In bell hooks’ essay, Feminist Politics Where We Stand Feminism is defined as a movement to end sexism, sexist expoitation and oppression. My understanding of this definition is that feminism aims to repurpose women’s current role in America as the history of the population has withheld an inferior standard when it comes to education, the workforce, and what is expected at home due to the sexist patriarchal ideologies which have caused us to ultimately feel oppressed. Hooks urges for an ending sexist thinking and action which can come about from both men and women. Men have obtained their dominant role in society because of the ideas such as the primarily “Christian” culture that is followed which depicts what households should look like and has set the tone for the insubordination of women. These ideas lend no leeway towards the evolution of what our roles look like today, where women make up the majority of the population that get college degrees etc. Women also have to acknowledge ways in which we can be sexist and therefore oppressive to ourselves by competing with one another and therefore getting in the way of the power in sisterhood that is required for this movement to be abundantly successful in its cause.

As hooks’ mentions in her essay, I was one of the many that had the notion of Feminism regarding mainly anti-men values due to mainstream media so her definition really broadened my knowledge on the topic. Prior to reading I had some knowledge about women fighting for gender equality- equal pay for equal work and sometimes women and men sharing household and parenting responsibilities but the topic as whole felt exhausted by the idea of a movement that seemed to focus solely on the anger towards the patriarchal values thus hating men that clouded the opportunity for me to engage with the feminist idea that I feel hooks’ has allowed through this chapter. In my years as a performer, I remember when actress Emmy Rossum from HBO’s Shameless won a highly publicized battle for equal pay with co-star William H. Macy in 2016 where I felt blown away by her courage as I can admit to feeling small in the business when it came to standing up in terms of finances in contracts because it’s almost ingrained in you to take what you get to a certain extent especially when you’re starting out and trying to make it. That aspect of the business never sat with me well so it made her that much more admirable to me and I remember it feeling monumental to witness how she exercised her feminist right in doing so.

In reading Sex & Gender 101, I again felt a broadening of my perspective of the topic of gender as I associated the word gender primarily with one’s assign sex. I had previously learned in Biology that it was possible for someone to be born with just one sex chromosome (XO) or an extra (XXY,XYY,XXX) but the explanation ended there. This article was able to provide information on the fact that gender can actually be broken down to three categories as opposed to just the one including gender assignment, gender identity, and gender expression and each explanation was very straight forward and appreciated the clarification. As someone that plans on becoming a parent sometime in the near future the topic of sex and gender is something thats always come to mind because I’ve felt unprepared in having to confront it from a parental role and this article initiated a step towards knowledge that I feel is required for knowing how to guide the following generations with compassion and support.

Feminism, as I see it, is seen as an act to stop discrimination towards women or anyone under feminism. Before this reading, I was made to believe that feminism was an act of fighting for equality, or some made it seem like women were to be better than men. I never really liked the idea before because I didn’t understand it due to how others represented it. Now that I get it, I am considered to be a feminist because I have always been discriminated against for being a woman of color, and I’m not too fond of it. Feminism is a critical movement because we are fighting for a basic need for survival which we are not given. As a woman of color, I am discriminated against consistently, and even though we are fighting against it, it feels like it’s never-ending hate towards us.

We should have equity because it is just a basic necessity for humankind. “ For example, girls in many developing countries are not allowed to go to school, because some cultures only view boys’ education as valuable.” (Sex & Gender 101) These are basic things every human should know. We shouldn’t have to fight for it.

I did learn a lot when I was reading Sex and Gender 101. I didn’t know that there were variants of Intersex, and I had even looked it up online to see how it would affect a person’s everyday life. Gladly, it doesn’t affect them as severely or at all for most. I knew that when it came to biological sex, Intersex was definitely a thing, but I didn’t know anything in detail about it, only that a person can be born with two sexual organs. But reading and learning about the human body at birth and also how they grow was very interesting. When it comes to gender, I didn’t really understand it because I always assumed the terms girl/boy/man/woman came from their biological sex and what they are assigned at birth, not anything else. I did know about the cultural effects of gender, i.e., “girl” toys, “boy” colors, and the way we are categorized if we are either girl or boy. I wouldn’t say I like that colors are given gender because they are meant for everyone. The idea of chores, something essential as knowing how to clean or cook a meal, should be considered a woman’s duty because everyone needs to know that for basic survival.

The essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” bell hooks defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” I like this definition as it aligns with my own idea/definition of feminism. My interpretation of it is the goal is to be able to eradicate all of the discrimination, difficulties and oppressions that directly stem from the idea of women being “less than” and “inferior”. This dismissal of women and their rights is pervasive in all aspects of life, most dangerously in healthcare. We must break down our gender beliefs and expectations we’ve learned from society to be able to defeat/”end” sexist oppression, as it can have life-threatening consequences. Gender equality is a significant part of the feminist movement, but feminism goes way beyond that. I agree with the author explaining that her definition emphasizes that “the movement is not about being anti-male. It makes it clear that the problem is sexism (viii).” It is important to note that the early feminist movement originated from white women for white women. Ignoring the nuances race brings into the feminist conversation, they wanted to gain equality to men, while continuing to uphold the oppressive racial sexism against women of color. 

I agree with the majority of the explanations of sexuality and gender throughout the article “Sex and Gender 101.” It highlights the important fact that biological sex, gender identity, gender presentation and sexuality do not always align. This is why it’s important not to base your assumptions off of your perceptions of someone’s sexuality, gender expression, gender identity and the gender you think they were assigned at birth (often referred to as “biological sex”)
I do feel the definitions of Bisexuality, and Pansexuality should be altered. Of course individual people can identify and define their sexuality as they want, however I think the definitions listed in the article are both inaccurate and non-inclusive as general statements. The article states that, “Bisexuality means someone is attracted to men and women.” This definition ignores the existence of non-binary people. Bisexual can be attracted to non-binary people too. I define bisexuality as the attraction to 2 or more genders. This could be a combination of: men and women, men and non-binary people, women and non-binary people, or all three categories. For some, the attraction to “men” or “women” can be more broadly expanded to the general attraction to “masculine” or “feminine”-presenting people. These words are still inclusive of non-binary people as not all of of them present androgynously. Some may have a gender presentation that leans to the masculine side of the spectrum, or the feminine side. Everything is on a spectrum. Some people may choose to identify as trans-masculine or trans-feminine, rather than calling themselves a binary trans man/trans woman (meaning 100% exclusively male or female)

The article states, “Pansexual means someone is attracted to qualties of a person rather than biological sex or gender.” I disagree with this definition. A common phrase linked to pansexuality is “Hearts not parts.” This can imply that people of other sexualities are driven mainly/purely by sex, and are dehumanizing people to just their sex organs, by prioritizing sexual attraction rather than overall attraction to the person (physical, sexual, emotional, romantic, mental, etc.) I would explain Pansexuality as an attraction to people regardless of their gender.
Either group can have a preference of what gender person they like to date, and still remain Bisexual or Pansexual. The mention that “some men have sex with men and remain but identify heterosexual”, reminded me of the idea that someone can remain heterosexual while dating a non-binary person. Ultimately it is up to oneself how they self-identify their sexuality and gender. Nobody can tell you what you feel.

Hello Classmate’s and Professor, this week I read a section of Sex and Gender by Klye Meyers. This was informative. Really breaking down Sex and Gender. The point that sex and gender are two different things are explained. Starting off with sex. According to the author Sex refers to anatomy and physiology. This includes sex chromosomes, sex hormones, sex organs, and external genitalia. Male, Female, and Intersex is the way we distinguish biological sex. Male has penis Female has vagina. Women have XX sex chromosomes; Men have Similar characteristics and features all around the world just not exact same the same goes for Females. Further on while reading Gender is brought up and explained. Gender refers to the social and cultural roles that males and females are expected to live up to base on their biological sex. Gender identity refers to how a person thinks about themselves in regard to gender. Sexual orientation talks about what a person is attracted too, explaining what it means to be straight, gay, bisexual & more. Some people confuse these things so it useful to write about this and inform readers about the difference of gender, sex & sexual orientation. 

         Chapter one of Feminism Politics: Where we stand by bell books basically explained What Feminism is what a feminist is, what they believe in and how it started. Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. No matter where you are from and no matter what color your skin is You can be a part of feminism. Sometimes when men hear about Feminism, they think that it is always and about women seeking to be equal to men. Sometimes it seems like Feminist hate men. The truth is there could be some that really hate men, but that’s not what their aim is. They really just want Gender Justice. I learned that there are many versions of feminism. Some push the wrong Agendas, some are involved in politics, some are in Groups doing a lot and some women support the idea of it in their everyday life individually. Feminist movement has lost its clear definitions in a way but if women / people just have a better understanding of why it started, oppression and injustice that women deal with will be slowly called out.  Solutions to certain problems will be thought off. I’ll admit it after reading this I learned what A feminist really is. Before reading this, I felt like it was a group of angry women who fight for certain things and hate men but after today I don’t look at them like angry women. I see them as Smart women who stand up for themselves and fight for justice.

Feminist Politics Where We Stand

In bell hooks’ ” feminist politics where we stand,” she defines feminism to be a movement that will end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. To my understanding, this definition of feminism means that this movement will terminate the cruel and unfair treatment of individuals based on their sex and gender. bell hooks also wrote that individuals think that feminism means wanting to be equal to men or being anti-male. I agree with bell hooks because when I hear about the mass media they mostly describe feminism as being radical, ( equal pay like the opposite sex or even being treated equally like the opposite sex) that goes to all extremes to fight for equal treatment. I believe everyone should be treated equally no matter their sex, gender, or race.

Sex and Gender 101

After reading the article sex and gender 101 my understanding of gender has become more clear. To my understanding, gender is a role that is assigned by a society based on what individuals are born into. In this description, it seems people are being forced to be something that they might not want to be. I believe that gender is based on how you feel inside and what role you are comfortable in. For example, your assigned gender might be female but a deeper feeling in you knows this is not what you want to be. I also learned that there are three types of gender, those three types genders are Gender assignment, gender identity, and gender expression. Gender assignment is the gender you are born into. Gender identity is what the individual feels more comfortable in whether you feel more feminine than masculine or more masculine than feminine. Gender expression is showing their gender through the clothes you wear to the make-up you put on and the hairstyle to decide to do. In the sex section of the article, I understood it to be more of science vs gender. Sex is more of your external genitalia, it also talks about the XY chromosome which means you will be assigned a male while the XX chromosome which means you are assigned a male.

bell hooks’ definition of feminism, “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,” is one that I completely agree with. I believe that what she means by this is that feminism is not a movement that necessarily encourages anti-male sentiment, but anti-patriarchal sentiment. This is important because the patriarchy does not only harm women – it harms everyone in our society, including men. By choosing to define feminism this way, it highlights the importance of being inclusive, and striving for the end of sexism as a whole. hooks’ definition of feminism is very similar to the one I’ve subscribed to. I think that her definition is very broad, and can cover a lot of feminist issues, ranging from microaggressions to sexual violence.

I like that hooks mentions how revolutionary feminist thinking became something inaccessible to the public. I think that still holds true somewhat – theory and literature are sometimes specifically worded in an intimidating way, and it makes it nearly impossible for some people to engage with it. Therefore, it prevents the spread of knowledge, and it upholds a space for only those who are privileged and “educated” enough to engage with that media, leaving very little room for any change to be made. I think that her own personal meaning is encouraging, and simple enough to be understood by most people, which is a great thing!

The reading Sex and Gender 101 was very intriguing because it introduced some new information to me that I wasn’t aware of – the many different chromosome combinations seen in intersex people! I only knew a little bit about the intersex community before reading, so it was very exciting for me to learn about. However, I do think that the way in which bisexuality and pansexuality are defined in the text can get a little tricky. For some, the line between bisexuality and pansexuality can be very blurry, seeing as some people believe that bisexuality excludes transgender and nonbinary people (I don’t agree with this) and others believe that bisexuality encompasses all genders, since there aren’t only 2 of them. But then, what about pansexuality? It really depends on who you talk to. I personally believe that labels can be very helpful, and yet very confusing, all at once. Finding what works for you personally is the most important thing, whether you decide to label yourself or not. Overall, though, I thought it was a very good and informative reading.

Today’s society has made it socially acceptable to judge people based on their race. Stereotyping may appear to be a common occurrence, but it is an oppressive practice. Following the reading of these two short articles regarding race and how it negatively affects women’s lives, it is clear that all women must band together to resist the oppression they face.

Feminist Politics Where We Stand, by Bell Hooks, examines the meaning and evolution of feminism. “Simply expressed, feminism is a movement to eradicate sexism,” Hooks begins her essay. oppression, and sexist exploitation” (Shaw 37). She utilizes this term because men are not perceived as the adversary, but rather as the source of sexism. As she progresses through her essay, she discusses how feminism has changed through time, culminating in the feminist movement’s decision to focus solely on concerns affecting “white women.” Prior to reading information on what feminism meant to Hooks, my own definition consisted of mainly woman empowerment but not so muvh of race inequalities. Alongside Hooks findings, her ultimate point may be illustrated In the final paragraph of her essay she writes, “Because the feminist movement lacks precise definitions, feminist politics is losing steam. Those definitions are in our possession. Let’s take back what’s rightfully ours. Let’s have a look at them and see what we can come up with.” (Shaw 39). Hooks is expressing the belief that if women, or anyone, band together, the feminist movement’s beliefs can be reformed to include all women of all races and colors. This is a really persuasive point she makes because so many women endure challenges due to their gender and ethnicity, and so if all women banded together to battle comparable challenges, the impact could be significant and eventually everlasting. 

Before completing our Sex and Gender 101 reading, my initial thoughts on gender as well as its stereotypes include both descriptive and prescriptive elements, or attitudes about how men and women should behave. Men are expected to be agentic and avoid weakness, while women are expected to be caring and avoid dominance. The terms “sex” and “gender” are sometimes unconsciously used interchangeably by individuals. After taking into consideration aspects throughout the reading of Sex and Gender 101 I found that Despite the similarities, the two terms are not interchangeable. On the basis of the baby’s genitals, we generally assign a newborn’s sex as male or female. We assume the gender of the child once a sex is assigned at the child’s birth. A few more comparison in the text I’ve immediately noticed was my overall separation of primary sexual binaries, such as male, female, and intersexual all consisting of there not being one way to being either or. I agree with this fact, tying back to the initial point I made earlier as far as how male and females are expected to act. Being that we live in such a modern day society where we all may try to accept any differences in order to still create aspects of equality is where expectations may come to a fault. Men don’t need to act musclin to be considered a Man, vice versa. Even though this may be some of our norms it’s ultimately not our modern day world factual reality. The word “gender binary” is frequently used to convey the belief that you can only be male or female, never both. Friends and relatives frequently send gifts of “gender appropriate” apparel and toys to new-born babies, reinforcing this perception. Giving a child a gift that is incorrect for their gender is typically seen as a huge social faux pas per se. It’s worth mentioning that appropriate gendered conduct varies a lot throughout cultures, and even within cultures, it’s changed a lot over time. Some civilizations have been significantly less wedded to the binary than ours, while others continue to enforce it with greater meaning.

The quote ” “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” Meant that he defined feminism as a movement that aims to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. Feminism is a collaborate approach to issues of equality and equity based on gender and gender expression through social hypothsis and political activism. Before reading the 2 articles I belived sex and gender were in the same definition. Sex and gender can be two complicated topics. Now I understand that Sex is a biological sterotype, while gender is a social sterotype and refers to the social and cultural differences a society defiene people based on their sex. Many biological explanations for gender roles do exist, but sociologists believe that culture and socialization are more important sources of gender roles rather than biology.

In the essay Feminism Is For Everyone, Bell Hooks explains feminism as “A movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression.” When I reflect on this definition I gain an understanding that in order for the world to progress, specifically the United states, we must break down the preconcieved notions of a women’s purpose. Hooks lists ending sexism, sexist exploration and oppression because those are the building blocks of patriarchy. At the end of the chapter Hooks states “We can share the simple yet powerful message that feminism is a movement to end sexist oppression. Let’s start there. Let the movement begin again.” Hooks definition of feminism comes full circle in this chapter and enforces that feminism needs to be broken down before it is built back up again. It is difficult to solve centuries of oppression and sexism, therefore this movement requires constant progression from both men and women.

Before reading this essay, I believed that feminism was solely putting an end to the stay at home, cooking and cleaning mother figure, thus, allowing for women to be present in the work place and obtain high positions and gain equal pay to men. I now see that it is much deeper than just fighting for equality and fair pay. Hooks helped me to understand that the at home cooking and cleaning mother figure is a microscopic portion of the bigger picture. I also now know better than to think that feminism is anti-men, for there are many women who were raised to think that men are the breadwinners and women must stay in their lane. In order for feminism to build, both men and women must be present in furthering this movment.

When reading Sex and Gender 101 I was able to dive deeper into the topic of intersex and how chromosome variation plays a huge role in the genital form a person is given at birth, along with hormonal imbalances and complications with sexual development. I was able to clearly break down sex chromosome variations and have it laid out in a way that was understandable. I enjoyed reading the differences of biological sex, gender, and sexual orientation and how these terms are completely separate from one another. It is important to differentiate the three terms and know that each category breaks down into smaller ones, for example, gender breaks down into assignment, identity, and expression. I was also not well versed in the definition of pansexual, being that a person is attracted to the qualities of a person over their biological sex or gender. I find that fascinating, to disregard the physical and exterior aspects of someone and focus on their attributes instead.

In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand,” Bell Hooks defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” I understand this definition to mean that feminism is a movement that quickly surpasses a gain such as equality to men, and does not end there. Feminism is a movement that seeks that restructure a nation composed of liberty, freedom and anti-sexism. Sexism can stem from individuals of all backgrounds, cultures, ages and biological sex. This means that the focus is on an issue that can arise within all kinds of people. All problems arise when the thought is sexist and that is why sexism must be demolished. The exploitation and oppression that comes along with it must also end if we truly seek to partake in the feminist movement. Prior to reading this essay, what I knew of feminism was entirely based on what was portrayed to me. This is because mass media handpicked what would be exposed and they chose to depict a movement that was reformist. I grew up being shown assertive women who were adamant to attain the kind of equality that would ensure equal pay rights. I was not entirely aware that feminism does not have to do with women being equal to men, not even when it comes to pay. This is due to the fact that there is a polar difference between reformist and revolutionary thinkers. The truth of the matter is, nothing will truly be solved if we continue to think that reformist thinking is behind the feminist movement. Feminists like Bell Hooks understand the root of the problem and the way for us to solve it is through the end of persecution, sexual manipulation and sexism.

            The reading Sex and Gender 101 thoroughly explained terms for me that I was unfamiliar with as well as clarified certain topics I was not entirely confident about. I was able to understand that although biological sex is how we are born, it is not necessarily our fate. This is due to medications that can alter hormonal chemistry, thus suppressing puberty from taking place. A fact that I was not aware of was that some intersex individuals may go their entire lifetime and not know of their chromosome variation, which I was surprised to learn. Prior to reading this article, I was not aware of how fluid a person’s sexual orientation can be. I am aware that there are various different sexual orientations, but I learned that as a person experiences life and grows, the kind of people they are attracted to may also change. As I was reading about the various types of sexual orientations, I came across Pansexual (pan), which means a person is attracted to the attributes of an individual, such as their personality. Being pansexual means that someone does not view sex or gender as determining factors in whether they are attracted to someone. I find that I identify as such, although I was not aware there was a term for it. I find that I have always been more drawn to how a person is, rather than anything else.