Final Paper #2

Throughout the semester I have been continuously learning all about feminism and what makes up feminism. There are many different definitions for feminism. From the videos we have watched and the articles and books we have read we have found that there is not a right answer really. Feminism fights for equality. Feminism began as gaining the right for women to vote, then it progressed to giving women the right to equal job opportunities, and now it is about fighting for equality for everything. Feminism has been a constant uphill battle for women, but it has also been a very rewarding one.
In the book The F Word, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings”. In the F word, Rowe also calls feminism a word that simply means the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes (5). Also in the book Feminism is for Everyone, Hooks talks about the stereotypes of feminism and what most people think about when they hear about feminism. Feminism is a bunch of angry women who want to be like men (Hooks, viii). Hooks puts it this way, “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (vii). The encyclopedia calls feminism the idea that women should have political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic rights equal to those of men. Feminism can be described in so many ways that many people don’t like it because they are not sure what exactly it is. I think the reason why so many people are against feminism is because they are afraid of what they do not understand. Therefore we have to ask what does make up feminism. Who can be a feminist? Are there certain prerequisites for becoming a feminist? Throughout the semester I have been pondering on this subject myself. What do I think is a feminist? Is there one right definition? As I have read these articles and read The F Word and FIFE I have been able to produce my own definition. More or less I have decided what I think feminism is to me. My definition is simply equality for everyone in everything.
As we all know feminism began in the early 1800’s when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. This was a time when women wanted full rights under the law. A huge disappointment came along when the Fifteenth amendment came out and it gave the right to vote to all races, yet not to all sexes. Although this was a setback for the early feminists it was not enough to stop them. More or less, it fueled the fire. Many women became very serious about obtaining the right to vote. Some women were thrown in jail, some beaten and threatened. Women came together and marched the streets and protested for the right to vote. They did anything and everything in their power to reach equality for women. Many different things were done to finally accomplish the right to vote for women, which was granted in 1920. Although this was the most significant thing that the feminists of the first wave accomplished it is not the only thing. They also changed how the world saw women. Women were no longer hidden in the shadows without any voice in what went on in their country. It was no longer so easy to brush them to the side. They were now visible and heard. There were also some complications that arose after women were given the right to vote. Although everyone had the right to vote, there were still restraints held against women because they had to pass certain tests and things, therefore, keeping poor African American women from voting. This stirred the fight for equal rights for African American women. Also in the first wave the beginning of the Planned Parenthood Organization began, because contraceptives were associated with prostitution, or they were only prescribed to men to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases. The first Planned Parenthood Organization was created by Margaret Sanger. This provided a choice for women concerning their reproductive rights. The first birth control clinic was also opened through the first wave feminists. It was opened by Sanger, Ethel Byrne, and Fania Mindell. The first wave of feminism was very productive. They were specific about what they wanted and they went out and obtained it. They didn’t let a little bump in the road stop them; they kept pushing for what they believed was right.
The second wave of feminism began with the simile from Irina Dunn, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle” (25). This article sums up how the women of this time felt. Women were realizing that they did not need men to be successful or to be represented. The second wave lasted through the early 1960’s to the 1980’s. It focused on gender equality in the workplace, access to reproductive health care, and civil-rights legislation. It also fought for legal abortions and equal pay in the workforce. This was a time when women felt that they should be allowed to do whatever they wanted to pursue their dreams. The second wave also had some problems that came along in their fight for equality. There was the issue that black women were left out, and that the second wave was only for the middle and upper white class women. There are arguments that state that black women were not purposely left out, but that it was just harder for black women to work with white women while also trying to fight for equality for their race. The second wave gave women so many more freedoms and options than before. The feminist movement was progressing and providing women with more opportunities and freedoms than they could imagine that they could achieve.
The third wave is more of a contemporary movement. It is not bound by any one specific thing. It is actually fighting for many different things. Sexuality is a big one. Where there are not always just male and female definitions for people. Because there is not a specific thing that is being fought for we are considered to be in a time of post feminism. One of the big concerns of modern day feminists is the huge wage gap between men and women. There are still so many inequalities that women experience all the time; it just is not something that women think that everyone else is going through. Most women think that they are alone in the situations of inequality that they face. Another issue with the third wave is that women aren’t voting. In The F Word, Rowe talks about how women get frustrated with voting because they don’t see immediate feedback. Many women in the third wave take for granted the freedoms that they enjoy every day. We often forget what our mothers and grandmothers did to give us the right to vote and opportunities to be in the work force. This issue is definitely an issue with women from the first and second waves of feminism. They are concerned that their hard work will go down the drain since women today do not take women’s rights very seriously. Maybe it is not because we do not take it seriously, but because it is not as evident today how unequal we are in our world.
Women’s studies are the study of women and issues that women face. Feminism is very easily crossed with women’s studies. In women’s studies we study about women in the past and all the successes that women have achieved over the years. How could feminism not be a part of women’s studies? Feminism is a prime component of the history of women. Because of feminism, women enjoy many freedoms that might not exist today without the first and second waves. In women’s studies we have learned about women in the work force, women and body image, and women in the household. From the Belkin article of “Opting Out” to the “Beauty Myth” by Wolf, it is impossible to talk about women’s issues without seeing the feminist movement.
Feminism is very much portrayed in the articles “Opt Out” and “Beauty Myth”. In the “Beauty Myth”, Wolf begins her article by bringing up the issue of female liberation and female beauty. It is obvious in our world today that beauty is very important, regardless of how important it really is. Wolf goes on to point out that although women have been granted these certain freedoms, women still do not necessarily feel free. “Many are ashamed to admit that such trivial concerns—to do with physical appearance, bodies, faces, hair, clothes—matters so much” (9). This article makes it clear that feminism has made huge improvements and gains torwards equailty for women. From where we first started to where we are at today, it is easy to see that women are making a stand everywhere to fight for what we know is right. However, that being said, we as women do not need to sit back and think that we have finally made it. Women everywhere need to make a personal commitment to always strive for equal treatment in every aspect of life. Quit thinking about what we have already fought for and things that we have already gained, we need to look outside the box and see that we are still on our way to being equal and the minute we stop striving for these goals, we have defeated ourselves.
Belkin, the author of the article "Opt Out", also portrays feminism very well. She wrote her article about how women in the work force are choosing to leave work to raise a family. She also talks about whether this is actually a choice or only a choice for those who are wealthy enough to make it. This article ties into feminism by showing first of all how women are benifiting from the first and second waves of feminism. Women are a part of the work force now more than ever. It is also showing our benifits by seeing that women are being able to choose whether they would like to work or not.
Throughout this semester I have been constantly bombarded with feminism and what makes up feminism. I have read many articles and books about the feminist movement and what it is all about. I have sat through many arguments about what makes up feminism and what does not. I have seen videos about feminism and what other women think makes up feminism. From what I have learned about feminism and what I believe feminism is, yes I would have to say that I am a feminist. I do believe in equality for women and for all sexes in every aspect of life.
I believe that I am a feminist because I believe that everyone deserves to be treated equally. From The F Word to Feminism is for Everyone, I have learned that feminism deals with many rights for women as well as dealing with equalities for all genders. In my everyday life I make it more of an effort to notice the inequalities that women are up against. Not only do I recognize the inequalities in our world, but I make a conscious effort to diminish these inequalities by taking a stand for women today.

Works Cited
The F Word by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
Feminism is for Everyone Bell Hooks
“The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf
“Opt Out” by Lisa Belkin