i am still kind of in the middle of the reading for the week, i finished the first article (nochlin "why have there been no great women artists?) and am part of the way through the second (jones "feminism incorporated: reading postfeminism in an anti-feminist age). i had been reading the jones article when i was asked by a co-worker about what i was reading. i told him the title and he just made a yucky face. then later he asked how my reading was going and i told him, and he asked about whether we were in an anti-feminist age. my answer was that i hadn't yet gotten to jones explanation of this but i could see how we could be. my co-worker (lets call him "nick") then says, "well, isn't feminism done?" i was surprised by this. i immediately said no and asked what he meant, he said that there was equality, and that was the point of feminism. i really was absolutely shocked to hear him say this. i mentioned a statistic from one of the articles, women make up about 52% of the population, museums show art that is made by women about 10-15% of the time. he just said, wow that sucks. and since that didnt seem to faze him, i said and what about the fact that in our government women probably hold 30% of the offices at most (i really dont know the exact amount, sorry!). he finally realized what i was talking about and only had to say that women were seen as equal under the law. i agreed and pointed out that a lot of people dont pay attention to the law.
so after all of that i really had a lot to think about. for the most part, at school, i surround myself by men that seem to be progressive and i would say possibly even feminist thinkers. this nick guy, i dont think hes chauvinist or misogynist, just sheltered (from a variety of types of feminism and types of women) and ignorant (about feminist theory or how people other than white middle class men get treated). it is completely strange and sad to hear a man that is close in age to me say that feminism is done. but maybe we just have different definitions of feminism. or maybe a lot of men feel the same and i live in my own little feminist world where all of the misogyny and patriarchy happens very very far away. i think i need to be having more conversations about women with my male friends.....
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2 comments:
I'm often wrong. I'm often misunderstood. In this particular case, I think I was both. My initial reaction (yucky face) wasn't because you were reading about feminism. The title “Feminism Incorporated: Reading Postfeminism in an Anti-Feminist Age” just brings back memories of dozens of terrible, long-winded, formal Academic articles I had to read for some of my classes.
When I asked if feminism was finished, I was thinking of the feminist movement rather than feminist theory.
I'm not a chauvinist or a misogynist. I do have a rather irreverent sense of humor that can sometimes offend, and if someone doesn't know me they may not be able to decipher my true feelings on any number of topics.
As much as it pains me, I do have to claim ignorance regarding feminist theory. Despite my years spent attending various educational institutions, I'm a true autodidact. I've spent a lot of time learning about science, history, religion, etc., but now you've made me curious.
"i think i need to be having more conversations about women with my male friends..."
I agree.
-Dom (AKA "nick")
dom, i hope you follow this curiosity about identity politics, it is an incredibly complicated and divisive topic. i guess i understood that you were asking about the end of the feminist movement, which doesn't make it any better to me. feminism and identity politics are something i am very passionate about and it was crazy to have a real live actual person ask me that. its something i read about but havent experienced. i guess it would possibly be similar if somebody asked you if science was finished. im still sorry for having possibly misrepresented you.
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