if all you see is how i look you miss the supergirl within.
So as you know I have been working on this article for the forthcoming True Blood and Philosophy and it's all about modern feminisms in the context of the show. Since some of you expressed an interest in seeing what I came up with as a definition for third-wave feminism, seeing as how there is so much disagreement and vagueness in any popular or critical literature, here's what I wrote. What do you think?
While the most agreed-upon definition of third-wave feminism is that it is very difficult to find a cohesive definition of third-wave feminism, it is clear that between the writings of academic gender studies and popular activism of the past twenty years, several common threads have emerged as important to the movement. It has been on the rise since the late 1980s, growing out of the ideologies of the generation that was born during the causes of the second-wave feminists in the 1960s. This generation "came to young adulthood as feminists" and can claim "a right to improved opportunities, resources and legislative support" (Kinser 133), providing a sense of entitlement to such equal access, even if the access is not actually available (Orr 33).
However, this third-wave feminism finds itself often in conflict with post-feminism (Kinser 133) which tends to "counteract the definition of women as an oppressed minority group, to interpret discrimination as idiosyncratic behavior, and to undermine the viability of collective action to improve the status of women" (Hall, Salupo Rodriguez 885), therefore labeling feminist activism as redundant in its fight for what women already have, and unnecessarily disruptive. More than the voting or equal employment rights for women for which previous waves of feminism have fought, though, third-wave feminism has concerned itself often with the less quantifiable battles; broadly, "women and men of the third wave are interested in creating a movement that incorporates the views of various feminisms and allows for a wide range of experience and expression" (Renegar, Sowards 344). This extends to "prefer[ring] disunity over homogeneity, choosing instead to embrace all their complexities" (Renegar, Sowards 218) in terms of not just gender and identity, but also race, sexual orientation, culture, disability, and other marginalized groups.
Embracing diversity in theory also results in activism in practice- but while activism of the past has been exemplified by various confrontational practices such as protesting, third-wave feminism recognize it is important to also find ways to "exhibit feminist thinking, educate others by example, and engage in important consciousness-raising activities such as teaching, talking about, or drawing attention to feminist ideas (Renegar, Sowards 346) in addition to traditional strategies; in short, embracing a personal activism as well the public and political.
Third-wave feminism is not without its problems and complications; this group that embraces the many varieties of human existence can also find that those diverse voices can often contradict each other (FIND SOMETHING TO CITE FOR THIS DAMN GENERALIZATION). The bridge between the younger third-wave feminists and those feminists of the second wave is not always easily crossed, and sometimes the older generation don't perceive the less public varieties of activism as committed to the cause and can be "reluctant to recognize third wave feminism as a movement" (Gilmore 216). At the same time, the younger generation can "seem to perceive their foremothers as inattentive toward difference, women's material circumstances, and structural inequalities" even though "second wave feminists were less successful in realizing their objectives in these areas, they are not issues that third wave feminists discovered" (Gilmore 220). Yet another area where third-wave feminism is complicated is in its terminology; it can "this model excludes feminists of color" (Springer 1059) and "obscures the historical role of race in feminist organizing" (Springer 1061) as the first two "waves" fail to account for the historical feminist movements made by women of color.
In the end, the difficulty in finding a single definition for third-wave feminism is also its strongest characteristic, focusing on individual stories and the myriad of experience making up human existence- experiences that make each of us unique and worthy of honor for our identities instead of marginalized for our stereotypes.
Works Cited
Gilmore, Stephanie. "Looking Back, Thinking Ahead: Third Wave Feminism in the United States." Journal of Women's History 12.4 (2001): 215-21. Project Muse. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Hall, Elaine J., and Marnie Salupo Rodriguez. "The Myth of Postfeminism." Gender and Society 17.6 (2003): 878-902. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Kinser, Amber M. "Negotiating Spaces For/Through Third-Wave Feminism." NWSA Journal 16.3 (2004): 124-53. Project Muse. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Orr, Catherine M. "Charting the Currents of the Third Wave." Hypatia 12.3 (1997): 29-45. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Renegar, Valerie R., and Stacey K. Sowards. "Liberal Irony, Rhetoric, and Feminist Thought: A Unifying Third Wave Feminist Theory." Philosophy and Rhetoric 36.4 (2003): 330-52. Project Muse. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Springer, Kimberly. "Third Wave Black Feminism?" Signs 27.4 (2002): 1059-082. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
While the most agreed-upon definition of third-wave feminism is that it is very difficult to find a cohesive definition of third-wave feminism, it is clear that between the writings of academic gender studies and popular activism of the past twenty years, several common threads have emerged as important to the movement. It has been on the rise since the late 1980s, growing out of the ideologies of the generation that was born during the causes of the second-wave feminists in the 1960s. This generation "came to young adulthood as feminists" and can claim "a right to improved opportunities, resources and legislative support" (Kinser 133), providing a sense of entitlement to such equal access, even if the access is not actually available (Orr 33).
However, this third-wave feminism finds itself often in conflict with post-feminism (Kinser 133) which tends to "counteract the definition of women as an oppressed minority group, to interpret discrimination as idiosyncratic behavior, and to undermine the viability of collective action to improve the status of women" (Hall, Salupo Rodriguez 885), therefore labeling feminist activism as redundant in its fight for what women already have, and unnecessarily disruptive. More than the voting or equal employment rights for women for which previous waves of feminism have fought, though, third-wave feminism has concerned itself often with the less quantifiable battles; broadly, "women and men of the third wave are interested in creating a movement that incorporates the views of various feminisms and allows for a wide range of experience and expression" (Renegar, Sowards 344). This extends to "prefer[ring] disunity over homogeneity, choosing instead to embrace all their complexities" (Renegar, Sowards 218) in terms of not just gender and identity, but also race, sexual orientation, culture, disability, and other marginalized groups.
Embracing diversity in theory also results in activism in practice- but while activism of the past has been exemplified by various confrontational practices such as protesting, third-wave feminism recognize it is important to also find ways to "exhibit feminist thinking, educate others by example, and engage in important consciousness-raising activities such as teaching, talking about, or drawing attention to feminist ideas (Renegar, Sowards 346) in addition to traditional strategies; in short, embracing a personal activism as well the public and political.
Third-wave feminism is not without its problems and complications; this group that embraces the many varieties of human existence can also find that those diverse voices can often contradict each other (FIND SOMETHING TO CITE FOR THIS DAMN GENERALIZATION). The bridge between the younger third-wave feminists and those feminists of the second wave is not always easily crossed, and sometimes the older generation don't perceive the less public varieties of activism as committed to the cause and can be "reluctant to recognize third wave feminism as a movement" (Gilmore 216). At the same time, the younger generation can "seem to perceive their foremothers as inattentive toward difference, women's material circumstances, and structural inequalities" even though "second wave feminists were less successful in realizing their objectives in these areas, they are not issues that third wave feminists discovered" (Gilmore 220). Yet another area where third-wave feminism is complicated is in its terminology; it can "this model excludes feminists of color" (Springer 1059) and "obscures the historical role of race in feminist organizing" (Springer 1061) as the first two "waves" fail to account for the historical feminist movements made by women of color.
In the end, the difficulty in finding a single definition for third-wave feminism is also its strongest characteristic, focusing on individual stories and the myriad of experience making up human existence- experiences that make each of us unique and worthy of honor for our identities instead of marginalized for our stereotypes.
Works Cited
Gilmore, Stephanie. "Looking Back, Thinking Ahead: Third Wave Feminism in the United States." Journal of Women's History 12.4 (2001): 215-21. Project Muse. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Hall, Elaine J., and Marnie Salupo Rodriguez. "The Myth of Postfeminism." Gender and Society 17.6 (2003): 878-902. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Kinser, Amber M. "Negotiating Spaces For/Through Third-Wave Feminism." NWSA Journal 16.3 (2004): 124-53. Project Muse. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Orr, Catherine M. "Charting the Currents of the Third Wave." Hypatia 12.3 (1997): 29-45. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Renegar, Valerie R., and Stacey K. Sowards. "Liberal Irony, Rhetoric, and Feminist Thought: A Unifying Third Wave Feminist Theory." Philosophy and Rhetoric 36.4 (2003): 330-52. Project Muse. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Springer, Kimberly. "Third Wave Black Feminism?" Signs 27.4 (2002): 1059-082. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.