To start off, Ariel quoted a passage from the text and wrote about their experience of disconnection they may have had. Ariel wrote, “I am part of the so-called "third generation movement" where the same issues do not necessarily apply to people my age as they did people growing up in the 70s.” Concluding with, Ariel being able to see how racial discrimination and sexual bias has come a long way and that (Ariel) is from a more tolerant and accepting generation. My only gripe with this is the idea professor Bogad mentioned in class about being grateful for being allowed to participate in the race (metaphor). Love and Helmbrecht on pg. 46 showed that although there are more women in college, they are still misrepresented in powerful decision making positions, hold fewer PhDs, and are paid 23% less than a comparable man. Society is showing us that yes women have made alot of strides, yet fail to mention the dark side that is prevalent in America.
To go a little deeper in thought about this, the authors cited McRobbie 255 on pg. 47, who wrote, “ Postfeminist texts subtly communicate the idea that feminism is decisively aged and made to seem redundant.” This is important because Ariel must see that just because feminism may seem like something unrelated to us, there is a connection. This is a not only a problem for everyone but specifically for women in general because the authors mentioned that the disconnect women today feel about feminism in the 70’s is resulting in women not engaging in social activism.
On another point Ariel brought up, Ariel wrote, “ Let's face it people are more concerned with actually getting money rather than how or why. We need to change our greedy. . .in order to embrace feminism.” On pg. 41 Love and Helmbrecht stated that women today are more preoccupied with the things they can buy and maintaining their image, than actually thinking about the positions of power they can one day hold. As a man, over the last few years I’ve noticed more women getting influenced by other women who flaunt their bodies on t.v. for money. They have not openly stated, "I look up to the belly dancer in the music video," but demonstrate it by going to the gym five times a week, wearing really short skirts and then showing their belly piercings. On the contrary, I don’t see women say, “I want to be like Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin,” and open books of political science to empower themselves.
vs.
Before I conclude, I want to express my opinions about the text. I think that Love and Helmbrecht were trying to say that there is a problem in feminism today. The problem though is not really in the ideology of feminism, it is in the generation of current students. They claim that popular culture is influencing the notion of the image of empowerment versus the real image of empowerment. Songs like “Stupid Girls” by pink is feminist, but are contradictions because according to Love and Helmbrecht it is sending a message that is exploitative and for commercial purposes, yet is the same image that tells women not to be concerned with image, on pg. 51. Let me finish by saying that, the best quote that I think summarizes the text best is, “ But, we hope that a pedagogy that seeks not only to teach students about feminism but also encourages them to engage and thus act might thwart the pull of post feminism and enable third wave feminism to make a mark in women’ lives today and in the future.”
I think this link helps define differences in the waves of feminism, but more importantly lets women know that feminism is not dead, and there is a need for women to acknowledge this. The article is called Defining The Third Wave.
Comments: I think this article really nailed the problem with women not wanting to associate themselves with the second wave feminists. The idea being they are the man eating, violent women that are portrayed in the media. I think this article also illustrates the problem that women are not really seeing a problem in society regarding feminism which is affecting attendance in social activism. Overall a good read, but I have a question. What should be done in the media to get women to actively engage in feminism? if at all possible?
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