1st wave feminism is basically women's suffrage. It is women demanding the right to vote and run for office. I think of it as demanding their basic rights. 2nd wave feminism is choice feminism. Women choose who they want to be, what they want to do, and what they want to look like--and they are empowered by these choices because they made them. The main example we used in class of 2nd wave feminism was Madonna. There are so many definitions of 3rd wave feminism because it is so diverse and complex, but In my mind its ideology is "We're women and girls and we come in many different shapes, sizes, orientations, colors, ethnicities, and nationalities and we do all kinds of different things and have crazy different ideas, dreams, gifts, talents, and world views, but we are people and what we do, create, build, sing, draw, write, manage, or take care of has value and is awesome because we are women. " It isn't so much about equalizing as it is empowering women and recognizing them because they are women and what they do is awesome in itself. 3rd wave feminism is most often seen as a movement, while 2nd wave is about individuals making choices.
I want to talk about 2nd wave feminism for a bit because I don't buy all of it. While I agree that your choices should empower you, I don't buy that the choices of objectification through sexuality is very empowering. I think that women view this as their role in society and maybe they view it unknowingly as their only choice because that is all that is presented to them, and through 2nd wave feminism they can finally call it (their only choice) empowering. Maybe I would think it was empowering if women viewed their mind as their greatest asset and then their body, and still made that choice....but I don't think most women who are empowered by choosing to be a pornstar or pose in sexy, vulnerable positions really believe that.
I think 3rd wave feminism is awesome because it is seeks to empower women for who they are---whomever that might be. However, I would probably define myself as a cross between 2nd and 3rd wave feminism because I still like the being empowered by choice idea, but I also hold to the idea that women can do things just as good and better than men in the areas that they are trying to make gains in. My literature professor James VandenBosch repeatedly told my class that since women gains the right to vote and were able to get an education, women have made bounds and leaps and are getting better grades and constitute more of the population in every area of study except Engineering and...Physics (and a couple others I think). And that's just in the last 100 years! He would always say, "Just think what women will be able to do in the next 100 years!"
As my collection, I wanted to post a bunch of images of feminist activism, as well as things that I think represent the three waves.
| I think this sums up 80's metal's idea of women. |
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| interesting in light of the comment made in class about the difference between porn and high art. Why is one naked woman different than another? |
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| This was a walk protesting the idea that "all women are sluts" . All women are not sexually available to any man that wants them. It says "Make it known that those who experience sexual assault are never the ones at fault. |
And now: the Three Waves of Feminism:
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| Madonna finding power through sex appeal. |
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| Riot Grrrl |
I just wanted to add this because it is so preposterous. In light of all of the great things women have done and everything we have learned about feminism, there are still people who are adamantly against it. For real. This is a cite that claims feminism is evil and manipulates the Bible for it's cause to give "proof" that women's rights are from the devil and women are ruining the world. It claims that according to the Bible,
A godly man is a threat to the feminist's agenda, because he believes that a woman's place is still in the home—baking cookies, knitting, and caring for the children (1st Timothy 5:14). Of course, hen pecked husbands and sissies are exempt....that was seriously a direct quote. It was so infuriating that I could only read 3 paragraphs, but I thought it was so ridiculous that I had to share it. Link: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Feminism/feminism_is_evil.htm
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