The word feminism dates back to 1837 when French philosopher Charles Fourier coined the term: feminisme. Consequently, in 1896, Eugenie Potonie-Pierre also claimed to have coined feminisme. Later, in the 1890’s the word feminism became the term that symbolized “women-led activism for equality.” In other words, the term had been used to mean a link between women and social progress.
The term has come a long way since the 1800’s, and its current presence in society and the media has been defined in three waves.
First Wave Feminism
The first wave of feminism grew out of the mid-nineteenth century abolitionism. Women who participated within this moment found that their full and equal participation was not viewed under the same light as men’s participation: as long as they worked with fellow women, everything appeared to be fine. In contrast, when they moved past an all-woman environment, they were severely reprimanded by their abolitionist brothers. These 19th-century ladies discovered that the political world in which they co-existed with men,where they assumed it was dedicated to equal justice for all, was simply content to keep up with the idea and rules of “proper feminine behavior.” In other words, women would remain at homes while men made important decisions; though, thousands of women participated in the abolitionist movement, yet the decision-making and public acknowledgment were reserved for the men.
This division shattered when two female abolitionists spoke out publicly against slavery (Sarah and Angelina Grimke, 1837), and managed to preserve their right to lecture, and began to write and speak about women’s position in society.
Thus began the controversy of whether or not women were going to be allowed to equally participate with men in all aspects of the abolitionist movement.
Second Wave Feminism
The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s and continued into the 1990s.
It came as a by-product of the disapproval of the Vietnam War, and a civil rights movements that included all sorts of social classes and minorities; it’s foundation centered in the protest of the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, 1968-1969.
The voice of the feminism in the late twentieth century focused on sexual rights and reproductive rights; much of the movement’s energy focused on passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the constitution, guaranteeing social equality regardless of sex — a bill that was introduced for the first time in 1923.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy created the President’s Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to lead it. This Commission firmly supported the nuclear family and prepared women for motherhood. Consequently, it documented a national pattern of employment discrimination, unequal pay, legal inequality, and meager support services for working women. The measures brought by the Commission seemed insufficient, as there were still segregated job openings by sex, laws that restricted women’s access to contraception, and incidences of rape and domestic violence that remained undisclosed.
The second wave was increasingly theoretical. It associated the subjugation of women with broader critiques of patriarchy, capitalism, normative heterosexuality, and the woman’s role as wife and mother. Sex and gender were differentiated — the former being biological, and the latter a social construct that varies culture-to-culture and over time.
Third Wave Feminism
The third and current wave of feminism originated in the 1990’s.
Third wave feminists went against the ideals of previous feminist waves. These third wave feminists fully accept the bodies they were born with and use whatever makes them feel comfortable in their own skin. In contrast, second wave feminists refused the use of lipstick, the use of high heels and the presence of cleavage
They are taking control and attempting to eliminate the pre-defined notions of “universal womanhood:” body, gender, sexuality, beauty and intelligence.
The third wave feminist have stepped onto the stage as strong and empowered. They have defined beauty for themselves as subjects, not as objects of a sexist patriarchy.
At the same time, the ideology of feminism has evolved to be all-inclusive in human rights, becoming almost a synonym of the counter-movement of egalitarians. Egalitarians as defined by the Stanford dictionary of philosophy “[…] is a trend of thought in political philosophy. An egalitarian favors equality of some sort.”
Third wave feminism shuns the artificial categories of identity, gender, and sexuality. It’s ideology refuses to see ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation as delimiting characteristics of a person; instead, it views them as “dynamic, situational and provisional.”
Feminist Ideology
Feminism is (as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary): the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Though, in modern instances, feminism has been ever-evolving and has constantly looked for ways to manifest itself. It has never garnered the definition of man-hater. Along the growth of these new third wave feminists, many groups have sought out to discredit feminism such as Edmonton’s Men’s Rights, Stop ERA (now known as Eagle Forum), and Women Against Feminism. The rising of mass media has made it easier for feminism to be on the receiving end of negative stigmatization.
Even when the ideology behind feminism has evolved to become this:
“The belief that women are and should be treated as potential intellectual equals and social equals to men. These people can be either male or female human beings although the ideology is commonly (and perhaps falsely) associated mainly with women.”
“The basic idea of Feminism revolves around the principle that just because human bodies are designed to perform certain procreative functions, biological elements need not dictate intellectual and social functions, capabilities, and rights.”
“Feminism also, by its nature, embraces the belief that all people are entitled to freedom and liberty within reason–including equal civil rights–and that discrimination should not be made based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, religion, culture, or lifestyle.”
“Feminists–and all persons interested in civil equality and intellectuality–are dedicated to fighting the ignorance that says people are controlled by and limited to their biology.”
But like in all social movements, there has been instances in which individuals who call themselves feminists have failed to actually embody the ideology of feminism through their actions, and ultimately cannot be actually looked upon as feminists. Yes, there are cases in which individuals who call themselves feminists have double standards, hate men, and believe in the upheaval of men and giving just women the power.
Furthermore, another misconception about feminism is the double standard behind it. For example, many people criticize feminists for parading around topless with the #FreetheNipple campaign. The criticism here is that they walk around half-naked but do not want to be objectified. The case here is that third wave feminists have developed a mocking mimicry of derogatory terms such as bitch and slut and have chosen to not be affected by them, or to redefine these constructs, and eradicate the negative connotations.
Ultimately, that is not what feminism is about. Feminism poses the ideal of a society where women will not be objectified, subject to the very real wage gap, subject hate crimes, and will have the ability to lead their own life as they choose.. At the same time, it looks to have all these social prejudices over the behavior that men must have, in order to be “real men.” These prejudices include that “real men” do not cry, do not show emotion, and are less capable of raising children. Feminism includes a fight for equal custody, among others.
SOURCES:
http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/blog/the-man-who-coined-feminism/
https://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/wave.html
http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/states.htm
https://tavaana.org/en/content/1960s-70s-american-feminist-movement-brea…
http://academic.eb.com/women/article-216008