I think Bell Hooks meant that feminism isn’t just a movement for gender equality. It’s a movement that wishes to rid the world of all discrimination and to respect others as well. When Hooks says “oppression,” I believe she means “ending oppression for everyone.” This movement is supposed to be inclusive and beneficial to all.
This definition is different from what I have known of feminism so far. If I am being honest, I’ve heard plenty of negative things about feminism from many people in my life and across the media. To those around me, feminists stereotypically hate men and are very sensitive. I think the portrayal of feminists on television furthers this stereotype. The thing about stereotypes is that when they are depicted on television, they encourage ignorance towards certain groups. I think this also affects children, because kids are easily influenced. Then those kids grow up thinking feminism is bad. In high school, it wasn’t cool to be one. When speaking up about certain things, I found myself constantly saying to friends, “not to be a total feminist but…” There’s also the fact that many white feminists in the past were opposed to black people getting the right to vote before them. Many of which pursued ways to block us from advancing. Due to that, feminism gets a bad reputation in most black communities because that movement was never really “for us”. After reading this essay, I realized that many modern feminists actually believe in the rights of black women. The movement may have had a few racist people in the past, but some things have changed, and the movement seems a lot more inclusive.
I think “Sex and Gender 101” gave me a lot more insight. I knew there was a difference. And lately, for a while now, I’ve noticed when filling out forms they ask you for your sex and your gender. There are plenty of people who aren’t aware of the difference, which makes them prone to misgendering others. Something I found interesting is when the article said “gender plays into how most children are treated and how they learn what is expected of their gender and what is not…” I agree with this quote and feel it plays a huge part in toxic masculinity and the “pick me” culture. So much could be said about how these stereotypes affect kids growing up, but one thing is for sure: many feel insecure about their sex as they go into their adult years. Most parents mean no harm when projecting these stereotypes onto their children, but it’s something that should change.
Hi Ashanti,
I agree with many of your sentiments, particularly how these gender stereotypes play into toxic masculinity. I feel that somehow, any binary, gender or otherwise, creates an adversarial dynamic. Comparisons are made, and as binaries are defined by our differences and not our similarities, one side invariably tries to assert its dominance or superiority over the other. I hope our further discussions examine the ways in which our reinforcements of these gender binaries intersect with the feminist movement as a whole. My personal hope for for a future is that we can all celebrate each other’s differences as we seek to enrich our commonalities.
Hi Ashanti,
Thank you for sharing your response, I enjoyed reading it. I also thought of feminism as a movement strictly about women and how we are viewed and basically put in a box to conform to what society thinks women should act like and what they should be doing in their lives; like become housewives or stay at home moms. But through Bell Hooks essay I learned it is so much more than that. The movement seems much more inclusive now than it was before and I think that makes room for some progress in the future for the movement.
Great response! I appreciate the insights as well as the insights from those who have made comments here. I wonder if, after reading this and other materials, at the end of this class you will say “I am feminist” instead of “I’m not a feminist, but…” Not that my goal is to make everyone call themselves a feminist, but with more knowledge we should always rethink our previous positions.