bell hooks

Jestina Ortega

WGS 297

Blog Post #4

                                    Bell Hooks: Black Women Shaping Feminist Theory

            In Black Women Shaping Feminist Theory, Bell Hooks states women of color experience sexism differently depending on different intersecting social identities or labels. She challenges and gives two approaches to this problem that she herself rejects. Bell Hooks pulls apart the Particularization Approach because it ignores entire minority groups, as well as the Transcendence Approach because it ignores difference. While I agree with the rejection of the Transcendence Approach because it works on silencing certain issues, I disagree with the notion that the Particularization Approach is unsuccessful.

            In my understanding, I feel as though the Transcendence Approach reflects the feminism society acknowledges today. Although current generalized feminism is making great strides toward taking up space and being heard, the things that are said often imply broad issues that strongly relate to the white privileged woman. For example, people across the nation are finally aware of the wage gap where women make 75 cents to the male dollar. Although most people know of this statistic, very few are aware that minority women earn even less than that. Furthermore, this was still the statistic that was decided to be broadcasted to generalize the female struggle; this silences unique struggles of minority women.

            Considering the Transcendence Approach, another issue that lacks empathy and understanding of different class and racial groups is the stay at home mother. Beauvoir has often assumed that women who chose to be stay at home mothers were claimed to have become comfortable playing the inferior role. Not only does that not give women the choice with what they choose to do with their time, but also refuses to understand how white women are the creators and holders of the “cult of domesticity”.

Hook states oppression is the absence of choice, resulting in the idea that woc are oppressed but white women are not. I disagree with this notion because although white women have more of a choice in regards to what they want to do with their spare time, they are also victim to sexual objectification and cultural domination (to name a few). Even though woc might fall victim to that on a greater scale, doesn’t mean we should negate white women’s experience.    

            You don’t see a lot of women who are black and stay at home because they will be portrayed as welfare recipients and viewed as poor. White (general) feminism, doesn’t acknowledge the labels black women have to carry with them on their day to day lives, on top of being a woman. Certain class and racial identities will change the route women have to take when experiencing the life of being a woman that general feminism doesn’t recognize. Therefore, I agree the Transcendence Approach will not work for everyone, but push that Particularization Approach will and has already been successful. An example of this is Black Feminist Thought that already exists today: which describes and creates a space for the black experience while not being limited to just black people. Black Feminist Thought creates a counter discourse, and without it I wouldn’t have been able to learn about the welfare queen stereotype, wage gap statistics among minority women or even Bell Hooks herself.