When you think about the feminist movement today, what do you think about? The first things that come to mind for me are the #MeToo movement and the women who hold positions of power, acting as role models for young girls everywhere.
However, there’s one woman who I believe made the feminist movement possible today, and her name is Simone de Beauvoir.
Beauvoir’s Work
If you take a women’s studies class at FSU, you’ll surely hear her name, but how exactly did she earn her legacy? The answer starts with her book, The Second Sex. Beauvoir’s book ushered in a new wave of feminism from the common “first wave” that we’ve heard about before. Instead of trying to secure women’s right to vote, her work shifts to a deeper focus on women’s lives.
Beauvoir dives into the experience, or what she calls the “situation,” of being a woman in society. She doesn’t stop at one specific part of womanhood but rather opens up a discussion about all parts of being a woman, from biology to motherhood to sexuality.
Beauvoir was part of the existentialist movement in France, which rings through in her use of terms like “bad faith,” “the situation,” “transcendence,” and more. However, her work in philosophy didn’t stop with The Second Sex, as she also wrote four books on philosophy.
Her Legacy
Beauvoir is known as one of the must-read authors of feminist theory today. Her work is timeless, and there are still many scholars who write book after book about the work she did in her time. The feminist movement as we know it wouldn’t exist without her work, which sparked controversy. There was a time when being a woman meant getting married and pregnant. For centuries, womanhood wasn’t complete without childbirth.
Beauvoir is one of the groundbreaking thinkers who helped change this reality. Although Beauvoir’s work is revolutionary, it remains controversial even today. Beauvoir was ahead of her time in many ways, and her legacy shows that there’s still work to do as feminists moving forward.
If you’re in the mood to read through some feminist theory, I can’t recommend Beauvoir as a starting point enough! She lays out the groundwork headfirst, and her book offers lots of content to sift through.
If you like her work, almost every feminist theorist who writes after her engages with her in some way, making her a great research tool. Some of the biggest names we know now, including Judith Butler — a notable gender studies scholar — cite her work in their own books.
Beauvoir’s Influence Today
Beauvoir continues to be a hugely influential woman today, both in the feminist movement and in the legacy of the existentialist movement. She wrote books that engaged with feminist theory, philosophy, and even her own fiction.
I find her to be a huge inspiration and admire her work greatly, and you should too! Recognizing the work that women before us did to make it possible for us to exist and flourish in feminist spaces is important, especially in a time of book bans and lost rights.
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