Naomi Zimmermann
The Feminine Mystique
The publication of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan has been widely credited with inspiring a second wave of feminism throughout the US. After its publication in 1963, the book rose to become a bestseller in nonfiction, selling over one million copies.
What inspired Friedan to write the book was her awareness of the discontent of housewives around her. After she was married and had children, Friedan noticed that she felt unfulfilled by her limiting role and wondered if other women felt the same way. When she surveyed her former classmates at Smith College in Massachusetts, she observed that many of the women also felt a prevalent and unexplainable sense of discontent and unhappiness in their lives, known as “the problem that cannot be named.” In the 50s, the era of conformity, women were confined to strict societal expectations known as the “feminine mystique.” They were expected to be docile housewives and caregivers for their children, and it was not permitted for them to lead lives similar to their husband. This “suburban dream” proved to be a nightmare for many women, and after reading the eloquent words of Friedan, they resonated with her ideas.
In her book, Friedan offered the idea that not all women were fulfilled being housewives and mothers and encourages women to explore life outside of their traditional roles of femininity. She urged women to find fulfillment in areas of their life outside of the home and to view themselves as intelligent women rather than objects to be consumed. She also was enraged by how it seemed like women were regarded as consumers to sell kitchen devices and beauty products to as well as how doctors considered a housewife’s discontent as a sign of an out of balance sex drive.
In addition to writing the pivoting book, Friedan also headed the National Organization for Women (NOW), which sought to empower women and was an intrical part of the women’s right movement.
Bibliography:
Collins, Gail. "‘The Feminine Mystique’ at 50." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
History.com Staff. "Betty Friedan." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
Interesting post! It is interesting how Friedan was able to find so many women around her that felt the same dissatisfaction. This really illustrates how people felt comfortable expressing their liberal ideas at this time. Here is a website that goes further into this. http://www.nwhp.org/resources/womens-rights-movement/history-of-the-womens-rights-movement/
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how a book could inspire so many women and symbolize the beginning of the feminist movement. Similar to how The Feminine Mystique was able to gain widespread attention, other books in this time also inspired other movements. The book "Silent Spring" was published around the same time and raised a lot of attention toward environmental issues. "The Death and Life of American Cities" talked about the urban policies. Source: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/24/books-as-bombs
ReplyDeleteWow, Friedan was undoubtedly a pioneering women in the push for women's equality! I find it interesting that Friedan chose to right a book in order to convey her message, rather than turning to a different form of publicity like tv, radio, or even just public speaking and demonstration. This is especially striking because all of these new forms of electronic media were relatively new and had the attention of Americans because of this. Why do you think she chose to write a book in order to convey her message?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post Naomi! To answer Kate's question about why Friedan chose to write rather than protest/try to get on TV, I have a few theories. First, I think that protesting, though a useful strategy, can only work with a lot of involvement. Friedan was kind of a singleton at first when suggesting that women are unhappy because of their subordination. She understood that she sounded a bit spoiled. Men would frequently tell her that she was being temperamental, that she already had everything she would ever need: she had few responsibilities, frequent vacations, and tons of money (and an 11 bedroom house!) The medium of a book allowed Friedan to express herself thoughtfully, as the issue is much more complicated than could be expressed on the one liners of a sign in a protest. For more information: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Betty-Friedan
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/betty-friedan/
Good article on what may be the origin of modern feminism. Especially with social justice and feminism being so huge in modern day America, it's cool to read about how these things originated and how they affected previous generations of Americans.
ReplyDeleteNice post! It's great how Betty Friedan was able to have such a huge impact on American women and modernize feminism. It's really cool to see that her book had the ability to inspire housewives and mothers all over the nation to take charge and allow themselves to want more out of their lives.
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