Lesson Objectives

Appreciate the relative newness of the 'natural' identity and category of women

Understand how Feminism began in the U.S. and what Mill contributed to it

Appreciate the sociocultural history of Feminist thought in 20th century America

Understand how identity and gender became part of late Feminist thought

Understand Intersectionality, misandry, and Social Media's reach in identity

Understand Nell Noddings' Feminist approach to the Ethics of Care

Key Terms

Feminism

Abolitionist

First-Wave Feminism

Prohibition

Flapper Girl

Cult of Domesticity

Second-Wave Feminism

Third-Wave Feminism

Post Third-Wave Feminism

Intersectionality

Misandry

Care Ethics

Universal Care

The Late Modern Construction of Women

1910s

• Only girls wear dresses now (all genders wore dresses before this)

• Women begin to shave their underarms

1920s

• Women's hemlines rise above the ankle

• American women start painting their nails

1930s

• Bras become commonplace

• Bleaching hair blonde (to connote youth) begins

1940s

• Pink is now for girls and blue is for boys (this used to be reversed)

• Women begin wearing high heels (used to be men) & nylon stockings are invented

• De Beers mining in Africa markets the diamond engagment ring to women

1960s

• Christian women generally stop covering their hair (Muslim women often still do)

• Women begin piercing their ears

• Bikinis, miniskirts, and breast implants are invented

1970s

• Suntan lotion invented (people didn't go "tanning" before this)

• Makeup specifically for "date night" becomes a thing

• The first Victoria's Secret (a place for men to buy lingerie) opens

1990s

• Thong underwear becomes a thing

• Women begin injecting their faces with botulin toxin to flatten wrinkles

2000s

• Widespread ownership of smartphones begins selfie culture

• Women's identity and image is brought to digitally impossible standards