Feminism - liberation from patriarchy Sex - biological partsGender - how one sees their sex mentally Ideology - a system of ideasMisogyny - dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women Orientation - who you want to have romantic and sexual relations withSexism - a system of prejudice and discrimination that favors one sex(men)over another (women)“Third world” - arose during the cold war to define countries that remained nonaligned with NATO or The Warsaw PactHeterosexism - a system that normalizes heterosexuality(homophobia) Prejudice - preconceived judgement or opinion based on apparent group membershipReadings Lecture● “...race, class, and gender do not refer only to other people, whoare marginalized by race, class, or gender privilege”(Kimmel 25)● “The fish are the last to discover the ocean” - fish are not aware of being in the ocean until something happens to them that causes them to realize they are in the ocean● “I can work to change the system while being conscious of what these privileges have done for me”(Weissman 36)● Transnational feminism - globally integrated feminism (decenter norms)○ Heightened interconnectivity between people, economies, and nation states○ Make gender visible and open the world to a community discussionof gender○ TWLF - third world liberation front - students demanded that their universities add ethnic studies and gender studies to course lists● Patsy Mink - created title 9 law● The feminist movement was centered on the oppression of women but trans and gender non conforming people have always been present● Gender expectations tie in with homophobia and gender is personal and political● Gender is hard to analyze because we've internalized so much ideology related to gender● Gender variance isnt limited to the transgender experience● “My imitation of her life could only go skin deep”(56 Senna).● Messages about gender are transmitted through language, media, family peers, teachers, religion, & more● Night to his day: “gender like culture is a human production that depends on everyone constantly ‘doing gender’”(68)● “To gender something simply means investing it with one of two meanings. So anything and everything can be gendered, for example: ships, clothing, sexual positions, pens, bowls, hand positions, head tilts, vocal inflections, body hair, and different sports.”(GDQ 25)● “Gender is a system of meanings and symbols for power and sexuality”(GDQ, 23)● Gender produces meanings through “thousands of everyday acts”(GDQ, 24)● “When women begin to defy social scripts for physical beauty, they can begin to see the beauty within themselves & define beauty in a more meaningful way”(WIR, 118).● Beauty norms force women of color to “go great lengths financially and emotionally”(WIR, 115)● It is not an accident that so many potentially powerful women feel this way. We are in the midst of a violent backlash against female beauty as a political weapon against women's advancement : the beauty myth(WIR, 119).● “Women are being judged (sometimes to death) on something that doesn't really exist: virginity”(WIR, 140).● “Young women face numerous restrictions on their autonomy, mobility, and personal decision making”(WIR, 147)● “...Sex was considered something one did, not something one ● Gender as a process - day to day interactions reinforces genders as opposites(convos, rituals, etc)● Gender as a stratification - men as a group have more status and powercompared to women as a group. Women are treated as ‘other’ compared to men, as are people of other genders if they are all acknowledged● Gender as a structure - gender divides work in and outside the home. It legitimates those in authority and organizes sexuality and emotional lifeImages of WomenIdeas of what it means to be a woman shape the way women are perceived & treated.● Womanhood is defined in relation to manhood○ Bodies, norms, & social implications○ Pragmatic social construction - we draw boxes around who is maleand who is female■ We often ignore data that contradicts the system■ Sexism is promoted and reinforced in cultural practices■ Women are forced to represent all of females● Women are constantly exposed to messages of male superiority they will inevitably feel powerless and insignificant (48) - the feminine mystiqueImages of femininity vary across class, ethnicity, and race● Men acknowledged “the problem that has no name” but they didn’t understand the solution○ Blamed it on too much education, lack of sex, political participation● The double shift - even when women are working more hours outside thehome, they're still expected to do more housework● A Work of Artifice - we teach girls to be small and insignificant○ Sexually desired v sexually invisible● Most traits we associate with masculinity and femininity are human traitswas”(GDQ, 49)● LABELS - “...our attachment of meaning to them[our bodies] was a powerful tool for making us experience ourselves in the world in very specific ways”(GDQ, 52)● “Issues commonly associated with notions of women's legal rights include the right to bodily integrity and reproductive autonomy; to vote; to hold public office; to work; to fair wages and comparable pay; to own property; to education; to serve in the military; to enter into legal contracts; and to enjoy marital, parental, and religious rights”(WIR 214).● “Until 1975, marital rape was not recognized as a legal concept anywhere in the United States and spouses were legally exemptfrom charges of rape in marriage”(WIR 216).● “...the legal definition of rape was open to interpretation and rules of evidence created barriers to prosecution. Requiring proof that a woman had not consented was equated with force; force was equated with resistance; and resistance was proven by injuries”(WIR 217).● “I can easily imagine adding care to our pantheon of national values, along with liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness through the pursuit of money”(WIR 223).● “Laws are changing. But the pace of change is lethargic, while the need for change is urgent”.(WIR 222)● Womens value is often determined by their bodies○ most females find fault with their appearance○ Weight and appearance standards are often unrealistic and unattainable○ Thin white woman remain the dominant image of female beauty promoted in
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