The year is 1862. For a woman, it was expected for her to live her life devoted to her husband and possible children. Women were controlled by their male counterparts and their voices were silenced, especially by the law that banned them from voting. Nonetheless, women like Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Stanton, Lucretia Mott, along with other dedicated women, fought for what is now the 19th Amendment in the Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote. That marked the first wave of feminism; woman suffrage lasted 100 years from the 1820's to the 1920's.
The second wave occurred between the 1960's and the 1980's. The second wave had one main goal: end the discrimination against sexes. After achieving that goal in many areas of society, a group of privileged white women formed a group to achieve greater rights for women because they were dissatisfied with the general role of women in society. It was during that era when birth control was created and available for women. Additionally, the 1973 case, Roe v. Wade, gave women in America the right to an abortion without facing legal consequences or without the need to be a life-threatening reason. Finally, the early 90's is recognized as the last wave of feminism. The focal point of this wave was to challenge the former feminism movements and their lack of inclusion of non-privileged women. This movement also addressed the issues of unequal pay, freedom of expression, the lack of men’s support and the necessity of unity among all women to achieve these goals.
As of now, in 2020, women in America have fought and obtained more rights. Women in America have the right to vote, work, own property, receive an education, but there is one thing women still lack the right to: their bodies. Society gets to decide a woman's worth based on what her body looks like and a woman is considered to be imperfect if she does not have a thin, hour-glass figure.
For example, Lizzo, known for her song “Truth Hurts,” is also known for her extreme self love and encouraging other women to celebrate their own bodies even if they don't conform to society's expectations. She is unapologetic about her size. In fact, Jillian Michaels, a fitness expert and personal trainer, said in an interview “Why are we celebrating [Lizzo’s] body… Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes.” It’s as if Michaels was implying that because Lizzo is bigger, her size automatically means she is unhealthy, or at risk for a disease. But how could you judge a person’s health based on their physical appearance? When will women get the chance to choose?
Let’s take it back to the second feminist movement. As controversial as the ideology of that movement was, two monumental events happened for women: birth control was invented and abortion was made legal. However, almost immediately after birth control hit markets, it became illegal in 30 states because some “... argued that it would promote sexual promiscuity, undermine the institutions of marriage and the family, and destroy the moral code of the nation.”
Trump's States of the Union Address: Criticizing Abortion
Abortion is a controversial topic of the 2020 election. Donald Trump has been vocal about his opinion on abortion. In his recent State of the Union, announced that he was planning on making abortion illegal after 20 weeks. His decision was inspired by one woman’s successful premature birth. So, during his speech, he addressed Congress and asked for a bill to be drafted about making abortion illegal. Essentially, this is undoing the work of Roe v Wade. His logic is that all babies developing in utero should be given a chance at life even if they present to have developing problems. But is that his choice to make? Why does a group of privileged white men get to make that decision for a woman?
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