Feminism the Feminist Movement, Like Many Other

Feminism

The feminist movement, like many other social movements in American history, has become tainted and infected by the negative opinions of those within and without the feminist circle. Stereotypes have been a significant hindrance as well as motivational factor to the feminist movement. One way in which stereotypes are interwoven with feminism is the stereotypes about women that have been held long and hard in Western culture which gave birth to the movement through necessity. Other ways in which stereotypes are strongly interlinked with feminism are the stereotypes that are held by society regarding feminist culture in specific, and the stereotypes that are held by many people that identity as feminists regarding other cultures and social groups. Additionally, specific stereotypes about women in certain social and ethnic groups, such as African-American women and Indian women, have greatly affected their role in the women's rights movements and their place as feminists.

Women have been viewed in Western culture, as well as many others, as unequal to men for centuries. Women have been viewed as the "weaker sex." Her role in life was to marry a man, carry and raise his children, and care for the home. Cooking, cleaning, child care, and pleasing her husband were the daily tasks for women, while the man of the family would be the one to work outside of the home. Women were considered to be less intelligent and less able to become educated, and women that strove for equality were considered to be anything from homewreckers, to insane, to witches. Men were strong, women were weak; a woman was nothing and could own nothing without a man to speak on her behalf. Women fought against these stereotypes throughout time, most notably starting in the nineteenth century when the women's suffrage movement began. Many people say that this was the start of modern feminism, though the movement would not take true feminist form until the mid-twentieth century when women would begin a strong attack on "the degrading mindless-boob-girlie symbol" (242) and other stereotypes.

Because women were so strongly typecast into a particular mold, it was seen as threatening and improper when women began to fight for equality. Therefore, many unfair stereotypes were formed regarding feminists as a way to slander the movement and prevent it from gaining positive publicity or respect. One stereotype is that all feminists are lesbians. While lesbians have had a significant role in the feminist movement, feminism does not equal homosexuality, and many heterosexual women are feminists. Another stereotype is that feminists do not shave and do not use makeup or otherwise "pretty" themselves. While most feminists would say that it is not fair to force these beauty standards on women, feminists are free to choose their own personal fashion style. Many people have said that feminism is a form of hatred and prejudice against men. This is not true, as feminists strive for equality of the sexes.