2. 1. Third-wave Feminist Movement (1990s-)
Third-wave feminism rejected essentialism of second wave
Gender essentialism: idea that all members of a particular gender share at least 1
“essential” characteristic
Gender roles: sometimes tied to idea that all members of a particular gender
share psychological traits rooted in physiology or biology, and therefore are
particularly suited for certain roles in family or society
2nd wave had projected/assumed upper middle class white women’s experience =
universal
Distinction b/t sex & gender
Sex: may be defined as biological (genitalia, hormones, genetics) and/or
psychological (brain chemistry)
Gender: identity based on set of social & cultural characteristics & behaviors
associated with a specific sex
3. 2. Major issues of third-
wave feminism
Anti-essentialism + intersectionality
i.e., identity is unique composite of factors
(race, class, ethnicity, etc.) cultural
analysis must see how systems of
oppression work together to create a new
whole that isn’t just the sum of parts
Violence against women
Reproductive justice (reproductive rights +
social justice)
Parental leave; child care
Riot Grrrl, SlutWalk, etc.
Sex positivity
Body positivity
Trans* rights
4. 3. Alison Bechdel, artist
Bio (1960-)
Born to Catholic family in Pennsylvania
Father: English teacher & funeral home director
(closeted); Mother: actress & teacher
Education:
Oberlin (art & art history)
Career:
Cartoonist (“Dykes to Watch Out For”)
Originated “Bechdel Test”:
Does the work of fiction have at least 2 female
characters?
Do they talk to each other?
About something other than a man?
Graphic novel memoir, Fun Home
Turned into Broadway musical
5. 4a. Bechdel, Fun Home
Themes:
Gender & sexuality:
What does Alison’s desire to hide her gender reveal about what she (as a kid) thinks
gender is?
How and why does Alison recognize the bulldyke (p. 132-133)?
6. 4b. Bechdel, Fun Home
Themes:
Family:
Bechdel’s references to Proust: “After dad died, an updated translation of Proust
came out. Remembrance of Things Past was re-titled In Search of Lost Time. The new
title is a more literal translation of À la Recherche du Temps Perdu, but it still doesn’t
quite capture the full resonance of perdu. This means not just lost but ruined,
undone, wasted, wrecked, and spoiled” (133).
What does Bechdel suggest is lost?
What do you get from Bechdel’s depiction of the relationship between her and her
father?
Kinship/similarity: both gay; similar experiences (photos)
Difference: dad’s closeted; acceptance of self?; acceptance of ambiguity?
7. 5. Anna Quindlen, writer
Bio (1952-):
Born in Philadelphia, PA to Irish- & Italian-American
parents
Education:
Barnard College
Career:
Journalist (New York Post; The New York Times; Newsweek)
Pulitzer Prize (1992) for Times column “Public & Private”
Novelist
Two novels turned into films
8. 6. Quindlen, “Still Needing the F Word”
Question: What gets associated with the word
“feminism”?
Quindlen’s definition of feminism:
“Fem-i-nism n. 1. Belief in the social, political and
economic equality of the sexes” (p. 165).
Evidence that U.S. society isn’t “postfeminist”:
Women (still) report spending time on appearances
Women (still) report hiding intelligence to succeed
among men
Question: “F Word” was written in 2003; what’s
changed & what’s stayed the same since then?
9. 7. Quindlen, 2 straitjackets
Quindlen argues that women have 2 straitjackets:
(1) being perfect homemaker/woman for male partners
(2) being perfect working professional/woman for male coworkers
Question: Who’s included and excluded in her assessment?
10. 8. Quindlen, feminist issues
Unequal representation in workplace (e.g., university faculty positions)
Violence against women (e.g., sexual harassment)
“The point is not that the world has not changed for women since Friedan’s book
lobbed a hand grenade into the homes of pseudohappy housewives who couldn’t
understand the malaise that accompanied sparkling Formica and good-looking
kids…But the world hasn’t changed as much as we like to tell ourselves.” (p. 166)
“The F word is not an expletive but an ideal—
one that still has a way to go” (p. 167).
