...Pornography at first seems natural and harmless to anyone who is of a mature enough age, but much like the mainstream media and Hollywood today, pornography creates unrealistic expectations of women and treats them like sexual objects. This belief launched a movement in the 1980’s that was against all pornography, dividing feminists into two groups, one for and one against porn. Pornography catapulted to the forefront of the American women's movement in the 1980s. Because of this, many feminists viewed it as a key agent of female oppression. However, ‘sex-positive’ feminists viewed pornography as an essential ingredient of sexual liberation, and porn can liberate women from conventional notions that they must be monogamous, romantic and that sex should only be associated with procreation. For pro-sex feminists, the patriarchal nature of our society oppresses the sexuality of ALL people, not just women. The sex-positive feminists generally opposed obscenity laws and other measures that they saw as being restrictive of sexual expression. Gayle Rubin, who is a cultural anthropologist best known as an activist and theorist of sex and gender politics, was one of the sex-positive feminists who supported pornography. She believed that sex liberation is a feminist goal, and she, like all the other sex-positive feminists, disagreed with the idea that...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...used as a punchline, a criticism for women who get a little too angry for comfort. Not only are these views of feminism wrong and insulting, they highlight exactly why feminism is needed. The resistance to feminism is largely based in a lack of understanding of what feminism truly stands for. Contrary to the opposition’s belief, the feminist movement promotes equality for women and men, and strives to erase the perspective that being feminine equates to being of a lesser value....
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...or female, there are bodies that can’t be categorized under these two sexes. Hermaphrodites, now more commonly known as intersex, are becoming a commonly known and used term in society with 17 in every 1000 babies having some kind of intersex condition. Gender is only one of the fundamental principles in organisation of social life, in particular in structural organisations of; childhood, sports, media and employment and economy. Childhood As children we are all brought up and identified differently usually due to several factors. For example class, where we are on hierarchy that is our society. Class usually has an effect on our childhood, poorer- lower class, richer- upper class and middle class. This then effects our education, expectations from society and even ones morals and beliefs. Class...
Words: 2128 - Pages: 9
... Margaret Atwood and Mary shelly use satire as a device to criticise the accepted roles of women in their respective societies. Shelly magnifies the popular ‘angel of the house figure’ in order to critique the expectation that women must remain pious and devoted to their male counterparts more over this male dominated Chinese box narrative is reflective of Shelley’s attempt to distance female voices in order to highlight the powerful patriarchal society in which Shelley herself and other females were subjected to in the 1800s. Oppositely Attwood uses Offred as a mouth piece to denounce the unrealistic ideals that women faced in the previous 1980s American society but her conformity to the totalitarian regime allows Attwood to effectively condemn the new gender roles which have been assigned to the women. Conceivably women with in the 1980s enjoyed liberation added by the gains of the second wave feminist movement contrastingly the 1800s confined women to a domestic bubble where her only role was to fulfil their maternal duties. The 60s and 70s encapsulate the removal of conservative views and the emergence into a new age where women governed their own lives and experienced a sense of autarchy never seen previously. Attwood thus uses the hand maid’s tale to reassert the thoughts of whether the freedom is experienced is sustainable or rather an illusion devised in order to make women feel there are becoming increasingly socially mobile. Hand maids are initially restricted to...
Words: 785 - Pages: 4
... Indian Feminism Pg.9 6. Where feminism goes wrong Pg.14 7. Bibliography Pg.20 ABSTRACT Women have always been an integral part of society. However, more often than not their contribution in the human society has been ignored. This gave rise to the need of empowering women and hence the feminist movement. This research project aims to comprehend and analyze the very essence of Feminism in terms of the 3rd wave and in Indian context. It also analyses the myths associated with feminism and the flaws which lead to the ambiguity in the whole concept of feminism. Further, the paper discusses as to whether the term “feminism” can be brought under one general definition or there is much more to it. INTRODUCTION DEFINITION "A woman should be barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove," stated Ben Glantz, a high school senior. Drew Pershing, another senior, also shared a joke, "What does a woman do after she leaves a battered shelter? The dishes...if she knows what's good for her!" Daily jokes and comments such as these, no matter how harmless, are detrimental to the status of women and a dangerous undermining of their accomplishments. Shared by both genders, sexually discriminative comments are widely accepted in society as normal and harmless. "I didn't mean anything by that; I was just kidding," whimpered Ben Glantz after receiving several cold stares from young women who overheard his bashing, sexist comment. The word ‘Feminism’ seems to refer to an intense awareness...
Words: 5715 - Pages: 23
...Vicky Silva 30 May 2015 English 204 Professor Jimenez The Complexities of Being a Feminist If being a woman in today’s patriarchal led society is hard to be taken serious, it is hard to imagine how much harder it must have been many, many generations ago, it must have been next to impossible to express a thought, an idea when the like of Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz was roaming the earth. Hell, it has only been less than 50 years ago when women were just viewed as housewives, secretaries and nurses. Yet, it has taken more than 100 years for women to be viewed as equals. This idea of gender equality is not something new. The feminist movement has been an old, progressive one. Many women and men alike have had these gender equity ideas for centuries; this idea is not a new one as pioneers from Sor Juana to Kate Chopin to even the present-day Emma Watson, have stated time and time again, women are faced with oppression by the patriarchal society in many different ways that hurt women and men alike. Kate Chopin wrote many short stories in her time that pushed the envelope for the feminist movement. Two stories in particular were “The Storm” and “ The Story of An Hour”. Both of these stories have a female protagonist oppressed by a male antagonist, which very much can be construed as a commentary of what social normal behavior was, a patriarchal driven society that oppressed any type of female freedoms or expressions. In Chopin’s short story, “The Story of An Hour” the...
Words: 1590 - Pages: 7
...want to learn more about the representation of women within the art world. As a socially aware individual with an interest in art, I felt the need to explore these inequalities to see if they still exist and how this may impact on other young artists. The research methods that I chose were interview, statistical analysis and content analysis, which would provide me qualitative results, as well as quantitative by being able to collect data and statistics. Originally, I planned on conducting a focus group discussion, however as my project progressed, I decided on content analysis as it allowed me to observe a variety of sources and immerse myself in the art world. By choosing an interview I was able to gain insightful knowledge from four females who were either art curators or historians and one male who is an art historian. This gave me qualitative results as I was able to receive in-depth answers from numerous people and allowed and exploration of my cross-cultural by interviewing both genders and gaining their perspectives on this. However, there were some limitations such as by completing my interviews through e-mail, I was not able to ask any follow up questions for answers to be further elaborated. Additionally I only had one interview with a male and four with females, which may cause more perspectives from females and thus, a gender bias. By conducting interviews it supported my secondary research on the representation of women and by interviewing art historians it allowed...
Words: 5041 - Pages: 21
...worldwide-recognized show. Such as, “Not eating for the rest of the week,” “She is not real, how is she so perfect?” or sarcastic comments such as “I’m glad I look exactly like all those Victoria Secret models” (Profitable Objectification). This show is a perfect example of how the media negatively affects our society. Not only does the Victoria Secret Fashion show cause women to question their beauty, but it also instills unrealistic expectations of what women should look like to all the men. The media has a great influence on our view of beauty and has created a false perception of what females should look like. This has made it difficult for anyone that does not fit this ‘ideal’ body to accept themselves the way they are. Celebrities and models have become a representation of the ‘perfect’ body image that our society emulates. The negative affects of media today on our image of beauty are often underestimated; this false perception causes females to feel self conscious and more dissatisfied with their weight and appearance. The media has distorted the definition of beauty and the ‘perfect’ body image; which causes women serious health problems concerning their weight. The definition of...
Words: 2942 - Pages: 12
...claim that gender differences in achievement are the result of changes in wider society, such as the impact of feminist ideas and changing employment opportunities for both girls and boys. However, others argue that the education system has become ‘feminised’, for example through an emphasis on coursework in assessment, which may favour girls. Furthermore, a lack of male primary school teachers means that many boys do not have an adult male role model in their early experiences of school. Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the claim that gender differences in educational achievement are primarily the ‘result of changes in wider society’ (20 marks) Gender differences in educational achievement have changed drastically over the past twenty years due to many various factors including alterations in wider society and the reshaping of the education system itself. Girls are now outperforming boys in the majority of subjects at all levels of education prompting an ongoing argument between sociologists on the reasons behind this change. Some sociologists claim that the reason for such a difference in the level of achievement between genders is a result of changes in wider society such as the impact of feminist ideas. Feminism has become a wide spreading movement and continues to provide role models for younger girls to look up to. Having a strong feminist role model teaches girls that they can break out of the housewife role of finding love, getting married, having...
Words: 1056 - Pages: 5
...Gender stratification has been a hot topic as of late, and for good reason. The issues surrounding the wage gap include less pay for women, the lack of opportunity for employment and promotion for women, and the gendering of certain jobs that a demised more suitable for women or men. But, there are some steps being taken to counter this. While many parents, including Professor Stehle, are using forms of gender-neutral parenting, there are also efforts being made on larger scales.Engineering is generally considered a man’s job, but The Women and Minority in Engineering (WME) program at OSU is providing outreach to women and minorities in order to broaden recruitment and the interest in engineering. Women Engineering Their Future, Saturday...
Words: 1161 - Pages: 5
...for never comes. However, I think the fact that Nora decides to leave and live independently itself is a miracle in that social and historical context. Some people doubt about whether Nora will succeed in becoming independent. Judging from her personality and what she has done, I believe she will. This miracle then spread to the whole Europe, China and other countries, which greatly affected the feminist movement. Key Words：A Doll’s House, miracle, Nora, feminist movement 摘要 本文重点分析了《玩偶之家》女主人公娜拉在第三幕中提及的“奇迹”。娜拉所盼望又害怕的奇迹是她的丈夫能做出改变并承担责任，但当托伐知道真相时，他的反应是惊惧和不理解。这让娜拉意识到她只是一个依附于丈夫的玩偶，从而毅然出走。娜拉所企盼的奇迹没有发生，但我认为在那样的时代背景下，她出走的事实本身就是最大的奇迹。有人质疑娜拉出走后是否能实现真正的独立，我认为就她的性格和所作所为而言，这一点是毋庸置疑的。随后，这种女性宣告独立的“奇迹”逐渐蔓延至整个欧洲乃至中国，并深刻地影响了女权主义运动的进程。 关键词：玩偶之家；奇迹；娜拉；女权运动 Discuss about the Miracle in A Doll’s House 1. Introduction As A Doll’s House opens, Torvald and Nora are at a point of financial success after years of hard work. But during the early years of their marriage, unknown to Torvald, Nora borrowed money to pay for his medical treatment. This involved forging her father’s signature because women were not allowed to borrow money. Nora did this out of love and imagined that if Torvald ever found out he would be proud of her. However, when Torvald learns that her...
Words: 2137 - Pages: 9
...Topic 2 – Mass Media There appears to be an increase in tolerance and acceptance in regards to censorship within various forms of media in modern society. Throughout the rapid globalization of the previous century, society has become increasingly lenient of what filters through popular culture and into the minds of young generations and future leaders. Simultaneously, the standards of what is considered to be inappropriate for the general public have also changed throughout this period; in previous generations we have seen protests against certain content in music, films and various other forms of media for being considered unsuitable for the general public, however over time the voice of protests have been overshadowed by the popularity of the content, thereby over time creating a social tolerance of media content. The material that floods through the media today is significantly more provocative compared to previous decades; if Kim Kardashian’s naked body was the face of the media anytime during the 20th century, the public response would be chaotic, however in 2014 this was not only tolerated but to some extent, it was glorified. Significantly influencing the morals and values obtained by society, the content that flows through the media appears to have a link with social issues such as gender stereotypes, which has shown to produce gender inequality. Throughout recent globalization, it is clear that the values within western culture has rapidly evolved along with technological...
Words: 1970 - Pages: 8
...CHAPTER 12 Feminist Therapy Co-authored by Barbara Herlihy and Gerald Corey INTRODUCTION History and Development KEY CONCEPTS View of Human Nature Feminist Perspective on Personality Development Challenging Traditional Roles for Women Principles of Feminist Psychology THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS Therapeutic Goals Therapist’s Function and Role Client’s Experience in Therapy Relationship Between Therapist and Client APPLICATION: Therapeutic Techniques and Procedures The Role of Assessment and Diagnosis Techniques and Strategies The Role of Men in Feminist Therapy FEMINIST THERAPY APPLIED TO THE CASE OF STAN SUMMARY AND EVALUATION Summary Contributions of Feminist Therapy Limitations and Criticisms of Feminist Therapy FEMINIST THEORY FROM A MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVE Contributions to Multicultural Counseling Limitations for Multicultural Counseling WHERE TO GO FROM HERE RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS 340 SOME C O N TE M P O R ARY FEMINIST T H E R AP I STS Feminist therapy does not have a single founder. Rather, it has been a collective effort by many. We have selected a few individuals who have made significant contributions to feminist therapy for inclusion here, recognizing full well that many others equally influential could have appeared in this space, Feminist therapy is truly founded on a theory of inclusion. member of the board of trustees of the last two. In recent decades...
Words: 19529 - Pages: 79
...Feminism Tested in Ameen Merchant’s ‘The Silent Raga’ Project outline submitted to the Mahatma Gandhi University in partial recognition of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature. Sruthi Murali Reg No: 130021007268 Supervising Teacher Ms. Mary Sapna Peter Miranda Assistant Professor Department of English St. Albert’s College Ernakulam March 2016 Introduction The Silent Raga is an eminently readable book by a first time author. This is Ameen Merchant's first published novel and he has certainly presented a rich repertoire of emotions strung to a melodious tune. He uses fine strokes and bright colors, commonly associated with miniature painting, in his portrayal of life within the constricted confines of a small community. The Silent Raga, inspired by a Tamil novel, is an exquisite blend of tradition and transition, exile and reconciliation, silence and eloquence, society and self, crisis and consciousness, where various stages of a raga’s performance in recital breathe life into the mellifluous flourish of evocative prose. Ameen Merchant was born in Bombay in 1964 and raised in Madras. The Silent Raga (Douglas & McIntyre, 2007/HarperCollins India, 2008) is his first novel. In prose that moves from the sensuous to the sublime, and that recalls the rhythms and progression of the raga, Merchant the storyteller weaves a moving tapestry about the ties that bind us and the sacrifices we must make on the way to realizing...
Words: 6516 - Pages: 27
...television, in movies, in magazines, on billboards, in social media. Everywhere a person looks they find the objectification of women, the socially unacceptable unrealistic standards for women, and the so-called “fat-shaming” of the female gender. However, all people know the argument against such sexist conduct. People dispute the issue over Facebook, blog journals, and even scholarly articles. Dove, the huge lotion, body wash, and shampoo conglomerate has their own “Love Your Body Campaign” which features average women in their ads. Now, this is fantastic that females can battle against how they are represented in media, but most people never consider that the same exact thing happens to men. Amanda Marcotte from Slate.com shows how the double standard is prominent with an example from a response to one of her articles about a relationship. Oh, and there’s a new thought: a double standard with the males on the downside? I don’t think many people have really considered or even heard one of those before. A more known topic is the pressuring of children of both genders into traditional gender roles. Many people admonish the pressuring of girls into their roles, but pressuring boys is also a problem. Paul Theroux talks of this in his essay “Being a Man.” Media makes men out to be just as unrealistic as it does women, and this is also a problem. Just as women claim it is ridiculous that they must be stick-thin and tan, it is also ridiculous that media portrays men as hyper-muscular...
Words: 3449 - Pages: 14
