What’s with the wave thing? We’re talking about women, so is this like “surfing the crimson wave”?
Awww shit, I just showed my age…ugh…and so soon!
Confession: Yes, I saw this movie and loved it. I still do…I watch it occasionally and relive the hopes and dreams of my youth…being that I was only thirteen when this movie came out…they were my roll models…what can I say? They were pretty, popular, and rich. What’s not to like? Okay, anyway…what is wrong with me?
I chastise myself with this woman giving me a stern look…okay…crap, why did I have to start this blog on a wacky day? Ugh…sorry friends, you might not learn a whole lot from me today…bleh…
Back to Feminism…
There are three known waves of feminism…let me give you a quick and dirty description of each…
First Wave Feminism (19th to early 20th century)
This is the one that got us the right to vote in the United States. Woo-hoo!
The first time women hopped up and said, “Our interests aren’t being represented…this is f-ed up.” Okay, not really, but gaining the right to vote is one of the defining moments of this movement. First wave heroes include Mary Wollstonecraft (the grandmother of British feminism), Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (Ya’ know, the same chick that has her own dollar?).
There is so much more to first wave feminism, but like I said, this is the quick and dirty version…soooo…on to the next one…
Second Wave Feminism (1950s to 1980s)
When you think about Women’s Lib, equal pay for equal work, and bra-burning (which is a myth – no bras were hurt in the making of this movement!) this is the movement that is on your mind. (Do I hear Willie Nelson singing softly in the background?)
This is the movement that fought for things like equal work rights, reproductive freedoms (including abortion rights), and fought against domestic violence.
The backlash from this movement can still be felt today. Remember the bra-burning reference? Oppressors came up with all kinds of stuff: Feminists don’t shave their legs, they’re whores, they’re ugly, they’re going to hell, they’re baby killers, they need to lighten up – anything to attempt to derail the movement. Sound familiar? Yes, those terms are pretty much all used today…*sigh* they could at least be original.
Some Heroes: Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Bell Hooks.
Third Wave Feminism (1980’s – 2000’s?)
This is getting closer to our generation! Aren’t you excited? Well, you should be…do you want me to bring back stern-faced lady? Didn’t think so…
Where the first and second waves laid the foundation, the third wave built and brought in from many different ways of thinking, reexamined previous feminist ideas, and moved away from the white middle-class issues to issues of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses.
It is thought to have been brought about by Rebecca Walker’s (Her mother is author Alice Walker) article, “Becoming the Third Wave” in response to the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill sexual harassment hearings.
Third wave feminists are “second generation feminists” – they grew up with the effects of the women’s movement from the second wave and this is their contribution.
I will be putting up a link page to information about each of these movements eventually – let us all hope that the beast that is procrastination doesn’t decide to make a meal of me…
Soooo…now that we have a quick and dirty working understanding of the women’s movement, let’s talk about today…
When I was in school, I only learned about the first three waves of feminism (and Pluto was a planet! ;)). Here lately though, I have started to wonder…are we in the Fourth Wave of Feminism?
According to this, yes.
Wow…do you mean…because someone wrote a blog, all of a sudden, history will know us as Fourth Wave Feminists? Hmm…well…maybe?
According to this article, the Fourth Wave started in 2008…hmm…the year Hilary Clinton began campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president…that sounds like a pretty damn nifty starting point if you ask me…
Hey look! It’s another “Fourth Wave” Feminist…
Jessica Valenti is the founder of Feministing…a website for feminists today… and she also wrote a rockin’ book called The Purity Myth…
But, fickle label-hating generation that we are, maybe “fourth wave” feminists don’t want to be labeled as anything in particularly. I think we all know who is hurt the most by this…
Yup…that’s right…
Label Maker: Why you no like me for?
Fourth Wave Feminists: Sorry dude…we no like the labels!
Come join the unemployment line with the rest of us, buddy! Or come visit me…I’ll entertain the idea that I’m going to start labeling stuff…just to abandon the idea in about a month…and you can take your place next to my scrapbooking kit, plastic fish bowl, and ball of yarn and crocheting needle.
Ugh…anyway…so the point of this first entry is…what should we, as the next generation of feminists, hope to accomplish? Hmm…maybe that’s going to be one of the things I’ll talk about here…so here’s my plan for this blog….
I want a place to share issues mostly pertaining to women, somewhat pertaining to everyone else (read: men), and all pertaining to me….and maybe something will resonate with you…at least we can hope…otherwise, you just read this ramble for nothing…
HERE WE GO…
Open Up! 