Hmm one post and zero followers...it seems as though I am not off to a great start with my blog. Truth is, I've had an extremely dramatic and stressful past week, which I'm not quite ready to talk about. It also doesn't help that I've been crazy busy studying (I've decided to be a model student go balls to the walls with my school work this semester.), and I just got a new job working at my university's cafeteria. Therefore, I have decided to kill two birds with one stone by posting compositions for school that are relevant to my worldview.
The following is a rough draft of a reflection paper for my Gender&Women's Studies class on how I can personally relate to one of the articles about feminism that we've read. I realize that parts of it are probably incoherent since I repeatedly go off on tangents, but I'm more concerned about sharing my perspective on feminism than the overall structure of my paper.
In the article “Feminist Politics,” bell hooks offers a definition for a type of feminism that I view as a personal call to action. Defining feminism as a “movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,” hooks sets out to put the politics back into feminist ideology (1). I believe that without a political agenda, feminism as a movement loses much of its social relevance. Most of the women with whom I have discussed feminism attest that, because no woman is the same in terms of beliefs, values, or past experiences, for every woman there should be a different definition for feminism that aligns with her individual worldview. While I understand the logic behind this point of view and realize that the multitude of perspectives on the female experience are to be valued and learned from, I do not agree that because feminism is whatever one makes it to be, anyone can be a feminist. This idea puts the very existence of feminism in jeopardy because, as with all movements, feminism needs a unifying common goal in order to remain socially relevant.
I am not, however, calling for a “one-size-fits-all” kind of feminism. In fact, I believe that many women hesitate to call themselves feminists because the movement has become overly standardized to the point where sexism in our society is viewed mainly through the lens of white middle class privilege. Feminism, for the most part, is lacking a global perspective, which is why there needs to be more focus on the political aspect of the movement. As hooks states, “most people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men…their misunderstanding of feminist politics reflects the reality that most folks learn about their feminism from patriarchal mass media” (1). I agree that working for gender equality is not enough, and this misconception about the goal of feminism is why, until reading this article, I have always been hesitant to call myself a feminist.
I cannot bring myself to support a feminism that consists mainly of privileged white women striving for equal pay and opportunity in the work place with the goal of achieving upward class mobility. How are the countless minority women and women born into poverty supposed to relate to such a privileged interpretation of feminism? While I agree that woman should receive equal pay as men, I do not view the struggle of these women as being a priority when taken in the context of the society in which we live. For this reason, I appreciate how hooks defines feminism as a movement not just to end sexism, but to eliminate societal oppression.
We are living in a patriarchal society rampant with sexist and racist attitudes that are so deeply engrained into our cultural psyche that many fail to even notice their own white middle class privilege. In order to challenge social injustice, one must first be able to acknowledge the advantages one has within the system. Because we are living in a society that is inherently flawed, it is not enough to simply work for gender equality within the existing system. Rather, we must engage in a more political type of feminism, which calls for a total system overhaul before we can begin to build a new system based on feminist ideals. I do not want to be equal to men; I want to live in a true meritocracy where everyone has equal access to the systems and institutions that make up our society and thus equal opportunity for success.
For as long as I have been aware of the sexism, racism, and class division that is so prevalent in our society, I have been unsatisfied with the system. In fact, this dissatisfaction with the society in which I live had become a sort of catalyst for my mood disorder –as my anger toward society grew, so did my frustration with myself for being too apathetic to do anything about it. In addition, I was becoming increasingly aware of the privileges I receive as a white member of the middle class, the realization of which served to further lower my self-esteem. I felt trapped: it was impossible to remain oblivious to social injustice, and I felt myself descending into a downward spiral of shame and self-loathing as I began to mentally project that which I hated about my society onto myself as an individual. It was as if our patriarchal society was a mirror in which I saw myself reflected and distorted, and I could barely bring myself to look at the selfish, ignorant, hypocritical young woman I saw.
I now realize, however, that it is not my fault that I am at an advantage within the system, but it is my responsibility to challenge my privileged status and work to raise awareness of social injustice. While reading “Feminist Politics,” I was surprised to discover that “from its earliest inception feminist movement was polarized” and that early feminism can be divided into the two major factions of reformist feminists, who chose to focus on gender equality, and revolutionary feminists, whose goal was to eliminate sexism and patriarchy by transforming the system (hooks, 4). “Revolutionary feminism,” I thought to myself. “Finally, a type of feminism I can get behind.” Because of this article, I no longer avoid expressing ideas that might result in people calling me a feminist; rather, I embrace the label and am becoming increasingly vocal about exactly what kind of feminist I consider myself to be.
In addition to struggling with my privileged status in society, I have also had issues with self-image that stem from my identity as a woman living in a patriarchal society. It is not enough to become opinionated when I observe the rights of others being compromised; in order to call myself a feminist, I need to look inward as well. For all my talk of women’s rights, I have been a male-pleaser for as long as I can remember. While it is not easy for a woman who struggles with low self-esteem and depression to maintain a positive self-image amidst an environment where one is constantly, relentlessly bombarded with messages about the importance of being the “perfect” woman, it is my responsibility as a feminist to challenge these messages on a personal level.
Now that women in our society are slowly but surely reaching our goal of equal pay and treatment in the work place, it is as if we have a whole new role to fill in society: be a strong, independent woman with a successful career, an attentive wife, a loving mother, and look sexy while doing it. Surely I am not alone when I say that such unattainable standards, for which the media is largely responsible, have had an extremely detrimental effect on my self-image and the way in which I orient myself within society. Therefore, it is not just an outward struggle to promote the rights of underprivileged groups, but an inward battle where I am called to fight the sexist messages that have come to shape my everyday behavior, from when I risk being late for work to apply an extra coat of mascara to when I skip dessert in hopes of looking more like the scarily-slender girl at the table next to mine.
Ultimately, I advocate a political sort of feminism where one takes into account one’s personal experiences with sexism, racism, or class division and uses them to broaden one’s understanding of the female experience in a patriarchal society. The article “Feminist Politics” challenged my complacency toward social injustice as well as my own impressionable tendencies that have resulted in identity crisis and a poor self-image. But how exactly do I live according to revolutionary feminist principles? I believe that once I begin to promote feminism as a “movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,” I will finally feel as though I am doing my part to challenge the cultural and institutional oppression that is so prevalent in my society. Thus, my self-esteem will rise accordingly because I will no longer be stuck in a pattern of self-indulgent apathy where I passively support the sexist, racist attitudes that are in direct conflict with my values. In addition, I will be able to point to my accomplishments in promoting a revolutionary feminist agenda whenever I feel overwhelmed by the sexist message in society that tell me I will never be good enough.
I have recently decided to start blogging in an effort to raise awareness of the feminist movement from a revolutionary standpoint. Before reading hooks’ article, I would have been far too concerned about potentially-negative feedback or ensuing conflict with my peers that could result from putting such ideas out there for everyone to see. However, I think hooks and other early feminists would agree that in order to instill change, one must be a great deal more controversial than one would normally be willing to be. Blogging about all my new theories and ideas may be a small step when taken in the context of the revolutionary feminist movement, but I believe it is a step in the right direction.
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