Simone de Beauvoir
We went and visited the grave of a fiery feminist named Simone de Beauvoir. She was big into philosophy and had to overcome many obstacles in order to receive her education, but she wrote some extremely thought provoking and challenging literature about the inequality of the sexes. Her most famous book is titled “The Second Sex” is where she discusses how society makes women to be a lesser gender. She describes how this is perpetuated by both men and women and demands change. Part of her personal protest was deciding against marriage because she believed that it was a device of men to put women in a lesser place.
Her contribution was important because she was a trailblazer for feminists to follow. She came decades before others. She also was one of the first women philosophers and proved that women can make great work when given the opportunity and education. She had to fight for her education and showed that women had untapped potential. She also showed that she should be taken seriously. Some of her very well made points also blatantly pointed out flaws with the system. She also had some opinions that I personally don’t agree with, however I appreciate that she challenged ideas so that others could do the same later down the road.
In all honesty, I don’t believe that she has been commemorated well. I had never heard of her before this class and the most recognition that I have seen for her was her grave site. Though, It did have many kisses and the female symbol inscribed with lipstick, showing that people are aware of her contributions. If men can have streets named after them, why don’t more women? I did look it up on google, and even though she doesn’t have a street named after her, her house is marked with a placard. I wonder what she would think about the ways that we have decided to commemorate her contributions.
I love this, Anna! De Beauvoir faced a lot of pushback in her time. She was part of a group of philosophers/novelists called the existentialists, and within that exclusive group she was often given the least respect because of her gender. Even among fellow intellectuals, she faced discrimination. I think we've come a long way from that sort of incessant sexism, but at the same time, it very much still exists. It really makes me wonder about how sexism in academia has shaped women's status as intellectuals.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting blog, Anna! I liked how you discuss some of the specific of Beauvoir's work and how that shows how women are generally perceived as lesser than (during that time). Marriage is really an interesting topic, and given Beauvoir's time, I don't blame her for thinking about marriage the way she does. That being said, I'd be curious to hear more about what Beauvoir said about women as opposed to common views during that time. What did she say that was different than others? And as for your comment about how she was commemorated, I do think I agree. Even though I knew who Beauvoir was before this trip, I do think she might be underrated. She sometimes does get a lot of her because of her controversial arguments. Nonetheless, as you mention, she does have memorabilia around Paris that marks her significance.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Anna! I think this could help to answer the first question on the final exam about the hurdles and contributions they made. You said it great, she was a woman so she had to fight for her education and also prove to people that she should be taken seriously. I think it is so important that we remember women like her who struggled so that we could voice our opinions easier. She definitely was a trailblazer!
ReplyDeleteLove this Anna! I like how you talk about how she was a trailblazer. Learning about her does help me think about how Paris is a center for thinkers and those who want to change the world. We can see how Paris was a place where change could blossom and grow into entire movements like Simone de Beauvoir and second wave feminism. I think that in this way, Paris is a cultural capital because it fosters a propelling forward of society.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your blog post! You did a great job discussing what obstacles stood in Simones way as she made history! I totally agree with you that she had to fight for her education and show that she has intelligence and so much potential! You will definitely be able to use this for the final! I kind of feel like some of this still exists today. I think sometimes men still think they can do a job better than women and they have to prove themselves. I hope one day it won’t come as a surprise that women kill it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHey Anna! Visiting Simone de Beauvoir's grave was interesting. She was a strong feminist who wrote about how society treats women unfairly in her book "The Second Sex." She didn't get married because she thought it made women inferior.
She was important because she was one of the first feminist philosophers and showed that women can do great things when given the chance. Even though I don't agree with all her ideas, she challenged the system and paved the way for other feminists. I don't think she's been remembered well enough. It's strange that more women don't have streets named after them like men do.
Her significance lies in being among the pioneering feminist philosophers, showing that women are capable of awesome achievements when provided opportunities. Despite not aligning with all my beliefs, she bravely confronted societal norms, clearing a path for other feminists. However, her commemoration seems inadequate; I would love a statue of her of some sort.
ReplyDelete