Feminism, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equity of the sexes; the organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” Thinking about the technical definition of feminism and the message that I am an Emotional Creature gave to me, I feel as if this novel is advocating for feminism even though the word is never actually stated in the text.
The novel advocates for girls around the world to feel comfortable in their own skin, with who they are, and to go against the social norm. I feel as if the first two sections are very subtle in advocating for feminism, and that the third section is the most upfront about it, especially the story “Five Cows and a Calf.” This is a story of a girl who goes through the whole process of realizing something is wrong, taking the imitative to change it, improving yourself, and forgiving those who have hurt you. This story left me chocked and my jaw actually dropped. We hear about how girls over come extreme hardships in other countries, but it is difficult to relate, because we do not hear the voice behind the story. Having a voice for this story made it real and heart wrenching. It made me want to do something to help these girls fight that battle.
I also feel this story cumulates the whole book, because of how it progresses. I feel like it has parts from all aspects of the novel and the journey that a girl must go on to overcome all of the adversities she must face to become a successful woman. This girl went from being oppressed, something many girls feel, to deciding that she deserved better, and taking the initiative to give herself the opportunity to do something better with her life.
The idea of feminism closes the novel with the last monologue “I am an Emotional Creature” and the epilogue “Manifesta to Young Women and Girls.” The monologue “I am an emotional creature” encourages girls to ignore what everyone says about being a teenage girl and embrace what it is and being you. The manifesta does something similar. It tells girls and young women what society and industrialized culture the stereotypes of being a girl that you should conform to, but Ensler tells them to ignore all of this and go against the odds. This has feminism written all over it, without explicitly saying it.
The ideas of feminism have a bit of a negative connotation in our generation. Most people think of burning bras. They do not think of overcoming the social norms that restrict what girls and women are able to do today, but this is what Ensler does. If she has used the word feminism, I think that this novel would not have been as effective in sending this very strong message, because of the connotation that it has collected over time.
When I was reading this, I kept thinking how I want the girls at my internship to read it. A lot of these young ladies have many things working against them in making their goals and dreams come true. These girls come from a low socioeconomic status in an area where the educational system is not the strongest, violence rates are high, and the teen pregnancy rate is high. They need to know that girls like themselves have over come hardships and that they are just as capable and can overcome the hardships they face.
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