Oh, She’s a Woman?

Of the various Manifesto’s assigned, the one titled “Manifesto of Futurist Woman” resonated the most. I found the Manifesto somewhat comparable to the times we are living in now mainly because it deals with the ideas of feminism and feminists. Much to the contrary of how we look at the situation, the author, Valentine De Saint-Point agrees that women are different from men, and seems to elevate woman because they are different (as opposed to just wanting to make them be equal to men). Saint-Point interestingly indicates that without women being the way they are (in charge of raising the children and keeping the house), men would not be successful. She highlights the contributions of women in a wide array of methods including raising children (only until they are old enough to go to war, of course) and satisfying men. Saint-Point seems to be okay with this position in society and does not desire being on same level as men are as long as she is credited with having a substantial part in the war effort. While these ideas may or may not be what early 20th century feminism looked like, the fact that Saint-Point was a woman makes these ideas much more powerful. When comparing her Manifesto to what feminists in today’s society hope to achieve, we see that Saint-Point is okay with her current situation and wants to see some relatively small change in perception as opposed to position. It is for this reason that I find the fact that it is a woman, and not a man making these points to be remarkable, and truly effective.

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