Slow Dancing In a Burning Room

The facets that surround feminism weave a web of contradictory, inspiration and a glimmer of hope. It is a topic that seems to go through cycles, and one always wonders why there isn't a resoultion? Like slow dancing in a burning room. I applaud Simone de Beavoir's article on the Second Sex because she is able to express thoughts that sometimes others may over look. I have never considered myself a raging femminist, however I do feel that women must rely on themselves first and for most; ah, the let the contridictions begin! It amused me when she stated "Men can think of himself without women.. however she cannot think of herself without man." That is a rather bold statement, although even in today's society it is mostly true. I was intrigued to make the focal point of my reading not only about the actual content but about the parallelism that the concpets had in modern day. In innocent observation of others, it seems that women do identify themselves with man. Whether it is grocery shopping, laundry, and tending to the children it always revolves around someone else; she is the other. Even a woman attending college, she is not soley there for her. There is a deeper reasoning; she could be there to better her education which in turn could allow her a better job. And a better job could be the equivilent of competing with a man for that position. Or gaining her new found status, which is appealing to others. "He is the subject, he is the absoulte- she is the other". No matter which aspect is disected it always seems that the women, in 1949 or 2008, is the other sex. It is a delicate subject that is not always easy to discuss, however Beavoir allowed women to appriciate their sex, and also let men realize the trials and tribulations that the female has been through. I am proud of the progress that women have made, and that we are allowed to do things my predecesors never imagined; however it seems that in reality there still is a lot of progress to make. But I guess we should be thankful to dance at all, even if the room is burning.