...Evolution of Sexuality, Gender and Feminism in Cyber Culture Within the ever-evolving cyber world, in which many people find themselves living, there are traditional aspects of a previous culture which are re-emerging with technological advances. There are changing expectations of almost all themes and ideas in life, including gender and sexuality that are emerging with different notions and concepts which accompany them. In Neuromancer, by William Gibson, gender and sexuality of cyber culture are themes which are redefined and addressed throughout the novel. Through these new definitions of sex and gender, which are modified by technological advances, feminism, sexuality and the male-female binary are altered and take on entirely new meanings, which represent the decline of some aspects of humanity. Beginning with sexuality, there were very strict definitions of sexuality in our culture before it was exposed to an internet and cyber infested world. There were expectations and notions which existed prior to the emergence of cyber culture. These concepts are discussed and depicted in Gibson’s Nueromancer. There are many scenes which show this evolving and changing notion of sexuality of the future; the most memorable would most likely be the scene where Riviera performs a sexual scene to an audience including Armitage, Molly and Case. He uses his hands and mind to paint a picture of a woman, which he is having sex with; the woman is Molly. Riviera is able to paint a vivid...
Words: 1677 - Pages: 7
...Disch, and Chapter 1 and 2 Comparison “The personal is political” is a notion that can relate many readings on women’ studies including our readings in class. The readings from Estelle Disch, and Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Women’s Voices Feminist Visions all discuss issues such as inequalities across different systems such as gender, race, education, sports, and more, how feminist ideas relate to inequality, intersecting identities, and the idea of privilege. There are inequalities across systems that can be seen in the way that women are viewed in society. An example of this is shown in chapter one in an article called “The Housewives Moment of Truth” by Jane O’Reilly. O’Reilly main point focuses on the notion that even through time women are still seen as being simple housewives. In today’s society women have obtained various professional jobs that go beyond the just being a teacher, and even with their success there are people that see women’s role as being in the household. O’Reilly article displays an example of gender inequality, and more importantly shows how there is still a lot progress that needs to be made. Besides gender inequality, the readings also point to other types of inequality like race. Race is very important when looking at women’s studies because everyone has to tackle their own problems every day. For instance, a black woman who is of a lower class, a single mother, a high school graduate, and tackling two jobs is viewed differently by people in society...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...FEMINISM IS FOR EVERYBODY Passionate Politics bell hooks South End Press Cambridge, MA CONTENTS Copyright © 2000 by Gloria Watkins Cover design by Ellen P. Shapiro Cover illustration by Laura DeSantis, © Artville Any properly footnoted quotation of up to 500 sequential words may be used without permission, as long as the total number of words quoted does not exceed 2,000. For longer quotations or for a greater number of total words, please write to South End Press for permission. INTRODUCTION Come Closer to Feminism 1. 2. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hooks, Bell. Feminism is for everybody: passionate politics / Bell Hooks. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-89608-629-1 - ISBN 0-89608-628-3 (pbk.) 1. Feminist theory. 2. Feminism - Philosophy. 3. Feminism Political aspects. 4. Sex discrimination against women. 1. Title. FEMINIST POLITICS Where We Stand 1 CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING A Constant Change of Heart 7 3. SISI:ERHOOD IS STILL POWERFUL 4. Vll 13 00-036589 South End Press, 7 Brookline Street, #1, Cambridge, MA 02139 06 05 04 7 8 9 Printed in Canada 19 OUR BODIES, OURSELVES Reproductive Rights 25 6. HQl190 .H67 2000 305.42'01 - dc21 FEMINIST EDUCATION FOR CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS BEAUTY WITHIN AND WITHOUT 31 7. FEMINIST CLASS STRUGGLE 37 8. GLOBAL FEMINISM 44 5. 9. WOMEN AT WORI( 48 10. RACE AND GENDER 55 ...
Words: 37459 - Pages: 150
...The United States criminal justice system, an outwardly fair organization of integrity and justice, is a perfect example of a seemingly equal situation, which turns out to be anything but for women. The policies imposed in the criminal justice system affect men and women in extremely dissimilar manners. I plan to examine how gender intersects with the understanding of crime and the criminal justice system. Gender plays a significant role in understanding who commits what types of crimes, why they do so, who is most often victimized, and how the criminal justice system responds to these victims and offenders. In order to understand the current state of women and the way in which gender relates to crime and criminal justice, it is first necessary to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historical evolution of women in the criminal justice system and the affect that the different waves of feminism have had on policies and practices towards women in this system. I plan to argue that the criminal justice system is another form of patriarchal control, a sexist organization which creates conflict between the private sphere of a woman's life and the public. This control extends far beyond the just incarcerated women, it affects all women. Despite the fact that there have been changes to certain policies and prison regulations, though made with resistance, none of the changes have been for the better. By looking at past and present situations as well as the differing feminist perspectives...
Words: 3618 - Pages: 15
...Backlash……………………………………...9 Conclusion………………………………………………………….…11 Bibliography……………………………………………….…………12 Introduction The definition of rape has been something of dispute for the last number of years. Rape usually is understood to involve some sort of sexual penetration of a person by force or without consent. Rape is committed more by males, usually on a female. In the last three decades, feminist have worked and studied rape with the collective agenda to work towards changing rape in a social and legal manor. Feminist thought and activism have challenges the myth that rape is rape, showing that it is a common experience among girls and women. Although feminists have different theories on why rape occurs, and how to eliminate it, they share the notion that rape is wrong and work towards learning and teaching about rape prevention. This paper will touch on the anti-rape movement, the feminist perspective, and different hypothesis in learning about the different feminist theories of rape. Anti-Rape Movement Feminists have been working for decades towards raising awareness and changing the perspective of rape and sexual violence, with their main goal to eliminate sexual violence. The first wind of the anti-rape movement became apparent in the late 1960’s (Rose, 1977), since then feminist anti-rape literature, activism and policy development have increasingly polarized into two distinct genres. The first being the development of police...
Words: 1571 - Pages: 7
...The notion of sexism is a very recent idea in our society. The idea that men were superior to and different from women was so deeply integrated into much thinking that most people never thought to question it. Throughout the history of ideas, female inferiority has been seen as the natural order of things. This is where feminism comes into place... feminism is the view which examines the world from the viewpoint of women, hence this 'traditional' view that men dominate women is challenged by feminists, as feminism believes that women are disadvantaged relative to men and that female interests are ignored or devalued by society. Feminism is therefore the movement which essentially campaigns for equality for women in society; examples of feminist groups which have campaigned for equal rights are the suffragettes and suffragists who protested for the right to vote for women in the 20th century. As Paula Trelchler herself put it... feminism is the radical notion that women are people. Liberal feminist Gavron suggested that women are trapped by the traditional roles within the family and that they should have more choice with regards to marriage and family life. Oakly further argued that the mother housewife role has been responsible for the subordination of women in the workforce. Female professional workers are three times less likely to be married than their fellow male workers. Oakly criticized Young and Wilmott, who in their 1972 study suggested that men were doing more in...
Words: 2457 - Pages: 10
...Feminism and Crime Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date of Submission: Introduction Feminism is the belief that men and women are of equal worth and should be treated equally despite the gender. Feminism has evolved from the years. The current generation, Generation Y has a different perspective of females than the former generations. There have been three major waves of feminism evolution. The first wave was in the 1800s, women were not allowed to vote or participate in any public or political opinions. During this time, women demanded their right to vote. The second wave of feminism developed in the 1960s where females of certain marginalized groups (working class women, blacks and prisoners) felt they weren't being treated equally and fairly like men and upper-class women. The civil rights activist fought very much for their rights during this time. However, not a lot resulted during this wave which led to the third wave of feminism evolution. The third wave developed to improve the second wave short comings. This is the new generation of feminists who know their rights and what gender equality is. Society generally favored men hence the need for social movements towards females rights to be heard. Feminism and Criminology Feminist criminology evolved during the time women were being judged on their gender rather than the type they committed. Gender inequality is basically due to men trying to control women and their sexuality. Feminists insist...
Words: 1865 - Pages: 8
...Foundation Course 1 Human Rights, Gender & Environment Understanding Patriarchy Suranjita Ray• Subordination of women to men is prevalent in large parts of the world. We come across experiences where women are not only treated as subordinate to men but are also subject to discriminations, humiliations, exploitations, oppressions, control and violence. Women experience discrimination and unequal treatment in terms of basic right to food, health care, education, employment, control over productive resources, decision-making and livelihood not because of their biological differences or sex, which is natural but because of their gender differences which is a social construct. “Sex is considered a fact - one is born with either male or female genitalia. Gender is considered a social construction - it grants meaning to the fact of sex. Conversely, it could be said that only after specific meanings came to be attached to the sexes, did sex differences become pertinent” (Geetha, 2002: 10). Gender based discriminations and exploitations are widespread and the socio-culturally defined characteristics, aptitudes, abilities, desires, personality traits, roles, responsibilities and behavioral patterns of men and women contribute to the inequalities and hierarchies in society. Gender differences are man made and they get legitimised in a patriarchal society. This paper attempts to link the theoretical dimensions of patriarchy with its empirical experiences to engage in the ongoing...
Words: 9801 - Pages: 40
...1. Introduction It is highly believed that fashion magazines contain various portrayals of women not only because fashion magazines target women as their biggest readers, but also become the facilitator to teach women how they view themselves in feminine elegant ways just like most women want them to be. Nonetheless, those views are more likely shaped by how the society views a woman. As such, if fashion magazines are indeed in the means of shaping women's view as well as society's view of a woman, then the representation of women in the magazines becomes very important in order to explore how women are portrayed according to those two views. Reading a fashion magazine on the surface simply contains fashion-related articles in thick glossy pages. On deeper surface, on the other hand, those articles actively are where women as well as society see how a woman should be. It is also implied that they become the source of stereotypes of women which many of them are always about marginalising women. Amongst many high fashion magazines, Elle is strongly believed to be one of the most leading high fashion magazines in regards to the fact that this French origin magazine widely spreads its international editions published in over 60 countries which one of those includes Indonesia. Like other Elle editions worldwide and other mainstream high fashion magazines, many ultra expensive bags, clothes, perfumes, and the sorts appear in Elle Indonesia in two forms: articles and advertisements...
Words: 2798 - Pages: 12
...Feminism is the belief that women should be treated as both potentially intellectual and socially equal to men. It embraces the thought that all people are entitled to freedom and liberty within reason; including equal civil rights and the discrimination that should not be made based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, religion, or culture. Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages, to own property, education, and to have equal rights within marriage. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily independence, integrity, to protect women from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Feminism underlies five major concepts. First, we have patriarchy which is the authority of men in society and the oppression of women for men’s gain. Second, discrimination that leads to the unequal treatment that women receive. Third, we have gender stereotypes which are negative misconceptions about women. Forth, economic dependency; where women are forced to quit their job in order to take care of their household responsibilities. Fifth, emotional work; where women are predicted to do the majority of emotional care of their family. As feminism started to rise, it encountered three waves. The first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, where it emerged out of an environment of urban industrialism and...
Words: 1255 - Pages: 6
...Feminism and its relevance in today’s society Diamond V Nesbit ITT-Technical Institute When you hear or read the term feminism what image pops into your mind? Is it a woman with a short haircut, unshaven legs and/or armpits, over-weight by at least 20 pounds, a strong hatred of men and all things pertaining to men? Well this could be due to the image society burns into your mind. When watching television or browsing on the internet you cannot help but run across an image of angry women with picket signs automatically placing the group in a negative light. Feminism is more than picket signs, protests, and unshaven legs. Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. Feminism is frown upon in today’s society but is still very relevant and important to many. The media and feminism have a love/hate relationship. In movies, books, and even cartoons feminist are portrayed as angry, unkempt, lesbian “man haters”. They are shown looking down on men and judging women for their attire or life choices. On rare occasions the media actually shines a positive light on feminism and its beliefs only when it can be beneficial to its rating or purpose. The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women," said Pat Robertson, a television evangelist and former Baptist minister during...
Words: 1695 - Pages: 7
...My approved topic is liberal feminism, and I will be discussing its’ presence in the talk called A Saudi woman who dared to drive by Manal al-Sharif. Liberal feminism is the belief that women should have the same opportunities as men; it is based on a desire to promote equal opportunity between male and female. Liberal feminism produces arguments that women are just as rational as men and therefore should have equal opportunity to make their own choices. Liberal feminism seeks to erase gender-biased distinctions in law. Manal al-Sharif was a Saudi-Arabian woman, in which country women are not allowed to drive; this is not law, but more of a taboo. Manal al-Sharif decided to challenge this and it resulted in her being imprisoned for daring to break the taboo and be seen behind the wheel, as well as her brother being detained for handing over his car keys. This was followed by a huge media outrage and women took to the streets to drive (none of whom were arrested). Manal al-Sharif was released after nine days, and the talk she gives is describing the events, and the reasoning behind this, and the effects and consequences which her actions have had in Saudi Arabia. In her talk, Manal al-Sharif states that she believes “a society will not be free if women of that society are not free”. This demonstrates the argument often proposed by liberal feminists, that women should have the same rights as men. In effect, she is saying that women should be free; that they should not be oppressed...
Words: 1245 - Pages: 5
...Feminism in Canada has been shifting, reforming and reinventing itself since its inception in the late nineteenth century in an effort to bring a genuine sense of equality to both men and women across the country. Though feminism takes many different forms – classical feminism, liberal feminism, post-modern feminism etc. – each definition maintains commonalities which attempt to shed light on issues related specifically to the historical disadvantages of women and the goal of egalitarianism. In Canada, feminism has unfolded in three distinct stages often referred to as the three waves of feminism: (i) the first wave started in the late nineteenth century characterized by basic demands for equality via suffrage and recognition as persons; (ii) the second wave originated during World War II taking a more proactive approach to women’s workforce and reproductive rights; and (iii) the third wave began in the 1990’s challenging broader issues of equality such as racism, capitalism and colonialism. The following essay will analyse each wave based on their chronological time frame, ideological foundation and the social movements which emerged as a by product. First wave feminism started the general movement and, even though its goals and fundamental ideology may seem drastically different from second and third wave feminism, it should be credited with forming the foundation in which the fight for gender equality originated. First wave feminists were primarily driven by maternal feminism...
Words: 840 - Pages: 4
...suburbanisation and the reality behind the nuclear family. This in turn brings up many issues regarding patriarchal society and the gender roles that are performed within this system. As the title suggests, the show centres around housewives, each with a different set of problems but ones that essentially culminate into the major problems of suppression, lack of identity, financial entrapment, sexuality in relation to men and the family, as well as the role of the woman in the home. The show has a serio-comic take on the issues mentioned above which allows the characters to publicly reveal their deepest secrets and have them criticised, satirized and related to by the other characters as well as the audience. This breaks with the normative ideology that is a result of the consistent repetition of (most times negative) images surrounding these gender roles. Instead of promoting the problematic behaviour and psychology that is depicted on the show, Desperate Housewives means to show audiences what is wrong with society through its characters and use of humour contrasted with disturbing elements. The character of Bree in the series is an example of how the postfeminist world is attempting to negotiate the role of women in society. Her psychology gives reason as to why her life is secretly crumbling and can shed light on how society is constructing gender roles for women like Bree to perform. Looking at the episode Next (2:1) specifically gives evidence of Bree’s behaviour and place...
Words: 2298 - Pages: 10
...© Guillaume Herbaut © Guillaume Herbaut Feminism & FEMEN Abstract Through feminism protest, women have been trying to get equal rights to men for decades. Different movements have appeared through the years. Radical feminism is one of them. Where does it come from? What differences does it have from “classical” feminism? For a few years now, we can often see in the media pictures of those bare breasts women protesting, the FEMEN. Where do they come from? What are they fighting for, or against? In this paper, we will have a closer look at where from comes their movement and what defines their ideology in order to understand their message and what they protest against. Methodology For this work, I used what the FEMEN movement wrote, its manifesto and different articles, and tried to find feminist theories on radical feminism in order to understand the basis of the FEMEN movement. Table of content Abstract 2 Methodology 2 Introduction 4 What is radical feminism? 4 The notion of patriarchy 4 The Marxist feminism 5 The FEMEN movement 6 Brief history of the FEMEN movement 6 Bare breasts as a weapon 7 Manifesto 7 FEMEN 8 Ideology 8 Objective 8 Missions 8 Exigencies 8 Tactics: sextremism 8 Symbols 9 Structure and activity 9 Financing 9 Information 9 Controversy 9 Ethical points of view on feminism 10 Conclusion 10 Afterword 11 References 12 Introduction Already at the beginning of the 15th century, a woman, Christine...
Words: 3337 - Pages: 14
