Hooks, The Significance of Feminist Movement

In Bell Hooks’ The Significance of Feminist Movement, she mainly focuses on sexism and prejudice as a whole in society. Throughout the entire reading, she basically criticized the approach early feminists took in order to eliminate sexual prejudice. She claimed that instead of addressing discrimination against women in society, early feminists instead made it an issue between men and women. Consequently, animosity began to form between males and females which was never the original intent.

hooks also talked about the family’s role in sexism. She explained that because families instill in their young children from an early age that men are to be providers, and women are to stay home and care for the children, when those same children grow up, they tend to do just that. She believed that because of this tradition, whether purposely or indirectly, young girls are being raised to believe that they are somehow underneath men. Obviously, she then went on to stress the importance that such a stereotype be removed, especially from households.

In addition, hooks also made several statements suggesting that if sexism is removed from society, then ALL discrimination would soon follow. However, while I understood her point, removing one form of prejudice would in no way immediately eliminate all of them. With that said, removing sexism from our way of thinking would definitely be a step in the right direction. In order for society to continue to progress, ALL discrimination, racial or otherwise, needs to be removed, which is obvious.