New Feminism is True Feminism

[Michie]

Feminist. The f-word of femininity.

Ok, maybe that’s a little over the top and not exactly true, but stay with me for a second here. The emotions and negative perceptions that this one little word can stir up in conservative circles is really not much different than what a tirade of curse words would result in at a church ladies luncheon. It’s just not proper or polite fodder to entertain such uncouth conversation about “girls gone wild” with our fellow church-goers.

We think of Feminists as the women of the 1960-70s Sexual Revolution; the women who boldly put careers in front of families and embraced the practices of birth control and abortion as a means to free themselves of the “comfortable concentration camps of the home” ( from Betty Frieden’s Feminine Mystique). We think of the women at NARAL rallies and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards when we think Feminist. Short haircuts, pant suits, Hillary Clinton…..need I say more?? We think of women who are really very un-womanly and in fact seem to want to emulate masculine traits and eschew the very things that make them uniquely feminine.

So what would you say if I said that I consider myself to be a Feminist? (Gasp! Why would she ever want to tell readers of a Catholic blog that she’s one of them?) Well, mostly because I am very decidedly NOT one of “them” and I want you and other Catholic women to understand and embrace what our late Holy Father John Paul II called “New Feminism”.

In 1988, John Paul II sent out an Apostolic Letter, Mulieris Dignitatem, or, On the Dignity and Vocation of Women. In this letter he began the use of the term the “genius of women” in describing the special attributes and contributions of females. He outlined the special characteristics that set us apart from men. And in a refreshing move, he upheld these unique talents as both beautiful and necessary to compliment the traits of men. This came not long after a time when women’s gifts were often belittled and considered “female weaknesses”. A woman was considered a “weak” leader if she felt empathy for those working under her. This deprecation of natural feminine characteristics is what led many women in the decades before Mulieris Dignitatem to leave their roles as wives and mothers and seek the recognition and appreciation they needed elsewhere. While he encouraged all women in their roles as wives and mothers, JP2 also encouraged further participation in politics and economics. JP2 never said women’s gifts were only useful in the home raising children. Instead he first worked to affirm that these traits were innately good and necessary, and then made the move seven years later to more directly challenge women to bring them to every aspect of their lives.

Continued- http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2012/01/06/new-feminism-is-true-feminism/

 

[Rebekka]

Déjà vu? I remember a thread with the exact same title.

 

[Michie]

I didn't find one. *shrug*

 

[Rebekka]

I didn't find one. *shrug*

Do you know how to use the search function? I can never get it to work.

But I do remember that title.

 

[Michie]

Yeah I just used it & didn't see anything. I'll try again.

 

[Michie]

Still don't see it.

Maybe this?

What Is a Catholic Feminist?

 

[Rebekka]

Still don't see it.

Maybe this?

What Is a Catholic Feminist?

No, that's not the one I mean.

 

[StThomasMore]

Still don't see it.

Maybe this?

What Is a Catholic Feminist?

there is no such thing as a Catholic feminist. That's like a Catholic fornicator, or a Catholic abortionist.

 

[Fantine]

I remember Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" when I was in college. She wrote about "the problem that has no name."

Her book was a response to cultural change. Modern electrical appliances and convenience foods had taken a lot of the "work" out of housework. Families were smaller--not due to "feminism" per se but because of the shift from an agrarian to an industrial/technological economy, a trend that began in the nineteenth century, long before the birth control pill was invented.

At the same time women were getting more education. And, during World War II, women were encouraged to work full time because so many male workers were off at war.

And so Betty Friedan's book sprang from Friedan's search for meaning--being a wife and mother simply wasn't a full-time job anymore, and even if women stayed at home while their children were young, they had a good twenty years in the workforce before they retired.

Then, of course, that resulted in their wanting to be treated equally in the workforce, which is a normal desire.

I find that the homeschooling mothers of large families often run their households without modern conveniences, too. They grow their own vegetables. They live in the country, and might even have a goat or a few chickens. They might make their own clothes. They choose to live their lives in a previous era--and do not have the same angst Betty Friedan wrote about.

And now people like Simcha Fisher are calling them the true feminists.

In the meantime, I think that the true feminists are those who lead their lives and juggle their responsibilities capably, without fanfare, and who live in the present moment without complaining and picketing. Women do have choices today, and these women manage their choices well. They realize that everything has a season; they may forego serious careers until their children are in school, but if they choose to have a serious career and children they make sure that the children are well-cared for and spend quality time with them as much as possible--choosing hobbies and leisure activities that they can share with them.

Few feminists are rabble rousers.

 

[WarriorAngel]

This one comes to memory for me...
Patricia Heaton: The Lens of Faith She's a pro-life woman so, you know, she's not a..

I really like the actress now.

And this one is probably what you were thinking of Bek.

True Feminism (

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Miss Shelby