Helen Cramer

Teresa Hamilton

ENGL 137H

Paradigm Shift

November 1, 2019

Now, Even Barack Obama is a Feminist

Being a feminist used to be considered radical, socialist, even communist. Conservatives

and the majority of Americans, even progressive ones, shied away from calling themselves

feminists. In general, the definition for feminist is someone who supports the economic, politcal

and social equality of the sexes. Not that long ago, feminism was considered a radical movement.

New York Times article by Martha Weinman Lear ran under the headline “The Second Feminist

Wave.” “Feminism, which one might have supposed as dead as a Polish question, is again an

issue,” Lear wrote. “Proponents call it the Second Feminist Wave, the first having ebbed after the

glorious victory of suffrage and disappeared, finally, into the sandbar of Togetherness.”1 Many

theorists and scholars have commented and studied the change. The change between second and

third wave feminism contributed to the mainstream acceptance of feminism. Especially in the

1960s and 1970s when there was considerable backlash against movements like the civil rights

and women’s rights. The vast majority of Americans did not associate themselves with

feminism, even progressive Americans. Though, when the third wave feminist movement began,

feminism started to become mainstream. The idea became normal and conventional, and many,

1
​Lear, M. W. (1968, March 10)
particulary progressive Americans, considered themselves to be a part of the feminist movement.

Celebrities, World Leaders, the Women’s March and the transition that occurred between second

and third wave feminism led to the paradigm shift that allowed feminism to become mainstream.

The first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The goal of this was to open up opportunities for women with a focus on suffrage or the right to

vote. In the early 1800s women had very little control over their lives, they had lots of children

they married very young and higher education was not common. The abolitionist movement

coincided with the first wave of feminism. In 1990 the National American Woman’s Suffrage

Association became the leading Association fighting for American women's right to vote.2

First-wave feminism is often criticized as leading out leaving out many black women who had an

integral role in the suffragist movement. The women's rights movement started with the goal to

give white women the right to vote. The work of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

was important in the suffragist movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the first woman to

declare herself a candidate for the US Congress in 1866. At this point, women were allowed to

run for office but they could not vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton pointed out this irony in the law.

Starting in 1910 states began giving women the right to vote. California gave women the right to

vote in 1911, Washington in 1910, Oregon, Kansas, and Arizona in 1912, and Illinois in 1913.

Women began voting in these states and this pressured congressman from the states to support

the national suffrage amendment. The 19th Amendment was ratified federally 1920.

Second-wave feminism to place in the 1960s and had a goal to secure a more important

role for women in American society. Groups like The National Organization for Women were

2
​Woman Suffrage Timeline (1840-1920)
vital in this process. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of movement and protests for both civil

rights and feminism. Second-wave feminism was mostly middle-aged white women who were

fighting for greater rights for women. Second wave feminism fought to change the idea that

women could only be mothers and housewives. Feminist writer Betty Freidan published the

Feminine Mystique in 1963. After World War II women were expected to return to their lives as

mothers and homemakers. But during the war they are taking over jobs at their husbands that

had. Feminists like Betty Friedan rejected this idea. Her book was a bestseller and appealed to

many women who felt the same way. One of the main goals of feminists in the second wave

movement was the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. This would be a constitutional

amendment guaranteeing equal rights for women under the law. It was first introduced to

Congress in 1923 and the equal rights amendment was passed in 1972. Though it did not receive

enough state ratifications to become part of the Constitution. Though these ideas do not seem

radical to us now, being a feminist was not something that many women claimed to be.

Feminism was still viewed as a radical movement in the 1960s and 1970s. When the birth control

pill was introduced in 1960, feminists thought it to be a success in the liberation of women.

Though there was considerable opposition to it. Opponents argued that it would promote sexual

promiscuity and damage the morality of the United States. Even though birth control was legal

on a federal level, 30 States made it a criminal offense by 1965. Conservatives and especially the

American South viewed the feminist movement as a radical movement. There was major

opposition to their efforts to promote women's rights. One activist in particular that was

extremely vocal in opposition to the feminist movement, and mirrored the opinions of many

Americans at the time was Phyllis Schlafly. Her thoughts on the Equal Rights Amendment were
that it “means abortion funding, means homosexual priviledges, means whatever else.” She also

believed that women should not be drafted into the military saying, "The purpose of our military

is to field the finest troops possible to defend our nation and win wars. The goal of feminists,

however, is to impose a mindless equality, regardless of how many people it hurts." Her

opposition to the feminist movement and her support of the Conservatice movement in America

gave her the nickname “First Lady” of the American Conservative movement. 3 Her stance on

the gender pay gap is one that “One reason a woman gets married is to be supported by her

husband while caring for her children at home.4 So as long as her husband earns a good income,

she doesn’t have to worry about the pay gap between them.” Though most Americans in the

1960s and 1970s fell somewhere in the middle of what feminists believed and what Phyllis

Schlafly believed, the average American fell closer to what Schlafly believed. Americans held

traditional views that most of the time conflicted with feminist views.

Third-wave feminism began in the early 1990s in the United States. It can be claimed that

third-wave feminist sought to redefine what it meant to be a feminist. Third-wave feminism was

focused on day-to-day issues that women face, for example sexual harassment in the workplace.

One moment of American history that is often cited when discussing third wave feminism is the

testimony of Anita Hill. She sat in front of the Senate Judiciary, a panel of all white men and was

questioned about her claims against Supreme Court nominee, Clarence Thomas. American

women saw themselves in her, scared to speak up about harassment because when they do, they

are most often not believed. The term third-wave feminism is credited to Rebecca Walker. In

1992 she wrote an article called “becoming the third wave”. One particular idea that came out of

3
​Muaddi,
N. (2016, September 6)
4
Cunningham, J. M. (2019, September 23)
3rd wave feminism was the idea of intersectionality. That in order to be a feminist, you have to

be willing to care about issues of race as well.

The Women's March in 2017 is an example of feminism becoming mainstream. The

Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21st 2017. It was the day after the

inauguration of President Donald Trump. He has made many statements that are viewed as

anti-women. Men and women from all over the world participated in this event. It was the largest

single day protest in United States history. The protest now occurs annually in cities all over the

United States and the world. In looking at photographs from 2017, I could see that people from

all walks of life attended. I believe the women's March is a prime example of how feminism has

now become mainstream. People went with family and friends and took their kids and their dogs,

all in support of women's rights and all in rejection of the misogyny that Donald Trump

represents. Though the protest was called the Women's March, is focused on issues of

immigration reform health care reform, reproductive rights and environment, LGBTQ rights,

racial equality, and freedom of religion. This is what the feminist movement has become. It is a

prime example of intersectionality. Feminism has become mainstream because the feminist

movement is focused on ideas that can relate to everyone. Personally, I saw how much this

march and the whole idea of rejecting what Donald Trump stands for has made being a feminist

more mainstream. A family friend chartered a bus to Washington, D.C. on the day of the march

and invited fifty people to join her. The feminist movement has become a movement that more

and more people can be a part of. No longer do LGBTQ people feel left out or people of color.

Now the movement is mainstream and millions more people call themselves feminists because

the feminist movement is fighting for equality for everyone, regardless or race or gender or
ethnicity or sexuality. So many more people can get behind this movement today than they could

in the 1960s or 1970s.

World leaders and activists are more likely to consider themselves feminists now than

they were in the past. This has greatly contributed to feminism becoming mainstream. Though

many world leaders are still hesitant to claim themselves to be feminists, there are more and

more every year that do. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada has proudly claimed himself

to be a feminist. He said, “By the way, you shouldn’t be afraid of the word feminist. All men and

women should use it to describe themselves.” He is so confident and passionate about being a

feminist that he has been quoted manu times as saying that the is. One important promise he

made when he was elected as Prime Minister was that his cabinet would be 50% men and 50%

women.5 His actions, in addition to his claims, show that Prime Minister Trudeau believes that

women’s rights are important. Justin Trudeau is a leader of wealthy and developed nation that

can be seen to set an example for other nations. For Trudeau and other world leaders to claim

they are feminists, allows more people to follow in their footsteps. In addition to Justin Trudeau,

Barack Obama has, on many occasions used the word feminist to describe himself. He said in a

speech on 2016 "I may be a little greyer than I was eight years ago – but this is what a feminist

looks like." 6 As a member of the democratic party and a progressive world leader, it is no

surprise to many that Obama would confidently use the word feminist to describe himself. As the

leader of the free world and arguably the most powerful man in America, his words carry a lot of

5
Carpenter, J. (2018, November 12)
6
​Barr, S. (2019, August 4)
weight. Having such a consequential President use a word that was once so radical to describe

himself, contributed to the Feminist movement becoming mainstream. He truly was though.

In addition to the Women’s March and influential world leaders considering themselves

feminists, the feminist momevent has also influenced fashion and pop culture. The luxury brand

Dior made a shirt that says, “we should all be feminists”. The world feminist, and calling

yourself a feminist is now fashionable and cool. Though the shirt retails at $860, it sends a strong

message. That the Dior brand, one that is popular and fashionable, is supporting the feminist

movement. Celebrities like Emma Watson and Beyonce are outspoken feminists who are also

famous in mainstream media. Beyonce has a song that quotes contemporary feminist

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in the song she says, “Feminist: the person who believes in the

social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” Pop culture is what dictates what people

are interested in and what we care about as a society. When young people hear Beyonce’s song

about Feminism, or Taylor Swift’s new song called “The Man”, people want to be a part of what

their favorite celebrities are a part of. Or when we see a model on a runway of a major fashion

brand wearing a shirt that says we should all be feminists, we are more likely to consider

ourselves to be feminists. Fashion, pop culture, and music has so much influence over what we

believe and what we stand for, and it was crucial in making the feminist movement mainstream.

Being a feminist used to be considered radical or socialist. The majority of Americans

shied away from calling themselves feminists. The definition for feminist is someone who

supports the economic, politcal and social equality of the sexes. Feminism was once considered

radical, and now it seems to be a mainstream movement in the United States. Celebrities, world

leaders, the Women’s March and the transition that occurred between second and third wave
feminism led to the paradigm shift that allowed feminism to become mainstream. The Women's

March in 2017 is an example of feminism becoming mainstream and world leaders and activists

are more likely to consider themselves feminists now than they were in the past. ustin Trudeau,

Prime Minister of Canada has proudly claimed himself to be a feminist and Barack Obama. In

addition to the Women’s March and influential world leaders considering themselves feminists,

the feminist momevent has also influenced fashion and pop culture. Celebrities like Emma

Watson and Beyonce are outspoken feminists who are also famous in mainstream media. The

shift inside the feminist movement allowed feminism to appeal to more people, and be more

widely accepted in mainstream culture. Though plenty of conservative Americans reject

feminism, the number of people in the United States that consider themselves feminists is now

larger than ever before.

 Works Cited

Barr, S. (2019, August 4). Nine of Barack Obama's best feminist quotes. Retrieved from
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/barack-obama-feminist-quotes-gender-eq
uality-pay-a9038796.html.

Bryson, V. (1992, January 1). Mainstream feminism: the vote and after, 1880s–1939.
Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-22284-1_5.

Carpenter, J. (2018, November 12). Justin Trudeau is a feminist. For him, that's a given.
Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/12/success/justin-trudeau-feminism/index.html.

Cunningham, J. M. (2019, September 23). Phyllis Schlafly. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phyllis-Schlafly.

Lear, M. W. (1968, March 10). The Second Feminist Wave. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/10/archives/the-second-feminist-wave.html.

Muaddi, N. (2016, September 6). 10 quotes that define Phyllis Schlafly's life as an
anti-feminist. Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/06/politics/phyllis-schlafly-quotes/index.html.

Rise of the Mainstream Feminist. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://now.org/update/rise-of-the-mainstream-feminist/.

"We Should All Be Feminists" T-shirt - Ready-to-wear - Women's Fashion. (n.d.). Retrieved
from
https://www.dior.com/en_us/products/couture-843T03TA428_X0200-we-should-all-be-fe
minists-t-shirt.

Woman Suffrage Timeline (1840-1920). (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/woman-suffrage-timeline-18401920.