Feminism

Bell Hook and Jessica Valenti describe feminism as being a movement that advocates equality, and justice between sexes. They also mention that the goal is to end sexism and oppression.

Bell Hook and Jessica Valenti agree that the feminism movement is often associated with negative stereotypes. Most people perceive feminists as anti-men which leads to the use of this word as an insult. They both agree that the feminism movement is misinterpreted and needs to be clarified. They think that feminism should be something that we benefit from. Hook defines feminism with a more passive approach, and she is targeting a more intellectual audience. Hook also mentions the background of this movement compared to Valenti who focuses more on the benefits of feminism, and how it can positively affect women. Valenti uses more her own opinion to describe this movement, and she expresses her anger on the negative stereotypes associated with feminists. Their definitions are also different in the sense that Hook thinks that feminism is for everybody compared to Valenti that thinks the opposite. The authors think that the main aim of feminism is to end sexism and oppression. They think that people should focus less on negative aspects because feminism is mostly about gaining equally and ending sexist exploitation. It is not a movement that is agaisnt men. Feminism is important for these authors because it will make our lives easier and better. Valenti expresses that feminism is a tool to help people achieved self-respect, and self-acceptance which leads to a better quality of life.

My perception of a feminist did not change after reading these essay because I already had a strong base of knowledge of this topic. I would define a feminist as a person who advocates for equal rights, and the end of sexism. I also think that it is a person who treats everyone equally regardless of their sexes. A feminist promotes justice and the end of oppression. 

The section “Top 10 Feminist Stereotype” in Valenti’s essay made me think. Especially, this passage, “The problem is that sometimes people are so focused on their narrow views that they fail to realize that one size does not fit all.” I think it is very interesting because people are often not willing to search for other views and compare other ideas together. They usually have a fixed opinion about topics and close the door for any other perceptions on their views which I think limits their knowledge.

My appreciation of these writers remains the same because they are well educated, and I agree with a lot of their views on society such as Bell Hook’s view on love. Her book “All About Love” made me learned a lot about the right way to love and to be loved. I compared her view with other books such as “A General Theory of love”, and “The Mathematics of love”. However, her book was the one that has the most relatable views and the most accurate ideas according to me.