blog14

Blog 14

1. Two of the main sources of feminism’s revival in the 1960’s and 1970’s occurred because of very tragic events. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated, causing an upheaval in emotional distress and eventually pushed women to work even harder for equality. Martin Luther King Jr. had expressed his ideas of nonviolence and that idea unfortunately died with him. This left women of color in disarray and many felt the need to take care of themselves so they formed feminists groups. Kennedy’s assassination also led women to fight for more equality and the term “women’s liberation’ was formed. Another source that revived feminism was the resistance to women’s contribution during the civil rights movement. While men took roles in power and credit in leadership, women were left to make coffee, attend to men’s needs and felt unappreciated. This also led them to focus more on their own gender and what could be achieved with equality.

2. Women were tired of being treated just as a sexual figure and the protest to the Miss America pageant in 1968 shows the importance of ‘women’s liberation’ during the time. Women were liberating themselves from the physical and sexual ideal men had placed upon them. Women didn’t think it was right to be judged by their sex appeal, measurements or what man thought a woman should be. The pageant didn’t even really represent America, since no women of color were included in the pageant. Women showed their frustration and appall by protesting the pageant and by throwing away all things that had to do with men’s attraction to women; lipstick, sexy clothes, bras and wigs. Women had had enough.

3. I don’t think that the war of the sexes is over in the 21st century. Although women have gained a lot of equality in the workforce, education and public domain altogether, there is still a lot of criticism and stereotypes as well. Many men still feel that women should play a subordinate role or are in some way lesser than they are. In terms of education, I think both men and women suffer in terms of opportunity, especially for minorities. Even though many women work in male dominated fields, they are often paid less. There are jobs though where women earn more than men, and I am sure this causes issues as well. I think that the struggle continues, but its struggle for both men and women in the 21st century.

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4. As a liberated woman in the 1970’s, Mary Tyler Moore was able to be everything a woman during the time wanted to be. She was financially independent, worked as a journalist, had stable relationships with men even if just as friends and was also beautiful. Orenstein compares Moore’s liberation with the liberation of the characters in the show “Sex and the City”. The women in “Sex and the City” are also liberated but more so in a sexual way. Although both shows represent women in the high powered workforce and financially independent, “Sex and the City” takes on more of a fun, single women’s life who focuses more on the now rather than on the future. Moral values such as good character and the importance of career over men lead Orenstein to make her judgments about both shows and the women in them.

5. I would not expect Walker to agree with Orenstein. Orenstein feels that women should focus more on their career than on their sexual relationships with men and Walker feels that sexual relationships are just as important. Walker acknowledges women as sexual beings and therefore understands and expects women to take part in those types of relationships. Walker thinks that sex is an important way for a woman to connect with her own body, while it also allows for change and growth to come from it. With sexual relationships, Walker feels women would better learn how to find themselves in healthy relationships since they would learn not only more about themselves, but also about their partner and about love in general.

6. “Sex and the City” does paint a realistic portrait of the lives of a lot of women. Especially since the four main characters really have very different ideas and views about relationships and sex. One wants a baby, one wants to focus on her career, one is all about sexual relationships and the other is more focused on being in an emotional relationship. The show of course, has to be entertaining and I think that it is. But I also think that the reason it is so popular is because women can relate to it. I think sexual liberty has gained enough ground for women to be as sexually active as the women in the program, but whether or not they chose to be is a completely different story. There are still many stereotypes about women and the way they view their sexuality that I don’t think are always portrayed in the show. The women in the show are also in their 30’s and don’t represent all women.