desire to participate in all reaches of the military, including combat, and to enjoy all the benefits (loans, health care, pensions) offer to its members for as long as we continue to have an active military. The largest expenditure of our national budget goes towards maintaining this welfare system, and feminist have a duty to make sure women have access to every echelon”(Freedman, 426). This is so striking to me because I had no idea that women in the military were not receiving these befits. It makes me wonder how well women in the military are being treated in other circumstances. This connects to the Tailhook scandal in Enlightened Sexism. The fact that male military personnel could strip, rape and molest 26 women and then try to cover it up, is ridiculous. To make matters worse, 14 of these women were officers.

In Enlightened Sexism, Douglas’ examination of popular 90”s television shows such as 90210, was eye-opening for me. I had never noticed how much gender played a role in 90210. For instance, “Early plot lines for Brenda keep her in the ladies room: shoplifting clothes, having a sleepover party, finding a lump in her breast. No school newspaper or soccer for her. And the one academically ambitious girl Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris) is, yes, Jewish, wears glasses, and is poor. Oy gevalt”(Douglas, 30). Meanwhile, Brandon is conveyed as academically ambitious and hardworking.

I grew up watching and loving this show as a child:

90210 Opening Credits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNmmAcrjtOQ

Follow up post for 1/31

     I think Susan Douglas provides a well-crafted analysis of the media’s intersection with time and real events in the progression that led to enlightened sexism.  I particularly enjoyed her study of Janet Reno.  Janet Reno did not conform to the female ideal on any level; this unsettled people.  The fact that she was in power was not the issue; it was that she did not apologize or qualify that power with her femininity.  Many other powerful women did not receive as much negative attention as Reno did because these women used “feminine” dress, mannerisms, and sexuality to balance with their otherwise “masculine” political power.  Though I do agree with this, I find it difficult to see things quite so clearly as Douglas does.  A woman’s sexuality can be powerful.  Its display is not necessarily in submission to patriarchy.  

     At one point Douglas says how Janet Reno avoided “Being deferential to or flirtations with men and still [was] professionally successful” (page 73).  Though I acknowledge Reno’s right and strength in doing so, this quote implies that flirtation is somehow submissive.  I see where Douglas is coming from.  Disturbing images of the intelligent, mature individual giggling in a schoolgirl manner to seem naive come to mind.  However, I think flirtation can be empowering.  It all depends on how it is employed.  Flirtation can be a girlish giggle, or it can be a witty, verbal sparring.  Perhaps I am simply succumbing to ingrained systems of oppression that I do not fully comprehend, but I personally enjoy flirtations banter.  In some ways, remaining silent qualifies submission more than to answer back.  Silence feeds into the “seen but not heard” expectation on women.  To answer back and engage in the flirtation sends messages of equality.  I want to be clear: the kind of flirtation I am referring to is engaged in willingly and is not the answer to coercive advances.  I acknowledge that some individuals’ idea of flirtation really translates into sexual harassment.  I am not implying that women need to respond flirtatiously in situations where they are made to feel uncomfortable or demeaned.  I am attempting to make the point that women who do feel comfortable can corrode the image of the silent, passive girl by engaging in positive flirtation even among colleagues. 

Follow up post for 1/27 class

I have read the Declaration of Sentiments before in a high school history class.  It was interesting to return to Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s words with the lens of increased feminist awareness and understanding.  Ellen Dubois, along with Ariel Levy and Alice Echols, connected the feminist movement to the civil rights and abolitionist movements.  The fact that race issues preceded feminist revolutions in both cases is revealing.  These movements fostered feelings of rebellion against oppression.  When women activists began to feel the sting of their own oppression, they progressed naturally towards a female revolution.  For white women this meant a movement all their own.  They were fighting for themselves.  The condition for black women was slightly more complicated.  Black women straddled the border between two unsatisfying options.  In abolitionist/civil rights movements they were already fighting for themselves in a way that white women were not.  But black women were neglected by the males in these movements.  Feminism represented women, yes, but the issues raised were primarily those white women experienced.  Black women were forced to choose between these two options.

With this in mind, Sojourner Truth proves to be a compelling figure.  She lends her strong and famous voice to the first wave of feminism.  However, much of her fame is precisely because she did not conform to the status quo.  She acknowledges this by saying “I am about the only colored woman that goes about to speak for the rights of the colored woman” (Freedman, 65).  

This was not my first exposure to Truth.  A few years ago, I read her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” [I included a link to this speech below]  It was wonderful to read these other speeches of hers now after gaining a heightened sensitivity to both minority and gender issues along with a better understanding of her historical situation.

Her style is very different from other speakers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  Truth brings a gritty, honest perspective to the women’s movement and personalizes it in ways Stanton does not.  Truth refers to the audience as “chil’n” (Freedman, 65).  This conveys a casual, visceral approach to the assembly.  I can relate to truth’s work on such a level; it gives me chills.

Stanton’s approach is very different.  The picture of formality, she uses irony and whit in a more subtle speech pushing toward equality.  She appeals to logic where Truth appeals to emotions.  I appreciate the educated, thorough approach.  Reading through her resolves, I began to critically consider whether or not these goals had been met 150 years later.  Many have been, the vote for example.  However, others seem still to be beyond our grasp.  Certainly women enjoy equality to a much greater degree than Stanton did, but it is not complete. Her resolved that men and women be held to the same moral standards has yet to be achieved completely.  I offer an over-used example but a valid one nevertheless; woman can still be labeled “whores” for their promiscuity while men are rewarded for equitable behavior.  Rarely, males may be called “man whores.”  Even then however, the term “whore” is qualified with the masculine implying that it is inherently a female marker.

http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/sojour.htm -> link to “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth

Ariel Levy, Alice Echols, Betty Friedan, and Simone de Beauvoir

“The Future That Never Happened” by Ariel Levy

     Levy starts off her essay with a narrative about Susan Brownmiller.  Brownmiller was a Cornell dropout turned actress turned feminine activist.  She fought for the radical goal of fundamentally changing all of society not just parts of it.  Levy explains how many women in the feminist movement, including Brownmiller, had a background in activism.  Many had participated in the peace or the civil rights movements.  However, many of these groups marginalized women.  The feminist movement developed as women started to meet on their own.  Brownmiller describes the Roe vs. Wade ruling as a pivotal moment of victory for feminists.   

     Levy then explains how in one decade landmark decisions involving birth control, wages, and working rights changed the way women experience society.  These were the results of either the women’s liberation movement or the sexual revolution.  These two entities shared some of their goals but diverged in distinct ways as well.

     Hugh Hefner championed the goals of the sexual revolution.  His funding of Roe vs. Wade and denial of conventional roles coincided with the feminist movement. However, his ideas of female sexuality veered sharply from the goals of feminism.  Heifner saw women as a means to satiate male sexual desires and little more. 

     Brownmiller clashed with Hefner’s ideology by fighting against pornography.  This pornography debate expanded and caused the feminist movement to fracture.  As Levy puts it, “Everyone was fighting for freedom, but when it came to sex, freedom meant different things to different people” (p. 63).

Levy closes her article with a portrayal of the feminist movement in its glory days, when it was actually trendy to be a feminist.

“The Reemergence of the Woman Question” by Alice Echols

     Echols explains how organizations like the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and work in the peace and civil rights movements effected the feminist movements.  The SDS was part of the “new left” that had strong anti-Communist views.  However, this organization was run in a sexist fashion.  It did inadvertently benefit women by giving them the political skills and exposure that helped to birth the feminist movement.  The new left also contributed by encouraging its followers to connect elements of their personal lives to political issues.  Chiefly the new left contributed by providing a springboard for the feminist movement to rebel against.  Though the feminist movement came out of the civil rights movement, black women felt estranged from the movement.  Echols argues the reason for this was a lack of shared history with their white counterparts.  The civil rights movement also began to gear towards black power.  This was a more violent approach that demanded white expulsion from its groups.

The Peace movement was also essential to feminism.  It too provided women with only a marginal role since they could not be drafted.

     Through these marginalizing forces, women began to demand more.  Learning from the spirit of the black power movement, the women desired to be the driving force behind the movement and not allow men to lead as the civil right movement had sometimes allowed white individuals to lead.

Excerpt from The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

     Women in the 1950s gave back ground won by the previous generation.  They no longer aspired for careers.  Instead, women strove to be wives, mothers, and excellent housekeepers.  College became a place to find husbands, not an alternative to needing one.   Many women felt unfulfilled by this lifestyle but did not talk about it.  The few that did, saw themselves as being deeply flawed and spoke to a psychiatrist not one another.  When women did finally begin to get public attention for their dissatisfaction, the public had varied responses.  Some suggested that voting and education was too much for women to handle.  Others prescribed outings or tranquilizers to distract women from their lack of purpose.  This lack of purpose is the root problem that led to female dissatisfaction.

     At first, the question of identity can be extremely intimidating.  Women were used to being told who they are.  Friedan suggests that education be used to combat these issues.  She thinks that the government should sanction a bill similar to the GI bill that would enable women to pursue further education and a fulfilling career.

Excerpt from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

     Beauvoir begins by acknowledging that much has been written about women in recent years.  Since the subject keeps repeating, it seems clear that there are some questions yet to be satisfied.  Many of these writings lament the loss of the essence of woman.  Beauvoir asks what constitutes this essence.  She argues that women are still half the population as they have always been.  That this essence that people speak of is an ill-defined idea.  This idea of femininity encompasses more than simply biology.  Beauvoir finds it necessary to ask, what is a woman?  She points out that men do not engage in questioning their own gender in the same way.  Maleness is the “positive and the neutral” (p. 254) while the feminine is the negative only.  Women are defined by this femininity because it cannot be part of the neutral.  A male has the privilege of having his views taken at face value and not in the context of his gender.  A female is defined by her lack of male qualities.  Beauvoir links this relationship of having and lacking to other polarities and constructions of the other within society.  However it is distinctly different as well.  Women do not form a cohesive separate group from their oppressors.  Women could never be completely separate from males because the species would cease to exist.

     Beauvoir argues against a discussion of inferiority and superiority when it comes to the sexes.  She also rejects the measure of happiness when determining what is best.   Instead, Beauvoir suggests that freedom be the goal.

Responding to Jason's Post

In Enlightened Sexism by Susan Douglass, Douglass highlights the media’s portrayal of women. Douglass argues that the media’s portrayal of women as equal to men is a fantasy. I myself am guilty of living in this fantasy. References of the glass ceiling and inequality seemed more myth than reality. I grew up being told, “The sky’s the limit” and recently I have watched strong females like Hillary Clinton run for Presidency. However, I did not take into consideration the difference in salary between men and women or the negative press surrounding Hillary Clinton’s campaign because of her sex; or I chose to ignore it. Through this fantasy of equality the need for feminism becomes non-existent to many.

What I find very interesting, that Douglass points out, is that while the media portrays women with strong personalities and prestigious careers, they also objectify women in other cases. And this objectification is accepted by society because “it’s silly to be sexist; therefore, it’s funny to be sexist”(Page). And it’s okay to flaunt your sexuality in the media like the Spice Girls and Brittney Spears did in their music videos.

I grew up belting out lyrics to hit songs such as Wannabe by the Spice Girls, Hit Me Baby One More Time by Brittney Spears and watching shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, without quiet comprehending their roles in the feminist movement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-u5WLJ9Yk4 - Baby One More Time by Brittney Spears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJLIiF15wjQ - Wannabe by the Spice Girls

In “Claiming and Education” by Adrienne Rich some thing that I have found especially interesting is that “when you read or hear about ‘great issues,’ ‘major texts,’ ‘the mainstream of western thought,’ you are hearing about what men, above all white men, in their male subjectivity, have decided is important.” It seems that men have written most of the books that I have read for both my modernity and western traditions classes. It was striking to me how little women were included in our history. Because of this I agree that there is a desperate need for women who will “no longer be wasted, raveled-away, paralyzed, or denied.”

Responding to Jason's post

            Enlightened Sexism by Susan Douglas makes the point that though women have been given power through the feminist movement in the 1970s, that that power has now been curtailed.  A female’s power comes solely from her sexuality and her ability to be a consumer.  Political and economic power is still largely out of her sphere.   This idea resonates with me.  I remember around junior high years being initially intoxicated by the idea that I could use my sexuality as a tool over men (boys at the time).  Though I do feel that maturity helped to move me out of this thought pattern, I hesitate to say that it was completely eradicated with age.   Residual feelings still exist.  This always proposed a troublesome self-contradiction.  Females that relied only on their sexuality repulsed me, but there was something secretly tantalizing about their power.  Douglas explores whether a woman’s sexuality provides a sufficient degree of power as to qualify her as liberated.

           Susan Douglas’ concept of enlightened sexism exposed an element of our society that I had yet to have a name for.  Douglas mentioned the television program The Man Show.  Being ignorant of it, I watched a clip on YouTube.  I’ve included the link below.  This shows how at times the media portrays women in ways I find to be inherently degrading and yet gets away with it because it subtly hides its chauvinistic core with a self-mocking veneer.  I agree with Douglas’ point that this is still sexism.  Women whose sole life goals centered on pleasing men always made me uncomfortable.   They always grated against my ideas of what being a woman should be.  The contradictory ideas that this was the woman’s choice and that these shows were mocking their overt sexism pulled against my belief.  Douglas’ thoughts helped to solidify the ideas the clip below and attitudes like it are, in fact, sexism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJagtCv7mx8 -> clip from The Man Show

Based on Adrienne Rich’s speech “Claiming an Eduaction” I have no doubt she would agree.  At one point she says, “Do not treat your body as a commodity with which to purchase superficial intimacy or economic security.”  The women in the video seem to me to be doing that.  They allow men to use their bodies to perpetuate sexist ideas about where the worth of a woman resides. 

Rich’s speech articulates where she believes the worth of a woman can and should reside: in her mind, in her ability to actively influence the world.  I found this entire speech to be incredibly inspirational.  Rich points out that academia participates in “almost total erasure of women’s experience and thought from the curriculum” (page 1).  This semester I am taking both CORE 151 and CORE 152.   Between both of these courses, only one text is written by a woman.  Colgate requires these courses from each of its students because they are supposed to engage students in necessary conversations, conversations led almost entirely by male thinkers.  Now, I am not impractical.  I understand that because of the societal climates, women were not afforded the same opportunities as men to produce such influential texts.  I am not demanding that Colgate incorporate texts of lesser importance authored by women simply to appease feminist thinking.  However, it is nevertheless telling.  It will be interesting to see if throughout the course of this semester, this disparity is acknowledged. 

Douglas, Rich

In Susan Douglas’s “Fantasies of Power”, she begins by talking about her young daughter and the sleepover her daughter is having with a few of her friends. She describes their affinity for the Spice Girls, a famous singing group in the 1990’s. Douglas explains how the Spice Girls seem to be the feminists of the 1990’s. They wrote a song about how guys need to treat women with respect or they can, “take a hike”. Even though the Spice Girls wear scandalous clothing and are not afraid to express their sexuality openly, they are sending feminist messages.

Douglas continues by talking about how successful women have become in the public eye. She includes the fact that women have run for Vice President and President of the United States of America, the Secretary of State in the U.S. is a woman, women have infiltrated reality television (in survivor they compete directly alongside the men), they make up many television personalities, and have even gained popularity and power in the world of sports. Nevertheless, women still make only 80% of what men make 5 years after college and only 69% of what men make after that. According to these percentages women have not made as many steps toward equality as they think they have. However, this is simply economic progress and political progress. Women have been empowered, but they have been given power in the media. Media and society assure women are strong, successful, sexually in control, fearless, and held in awe.

Susan Douglas also references the difference between the women in the media that her generation watch and the women in the media now. The women in the television show, “Law and Order” are representative of women on television in the 1990’s. Now, women are portrayed on MTV shows about getting into sororities. The values that are emphasized in these young women are looks and passive personalities as apposed to the women in “Law and Order” who are bossy and strong. This new regime of television is partially a function of Enlightened Sexism.

Enlightened Sexism is a response to the perceived threat of a new gender regime. This response can be purposeful or not. The idea of enlightened sexism is that sexism does not exist anymore because of how far women have come so now it is okay, even amusing, to bring back sexist stereotypes for women. Women have taken control of their own power. They do not necessarily have individual economic success or political pull, but they have fun, look good, and have men lust over them. Because of this many girls spend a great deal of time on their appearance. This conformance toward anti-feminism, Douglass explains, is a result of women choosing anti-feminism over feminism because it is cooler and more acceptable. Enlightened sexism has led to the same things that feminists were not happy with in the 60’s and 70’s but now they are done with a wink and not at the expense of women’s feelings.

This introductory chapter was very interesting and informative. While Douglass helped define some important vocabulary and portrayed a wide range of information, she did a nice job of referencing things that her readers would be accustomed to. For instance, her Spice Girls, Law and Order, MTV, etc, references were all great ways to connect her reader to the information and really allowed me to grasp the information. This seems like a great introduction to much more relevant and interesting information to come.

Adrienne Rich’s “Claiming and Education” is much less detailed and involved than the Douglass reading yet it talks about a different yet equally important facet of Women’s Studies. She talks about women in education. She talks about both female teachers and female students. She talks about how women are brought up thinking, often times, that responsibilities to others comes before responsibility to ones self. Rich says that this is not necessarily how women should live their lives. She says that women should ‘respect and use your own brains and instincts, don’t treat your body like a commodity, have people respect your mind, do things that will challenge you, don’t sell yourself short, resist societal norms, and don’t marry early to avoid difficult decisions’. Rich sends the message that women’s minds are extremely valuable and necessary in any civilization. Rich then explains how many qualified professors are not thrilled about working at all girl schools. She rebuts by saying that there is, “no more intellectually fertile place in the academic world today than a women’s college”.

Women in education are a less public and less visual aspect of Women’s Studies than women in the mass media. Because of this, I am not as familiar with this subject. Nevertheless, Adrienne Rich gives a good overview and generalization of women in the school system and also speaks extensively about the way women should act in general.