FEMINISM

Definition Feminism- The advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men

...But feminists are scary! Some feminists you may know: Beyoncé Emma Watson Joseph Gordon-Levitt John Legend Ellen DeGeneres Lena Dunham Amy Poehler Tina Fey Joss Whedon Everyone standing up here! Still think feminists are scary?

A couple of words to know: -Misogyny: hatred or prejudice against women -Privilege: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people -Gender Binary: the idea that gender exists in only two categories, male and female -Patriarchy: a system in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it -Victim Blaming: the tendency to criticize or hold the victims of oppression responsible for the act(s) that she/he/they have experienced

Examples of Everyday Sexism -Catcalling -Tendency of the media to ignore or shame victims of sexual assault -Intimidation of women, particularly on the internet -Sexist song lyrics -“Benevolent sexism”

Sexism in Language -Pronouns -“You guys” -Words like “b----” and “s---” are used exclusively against women -“___ like a girl” (this is slightly antiquated, but still relevant) -In debate, you will sometimes see words like “mankind” used to reference all of humanity

Benevolent Sexism Accidental marginalization of women due to gender roles (chivalry, etc.)

Everyday Sexism (cont’d)

Sexism in Pop Culture -The Bechdel Test: A movie must have more than one female character. The female characters must have a conversation. The conversation must be about something other than male characters. 44% of movies do not pass this test. -“You don’t know you’re beautiful”- popular music tends to encourage insecurity. -“Blurred Lines” and the normalization of rape culture

Intersectionality Sexism often intersects with other kinds of oppression. Categories such as gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, caste, and other axes of identity interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systemic injustice and social inequality. Those who are not of a particular identity can never fully understand what it means to be someone of that identity. Intersectional theory rejects a universal “female” experience. Rather than focusing on “woman” as a point of convergence, intersectional feminists analyzes the interplay of different identities and levels of privilege.

Black Feminism/Womanism Black women’s social and political life can not be differentiated into race and gender. Women of color highlighted the racism embedded in many women’s movements and the patriarchal politics of the anti racism organizations. They argued that white, often middle or upper class, women were not serving the interest of black women and black men did little to address the issues of black women.

Post-Colonial Feminism Unites postcolonial theory with feminism by analyzing colonial politics through a feminist lens. This type of feminism integrates race theory as well, since race plays such a prominent role in colonial ideologies. Begins from an intersectional perspective. It argues that the effects of colonialism are particularly felt by women, and also that colonialism and patriarchy are intricately linked as structures of oppression. Many postcolonial feminists are opposed to mainstream feminism because it often ignores the experience of the colonized woman, focusing rather on the experience of the more visible Western woman.

Queer Theory Queer theory is a subset of LGBTQ studies examining “the idea that identities are not fixed and do not determine who we are.” -Teresa de Lauretis This position is intricately linked to that of feminism, which aims to deconstruct the binary concept of gender. Queer theory rejects classifications of gender as well as classifications of sexual acts and identities. The rejection is advocated on the basis of such classifications being socially constructed. As opposed to LGBTQ studies, which mainly focus on “homosexual” and “heterosexual” behavior, queer theory encompasses any kind of sexual activity or identity that falls into normative and deviant categories.

Marxist Feminism Marxist feminism is an analysis of the intersection of patriarchy and capitalism as systems of oppression. Most modern leftist movements have embraced intersectional feminism as a part of their praxis. In general, Marxist feminists believe that ending patriarchy is impossible without ending capitalism, because the continued subjugation and underpayment of women is necessary for the capitalist system to continue. Marxist feminism emphasizes the importance of class in a feminist analysis, i.e. the struggles a wealthy woman faces will be distinctly different from those of a woman living in poverty.

Ecofeminism The social movement that regards the oppression of women and nature as interconnected. Some more recent arguments have also considered the interconnections between sexism, the domination of nature (including animals, and also racism and social inequality. Side note- it is very difficult to run with other arguments