Feminism 101: history

Gather ’round the campfire. I want you to love me as much as I love you, so this here is community building hour. Today feels like a good day to address those who read my blog and bristle at my references of feminist politics. I figured I might break down some of the basics. We all need to speak the same language to understand each other, right?

This is in no way comprehensive, nor should this replace cracking open a real book. I’ve got loads and loads of books to loan out, so let me know if this topic amps you up.

(Hey! Don’t roll your eyes at me. I can see you through the intertubes.)

So with that rambling introduction, know your history.

There are three ‘waves’ of feminism to remember.

The first wave was late 1800′s to early 1900′s. The primary political goal was suffrage (right to vote). You have women such as Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Sanger causing a ruckus. This period is important, but incredibly problematic. For example, Margaret Sanger – the woman who spearheaded the demand for reproductive freedom and birth control pills – was a fan of Eugenics and used primarily Puerto Rican women as lab rats for the testing of birth control pills.

The second wave started in the early 1960′s and ends in the late 1970′s/early 1980′s. This is when you start seeing visible activists (see: bra burning, Gloria Steinem, Women’s Liberation March) and coalition building. Though a gross oversimplification,  the second wave was born out of women (or Rosie the Riveter as a cultural reference) being forced back into the homes after WWII. This is notable because during WWII women entered the job market en masse, making lots of money and celebrating a period of independence. Then, the soldiers came back. For some whacky reason, they wanted jobs. So the 1950′s were shaped by significant cultural constructions of family and home and femininity, ensuring that there was a return to the pre-WWII social structures. The second wave feminists fought this regression; they wanted jobs, education, equality, and peace.The consciousness-raising and slogan-coining were positive events…for white, middle-class women. The problem with the political goals of the second wave is they assumed many things: women weren’t working, women had access to education, and women had class mobility. The race and class issues propelled the evolution feminist politics.

The third wave is the result of race and class clashes in the second wave feminist era. The time period is the early 1990′s to the present. It is in this moment that the narrow and singular focus of the second wave has been abandoned for a lot of anti-racist work and community outreach. I would argue that the third wave was borne out of the Riot Grrrl movement. There was an incorporation of anti-capitalist, queer activism, and anti-racist rhetoric. The third wave is characterized by branching out of strict gender equality battles and embracing intersectionality.

Alright kids, that wraps up your first feminist lesson. I promise it won’t always be so boring. But, like I said above, know your history. The battles of the feminist movement are rooted in some epic failures and in-fighting among feminists, but countered by bad-ass bravery and standing up for what you believe in.