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Confused Social Standards In Betty Friedan´s The Feminist

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Based on class content such as readings and educational documentaries it is clear that women of all backgrounds share universal struggles, including how to deal with infused social standards. Over the course of the semester, hearing in depth recounts of not only practices forced upon females to make them adhere to certain beauty and purity standards but also witness access being denied to certain female groups (especially those of color) in order to keep women from progressing up the social and economic ladder has put the story, appearance and outlook of every woman in perspective. Each individual has to deal with a unique aspect of being female that has greatly affected her life in a way unfathomable for a male in America. Conducting an interview …show more content…

Being a female comes with certain character expectations such as demurity and vanity. The social construct of the female behavior has also encouraged women and young girls to like things traditionally seen as feminine such as the color pink, cooking, playing with dolls, as well as to not participate in sports and to avoid things seen as too masculine or too rough. For example, in The Feminine Mystique authored by Betty Friedan, Friedan provides a firsthand account of a housewife who adhered to the social standards of feminine activities at the time stating, "I've tried everything women are supposed to do—hobbies, gardening, pickling, canning, being very social with my neighbors, joining committees, running PTAs...I've …show more content…

However, as a homosexual Mexican woman often times the context of her religion conflicted with her sexual orientation. " My religion didn’t accept me growing up. I still one-hundred percent believe in God but I don’t necessarily believe in the rules that come with the religion I was raised with. But I wouldn’t say that has really changed or affected the way I see the world or what I choose to do with my life. I am still the person that I am and I could not imagine a life without God. I feel very fortunate to have God with me because even though some people aren't accepting, at the end of the day I know that I can live in this country and be who I am wholeheartedly and God will still love me. I know around the world, especially in the past not every woman gets to live that chance." Similar to religion in the way it is engrained in every aspect of life, societal practices in many countries force women to modify their bodies and sexuality for the pleasure of others. For example, in Sudan the practice of female genital mutilation was heavily underway. A woman is "perceived as...nasty...described as hypersexual, without the ability to control her sexuality [and] considered undesirable for marriage" if she does not participate in a form of genital mutilation (African Journal of Reproductive Health, 29) Another practice that used to be widely accepted in many parts of the world was the

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