Class 10_6

I found Adrienne Rich’s, “Compulsory Heterosexuality” especially interesting given the recent events with the economy. Rich argues that because of external influences (such as fairy tales, television, or books), women feel inferior to men, and thus need to be heterosexual in order to survive in today’s economy. For example, she discusses a woman’s place in the workplace, and how no matter what job it is, women are always at the bottom of the ladder. She says that women must accept this sexual harassment or be called “dried up” or “lesbian”. Because of this economic separation, many women are forced to be heterosexual, or at least to marry a man, for financial stability. Also, she argues that a woman’s job depends on her pretending to be heterosexual, or attractive to males. I think this type of thinking is so unfair in today’s world. I think that women should be able to obtain the best job they can and be able to be self-sufficient. Women should not need to be married in order to live on our own, or conduct our own affairs; we should not be dependent

I also found the report from Norway ridiculous, that a woman was not allowed to be a lesbian. I found it incredibly cruel that a doctor would not allow her to be a lesbian, but instead subjected her to six months of rape, and she was not allowed to leave. This is also similar to the history surrounding lesbians. As Rich says, lesbians were given the death penalty, “witches” and widows were burned or tortured, and even today close friendships among women are looked down upon (Rich, 14-15). I find it incredible that these people were subjected to punishment solely based upon the fact that they were close with other women. I find it ridiculous that so many people would agree that there was something “wrong” with these women and they needed to be killed; this definitely says something about our “system” in society, and how patriarchy can be taken to an extreme.

I also found Gilbert’s article, “You’re not the Type” very interesting. I think it’s so true that today, if a friend got pregnant, your reaction would be to think that they weren’t the “type”, without actually thinking about what type that is. I think we are quick to judge others without really analyzing the situation. As she says, many people probably that she was “too smart” or “too sophisticated” to get pregnant at such a young age. People don’t get the full story before judging them. She is also extremely looked down upon in our society because she is a lesbian, a feminist, and a single mother. As she says, statistically, she was not meant to succeed. I admire her devotion to completing school and managing a career, all while raising a child; in reality, it is not an easy thing to accomplish. I think this is a view point that needs to be changed in our society however. People shouldn’t look down upon young mothers and assume that they will never amount to anything in life. I think people should spend more time helping these women, rather than degrading them. I admire her art teacher, for treating her like a normal person and not excusing her because of her “handicap”. I think there should be more people like that in today’s world that will encourage young mothers, or feminists, or lesbians to achieve greatness in the world, and not look down upon them for their convictions or decisions.