Overview Third Wave of Feminism Heywood and Drake Walker hooks Characteristics Heywood and Drake Walker hooks

U.S. Feminist Movements 1st Wave- 1840s 2nd Wave- 1960 – 70s Suffrage, abolition Elimination of barriers to women’s participation in public life 2nd Wave- 1960 – 70s Civil rights, women’s rights Equality with men, entering male-dominated fields, male world Gender was major site of discrimination

U.S. Feminist Movements 3rd Wave- 1990- ??? Sexism, racism, homophobia Multiple identities, oppressions Body image, beauty, animal rights, environmental justice Critiquing men, patriarchy and women and feminism More individually-oriented, expression Embracing the “feminine”, valuing the feminine, “girl”

3rd Wave Overview Context of new rights Women came of age in the wakes and gains of the 2nd wave For example, today, 43 percent of U.S. women under 45 have had abortions, and young women today cannot imagine not having that right Right was granted in 1973

Major Texts of 3rd Wave Manifesta, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards Listen Up! Voices from the Next Feminist Generation, Barbara Findlen Cunt, Inga Muscio Colonize This! Magazines Bitch and Bust The Vagina Monologues

Strategies of 3rd wave Cultural production- art, film, writing, magazines Bust, Bitch, Vagina Monologues, and Cunt Personal narratives Sexual politics But does cultural production translate to political power, more female politicians, more female CEOS, media execs, etc.?

3rd wave- Intergenerational Conflict Constructed as intergenerational conflict between 2nd and 3rd waves Problems Constructs 2nd wavers as outdated, racist, patriarchal, boring Constructs 3rd wavers as the “future” of feminism, the older generation leaves a gift for the younger- not reciprocal Is there a way to construct a relationship between the two waves?

Heywood and Drake Third Wave Agenda: Being Feminist, Doing Feminism Contains elements of 2nd wave critique of power structures, sexual abuse, beauty culture Adds pleasure and desire Deconstruction and reconstruction Hybridity, contradiction Product of all contradictory definitions and differences of feminism Lived messiness

Heywood and Drake Third Wave Agenda: Being Feminist, Doing Feminism Postfeminist (conservative feminists) vs. third wave feminists Many conservative feminists have become the spokespersons for the next generation- Christina Hoff Sommers, Katie Roiphe, Naomi Wolf Anti-victim feminism and into power feminism (individualistic, not aware of discrimination, racism, etc.)

Rebecca Walker Women’s empowerment vs. women’s liberation 3rd wave- created around the context of a backlash against feminism Myth of equality Continued restrictions of women’s personal and political power Silence Conciliatory voice

Rebecca Walker Third Wave Agenda Hooks Beyond voting, beyond reading feminist theory, beyond voice in a discussion Personal clarity amidst systemic destruction Join in sisterhood with women Hooks Abandoning the idea of sisterhood as an expression of political solidarity weakens and diminishes feminist move.