Free love, according to Streitmatter, is a term first used to describe women moving out of marriages, and into new ones with ease. Ease, of course, does not truly mean without a care in the world. In that time, ease would have meant getting divorced with out fearing ridicule, slander, or perhaps worse.
The rights that the women fought for, at the time of Victoria Woodhull, were the rights to simply identify oneself without the authority of ones husband, or to get out of an abusive relationship. The rights Woodhull fought for, are the rights our generation is automatically entitled to. On the one hand, I am relieved to be part of this generation, where a woman's safety and happiness matters more than answering to her husband. On the other hand, would Woodhull herself be concerned that the feminists of 2011 have gone too far?
The issues feminists of her era fought for, are things even the most anti-feminist of women would advocate for today. However, I highly doubt Woodhull would've liked to see women trying to quell the differences between themselves and men, as much as some women do today. The right to "deny her body to anyone, including her husband" honors the fact that women's bodies are different, and that we as a sex are unique... Feminists of Woodhull's era still respected that. It seems now, feminists are trying to over-step and do away with our differences altogether.
No comments:
Post a Comment