Critical Summary #1

In the article, Defining Feminism: Tumblr, Bra-Burners, and Beyonce Celia Buckman
begins by providing the dictionary definition for feminism, stating that it is the belief that men
and women should have equal rights and opportunities, continuing on to express her wonder as
to how this basic concept has become so controversial. Buckman had a desire to find out, so
she took to the people of her school and the streets of her home town to see if they could come
up with an answer to her question, I think feminism is. The answers Buckman received were
numerous and stretched far and wide across a large spectrum. Answers like, I think feminism is
awesome, to I think feminism should not exist, are examples of the broad range of feedback
she acquired. As Buckman puts it, Few words would yield the same spectrum of definitions.
Because feminism is such a controversial topic, she does not seem surprised by the wide range of
responses that she obtained. Buckman argues that many people do not count themselves as a
feminist because they feel like they do not fit the feminist mold created by society. The author
implores the reader to understand that a feminist is anyone who believes in equality,
expressing the importance of a point that many people are ignorant of.
I agree with Buckmans insistence in clearing up the true definition of feminism and
believe that there are many people in this world that do not understand what it means to identify
yourself as a feminist. For instance, she brings up a great point when she suggests that a
Starbucks-drinking, Forever 21-wearing high school student would not refer to herself as a
feminist because she is unaware of the correct definition. In my personal experience, I have been
strongly put off, in the past, by the stereotypical and obnoxious bra-burning feminist. I did not
consider myself a feminist because I did not want to be associated with the extremist who gave
the movement a bad name. Some, like myself, may have argued that those extremists are the
people that make up the larger portion of the feminist movement, however, this article helped me
see that this was not the case. I related this to an issue that I have with my faith. I grew up as a
pastors kid in the Christian Reformed Church and throughout my life have become very deeply
involved in my faith and identity in my Lord and savior. However, as strong as I am in my faith,
it pains me to see supposed brothers and sisters in Christ spewing hate and violence towards the
LGBT community. It angers me that these extremists are the ones getting all of the social media
attention, and as a result given a bad name to my faith. This article opened my eyes to the fact
that not all feminists are the extremist, and I can relate to all those who get upset when the
feminist movement receives attention for all the wrong reasons.
In Buckmans article she quotes Sheryl Sandberg and Anna Maria Chavezs article
Bossy: the Other B-Word, The quote she uses states, Boys are expected to be assertive,
confident and opinionated, while girls should be kind, nurturing and compassionate. When a
little boy takes charge in class or on the playground, nobody is surprised or offended. We expect
him to lead. But when a little girl does the same, she is often criticized and disliked (Chavez adn
Sandberg). I disagree with this statement in regards to American classrooms. In my experience, it
is more expected for girls to excel and take charge of group projects and classroom activities.
However, in third world countries this may not be the case. I know that many women in these
places do not have the same opportunities that we, as Americans, are presented with, so I can
understand where the authors are coming from, if they are referring to countries who hold their
women to a standard much lower than the women in the U.S. are held to.

Works Cited
Buckman, Celia. "Defining Feminism: Tumblr, Bra-Burners and Beyonc." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic
Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Sandberg, Sheryl. "Sheryl Sandberg and Anna Maria Chvez on 'Bossy,' the Other B-word."
WSJ. Wsj.com, 2014. Web. 11 Sept. 2016