In the essay “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” people have many different idea of what feminism is such as gender equality, freedom to have abortions, rape, domestic violence, equal pay, and equality in a workplace. In my experience coming from a hispanic household there is high amount of people that believe in a machismo way of life. This way of life brings on men dominating their wives, women having to serve for their husbands, women having to take care of children, and husbands choosing the life they want for their wives. As a Latina women, I have seen women being criticized on whether or not they cook for their husband, if they go out with friends, or if they have a job that requires long nights, this is all seen as negative. Before reading the article, I had a clear understanding that feminism is the way women fight for their right to make their own decisions with their body, mind and person to this day. The type of sexual organs you have does not define whether or not you are a value to society or should be seen as someone less then. Gender equality is also a big form of what feminism really is, wanting to be seen as equal to men. In the reading “Gender 101” helps explain the difference between sex and gender and the different details that goes into determining. Before reading the article, I believed that gender is the way someone wants to be seen or referred to as, and sex is made up of your chromosomes at birth and your sexual organs. I now see that both sex and gender are much more complex and very different. Sex of a person is the genetic makeup of their chromosomes such as XX for female, XY for male, and intersex. Sex is the appearance of the external genitalia which can be changed with surgery, hormonal supplements, and suppressants for puberty. Gender is seen as changeable within the groups of gender assignment, gender expression, and gender identity. This brings in the idea of LGBTQ+ which lets people choose how they want to be seen and perceived by others and that is gender identity. Gender expression has to do with the way people style their hair, dress and their makeup.

to my definition “feminist politics where we stand” means that men and women aren’t standing together because it’s more about who’s sexist than feminism. before I read this reading I already had an idea of feminism. I’ve been taught by my family members that feminism is all about how men see women as tools and that women should be doing what “women are supposed to be doing in the house.” we’ve been trying to educate men and women to know more about feminism and how this is something important for the generation to come. women have been seen as tools that need to stay home and shouldn’t have a say in the world. because to them our opinion doesn’t matter. in “feminist politics where we stand” there was a quote that stated ” malles as a group have and do benefit the most from patriarchy, from the assumption that they are superior to females and should rule of us.” this quote I agree with because if men came to their sense they would know that women could outsmart them with an idea or decision making. they have a fear of losing their masculinity and letting women have all the control. this reading made me rethink my definition of feminism and sexism. i feel like I was able to learn a little more about it.

To my understanding im not very educated about sex&gender. but this is what I have in mind of what sex&gender mean based on my knowledge. the definition of sex& gender, it means that you are able to be whoever you want to be. We shouldn’t be afraid to express ourselves that makes us happy no matter what our sex&gender become. this generation that is rising up isn’t afraid of becoming someone they always wanted to be. this generation doesn’t care what the world has to say to them. our gender&sex means so much to us that we are able to express ourselves by switching up our clothing and doing things we’ve never done before. The article “sex&gender” taught me a lot of information that I didn’t know. this reading made me think outside of the box and not everything that’s on the internet or a family member tells me something or if a doctor tells me it’s going to be automatically true. people in this generation have a different definition of things and how they want to be seen, whether it’s being their gender or their sex.

In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand”, Bell Hooks definition of feminism is “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” My understanding of this definition is that Hooks wants people to know that feminism is to advocate women’s rights and gain equality. Many people may not know what feminism or being a feminist is and come up with their own interpretation that is usually wrong. There are plenty of feminists who “hate” men and paint a bad picture for the “real” feminists who want to help women achieve and fight for their rights.

Before reading what the accurate definition of “feminism” is, I wasn’t completely too sure what it was and why it was created but I knew it had something to do with us as women. I now know a more in depth meaning of feminism. “It does mean that it would be naive and wrong minded for feminist thinkers to see the movement as simplistically being for women against men.”(bottom of page 8 of introduction). I believe that more individuals should learn more about feminism, why it was created, and why its so important for people to help and stand up for women’s rights. Hooks continues to state that in feminism, the real problem is sexism and she doesn’t want people think that men are the enemy because that is no way the case. “To understand feminism it implies one has to necessarily understand sexism”(Page 1) Hooks believes that in order to get a deeper grasp and understanding of feminism, sexism needs to be understood fairly well. Hooks also talks about how most individuals learn about feminism through social media from “women who are primarily committed to gender equality”.

The reading “Sex and Gender 101” helped me understand what the difference between sex and gender is because many people think that they are the same thing however, they both have their own significant definitions. Sex is based on the anatomy and physiology of a person including sex organs, external genitalia, sex hormones, and sex chromosomes. Gender refers to the cultural roles made by society that male and females are expected to follow based on their sex. Before this reading, I wasn’t aware that gender can be broken down into three different categories: Gender assignment, gender identity, and gender expression. The social norms or characteristics that males are “supposed” to follow would include being strong, messy, not emotional, tough, athletic, etc. Where as females are expected to be submissive, delicate, caretakers, emotional, romantic, etc.

The definition of feminism that Bell hooks presents in Feminist Politics Where We Stand is primarily concerned with sexism, “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” She is calling people to look at the root cause of sexual inequality, instead of the symptoms. This means we start to break down the separation of what it means to be either gender, and stop using people for traits that are based on this gender and/or forcing anyone to only live in the limited roles of these. If we didn’t see women or men differently, we wouldn’t be able to force either into a role. Oppression comes from holding someone back, not allowing them the full range of their potential, and if a person is forced to fit inside the role assigned to them, this is oppression. A woman would have to stay home, not have ambition towards a career, if she had desires outside what was outlined for the female role, she would need to hide them and deny herself of being authentic. Sexual exploitation comes from using people for the roles that have been assigned to them, often outside of their consent even being considered. Example, making a women do all the housework, not have a career, being a sex symbol, have her body used in ways that she might not want them used, having more or less children than she might want to have, getting paid less if she is able to work, and being used for jobs that pay a low wage.

A society was built off these sex and gender roles, and everyone was expected to follow and fit into something that was not true and therefore not healthy. Hooks is saying that liberation needs to start from there, from breaking down the roles. This is a sound strategy, as it keeps the focus on the people as one, instead of seeing it as one against the other. Which, in turn, would continue to the same amount of inequality, a vicious cycle. As a result, it seems that as long as things are started from a place of inequality, somewhere someone will be exploited, as the system is still unequal. Which is exactly what happened when women took the bargain of reformist feminism. This was a reaction to what was probably handed to them as an alternative, women wanting what men had. This is a definition of feminism that is still so present in modern day politics and feminist conversation, wanting to be equal with men in a tit for tat kind of exchange. As Bell Hooks explains, this results in the exploitation of other women to pick up the slack, remaining in a class structure, with a still very unresolved issue of sexism.

I agree with Bell Hooks definition of feminism and I believe that problems need to be addressed at the root of the issue. I did always think that feminism was about women being equal with men, and with that I saw a lot of anger towards men, which I never related to. I didn’t see how that could be a solution, especially since most men might not even want what they have if they had a chance to really live a true life outside of the roles they have been forced into.

Which brings me to the second reading of the week, Sex and Gender 101. I knew that gender was a social construct, but this reading really helped clarify what seemed like a lot of vagueness and word of mouth. Specifically about what the difference between what is biological, what is assigned, what is gender identity, and even that sexual orientation is it’s very own category that can be entirely separate form each of those. Through identifying the science of our biology and spelling out the ways in which it affects a person (primary and secondary traits) I am able to see how all of these categories are truly fluid. One does not necessarily have to have an affect on or relate to another. That is something I felt to be true, but had never heard it explained so clearly, with information to back it up.

I found both of these readings very informative as well as enlightening.

In our first assigned reading, “Sex and Gender 101” by Kyl Myers, Myers briefly speaks about the complex differences between a person’s biological sex, gender and gender identity. People who might be less educated on the topic like I was before this reading would assume a person’s biological sex is usually determined by their external genitalia, which is correct, but would not know that sex is not limited to just male and female. Intersex, another term used to describe biological sex, can be when a person’s sex hormones don’t “match” their physical genitalia, when they have characteristics of both male and female reproductive organs and sex hormones, one less or one extra sex chromosome or simply when they have ginger hair. Myers makes it a point to emphasize the fact that a person’s sex can be changed through things like medication and doesn’t have to be restricting. Gender assignment is when people are expected to act a certain, stereotypical way based on their physical genitalia. For example, boys are usually expected to like cars and be dominant while girls need to be soft and domestic because of certain gender roles that have been in place for centuries. However, many people including myself don’t really fit in with the stereotypical idea of what a woman should do and act like and their gender identity and gender expression differ from that given to them. Gender identity, how a person thinks of themselves, can also be totally different from someone’s gender expression, how they show their identity. I’m not sure if this is the best example, but I consider myself a bisexual woman but has recently only dated or talked to men. This shows how easy it is to confuse the terms but how important it is to know the difference when addressing to or talking about others.

In chapter 1 of bell hooks’ “Feminist Politics: Where We Stand”, hooks speaks about how feminism has lost its meaning and purpose over time. hooks defined feminism as “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression”, one that could not be possible without the union of women from all different races and with progressive mindsets. So many people have this misconception that feminism is an anti-men, equal pay type of movement and don’t realize that feminism actually aims to help understand why sexism between women is just as prevalent and how this needs to be solved and brought to light if sisterhoods are ever to be had. Without women supporting other women, the feminist movement cannot possibly efficiently work and make change. I’m not lying when I say this short read was so powerful and full of knowledge that I want to myself try and be a serious feminist advocate for myself and the women around me. I knew women supporting other women was important, but I’m just now realizing how much we really need it.

In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” bell hooks defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” To me, this definition means that feminism aims to destroy patriarchal political systems that discriminate against women. The belief in and desire for equality between men and women. Back in the old days women weren’t able to vote or work or couldn’t do what a man could do. All a woman can do is stay home as a housewife. This power that men had back then that women didn’t have. After reading the chapter, bell hooks took the concept of feminism and explained how it has been shaped and formed over time. Going back to her meaning of feminism as she describes a  movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. She believes that, well the way she defines it respectably that it does not state that men are the problem or the enemy but says that sexism is the problem, whether men, women, adults, or children cause it. As she states in the introduction, “I love it because it so clearly states that the movement is not about being anti-male. It makes it clear that the problem is sexism. And that clarity helps us remember that all of us, female and male, have been socialized from birth on to accept sexist thought and action.”(pg4) As well in the chapter it states that. “As contemporary feminism progressed, as women realized that males were not the only group in our society who supported sexist thinking and behavior – that females could be sexist as well – anti-male sentiment no longer shaped the movement’s consciousness.” (Pg6).  The only reason why she believes that is because every time feminism is being brought up people think of anti-male attitude. Bell hooks try to go deeper into explaining herself adding on feminism.

After reading Sex and Gender 101, it mentioned that “ In American, boys are taught and expected to be tough….., interested in sports, cars, guns and climbing and the corporate ladder, and have an insatiable interest in superheroes and the color”. Then it states, “On the contrary, girls are taught and expected to be soft, submissive,…disinterested in sports and cars with zero career aspirations and have an insatiable interest in princesses and the color pink.” I mean when I was eight I liked the color blue and now I like the color black. I dressed as a boy with boy clothes on. I mean even if two genders are different I think a male and a female can do what they like. Like a female can like male stuff and for males can like female stuff. As for children I feel bad that some parents don’t allow them to for example, won’t let their son play with dolls or not let their daughter play with boy toys. Let alone let the children decide and play with what they like or their interests.

In our readings for this week, we are being explained the differences between sex, gender, and other terminology known by us. This helps have a better understanding of the terms and how to use them correctly. Sex refers to anatomy and physiology. This concept is based on the genitalia an individual presents at birth, if a person presents feminine genitalia it will be assigned as female at birth. There are multiple factors that change individual hormonal chemistry. An individual’s sexuality is and can be changed if desired, not that this idea is totally accepted by our society. As time goes by, our society has progressed much as in concepts and ideas, not that certain “things” are not surprising for some. Our society has much to say in our gender roles. Gender refers to the social and cultural roles that males and females are expected to comply based on their biological sex. This plays a big role on how a kid will be treated in the future and what is expected from them. Based on our society man are always protrayed as the strong figure, and women are the weaker ones. This is the main reason of why many of us dont express our indentity completely. Most of the time is the fear to be judged because we have a different view from the others. Our gender expression helps us portray our gender identity, this could be with our clothing, our haistyle, makeup and others. We may not align our gender identity with our gender expression sometimes and that is normal.

In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” by Bell Hooks defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” I understand this definition to mean that although feminism is a movement to fight for the equality of women throughout society it also means so much more then that. Feminism is the development to end prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against both men and women as a whole to fight for equality within the world. Before reading this essay, my definition of feminism was a movement that fought for the equality of women in a male dominated world. As we know gender roles plays a big part in our society today as it always has throughout history, therefore, my idea of feminism was the fight for women to be seen as more then just women but as strong, independent leaders that can also guide the world in a positive direction just as much as men if not more. Hooks definition of feminism does not quite compare to mine as she digs more deeper into the root of the problem when it comes to feminism and the true idea of hat the movement is all about. Hooks states, “Masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men. And a huge majority of these folks think feminism is anti-male. Their misunderstanding of feminist politics relfects the reality that most folks learn about feminism from patriarchal mass media.” Hooks investigates further that most people, like myself, have only one idea of feminism and what that looks like in the real world, however, it is so much more then that. Feminism is a movement to end sexsim and the oppression sexism has created in society which has made it almost impossible for both men and women to live harmoniously and equally together. Before reading “Sex and Gender 101” by Kyl Myers my take on gender overall had already involved the further complexities of biological sex, gender, gender roles, and sexual orientation. I already understood the concept that just because someone is biologically born as a male does not mean that they will identify as a male later on in their life. I also understood the concept that sexuality is fluid and can continuously change the more a person evolves throughout their life. However, the article did not only refresh my memory but helped me even further understand the concepts of sex and gender separatley and together.

Bell Hooks define feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” and this is a great definition because most people think of feminist as people who think of me as the enemy just because mass media and how they portray feminist. Bell Hooks makes a point that caught my attention she stated that it is not just men who have this stigma that males are masculine while females should be fragile and subordinate to men, it is some females too that believe in this. Bell definition states the real problem of the movement, which is sexism, by her explaining that it is a movement to end just that is directly confronting it then media twisting words to make it appear as females do it just because they are anti-male. After reading “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” I understand the misconception that Bell Hooks is breaking down and stating such as when women adding to the oppression by being sexist to one another, women should lift one another instead of having sexist thoughts and actions that only Benefits Patriarchy. 

Before reading “Sex & Gender 101” I was always confused about the difference between gender and sex. This article did an excellent job and cleared up what is the difference and I understand the difference more in depth now. In the past what I knew as sex is the genitals a person is born with while gender is what you identify yourself as, but I can see now that it is much deeper than that. From my understanding of the reading males have XY chromosomes and females have XX chromosomes but there is also some that have 46, XX Intersex, 46, XY Intersex, True Gonadal, Complex or Undetermined Intersex, so basically biological sex is universal so wherever you go they will have similar body development. This information was new to me as I did not know some people could have extra sex chromosomes with case like complex or undermined intersex. Now gender is culturally constructed that changes with time and society, there are three categorized gender assignments, gender identity, and gender expression. Gender assignment means the person is either boy/man or girl/women based on the external genitalia. Gender identity is how a person thinks of themselves such as cisgender, transgender, or genderqueer, or non-binary, or gender non-conforming. Gender expression is how one expresses themselves through clothes, makeup, hairstyle, etc. There is also sexual orientation, which is who a person sexually attracted to. Ashamed to say that this article went into depth on things I did not have much knowledge on since it was not really accustomed to speaking about it in my family and during my years in high school everyone was experimenting while some feared what others might think, so it was something people have always been afraid to share about. I really enjoy reading on such topics because it gives me more knowledge on subject, I may lack in. 

I would like to really discuss the chapter of Feminism is for Everybody. This was a remarkably interesting read. Women were not allowed to even breathe without a man telling her to do so. Women had to obey and not speak up or fight for their right and become workers of society. The fact that they used religion as a weapon against women was ridiculous. I was not surprised to find out that it was white women to start the fight for equal rights. Back then Black women were not even allowed in the same areas as white women or white people. Feminism was not for everyone back in the day. when is come to reading the article of sex and gender it is more When it comes to sex and gender 101 it is a more progressive article. I feel that there will be a brighter future where gender and sex will not exist. That we will simply be known as a human with a heart and purpose. There are intersex people who were born with both parts, and it is not fair to force them into a box. Gender identity is someone who identifies as one gender or another. It does not matter if they were born female, male, or intersex. Then there is gender expression, which is when some express themselves with different looks, hairstyles, clothing. Then there is sexual orientation which is a spectrum within itself, people like what they like and everyone should not be put in a box.