Check out this student written essay- addressing feminist writings in cohorts.

Feminism is Sensational and The Feminine Mystique in Conversation 

The Pew Research Center states, “In spite of the gains women have made in the labor force in recent decades, today’s young women are no less likely than older generations to say the country has more work to do in bringing about gender equality” (Horowitz, Parker, & Stepler, 2017). Historically, feminists have made great efforts to benefit women, however, these efforts have not always been successful as women continue to be put in uncomfortable situations.    Have these efforts truly succeeded in receiving gender equality?  Sara Ahmed’s Feminism is Sensational and Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, explain how gender has affected women’s lives and wellbeing. The texts, Feminism is Sensational and The Feminine Mystique highlight the tough realities of life as a woman throughout different eras, each exploring different psychological and societal impacts on women’s lives. 

In her writing, Betty Friedan describes a sense of longing from housewives during the peak of domesticity culture. Friedan describes how societal pressures on women to maintain the household impact their sense of freedom and well-being. While explaining how women feel, Friedan describes that women are more than what society paints them to be; she says, “It is no longer possible to ignore that voice, to dismiss the desperation of so many American women. This is not what being a woman means, no matter what the experts say” (Friedan, 1963). With female domestication embedded into society, women stayed home while men went out and worked. Friedan emphasizes how women felt a sense of distress. Women were forced to tend to the household to guarantee a happy life, which took away opportunities to seek their freedom and happiness. Friedan elaborates on how the housewife lifestyle took a toll on women, describing the bleak nature of their lifestyles; she says, “We can no longer ignore that voice within women that says: “I want something more than my husband and my children and my home” (Friedan, 1963). During this time, women began to open to more opportunities for themselves, attempting to expand their happiness and liberate themselves from their households. In her writing, Feminism is Sensational, Sara Ahmed describes the belittling experiences that women and girls face today. After encountering sexual harassment and abuse, Ahmed explains how it restricts women's freedom, outlook on themselves, and well-being. Ahmed describes how being a woman revolves around reacting to the actions of men; she explains, “To become a girl is to learn to expect such advances, to modify your behavior in accordance; to become a girl is becoming wary of being in public space; becoming wary of being at all” (Ahmed, 2017). Ahmed describes the pervasive reality of being a modern woman. Ahmed describes the impact and restraint that sexual harassment has on young women and how it affects their happiness and comfort, she uses the language "to become a girl" to describe how becoming wary of men's actions is so normalized in society that it has become a part of being a woman. Like Friedan, Ahmed describes how the modern woman is subjected to altering her behavior for men while disregarding their happiness and freedom in exchange for their safety; Ahmed says, “To become accommodating, we take up less space” (Ahmed, 2017). Not only have societal expectations affected the lives of women, but they also have a lasting impact on women, bringing psychological and societal consequences.   

Feminism is Sensational, and The Feminine Mystique highlight ways that women are impacted socially and psychologically, by societal expectations. Friedan describes the feelings of isolation and unfulfillment that housewives felt, filled with longing and an inability to process, or rationalize their emotions. When these women sought psychological help, they were often dismissed by their psychiatrists and encouraged to continue to follow the societal expectations of women; she says, “When a woman went to a psychiatrist for help, as many women did, she would say, “I’m so ashamed,” or “I must be hopelessly neurotic” (Friedan, 1963). Friedan describes the direct effect that gender norms have on women who solely maintain their households. By staying at home, women gain an extreme sense of depression which leads to desolation when psychiatrists have no solutions to their psychological troubles. Ignored by society, women began to abuse tranquilizers to combat their depression. Friedan describes how women's emotions were said to be caused by personal struggles rather than a systematic issue regarding gender roles and female domesticity culture. She explains how society perceived the suburban wife, more specifically, how their distress was perceived; she says, “The Suburban Wife, an American Phenomenon” protested: “Having too good a time.. to believe that they should be unhappy” (Friedan, 1963). In her writing, Ahmed describes how women are modernly impacted socially by societal norms against women. Ahmed explains how women's reactions and inability to end sexist culture is a result of the societal consequences that challenging social norms can bring; she says, “I think that for many women, becoming willing to participate in sexist culture is a compromise, even if it is not registered as such, because we have been taught (from past experience, from what we come up against) that being unwilling to participate can be dangerous” (Ahmed, 2017).  Ahmed explains how women often go along with societal expectations despite the harm they can bring to combat societal backlash they might receive in response. Ahmed describes how women's actions have been adjusted to make men comfortable and to avoid the dangers that resisting men can bring. Ahmed describes women must navigate between their safety and their autonomy, she explains how outspoken women are often perceived, damaging their social status, and potentially putting them at risk; she says, “And indeed then by taking something said or done the wrong way, not only are you wrong, but you are understood as committing a wrong against someone else” (Ahmed, 2017). Friedan and Ahmed both expose how societal pressures put restrictions on women's lives and force them to deal with psychological and societal effects.   

The Feminine Mystique and Feminism is Sensational display how societal expectations have restricted women's fulfillment and independence over time. The texts demonstrate how pressure to conform to specific roles shapes women's life and can result in feelings of frustration, loneliness, and unhappiness. Both pieces highlight the suffering that results from putting women in restrictive roles.  The texts separately address the social and psychological effects of these restrictions. Together, the texts argue that removing these restrictions will enable women to make progress and find fulfillment on their own terms. It is imperative for society to universally understand the struggles that women face, so that women can feel free to define themselves without pressure or social consequences. 

---

References:

Ahmed, S. (2017). Living a Feminist life. Duke University Press. 

Friedan, B. (1963). The Feminine Mystique. W.W. Norton & Company. 

Menasce Horowitz, J., Parker, K., & Stepler, R. (2017, October 18). Views of gender in the U.S. 

Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/10/18/wide-partisan-gaps-in-u-s-over-how-far-the-country-has-come-on-gender-equality/