Reyna Reynoso
English 61
Professor Lewenstein
November 7, 2018
In the 1960's women fought for their rights because they were treated like they were less than men. Society thought women could not depend on themselves without a man by their side because of the fact they were WOMEN! At that time women may have had the right to vote, but not the right choose. During The Women's Movement Gloria Steinem said “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."
What I understand from this quote is that women don't need a man by their side to live or succeed in life. I agree with Gloria Steinem's rule that no woman should depend on a man – We can do just fine by ourselves. Today's world is so changed thanks to all this women who fought in the 60s. It’s normal for a women to work and pay the bills for the house and do it without the help of a man. The Women’s Movement changed our lives: We have the right to vote and our own decisions on our body. It’s so important to know how women from the 60’s fought for not only their rights but for all the coming generations of women’s rights. Although many men look back to the fifties with great fondness, women in the sixties wanted to be treated with the same rights.
In the article "Women's Liberation Movement," women fight for equal rights. Women wanted to have the same rights are men, but they were treated different. Women burned bras to demonstrate their liberation (Gibson). Women didn’t had control of what to do with their own bodies. A woman was controlled by her husband by law and forced to please his wishes. It was legal for husbands to beat his wife if they didn't do what they wanted. Women didn't have the same rights as men's did. Women didn't had the right to vote, but they had to pay taxes. Women just wanted to have equal rights.
In the sixties, Gloria Steinem became an important leader to the Women's Movement. Gloria Steinem was a successful journalist who wrote about pantyhose, how to cook a meal, and how to apply make-up. In the late 1960's she was covering an abortion hearing when she realizes women needed a greater voice (Lepore). After that, Steinem got so passionate about fighting for female equality and rights. Women who read about her or saw her on TV can relate and identify with her. It's true that Gloria became an inspiration for women's because her convictions set fire to the movement, her words moved mountains and her actions offered us women a better world to live in. It's true that Gloria became an inspiration for women because her convictions set fire to the movement. Her words moved mountains and her actions offered us women a better world to live in. Steinem campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment to promote equality between women and men. She came out with the first national publication to talk about domestic violence. It was a good thing that Gloria Steinem fought and represented women in the 60's because thanks to her we as women have the freedom, rights, and equality we have now days. “If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform,” she said. “But if you say, I'm a feminist, that's transformation of society" (Lepore).
Figure 1 Gloria Steinem became an important leader to the Women's Movement. Also Steinem became an inspiration for women because her convictions set fire to the movement, her words moved mountains and her actions offered us women a better world to live.
The Women's Liberation Movement (WLM) and The MeToo Movementboth fought for women rights. Women's Liberation Movement started on the 60's on the streets. Some 50 years later, The MeToo Movement was created on 2007 but started on 2017 via social media. Both movements were created by women to fights for their rights to be equal as men. WLM started protesting on the streets and women burned bras because it was a symbol that showed independence of men. At the bra burning protest were trashcans that women called "freedom trashcans". Women threw their bras on the trashcans to be burned. However, MeToo movement started to protest on the internet (“The Woman Behind The #MeToo Movement “). Alyssa Milano wrote a post on Tweeter asking followers to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault using the phrase "#MeToo". The #MeToo word helped women from all the world to heal and don't feel. Gloria Steinem was the leader form WLM and women could relate and identify with her. Steinem was an inspiration for women because her convictions set fire to the movement, her words moved mountains and her actions offered women a better world to live in. In the same way, Tarana Burke is the leader for the MeToo movement. Burke is an African-American civil rights activist from The Bronx, New York who founded the Me Too movement. Tarana encourage women that had experiences with harassment abuse to not feel alone and when you have support you heal faster. WLM now days make a difference than before because they have the right to vote! Women's now can make decisions of their body and be more independent (Gibson Megan).
Thanks to the Women’s Movement of the sixties, women like me have opportunity to have equal access to job listings. Also women gained the right to be paid the same as men for the same work. Something that opened my eyes after searching the Women’s Movement was when women threw their bras in trashcans to show their independence from men. But the Women’s Movement was more than just a onetime event it was to change women rights for ever. 50 years later, women can vote and have equal rights as men thanks to all those women who fought in the sixties.
Works Cited
Didion, Joan. “The Women’s Movement.” The New York Times. 30 July 1972. Web. 20
September 2018.
Gibson, Megan. “The Bra Burning Miss America Protest.” Time. 12 August 2011. Web. 4
October 2018.
Lepore, Meredith. “Gloria Steinem, Where Would We Be Without You?
Happy 81st Birthday! Levo. 25 March 2015. Web. 4 October 2018.
"Who Is The Woman Behind The #MeToo Movement?"
The List. Web. 11 October 2018.
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