Women and Gender Studies essay PDF

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Olivia Fogarty Women and Gender Studies Paper 11/15/18

To the women of the next generation, I wanted to write this letter to give you an idea of some of the struggle’s women face today, so you have a better idea of what to expect when it is your turn to stand up. The standards for women are almost unrealistic therefore causing unequal treatment and unreachable body images. First, a little history about the topic. At the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention in 1848, activists demanded full participation in public and civic life for women, they called for higher education and professional opportunities, the right to divorce, ownership of property, claim in heritance, custody of children, and the right to vote. Women’s accomplishments and perspectives were not seen as worthy of attention (Elizabeth Cady Stanton). Since then, feminists have stood up for what they believe in and demanded to have equal rights. Though it is not always a pretty fight, and that is exactly why it is necessary to inform the women of the next generation. Feminists are labeled to be things they are not; including that they are ugly, lesbians, hairy and much more. These misconceptions come from patriarchal mass media and people who believed women are weaker than men. In this letter, I plan to unpack how misconceptions targeting body image of those who stand up for women’s rights can affect their self-esteem and confidence. I also plan to then analyze how these misconceptions affect me from my intersectional perspective as well as those around me. Before I begin to go into more detail on this topic, it is important to state how I identify myself in order for you to gain a better understanding of the material I am discussing. I am a white female woman, raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia PA. I was raised in a loving

home with my parents, twin sister, older sister and older brother. I attended public school for my education and that is the first place I noticed those that were standing up for women’s rights were being judged. By taking this class I realized these beliefs and misconceptions are a real thing in not only high school, but in every aspect of life. bell hooks definition of feminism is that it is a movement to end sexism, therefore all sexist thinking is the issue (bell hooks, 20). I liked this definition because it did not label men as the enemy, it went directly to the heart of the matter. All sexist thinking and actions are the problem and therefore to understand feminism one needs to also understand sexism. hooks makes it clear for us that the women who stand up for gender equality are usually white and materially privileged. Growing up in a primarily white town, the women around me standing up for equality were of the white race. Sexist thinking and gender injustice are some of the main reasons why women in our generation are so easy to judge. We are told that if you are a feminist or if you stand up for gender inequality, you therefore are an ugly person. I myself never experienced being called ugly to my face, but I can assure you that someone has said it behind my back and I have experienced others using those terms when talking badly about other people. Especially when being in high school, a crucial part of your life, it is hard to deal with words that causes so much damage to our well-beings. In the reading “Problems in organizing black feminists,” it states that in order to fix gender oppression we need to address a whole range of oppressions, not just feminism.” It is also stated that there was a very low value placed on black feminists from the very beginning (The Combahee River Collective, 161). I believe if that low value wasn’t placed on them from the very beginning and we just accepted them, then we would not have as many issues today. These issues and beliefs of all people are

structural and come from societal thinking and the misconceptions need to be erased because they are not true and could affect how our next generation feminists act. The biggest issue that I wanted to make clear while writing to the next generation is some of the misconception that women face who stand up for gender equality and feminism. The ones I wanted to focus on are that feminists are ugly, hairy, and braless, emphasis on the ugly (Christie Launius, Holly Hassel, 6). These misconceptions are obviously false and the insecurities it places on young women are frustrating and extremely saddening. In the Combahee reading article it states that the low value placed on women has damaged our psyches and intensified our struggles. I understand that this phrase is a reference to black women due to slavery and racial discrimination, but I believe it shows similar outcomes to situations where white woman are discriminated for being a feminist. As women of the next generation, I want you to realize that these misconceptions mean nothing, and we need you to stand up for women and for gender justice no matter what others say. A negative body image is formed over a lifetime from many different influences, including family, peer group, media and social pressures. It can affect your self-esteem and confidence in an extensive way. The reason I am talking about body image is because the misconceptions I mentioned before are targeting women’s body images and wanting them to feel negatively about their bodies. One place where women are degraded is the porn industry. The porn industry contributes to dehumanizing girls by telling them they are “dirty whores,” and other vulgar names. Men desensitize women by getting pleasure out of their pain and laughing at torturing them (Jackson Katz, 185). It’s extremely easy to turn down someone’s ability to see someone else in their full humanity, making it so effortless to dehumanize others. Women

need to stand up by not letting men control them in the same way we let men control the outcomes of equal rights movements. Likewise, women are being socialized at a young age that they need to be sexually available. That same socialization happens when women are judged for standing up for themselves as feminists. Women who have been harassed repeatedly report that their behavior and confidence is affected, and they experience distress and anxiety, yet society continues to focus on the actions of victims and not on the perpetrators. (Killing Us Softly, Margaret Lazarus) We need to shift that mindset and focus on how the women actually feel and why these men feel that women deserve this, rather than just focusing on the action of the rapist. Women who are victims of sexual harassment are scarred for life and therefore cannot go about their life the same as any normal human being. Women and girls are regularly warned not to make a fuss. It is common to be told that you are overreacting, that you have misinterpreted the situation, or that it simply isn’t a big deal (CJ Pascoe, 46). What such responses fail to recognize is that the incident itself is just the tip of the iceberg – the full impact often continues long afterwards. On the other hand, men are taught that sexualizing women’s body image is something funny and it makes them more masculine (CJ Pascoe, 46). Not only does it make them feel more masculine but when they use it as an advertising strategy it makes women believe they need to look perfect all the time, when in fact is the complete opposite (Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather, 352). Lastly, the medicalization of bodies is a huge factor into the self-confidence of women. Physicians have the ultimate say and authority to diagnose a symptom and categorize behaviors. Upper class women are taught to starve while lower class women are taught to purge (Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather, 352). I would say I am mostly middle class and

I understand the struggles of always having things around me persuading me to look a certain way. This is the medicalization of bodies, not having control over your body and it is used to justify discrimination against overweight people. This intersection creates different experiences for men and women in an unfair way. My intersectional perspective on this topic is as white female, young women. As a white woman I am subjected to the socialization and judgement of many things. This leads to issues in gender wage gap, sexualization of women, and degradation of women. One issue I want to talk about specifically is the way in which people respond to women who stand up for women’s rights. I do not classify myself as an activist for women’s rights although I do identify myself as having feminist beliefs. Feminists that I went to high school with sometimes did not shave their legs, wore no makeup, and didn’t wear bras. Due to those personal decisions, they were talked about behind their backs, in front of their backs and dehumanized. These assumptions made by my peers kept me from standing up and acting on what I believe in. Upon entering college and taking a women and gender studies course, I have found there is much more acceptance for other people’s beliefs and less negative judgement, which is very refreshing. Men and women should trust each other, share responsibilities, listen to one another, respect each other, and of course love one another equally. But as you already know, that does not always happen. I recently spoke to a friend of mine who now swims at the collegiate level and is required to shave his legs for big swim meets. He told me that he feels better when his legs are shaved and wishes he could do it all the time, but unfortunately society does not approve of that. He feels as though he would be ridiculed by others, men and women. This relates back to talking about body image and how we view others, because he

feels self-conscious doing something that is out of the norm. A lot of the times, men are at fault for the judgement of both men and women. I myself have felt judged by men in ways including stares, facial expressions, and judgement. This makes me feel as though men have some kind of power over the female gender, when really, they should not. I want whoever is reading this letter to understand that sometimes you may feel degraded by people of the other gender, but what really matters is how you hold yourself and how you stand up for gender equality. Another thing I really want to stress to the person reading this is that we need to be more open and welcome men because if we do not, there will be no progress will be made in gender equality. Researching and writing about this topic has really helped open my eyes to the judgement women face in their everyday lives and how it leads to so much more than we think. This will help me advance in my education by teaching me that women are not weaker than men, and in fact can do anything a man can, or even more. We have the power to uphold any standard and pursue any career. We cannot let the judgement and sexualization of women affect how we live our lives. I will pursue my career as a strong woman who stands up for herself and her body and I believe all women of the next generation can and must do the same in order for us to achieve fair gender equality and the self-confidence we need.

Works Cited Page Pacoe, CJ. “Making Masculinity.” Introduction to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Approaches. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather. Oxford University Press: 2018, pp. 43-50, print. Launius, Christie and Hassel, Holly. “Threshold Concepts in Women and Gender Studies, Introduction.” Introduction to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Approaches. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather Oxford University Press: 2018, pp. 4-10, print. hooks, bell. “Feminist Politics.” Introduction to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Approaches. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather. Oxford University Press: 2018, pp. 20-22, print. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “Seneca Falls Convention” Introduction to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Approaches. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather. Oxford University Press: 2018, pp. 122-123, print. Katz, Jackson. “Guilty Pleasures.” Introduction to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Approaches. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather. Oxford University Press: 2018, pp. 182-189, print. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather Oxford University Press: 2018. ”Medicalization of Bodies.” .” Introduction to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Approaches. Ayu Saraswati, L, Shaw, Barbara L, Rellihan, Heather. Oxford University Press: 2018, pp. 350-362, print....