The Difficulty with Defining Feminism

We live in the modern society where women can vote, work, have access to birth control, freedom of speech, and be independent. However, two articles written by feminist writers Jessica Valenti and bell hooks demonstrate that feminism still exist because of an inevitable inequality that women face in the society. Both writers are convinced that most of the people do not really know what feminism is about or they do not look at it closer in order to be able to understand the purpose of this movement. According to them, feminism is not about being anti-men and spreading hatred towards males as many individuals claim. As bell hooks states in her article “[…] I tend to hear about the evil of feminism […] how ‘they’ hate men […]” (11). Feminism does

Contrary to what one may believe, the problem with feminism is the misunderstanding of its definition.

Webster defines feminism as both "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" and "organized activity on the behalf of women's rights and interests" (Webster 418). Equality of the sexes (in terms of rights) and the furthering of women's rights are seemingly positive aspirations; yet people tend to describe feminism using negative terms, and feminism today has acquired a bad reputation. "Radical" and "extremists" are adjectives commonly applied to feminism as a whole, when, in truth, feminists who adopt extreme positions constitute the minority. Moreover, these "gender feminists," or "militant feminists," as many call them, although they receive the most public attention because of their aggressive tactics and high visibility, alienate people in broadcasting their views. Their goal, to create a "sentimental priesthood" that will achieve collective power and retribution as oppressed "victims" of a white-male supremacy, seems unreasonable (Himmelfarb 20). In contrast, "equity feminists," or "academic feminists," embrace the basic principles of feminism. They celebrate women's achievements, work for the individual rights of all women, and, as Christina Hoff Sommers aptly says, "want for women what they want for everyone, equal protection under the law" (Himmelfarb 20). Though not all feminists agree on how to reach this goal, most argue for a reasonable, realistic, and positive method. By contrasting the differing feminist ideas of writers like Adrienne Rich, Gertrude Himmelfarb, and Camille Paglia, one defines a winning brand of feminism: a philosophy founded on equity feminist ideology and dedicated to the achievement of social, political, economic, and intellectual reform.

Feminist critic bell hooks asserts that we live in a “white, supremacist, capitalist patriarchy." When we examine all aspects of our society, this is very clear to see that white people, men, and capitalists hold the most power and have an unfair advantage. These groups are often more favorable and are viewed more positively and held in the highest esteem. They hold more positions of power and are generally superior to all other groups, which includes people of color, women, and poor people. Our society is a white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy because these groups are hegemonic in all aspects.

hooks, bell. "Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression." Feminist Theory Reader. Ed. Caroline McCann and Seung-Kyung Kim. New York: Routledge. 2003, 50-57.

The article is written by Bell Hooks as a critique of the article by Sheryl Sandberg. The author analyses the feminist theory as propounded by Sandberg. She acknowledges the fact that Sandberg’s view on Feminism is clouded by her race and privileged social status. It is thus apparent that Sandberg’s views are subjective to her situation and status in life. The largest failure of the piece is the fact that the writer fails to discuss how multiple intersectionality as defined by Kimberle Crenshaw affect the gender power matrix.

Define Feminism "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.

Gloria Jean Watkins also known as Bell Hooks, she is an American author, feminist, and social activist. In this book, Hooks give readers a better understanding of feminism and its purpose through updated information and an easier to understand writing style. Hooks argues that the misrepresentation of women in the media negatively affects both men and women. For Hooks, awareness is a vital element in feminism; if women are aware of their op...

Feminist Theory Feminist theory is derived from feminism, a complex doctrine that has been defined in many different ways (Chodorow, 1978). Hooks (2000) believes that without a consensus regarding a definition, that the foundation on which feminism was built is not fully clear. Nonetheless, several individuals have stepped forward to offer their ideologies and principles regarding feminist theory.

There is no denying that Feminism had been a rising topic of conversation in the past years, yet it is difficult to find a conversation about it without heavy controversy. One question from a recent poll shows that only a mere 18 percent of Americans consider themselves Feminists, yet when prompted again, 85 percent of Americans responded that they believe in equality for all women (New York Times/ Women in the World). The responses to these two questions show the confusion surrounding the term and the movement in general. The term feminism is defined as a series of social movements working toward equality for all gendered persons (Nelson). In no way does that definition imply that feminists think women are superior, yet the word can’t seem