Feminism Blog Post #1

 “The Feminine Mystique” is a text from history that makes me feel like I am reading in the present. It is a powerful piece that is identifying a problem that women have faced for so long but have never been able to express. Although several advancements have been made in women’s rights, the idea of being “feminine” is still idolized. While fashion and the exact role of a housewife has changed from the 60s to the present day, so much pressure is still put on women to look or act a certain way, and they are criticized or seen as undesirable if they stray from these standards. Additionally, about 10 years after The Feminine Mystique was published, Roe v Wade occurred, giving women the right to abortion. However, some states today have overturned this case, practically reversing time once again to the 60s. Although this was taxing on the advancement of feminism, a huge positive change from the 60s to now is women’s education. The Feminine Mystique states that, “there was so much sympathy for the educated housewife,” implying that from a man’s perspective, knowledge is a weight to bear rather than a gift for women. This is one of the ways in which men attempt to control their wives, essentially making the house like a prison, rather than a home for their wife. 

Another interesting piece of media that we looked at in class was The Donna Reed Show. This made me think back to a scene in one of my favorite television shows, Gilmore Girls. Essentially the main character, Rory, has a boyfriend named Dean, and one night together they watched The Donna Reed Show. Dean later expressed that he liked the idea of having a housewife like Donna Reed, meanwhile Rory had big dreams and ambitions of going to Harvard and having a great career as a writer. This contradicted the traditional role of a housewife as stated in The Feminine Mystique, as many never even thought to have big dreams. Rory decides one night to dress up like Donna Reed and make dinner for Dean, showing him what having a housewife would be like. When Rory goes to clean up the dishes, Dean attempts to help but Rory says, “No helping, that doesn’t come for another fifteen years.” Dean partially begins to realize the ridiculousness of traditional 50s housewives. While Rory acted as one for a night, she could not imagine her life if that was all there was to it. Luckily, women’s rights have advanced enough to the point where she can do so much more than that. 

Gilmore Girls Donna Reed Scene