Fear of Feminism: Why Young Women get the Willies 9/4

Fear of Feminism: Why Young Women get the Willies
Lisa Maria Hogeland

Hi Folks,
Below you will find some quote selections from the Fear of Feminism piece along with some questions to think about in order to be prepared for class. At the end I will provide a brief analysis/reflection. If you have any specific questions feel free to text or leave them as comments, otherwise we will work them out in class.


"One measure of feminism's success over the past three decades is that women's gender consciousness-our self-awareness as women-is extremely high.Gender consciousness takes two forms: awareness of women's vulnerability and celebration of women's difference."(18)

What are your thoughts on the idea of Gender consciousness? Does it apply to your life? How? Do men have one as well? Why or why not? What would Hogeland suggest for increasing Gender consciousness?

Hogeland states that "Feminism politicizes gender consciousness, inserts it into a systematic analysis of histories and structures of domination and privilege...Fear of feminism then, is not a fear of gender, but rather a fear of politics." (18)

Would you agree or disagree with Hogeland's analysis of the "fear of feminism?" Why? How does this help/harm the understanding of Feminism?

"Feminism has consequences..." (20)

What would Hogeland identify as consequences? Would you identify different ones?