Week Three: Iron-Jawed Angels

I liked this movie so much that I bought it. I am really impressed that HBO put this out there and did a much better job of putting a movie together than many mainstream studios. The riot during the parade really surprised me and made me angry. The men who always said that women needed to be protected from the big scary world were then fighting and beating them. It seemed so hypocritical. It reminded me of the idea that women could only be innocent or immoral. To many men, these women were wanting me than their godly place at home, making them immoral. It is so crazy.

There were tensions between upper class and lower class women and the races. One factory worker voiced that "children can't eat ballots," which showed the conflict with women of lower class. They had to work for their families, and keeping their families healthy mattered more than gaining freedoms they weren't even sure they would get. There was also tension in preparation for the parade when Ida B. Wells asks Alice Paul why the black suffragists would have to walk in the back. She is upset by the fact that Alice Paul doesn't want to lose the South suffragists by allowing the black women to be amongst them, and she insists that it is prejudice, not politics, and refuses to walk with them. During the parade, Ida and a few other women slip into the lines from the sidelines, calmly forcing them to allow her to walk with them.

The women were very brave, still fighting after being assaulted by men, and still fighting when they are imprisoned. Alice Paul begins a hunger strike and the others follow. Through the help of a woman in the prison who gave Alice Paul a piece of paper, allowing her to write of her horrid treatment in jail, she sends her message along to the other women. One women then slips it to her husband who is a politician, and he puts it into print. The women are soon released. Through consistent protest and with the help of both men and women, they are able to reach their goals politically.

Reading Responses for F-Word, Chapters 3 an 5:

Chapter three discusses some of the changes that occurred before our generation, which now seem to be normal. Birth control, for instance, is more easily accessed than ever, and many women take advantage of it. There are some that say it encourages sexuality without committment, but that also deals with the dichotomy of having women only be virgins or hoes. One point the author brings up is that birth control allows women to pursue their education and careers. Whereas in the past, women got married and got pregnant, thus having to stop school and stay at home, now they can have a sexual life and be just as successful as their counterparts. This I am thankful for. Children are a big responsibility, and while I want them one day, I could not handle them anytime soon. Right now, my education is the most important thing.

This chapter also deals with sexuality, which illicits many end of the spectrum responses. Feminist pornography vs. Anti-Pornography, Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life, Abstinence and Sexual Exploration. These fights can get pretty crazy because people don't want to see a middle ground. After reading an article, I went to check out if their were feminist porn sites on the web, and I liked what I saw. They were very respectable and didn't degrade women, and it felt empowering that people were behind such a movement. The sites and articles I read talked about women being equal sex partners with men and taking control of their sexuality. One site even focused on women having sex on their periods, arguing that the male pornographers would view this as being obscene, yet they find men ejaculating all over women to be fine. Even thought I'm not one to hit the porn sites too often, I thought that was really cool. I also like that the author of the book referenced a woman who was abstinent without religious reason. I had never heard of that, and it was very interesting to think about.

The fifth chapter talks about the third wave, whether or not there is a definition. I agree with the author that so many people nowadays don't like labels because they feel it traps them. There are many things going on in the third wave, dealing with homosexuality and gender issues as well as race even still. It is hard to get everyone to agree on all the topics, and I think the third wave shouldn't be limited to general views. I definitely think a feminist should work towards what she believes in, but I also hope he or she is accepting of all individuals. This chapter made me think about how much I don't know about not being a straight white girl. I was expected to go to college and be independent and marry someday, whereas some girls are expected to start a family right after highschool, or go to school to be able to support their family back home. I am very lucky.