The Different Waves of Feminism and Bodily Autonomy Presentation
The feminist movement in America developed through many different ‘waves.’ Bodily autonomy and integrity have been central in these waves in the protest for equality. The discussion and methods surrounding a woman’s bodily autonomy changes in each wave but there is a strong focus on achieving equality for women. The first, second and third feminist movements have influenced current feminists today in the fourth wave and feminists today continue to strive to protect women and the rights gained in the previous waves so women have control over their bodies.
First Wave Feminism
Woman Suffrage
The First Wave of Feminism in the United States is generally considered to have begun at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York. This Women’s rights convention brought to light a number of female grievances such as the Coverture Laws in place within the United States as well as Female Suffrage. Historian Andrea Tone explores this idea, stating “interpretations of what women should, can, and cannot do have been woven into structures and institutions such as public policy, the law, and the marketplace in ways that have restricted opportunities for them because they are women.”[i] Due to the work of multiple Woman’s Suffrage Organisations such as NAWSA and the NWP, on August 18th, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment which states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied by the United States or by any state on account of Sex”[ii] was added the United States Constitution.
The idea of bodily autonomy is not one that is new to modern day feminist protests. Margaret Higgins Sander opened her first clinic in Brooklyn which educated American woman on the concept of contraception and the idea of controlling their own reproductive system. She was influenced by the rising numbers of “back alley” abortions which were dangerous and often fatal for those involved. She therefore felt that allowing woman to control their fertility and determine when to bear a child would be greatly beneficial to their health and well-being. Sanger was arrested in 1917 for providing information about sexuality and birth control. However, her arrest sparked birth control activism and it can be argued her radical ideas lead to major changes in sexual behaviour and women’s rights throughout the United States.
Although notably the first wave of feminism was mainly focused on gaining women’s suffrage, it undoubtedly paved the way for modern forms of birth control and drastically changed the ways in which society viewed contraception and bodily autonomy.
Second Wave Feminism
Second wave feminism was a feminist period that started in the 1960s and continued until the 1980s that widened the feminism debate by focusing on reproductive rights, domestic violence and rape. The 1960s was a launching pad for the feminist movement that matched the dedication of the suffrage movement as women challenged ways power and sexism shaped relationships from the bedroom to the boardroom.[iii] In 1972 the Supreme Court legalised birth control for women and therefore the contraceptive pill began widely available for everyone. This allowed women to have control over childbearing and have children later in life to allow them to concentrate on their education and work. In 1973 Roe v. Wade was passed in the Supreme Court which allowed women to have the choice to have an abortion without government restriction. Before this legislation was passed ten thousand women died each year during side street procedures.[iv] Women wanted control over their bodies and finally this legalisation allowed this to happen.
Many women who were victims of rape kept quiet, felt shameful and did not want to stigmatize themselves by telling the police, so rape crisis centres were opened to support women who did not receive any support.[v] Feminists had an impact on the treatment of rape victims and the legislation passed in some states that made it easier to take a rape case to court. Second wave feminists made many ground-breaking achievements that made it easier for women to control their own bodies and expand the definition of women’s rights, but unequal views towards women remained.
Third Wave Feminism
The third wave of the feminism movement was impacted by both social and political factors. Feminist culture was already prominent in many women’s mindsets by the third wave as they had grown up during the second wave.[vi] The ‘Riot Grrrl’ era originating from punk culture was a major catalyst for feminist movement from the 1990s to 2010. This is seen as a cultural empowerment of women as it represented power and ferocity. This making reference to the use of ‘grrrl’ as a growl of a lion[vii] which is a role of a leader and shows strength. The media also played a huge role in the expansion of the ‘Riot Grrrl’ as it was reported on in several major newspapers and magazines. As well as this, the media blackout gained lots of publicity as the members of the ‘Riot Grrrl’ in 1993 refused to speak with reporters and media outlets.[viii] This further expanded the talk about the movement and shows how they utilised the media to raise awareness for their cause.
Political events also greatly impacted the era of third wave feminism. 1990 saw the passing of an act which prevented the exclusion of immigrants and encouraged preventing hate crimes against homosexual members of the society.[ix] This showing a progressive motion towards minorities including the LGBTQ+ community which was heavily focused on during the third wave. Major uproar occurred during the trial of Clarence Thomas. Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual assault in the workplace. These kinds of allegations were becoming more and more common as more women went into work[x] therefore, when Thomas was found not guilty this created anger within the feminist movement. It created a mindset that had and has been continuing to develop throughout the feminism movement until modern day that ‘boy will be boys’ and that their actions can be justified.
Fourth Wave Feminism
This is the period of the feminist movement from around 2008 to the present, having a larger focus on intersectionality of the women involved according to Looft.[xi]
Bodily Integrity
Bodily integrity is having the right to protect your body from outside harm, in this case yourself from sexual assault. Everyday Sexism Project was started by Laura Bates in April 2012. She asked people to write online about everyday sexism resulting in thousands of posts detailing everyday sexual harassment.
The #MeToo movement began in 2007 on myspace but has transformed into something which is very much in the public eye.[xii] Celebrities popularized it coming forward about powerful men in the industry. Alyssa Melano was the first to post about her experience with over 300,000 people responding to her post with their own sexual harassment experiences.[xiii]
Abortion Rights
Today’s feminist movement is still fighting for women’s bodily autonomy in the U.S. Although many rights were secured during the Second Wave, they have continually been challenged. With Donald Trump as president, the fears of Roe v Wade being recalled have increased as the supreme court is now majority conservative. There’s a fear that if the right case goes through the court then it might be overturned. Many states have also introduced trigger laws which would outlaw abortion after the overturning of Roe v Wade, confirming the fear it might occur soon.
4th Wave Feminism’s Evolution
It has taken the idea of the Third Wave to grab media attention and transferred the tactic online. It also focuses still on the same rights to bodily autonomy that past waves had, now with harder focus on ending the normalization of sexual assault. It is fighting to keep the rights won by earlier feminist waves.
Other Sources
Why Women Fear a Backlash Over #MeToo
[i] Andrea Tone, Controlling Reproduction: An American History (Wilmington: DE: Scholarly Resources, 1997), p.xiv.
[ii] “19th Amendment To The U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right To Vote”, United States National Archives, 2016 <https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/19th-amendment> [Accessed 1 April 2020]
[iii] Sara M. Evans, ‘Sources of the Second Wave. The Rebirth of Feminism’, in Long Time Gone: Sixties America Then and Now, ed. by Alexander Bloom (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), pp.189-209, (p.190).
[iv] Christopher B. Strain, The Long Sixties: America, 1955-1973 (Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2017), p.97.
[v] Ibid, p.97.
[vi] Amber E. Kinser, ‘Negotiating Spaces for/through Third-Wave Feminism,’ NWSA Journal, 16 (2004), pp. 124–153, www.jstor.org/stable/4317084, [Accessed 24 Mar. 2020].
[vii] Jessica Rosenberg and Gitana Garofalo, ‘Riot Grrrl: Revolutions from Within’, (The University of Chicago Press Journals), [Accessed 26 Mar. 2020].
[viii] Sheila Whiteley, Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender (Routledge 2009), p209.
[ix] Dorothy E. McBride and Janine A. Parry, Women’s Rights in the USA: Policy Debates and Gender Roles (Routledge 2016), p.303.
[x] Hillary Belzer, ‘Words + Guitar: The Riot Grrrl Movement and Third-Wave Feminism’ (unpublished master’s thesis, Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2004) [cited 28 March 2020], https://web.archive.org/web/20121215065347/http://www8.georgetown.edu/cct/thesis/HillaryBelzer.pdf, pp.17-18.
[xi] Ruxandra Looft, ‘#girlgaze, photography, fourth wave feminism, and social media advocacy’, Continuum, 31 (2017), pp.892-902 (p.984).
[xii] Camille Gibson and others, ‘Understanding the 2017 “Me Too” Movement’s Timing’, Humanity & Society, 4 (2017), pp.217-224, (p.219).
[xiii] Ibid, pp.219-220.
Bibliography
Journals
Gibson, Camille, and others, ‘Understanding the 2017 “Me Too” Movement’s Timing’, Humanity & Society, 4 (2017), pp.217-224.
Kinser, Amber E., ‘Negotiating Spaces for/through Third-Wave Feminism,’ NWSA Journal, 16 (2004), pp. 124–153, www.jstor.org/stable/4317084, [Accessed 24 Mar. 2020].
Looft, Ruzandra, ‘#girlgaze, photography, fourth wave feminism, and social media advocacy’, Continuum, 31 (2017), pp.892-902.
Rosenberg, Jessica, and Gitana Garofalo, ‘Riot Grrrl: Revolutions from Within’, (The University of Chicago Press Journals), [Accessed 26 Mar. 2020].
Books
Evans, Sara M., ‘Sources of the Second Wave. The Rebirth of Feminism’, in Long Time Gone: Sixties America Then and Now, ed. by Alexander Bloom (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), pp.189-209.
McBride, Dorothy E., and Janine A. Parry, Women’s Rights in the USA: Policy Debates and Gender Roles (Routledge 2016).
Strain, Christopher B., The Long Sixties: America, 1955-1973 (Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2017).
Tone, Andrea, Controlling Reproduction: An American History (Wilmington: DE: Scholarly Resources, 1997).
Whiteley, Sheila, Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender (Routledge 2009).
Online Resources
“19th Amendment To The U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right To Vote”, United States National Archives, 2016 <https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/19th-amendment> [Accessed 1 April 2020]
Thesis (unpublished)
Belzer, Hillary, ‘Words + Guitar: The Riot Grrrl Movement and Third-Wave Feminism’ (unpublished master’s thesis, Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2004) [cited 28 March 2020], https://web.archive.org/web/20121215065347/http://www8.georgetown.edu/cct/thesis/HillaryBelzer.pdf.
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