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Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 |
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Culture does not foster feminism
NINA SHRAYER
CONTRIBUTOR
A recent Orient editorial evoked some concerns about a "feminine vibe" at Bowdoin, which prompted the question: What does it mean to be a feminist today?
American society is currently grounded in the Third Wave of feminism, so called "Stiletto" or "Lipstick" feminism. The dominant argument of this movement is that gender equality is achievable even if women are feminine. The general belief, though, is that the Second Wave feminists of the 1960s and 1970s fought and won the battles for women, so sexism is no longer a pressing issue.
This ideology is compatible with a general culture of apathy in the United States and at Bowdoin. Professor Kristen Ghodsee of the Women's Studies department suggests that at Bowdoin (and in society at large) the population is divided into a minority at the radical right and radical left, and a dominant apathetic majority. The societal acceptance of apathy and pathologizing of passion affects feminism as well as all other expressions of political and social zeal.
Professor Ghodsee argues that since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, civil rights movements such as feminism have been rendered obsolete. Prior to this time, there were two competing world systems: communism and capitalism. America's desire to prove that capitalism was superior provided the incentive to extend civil rights that already existed in communist nations. Without a need to compete and without a political alternative, there is no longer an impetus for the United States to continue the struggle for justice and liberty for all. Thus, a climate of indifference is created and supported.
Today, it is not cool to be politically passionate. The words "militant" and "radical," which were desirable labels in the 1960s and 1970s, are now considered insults. In order to be an activist or a feminist, it is necessary to be able to accept and not fear these labels and potential for alienation.
Many members of Bowdoin Women's Association (BWA) and V-Day believe that the majority of students at Bowdoin feel threatened by their presence and that as a result they are frequently stigmatized. Kristen Dummer '04 said that people perceive BWA members as a group of ugly, man-hating lesbians that is not remotely representative of the actual group and is a mere reproduction of stereotypes of Second Wave feminists.
Both groups emphasized that men often feel purposely excluded from these organizations and feel unable to identify themselves as feminists. V-Day and BWA, however, focus on issues surrounding reproductive rights, sex, sexual assault and rape, gender equity, violence against women and children, and access to health care. These are hardly issues that are exclusively applicable to females. These issues affect everyone and both organizations strongly encourage men's presence and broader outreach to the Bowdoin community at large. Rather than focusing on an image of what a feminist is, they encourage students to come gain an awareness about the issues.
The student movements of the 1960s and 1970s demonstrated the power of youth to generate political activity. Youth are generally more idealistic and have less at stake (i.e. jobs, spouses, children, money) than older people, making their potential for activism tremendous. For "the powers that be," this potential is extremely threatening.
Since the 1980s, conservative forces within society have been striving to prevent student uprisings of this sort. According to Ghodsee, college has become an important tool toward this goal. Students today are so exhausted by class work, extracurriculars, and maintaining a social life, that they hardly have time to be politically engaged. At a rural and insular school like Bowdoin, it is even easier to be unaware because the plights of society are not visible inside the bubble.
The challenge for Bowdoin, then, is to generate a stronger political culture on campus to encourage students to care deeply about the state of the world for all oppressed groups, including women. If such a climate were created, women and men alike could once again speak out as feminists.
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