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Han Bui

Dr. Marilyn Delmont

WMST 113: Race, Class, & Gender in the U.S

26 September 2020

Module 5 Reflective Essay

Through this module 5, I have understood how our gender system dictates who is allowed

to perform femininity and masculinity, and how historically constructed notions of race and class

intermingle to advance gender-based oppressions.

Usually, with the word "gender" everyone in society, we often think of expressions and

behaviors associated with two names, male and female. From birth, we have determined our sex

based on the genitals of each person. The comparison between men and women always happens.

It tends to put women down and look down on them. Since then, we see gender as a system

operated in our society and developed over time. It became a definition imposed on everyone's

mind and passed down through generations. As I see it, the above things cause the limitation of

the gender binary system. The above arguments are flawed when today's society with sexual

biological diversity can also be a wide range of gender identity. If we consider gender as a

system, then we also agree on gender is related to racial, class, and sexuality-based oppressions

in the ongoing struggle for and overpower. Because in ancient times, the limitations of

understanding and not being taught about the historical significance of women should have

consequences for the present generation. Old conventions such as women had to embody

holiness, purity, and decency; men must be the breadwinner in the family, women have to do
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housework, women have to "serve" for the family. We must change the mindset that the woman

is imposed on, expand the understanding of the younger generation so that these 21st-century

legacies will influence the future.

Using intersectionality, we can see that the historical contexts of gender-based divisions

that are also race, class, and sexuality-based. Historically, there have been many women's

movements taking place for their own freedom. Before the Civil War, women had organized for

anti-slavery, the Underground Railroad, women's suffrage, and reproductive rights. Many strong

and courageous women of all colors emerge as abolitionists and suffragists. I really enjoyed a

side's courtesy event titled “bra-burning” 50 years ago (Module 5, The Rise of the Women's

Liberation Movement, Second Wave). During the 1960s, women began to protest for equal rights

because of growing stereotypes against them. The Miss America pageant was never a

progressive event, but in 1968 it sparked a feminist revolution. When women staged their first

rally against Miss America, they not only reacted to the competition and its old-fashioned

optimistic attitudes towards women and beauty but also the way the United States treats them.

The incident happened in Florida with more than 150 feminists to show how all women were

hurt by beauty competitions. When we look back at these 1968 protests, we can see that women

are still subject to the beauty standards set by society. Although the cultural definition of beauty

has expanded over the years, it has not yet been fully extended. Such imposition is no different

from the oppression of humans as we do with racial, sexuality and class discrimination.

Talking about beauty, the topic of plastic surgery is no less exciting and interested in

many people. Measures and standards of beauty have been set by society since ancient times, and

they gradually change over time. Plastic surgery can change the appearance of a person's race
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and sex. After watching the videos of the 5-part Sex Beauty Imaging and Race module, I don't

want surgery to change my skin color or anything on my body. When someone loves themselves

and is always confident, they will ever see themselves as a particular version and not be subject

to the standards set by society. Even so, we can't help but mention the benefits of plastic surgery

as women feel more confident and beautiful when their lives are changed and for the better. As

Becky Thompson shares "body consciousness' ... the ability to comfortably reside within one's

body, to embody oneself and to treat one's body as connected with oneself." (Module 5, Eating

disorders and alternating). Beauty is something that almost everyone wants to achieve, but many

of these standards show that it is detrimental to society. This beauty standard has one of the most

significant effects on teenagers in high school. When we always balance our weight and

appearance as a standard that must be met, it's no different than we're dealing with ourselves.

However, everyone has the right to define beauty in their way.

Through the examples above, we can see that the binary division is also very important to

the structure of class, race, sex, and/or nationality/citizenship. Everyone has the right to live and

be themselves. Gender or beauty, everything is the same. If there is no division there is no

comparison. Beauty standards need to change. “Rules of how to be beautiful” need to be adjusted

to be accepted by all bodies, sex, race, and sexual orientation. The beauty that moves forward

cannot be defined by an idea, but it must be as diverse as the people who see it. How it must

reflect real people. To fight culture with outdated standards, we need to recognize our part of

creating it, and we should take strong action against it.