Feminism

After reading both selections I found the "Full Frontal Feminism" to be one of the most unique and honest pieces of writing I have ever read. I not only enjoyed Jessica Valenti's writing style, she included her own unique experiences, as well as firmly stating that she has no problem calling herself a feminist. I know I personally struggle with the idea of calling myself “the f-word" because it can carry a negative connotation. In my opinion it is looked at by others, the majority being men, as being headstrong and being a "man-hater"; when that is not always the case. In Valenti's piece she gives the definition of feminism, which is "belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes" (Valenti, 13). With that she goes on to talk about how feminism has nothing to do with man-hating or "hairy legs". I conquer with this statement because there is a large misconception that feminists are hairy, lesbians, and would not care if they had a man in their life. I look at these opinions as social constructions of what society and politics has created feminism to appear negative. This ties in with the other reading, "Making Gendered People", because in it discusses the agendas of change of the 1970s feminists brought about. Some agendas of change included educational change, media changes (to change sex-role models), and new forms of psycho-therapy (to provide support for those changing roles) (Connell, 2). I agree with the propositions of early feminists when there was a clear distinction made between sex and gender. That distinction being sex is biological and gender is the social side, which is the difference between male and female roles and personalities. My opinion is that gender is socially constructed and may only have the slightest bit to do with biological factors. "Making Gendered People" talks about bodies being plural and diverse, and one sentence enforces my opinion of gender being a social construct. "In gender (as in other social structures) social practice draws bodies into a historical process in which bodies are materially transformed" (Connell, 3). This implies that just because you have a male body, does not mean you can't become more feminine due to outside factors and social influences.