I assumed since the first wave, feminist issues had really improved and I was surprised to learn they had not. According to the Gender Gap Report, Canadians have fallen from a previous rank of seven all the way down into the twentieth position, which is below the United States. After watching the video, I wondered what exactly was the purpose of this documentary? I understood the goal of the film was to look at women in three areas: in the home, in the workplace and in politics. The film made a concentrated effort to show us why feminism was necessary in Canada. It was meant to inspire young women, specifically young, white women, who view feminists as elderly women rejecting beauty. It then challenged them to make a change in their generation by following in previous feminists footsteps and taking action. I am not sure this inspired outcome has been reached.
I noticed that all of the women who spoke in this video were white, middle class, mature, and liberal and conservative feminists. As much as I respect and acknowledge the work previous feminists have done in the second and third wave, I do believe the idea behind the film was to improve today’s society and look at what is happening with women here and now. A huge question that arose for me was: Who wants to be a feminist? As far as I can tell, a few seniors and average, non-radical, academic white ladies are the main people interested in this idea. I wonder, who thought these people were qualified to talk about this issue and who they are: Judy Holm and Michael McNamara? If the target is young women of the twenty first century generation then why are we listening to older women speak? I was hoping the video would touch on real life issues in Canada today, such as: poverty, rape, pornography and violence and I was disappointed to find out these matters were not focused on. They did however talk about media’s