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So it begins...
The first record of a woman using writing as an outlet to express her frustration with society's gender roles and constraints against women was in a book entitled "Epitre au Dieu d'Amour", by Venice-born and Paris-raised poet Christine de Pizan (1364-1430). Picture from https://www.medievalwomen.org/christine-de-pizan.html -
Set the ball rolling...
After de Pizan came several other female writers expressing their very early 'feminist' views. Moderata Fonte (1555-1592, Italian, pictured) came out with "The Worth of Women" (1600), and Marie le Jars de Gournay (1565-1645) published "Equality Between Men and Women" (1622) and "Complaints of Ladies" (1626). Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderata_Fonte -
A rose by any other name...
The term 'feminism' is officially first used by Charles Fourier, a utopian socialist. It was originally a French word ('feminisme'), and was premiered in English in 1852 in an American magazine. Since then the name has undergone many variances in specific encompassment and meaning. Picture from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Fourier -
The First Wave
The history of feminism is split up into four waves. The First Wave occurred from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, and is more commonly referred to as the Suffragette Movement (pictured). It's main goal was obtaining the vote for women in most notably Western society. Picture from http://uwejournalism.net/georgiablack/2016/03/17/first-wave-feminism/ -
First Wave - US Edition
The Seneca Falls Convention (pictured) was the instigation of the fight for women's suffrage in America. When the Nineteenth Amendment was added to the US Constitution in 1919, the US Suffragette Movement is considered to have ended. Picture from https://www.biography.com/news/seneca-falls-convention-leaders -
First Wave - Canada Edition
Canada's fight doesn't appear to have a specific starting point, but of the three, it was the first to win a battle (the allowance of women to vote as a province by province, and then a race by race agenda, therefore the process is spread out over many years). Notable figures included the Famous Five, a group of five women who headed the fight (pictured). Manitoba was the province to initially grant suffrage to women in 1916. Picture from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/131167407869448929/ -
First Wave - U.K. Edition
The London National Society for Women's Suffrage and the Manchester Suffrage Committee were the sparks for the Suffragette Movement in England. It was then spurred on by the infamous Emmeline Pankhurst (pictured) and her daughters in 1903. It completely ended when full suffrage for women came in 1928. Picture from http://womenineuropeanhistory.org/index.php?title=Emmeline_Pankhurst -
First Wave - U.K. Edition, Literary Contribution
"The Suffragette" was one of many feminist/suffragette newspapers in created in U.K. in the early 20th century. This one was edited by Christabel Pankhurst (pictured), daughter of Emmeline. Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christabel_Pankhurst -
The Second Wave
The Second Wave of feminism strayed away from the focuses of the previous stage, and shifted more from political issues to cultural and social ones. Anti-slavery movements, anti-war movements, and the aftermath of WWII were large influences on the development of this phase. In 1964 (in America), it received the title of the Women's Liberation Movement (pictured). Picture from https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/this-month-in-real-estate-history-82/ -
Second Wave: In Words
Several instances of feminist literature came out of the Second Wave, and arguably the most famous was Simone de Beauvoir's (pictured) "The Second Sex". This work looked at the various ways in which a woman's identity is affected by the world around her. de Beauvoir also helped to launch the French Women's Liberation Movement. Picture from http://www.the-philosophy.com/simone-de-beauvoir-quotes -
Second Wave: Canadian Style
While the Second Wave in Canada was very similar to that of the US, it had a couple of individual happenings. The formation of VOW, Voice of Women (pictured), was a turning point from First Wave into Second Wave, and focused more on anti-war efforts. Picture from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/voice-of-women/ -
Second Wave: In Words
"The Feminine Mystique" also had a significant impact on the thinkings of the Second Wave. Written by Betty Friedan (pictured), it highlights how not all women were content with staying at home and being cooks, cleaners, and wives, but rather wished to pursue things outside the home. Picture from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/how-far-have-women-come-in-the-50-years-since-betty-friedans-feminine-mystique/article8141883/ -
Second Wave: In Words
Another name that just about everybody knows is that of young poet an one-time novelist Sylvia Plath (pictured). Her semi-autobiograhical ork, "The Bell Jar", was and continues to be a highlight of feminist literature, even though that was not Plath's intention. Picture from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sylvia-plath -
Second Wave: In Words
Gloria Steinman (pictured) created Ms. Magazine, which provided an open platform for taboo women's subjects such as sexual harassment and societal definitions of beauty. Picture from http://video.glamour.com/watch/gloria-steinem-on-why-the-womens-movement-matters -
Second Wave: In Words
Gloria Watkins (better known under her pen name "bell hooks") (pictured) used her writing to critique the aspects of then-modern feminism that she felt disregarded the divisions between women (such as race and social class). She published "Feminist Theory", a book surrounding this topic. Picture from http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/ -
Second Wave: In Words
From the other side of the border came a feminist force to be reckoned with in Margaret Atwood's (pictured) "The Handmaid's Tale", which was set in a fictional dystopia centred around controlling women's bodies and sexuality. Picture from http://cityoperavancouver.com/pauline/margaret-atwood -
The Third Wave
Often referred to as 'postfeminism', this phase tried to distance themselves from the previous wave's ideals and theories. They saw gender as a debatable topic, and their focuses shifted to reproductive rights and domestic violence. Picture from http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/1992winter/winter1992_TANENBAUM.php -
Third Wave: In Words
The Year of the Woman was also the same year that Rebecca Walker (pictured) published her first article in Ms. magazine, in which she spoke about postfeminism. It was aptly titled "Becoming the Third Wave", and acted as a catalyst for the acceptance and amalgamation of third wave feminism. Picture from https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/rebecca-walker.html -
Contemporary or Fourth Wave Feminism
Contemporary feminism is a far more globally connected stage, thanks to social media and instant messaging. It has also come to envelop more than just issues based on gender, but on other delineations of humanity, as well. Significant happenings of this period include the Pussy Marches (pictured) across America in protest of the election to Presidency of Donald Trump. Picture from https://wearyourvoicemag.com/identities/feminism/pussy-hats-transmisogyny -
Contemporary Feminism: In Words
Rupi Kaur (pictured) self-published her first book of poetry, "milk & honey", and was met with cries of love and appreciation from the feminist and/or reading communities. Her second book, "the sun & her flowers" received the same positive attention. Picture from https://rupikaur.com/about/ -
Contemporary Feminism: In Words
Fed up with the media's vicious portrayals and degradation of women's bodies, Jennifer Aniston (pictured) typed out a fiery essay on this ridiculous and loathsome practice of the media. Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Aniston -
Contemporary Feminism: In Words
Another young female poet, Amanda Lovelace's "the princess saves herself in this one" and "the witch doesn't burn in this one" were met with similar reactions as that of Rupi Kaur. She also touches on several problems faced by young women in American society. Picture from http://amandalovelace.com/
