Feminism- Born to be Feminine, but not Pink

Women fought to be notice in the late eighteenth century and in 1922 women in the United States women received the right to vote. The Woman’s right to vote was a turning point in history for women all over the world. This act was said to spur the first step toward feminism which focus on legal issues that faced women. In 1949 The Second Sex written by Simone de Beauvoir, which focus on the cultural mechanisms of oppression that left women in the role of the “other” to mans self. This novel focuses on personal issues and the relationship between man and woman. The Second Sex novel ignited the second wave which started feminism.

In the first wave feminist like Mary Wollstonecraft, Anna Doyle Wheeler, and Harriet Taylor goal of the first wave was to educate women about there rights as human beings. Wollstonecraft argued that the education of women should not be designed entirely to be pleasing to men. She believed that educating women to be the playthings of men would have bad consequences for society and for women. If they have no resources to fall back on the women’s marriage and love after a number of years would turn into spite and self-impotence. Wollstonecraft affirmed that women were capable of attaining the virtues of wisdom and rationality if only society would allow those virtues to be cultivated.

Anna Doyler Wheeler collaborated with William Thompson is a famous essay titled “The Appeal of One Half of the Human Race, Women, Against the Pretension if the Other Half, Men, to Restrain Them in Political, and Thence in Civil and Domestic Slavery.” The title says it all, further focuses the argument that denying a right to women was, in fact different to the interest of the whole society. Harriet Taylor argued that it wasn’t fair to distinct between groups of people without giving good reason for doing so an that no good reason could be given for saying that men could vote and women could not.

The ignition of Feminism and second wave was sparked by the novel The Second Sex written by Simone de Beauvoir. A different concern that feminist in the first wave but in a way completes the transition. The first wave focuses on legal issues while De Beauvoir focuses on personal and the relationship between man and women. The right to vote gave women freedom to choose and with that victory it was time to move one to tackle the issue of the women’s character and how to face a man dominating society. De Beauvoir argued that “one is but born, but rather becomes a women , and that the category “women” is another name for “Other” and is imposed by a male dominating society, just as neighbors tent to treat strangers as others.

As a woman I am proud and thankful for the contributors to feminism that fought for my independence. Without feminism I would not be able to view the sky as the limit, not impossible as have women living in previous times. My thoughts of Feminism rest in the philosophy of Marilyn Frye women will always be caught in a double bind, to act traditionally feminine is to partake in practices that limited you to domestic responsibilities, one the other hand to act traditionally masculine and behave aggressive is socially frowned upon. I remember as a little girl in the 90s girls wore pink and boys wore blue and all the toys were gender specific, extreme remote control trucks for boys and easy bake ovens for girls. Growing up with an older brother to me he always had the better toys and more productive activities. As a very active child I was labeled a Tomboy and teased by people saying I was a boy not a girl just because I didn’t want to sit still and play with a Barbie, but instead I wanted to play basketball and with remote control cars. I liked being a girl but when it was time to play I found myself caught in a bind. Now I am all grown up my girl friends say they felt the same way and that it wasn’t fair. Now that decade has passed little girls are not Tomboys they now themselves there are more activities open to them and toys have evolved to fit the active girl (more all girl sports leagues, coed entertainment and Bratz remote control cars). Little by little women evolve and become more independent, confident and stronger.