In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” to me this means that the Feminist movements goal is to bring awareness to sexism and how it can affect multiple different environments from work place even personal relationships. Reading this quote alone just shows how the movement wants to explain how problematic sexism is and has nothing to do with being Anti-Men how some ignorant people might think.

After reading the essay it doesn’t differ from my own perspective or definition of feminism because feminism is someone who advocates women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Even though feminists and feminism as a whole advocates women’s rights it as well makes sures that both sexes become equal and advocates when sexism is happening to either sex. The patriarchy harms both men and women. Feminism is not about hating men or making all women turn against men but instead want men to hear our voices and understand our perspective. Sexism is overall the enemy can affect and harm both genders who either experience it or perpetrate it.

Before reading Sex & Gender 101 I always knew that sex is what you biologically are whereas gender is what you identify with due to characteristics. In my opinion don’t think your external genitalia can refer to biological sex because then you invalidating the feelings of transgender women and men. I thought that the way someone would in a way choose their gender would be because of the way they dress or even mannerisms but after reading the text gender can also come from the way you also act in social interactions/situations. Even though I already knew that gender was a social construct I didn’t know that it is something that can change across times.

I find the readings very similar because both are in a way a mutual representation of the other. In the first reading a lot of men believe that women want to be more like men because women are challenging a lot of the social norms that our patriarchal society has placed. These social norms also include challenging the stereotypes of how a woman should be submissive and ” be seen not heard ” or sometimes not seen at all. Ignorant men who would see a women challenge these norms just by their fashion get the wrong idea that we want to be like men for example in the second reading Sex & Gender 101 it states how “a person’s gender identity and gender expression may not “align” because of fear of how they will be perceived if they challenge traditional gender norms.” This reminds me of women who dress androgynous which falls under being Non-Binary and men can take this the wrong way.

I absolutely LOVED Feminism is for Everybody by Bell Hooks. Although this week’s discussion post was based on the first chapter, I couldn’t help but keep reading beyond. As she stated in her introduction, it is a short handbook written in simple text reminding us to never stop imagining a world “where there is no domination. Where females and males are not alike or even always equal, but where a vision of mutuality is the ethos shaping our interaction. Imagine living in a world where we can all be who we are, a world of peace and possibility.” It saddens me that when many people think about feminism or the feminist movement, the central message is often forgotten and the belief that the movement is “anti-male” outshines it. Am I upset that, as a woman, men get preferential treatment because they are male? Yes, I am, but that does not make me anti-male or anti-anything for that matter. As Hooks continuously mentions in her book, it’s the principle. But as usual, and as many of us have seen, I feel that the media does not always make things easier by showcasing a false narrative to the world. As much as we would love to see men succeed, we would love to do just the same. We are all created equal.

Sex & Gender 101, as I also stated in my discussion post, gave me great insight into sex vs. gender. There were certain terms, such as cisgender or gender expressions that I have been exposed to in past conversations or have seen on social media, but I never really looked into their definitions so it was great to sit and read a simple article explaining each term in-depth.

In the reading “Sex & Gender” indicates that in most cases society defines someone’s biological gender based on the appearance of their external genitalia. External genitalia is the male’s or female’s reproductive organs. There are medications that a person can take to change their hormonal chemistry or suppress puberty. Hormonal chemistry are hormones are  chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body. After being made in one part of the body, they travel to other parts of the body where they help control how cells and organs do their work. Now when it comes to men and women there’s a difference. Men have XY chromosomes and that develops to the male sex hormones, the testosterone, and male reproductive organs like the testes and penis. Puberty for men develops secondary sex characteristics such as facial, pubic and body hair and a deeper voice. For us females we have XX chromosomes, this develops the female sex hormones for example estrogen, and female reproductive organs like the ovaries, uterus, and vagina. Puberty for women is a bit similar to puberty for men, we have secondary sex characteristics such as breast development, pubic and body hair and wider hips. People have one mentally about gender, but “Gender refers to the social and cultural roles that males and females are expected to subscribe to based on their biological sex”. Gender identity only use to be two she or he but now we’ve became more opened minded , if someone identifies themselves as not in line they can go by transgender or gender non-conforming. When I was reading Raising Them informs on how gender is defined and how many people identify themselves. How they are put in groups as soon as they are born, boys play with cars and girls play with barbies. Society makes people be categorize each other. When I was reading “Feminism for Everybody passionate politics” in chapter 1 the author goes into how people are sexist and are not aware that they are. Many people agree with the idea of gender equity in the workplace equal pay for equal work.

Sex and Gender 101 gives you a great understanding of what the concepts of Sex and Gender are. Based on what I read, Sex is basically a biological factor that is purely based on the genetic composition of an individual. While the XY chromosome produce male sex, the XX chromosome produce the female sex. One the other hand, gender is based on the gender role played in the society as per norms. This is an important distinction as gender role is assigned to each sex based on their capability and efficiency. And yes, the biological factors are also responsible for gender differences. For example, a female is born with a uterus which is a biological factor, and the role of a mother in nurturing a baby is given to a female which is all based on her gender role. As far as my personal life is considered, I am happy that I gave birth to 2 beautiful babies. However, this is not possible due to the biological factor which exist within me as a female. Moreover, the love and affection which a mother feels towards the baby born by her is never the same as like that of a father. Hence, the same feelings which a mother feels cannot be felt by a father as well. As far as gender role is considered, the father is expected to take care of the financial part while the mother is expected to take care of the home. I do not think a reversed role is acceptable by the male and female. This might be due to the gender role associated with each of us restricting ourselves.

In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” Bell Hooks defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexiest exploitation, and oppression. According to Bell Hooks, she thinks feminism refers to sexism, sexual exploitation and oppression of the patriarchal society. Patriarchy is a system in society where men hold the power and women are excluded. This would mean that a new society would be gender blind where people would be treated equality. It’s a system of relationships, beliefs, and values implanted political, social, and economic system that structure gender inequality between both men and women. Things seen as “feminine” or pertaining to women are undervalued, while things regarded ‘masculine” or pertaining to men are privileged. Feminism is about all genders having equal rights and opportunities. It’s about respecting diverse women’s experiences, identities, knowledge, and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realize their full rights. She provided a critical evaluation of successes and failures of contemporary feminism and viewed a wide variety to topics like reproductive rights, sexual violence, race, class and work. One of her things she analyzed was the absence of a strong meaning of women’s liberation and the transcendence of white, advantaged feminist in the development too. In comparison to what Bell Hooks meant, I would say that I am big on feminism because I believe in equal rights for women as there is for men.

I really enjoyed reading the “Feminist Politics where we stand”, because it taugh me alot about feminism that I did not fully understand. For instance, during reconstruction many white men in America accepted women into the workforce. Nevertheless only because it was either the women or the black men. The tale as old as time, whites did not want blacks involved in anything. I found this to be interesting because there are two issues people in America have to face. The equality of race and women. The most important  thing I learned is that being sexist does not define feminism. I think that many of us fail to understand. Being a feminist doesn’t meam anti men or showcase why women are better than men. However it is more about showcasing how women are equal to men. “Sex and Gender 100” is more like a knowlegde refresher. I think the most important concept is to understand that sex and gender are different. Sex is someone’s biological identitation, in regards to their chromosomes and sexual organs. How a person physically appear from birth. Gender is how a person views themselves in a social setting. The sex of a person may be different from their gender and that is ok.