Feminism In America

The 1980's- a decade of bad hair, bad fashion and great music. It also happens to be the decade in which women began to question what feminism was all about. ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was never ratified due to what was believed to be the conservative swing and the election of Ronald Reagan in the early 80's and women were divided over it. Some thought that it was a travesty and it's Reagan's fault that women are still not equal to men, whilst others believed that the feminist movement had already brought us a long way, so what was left to fight for?

The above image is the poster for the movie Working Girl (1988). The movie is much more about feminism that the post can really give, but I still chose it for a specific reason. Melanie Griffith clings to Harrison Ford whilst Sigourney Weaver is stood alone. Granted, if you watched the film it would make sense as it is clear why the characters are positioned the way they are. In the film Weaver is Griffiths boss who steals her idea and then breaks her leg in a skiing accident leaving Griffith to pretend to be her boss. Then Harrison Ford gets involved and it becomes more about love than female power, but essentially, it is there. I think the poster represents how some women still felt (that men were still in charge and women still needed them for validation) whilst others were quite happy on their own and carving out a successful career for themselves. But as discussed in the lecture, women were beginning to think- this is feminism....now what?

Hilary Clinton. Former First Lady and former Presidential Candidate for the Democratic party and now she is the US Secretary of State. To me, she embodies this third wave of feminism. She has one of the top positions on the country, she is a wife and mother and also and author. And the most surprising fact is that she she stood by her husband, Former President Bill Clinton, when he became embroiled in an affair that almost ended his career. Now, the once most powerful man in the world looks on as his wife takes over and becomes one of the best known females in American politics. Everyone knew Hilary as the long suffering wife of Bill, but now she has come back fighting and proving that women really can have it all. Chelsea, their daughter, has said she is inspired by her mother and with every right too. Although she may be on the staff of the least popular President for a good many decades, Hilary is still an inspiration to women and she shows that we really can have power if we are willing to fight for it. But is she happy? Well, we don't see anything about it in the press, but you never really know what goes on behind closed doors, one can only guess.