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Feminism And Stereotypes There Are Many Stereotypes Term Paper

Feminism and Stereotypes There are many stereotypes associated with feminism and the feminist movement. The movement itself was started as a way to combat the stereotypical view of women's role in society. Even after many years of working for women's civil rights, still it remained that "women were automatically expected to take notes at meetings, make coffee, do all the housework, and often be available as sexual partners for male co-workers." (236) Along with beliefs that women were weaker, less intelligent, and overall unequal to men in many ways, these stereotypes were the target of the women's movement for freedom and equality in America. However, stereotypes have infiltrated and plagued the feminist movement for decades. There are stereotypes held by many feminists regarding other women, stereotypes held by society about feminists, and stereotypes about specific ethnicities, such as Black and Indian feminism.

Although some women may find that taking care of the domestic needs of their families to be very rewarding and true expression of themselves, it can be met with a great deal of scrutiny from members of the feminist culture. Feminism often creates a stereotype that the housewife is being oppressed by her husband and that the homemaker is a slave to her family and a disgrace to free women. This stereotype can be traced back to Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique," published in 1963, wherein she described the typical family as a "comfortable concentration camp." Modern feminism took from Friedan's description of the homemaker a stereotype that no healthy woman would chose this life. Other…

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Many feminists cannot see being a housewife or homemaker to be a viable or honorable option for women. Although some women may find that taking care of the domestic needs of their families to be very rewarding and true expression of themselves, it can be met with a great deal of scrutiny from members of the feminist culture. Feminism often creates a stereotype that the housewife is being oppressed by her husband and that the homemaker is a slave to her family and a disgrace to free women. This stereotype can be traced back to Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique," published in 1963, wherein she described the typical family as a "comfortable concentration camp." Modern feminism took from Friedan's description of the homemaker a stereotype that no healthy woman would chose this life. Other stereotypes that have been noted in the feminist movement include that feminists think poorly of heterosexual women in general, or women that are "effeminate" rather than "butch." The feminist movement is generalized as not being concerned with the problems of other social groups. Some people complain that feminists today raise awareness of the single mother's terrible social situation in our society, but that they stereotype all men as having it easy, even though there are many impoverished men and single fathers suffering from social inequalities as well. Others say that feminists stereotype all men as abusers, and while fighting for the rights of battered women and female rape victims, ignore the plight of battered and abused men and male rape victims.

However, the stereotypes that are supposedly held by feminists may not truly be a part of feminism, but rather a fabrication of the stereotypes held by others about feminists. Among the stereotypes applied to feminists include that they are all white and middle-class. The stereotypical lesbian does not shave or wear dresses, bras, or high heels. Stereotypical feminists do not wear makeup or concern themselves with aesthetics of any sort. Of course, feminists are also viewed to all be lesbians and fit the "Femi-Nazi" image of a woman holding all of the above mentioned stereotypes regarding other people.

An example of how such stereotypes were put onto feminists early in the movement is the Miss America protest of 1968, where "the media portrayed the protesters in fairly negative terms, such as coining the term bra-burners to denote all radical feminists, even though no bras were burned." (241) These negative stereotypes have prevented many women who would otherwise be a part of the movement from identifying as
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