Wo-Manifesto: Deciphering Feminism
Each year, students at High Tech High have the opportunity to spend one week exploring a topic in-depth. We call it "Intersession." This year I decided to offer an intersession on feminism. My hope was that the students who chose this project would interpret various feminist theories, then create and declare their own feminist theory in the form of a manifesto, or Wo-Manifesto, as I refer to them.
Essential Questions:
Project Description: What is feminism? In this intersession, we will strive to answer this question for ourselves. In order for students to write their own feminist manifestos (Wo-Manifestos), they will explore the three waves of feminism, different feminist theories and feminism in different areas of life.
Literature:
Ted Talks:
Fieldtrips:
Student-Created Wo-Manifestos:
"I believe that women make the world turn, I believe that men and women are equally powerful and equally important, I believe that boys can like pink and girls can like blue. I believe in feminism and I believe in change. I believe that we can make change, and I believe in a better world.
I want to live in a world where women aren’t afraid to walk down the streets at night, I want to live in a world where my daughters can be adventurous and play in the dirt, and my sons can be free to express themselves and show emotion. I want to live in a world where value is not based on gender. I want to live in a world where people aren’t afraid to report abusive relationships because they’re afraid of not being loved. I want to live in a world where everyone can be free and happy, a world where nobody fears judgement, and a world where everyone feels loved. I want to live in a world where girls are not ashamed of their genders, and where boys are not taught that its wrong for them to feel hurt or alone. I want to live in a world where we can all be free.
Here’s what I know for sure: people are at their happiest when they feel loved and people are at their happiest when they’re free to express themselves. Here’s what I know for sure: we all deserve happiness, and we all deserve to be free.
So stand tall, stand proud, and do what makes YOU happy. Wear a dress, wear a Tshirt, put on makeup, or embrace your natural beauty. The choice is yours and judgement is not always correct. Do what makes you happy, do what makes you comfortable, do what makes you confident. Everyone gets scared, but nobody should have to fear judgement. Treat yourself to a cup of confidence, and do what makes you happy, regardless of your sex or gender. I believe in free expression and I believe in feminism."
Essential Questions:
- What is feminism?
- What does it mean to be a feminist as a high school student in San Diego, CA in 2015?
Project Description: What is feminism? In this intersession, we will strive to answer this question for ourselves. In order for students to write their own feminist manifestos (Wo-Manifestos), they will explore the three waves of feminism, different feminist theories and feminism in different areas of life.
Literature:
- A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, by Mary Wollstonecraft, 1792 (First wave of Feminism)
- The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir, 1949 (Second wave of Feminism)
- Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, 2010 (Third wave of Feminism)
- Doing Feminist Theory: From Modernity to Postmodernity, Susan Archer Mann, 2012 (Different Feminist Theories)
Ted Talks:
- "This Isn't Her Mother's Feminism"
- "A Call to Men"
- "A Teen Just Trying to Figure It Out"
- "Why Thinking You're Ugly is Bad for You"
Fieldtrips:
- Student debates about Reproductive Rights at California State University San Marcos
- Talk given by Katlin Sweeney, author of Angry Young Women, at California State University San Marcos
Student-Created Wo-Manifestos:
"I believe that women make the world turn, I believe that men and women are equally powerful and equally important, I believe that boys can like pink and girls can like blue. I believe in feminism and I believe in change. I believe that we can make change, and I believe in a better world.
I want to live in a world where women aren’t afraid to walk down the streets at night, I want to live in a world where my daughters can be adventurous and play in the dirt, and my sons can be free to express themselves and show emotion. I want to live in a world where value is not based on gender. I want to live in a world where people aren’t afraid to report abusive relationships because they’re afraid of not being loved. I want to live in a world where everyone can be free and happy, a world where nobody fears judgement, and a world where everyone feels loved. I want to live in a world where girls are not ashamed of their genders, and where boys are not taught that its wrong for them to feel hurt or alone. I want to live in a world where we can all be free.
Here’s what I know for sure: people are at their happiest when they feel loved and people are at their happiest when they’re free to express themselves. Here’s what I know for sure: we all deserve happiness, and we all deserve to be free.
So stand tall, stand proud, and do what makes YOU happy. Wear a dress, wear a Tshirt, put on makeup, or embrace your natural beauty. The choice is yours and judgement is not always correct. Do what makes you happy, do what makes you comfortable, do what makes you confident. Everyone gets scared, but nobody should have to fear judgement. Treat yourself to a cup of confidence, and do what makes you happy, regardless of your sex or gender. I believe in free expression and I believe in feminism."
"I believe all genders should be equal. I believe all people, no matter what gender, sexuality, race religion, or beliefs, should be treated equally. I believe there should be no gender roles or stereotypes, everyone should be themselves. I believe feminism is for everyone, not only women. I believe rape culture should be abolished, it only hurts others. I believe the oversexualization of people in the media, especially women, should not exist. I believe representation matters - more POC, LGBTQAI+, and non photoshopped, body diverse people should be in the media more. I believe men should not be hated by feminists and misandry and misogyny should not be a thing. I believe that you should love everyone and anything, especially yourself, to your greatest ability. I believe nobody should be hated for who they are.
I want to live in a world where everyone can be themselves, happy, caring for others, not discriminating or violent against others. A place where we can all be safe, equal, and at peace. I’m doing this by spreading love, equality, and kindness to everyone I meet. Educating people about feminism can definitely help this cause. Making people open their eyes to the world around us and have them see all the flaws and coming up with ways to fix them will greatly impact the future generations. You can do this by being kind, welcoming, non hating, and treating everyone equally. Its a few small steps that can start a whole revolution of acceptance, love, and equality.
Here is what I know for sure; one kind, simple action can impact somebodys life forever, whether its a compliment, a thank you, a hello or how are you doing, a small gift, or even just a pleasant talk. Love can save lives. Being aware of the world around us will spark ideas that can change the world for the good. Representation matters, there will always be someone looking up to another, and that person could be you. Everyone matters. No matter how alone you feel in the world, there is always someone out there who loves and cares for you.
Take care of yourself, don’t stress about the small things. Treat yourself to the good things, indulge yourself, you deserve it. Be yourself, don't let anyone hold you back. Find beauty in yourself and others, it will make you happier than you think. Be positive, don't let the bad things in life get you down, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. You dont have to follow the crowd, feel free to take risks. If you want to do something, do it. Start that new yoga class, change your whole wardrobe, drop the person who is tearing you down, do what you want. Nobody is holding you back. Don’t be afraid to tell someone how you feel, you could regret not saying anything later. I know I did. Don’t end things on bad terms, mend broken relationships, it will leave the both of you with the sense of peace. Sleep well, eat healthy food, exercise, pet a dog, watch a movie, go on a road trip. Do what makes you happy. But remember, while you are doing all of these amazing beautiful things, keep in mind that all people are equal, no matter what."
I want to live in a world where everyone can be themselves, happy, caring for others, not discriminating or violent against others. A place where we can all be safe, equal, and at peace. I’m doing this by spreading love, equality, and kindness to everyone I meet. Educating people about feminism can definitely help this cause. Making people open their eyes to the world around us and have them see all the flaws and coming up with ways to fix them will greatly impact the future generations. You can do this by being kind, welcoming, non hating, and treating everyone equally. Its a few small steps that can start a whole revolution of acceptance, love, and equality.
Here is what I know for sure; one kind, simple action can impact somebodys life forever, whether its a compliment, a thank you, a hello or how are you doing, a small gift, or even just a pleasant talk. Love can save lives. Being aware of the world around us will spark ideas that can change the world for the good. Representation matters, there will always be someone looking up to another, and that person could be you. Everyone matters. No matter how alone you feel in the world, there is always someone out there who loves and cares for you.
Take care of yourself, don’t stress about the small things. Treat yourself to the good things, indulge yourself, you deserve it. Be yourself, don't let anyone hold you back. Find beauty in yourself and others, it will make you happier than you think. Be positive, don't let the bad things in life get you down, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. You dont have to follow the crowd, feel free to take risks. If you want to do something, do it. Start that new yoga class, change your whole wardrobe, drop the person who is tearing you down, do what you want. Nobody is holding you back. Don’t be afraid to tell someone how you feel, you could regret not saying anything later. I know I did. Don’t end things on bad terms, mend broken relationships, it will leave the both of you with the sense of peace. Sleep well, eat healthy food, exercise, pet a dog, watch a movie, go on a road trip. Do what makes you happy. But remember, while you are doing all of these amazing beautiful things, keep in mind that all people are equal, no matter what."
"I believe that everyone is born equal, and should always experience treatment as such. That how that grow and develop should not be society’s business. I want to live in a world where the image of someone does not come from their physical traits, but from who they are. I want to live in a world where a persons body and abilities are all but irrelevant. I want to live in a world where compassion is shown, even if we have not experienced the problem. We are creating that world by example, and you can join us by realizing what prejudices you have, and instead focusing on your own experiences with a person, and letting that tell you who they are. Here’s what I know for sure. Right now people are sorted into boxes based on things that have nothing to do with their worth. I know that they will likely be condemned to the assumptions that come with those boxes their whole lives. It is difficult to break free, and when they do, they are seen as the one exception. And even when the have gained some measure of freedom, that box will hang on, and people around them will try to crush them back in, regardless of who that person has become, and what they can do. Let go of what you think you should be. When you wonder what people will think, or what they expect of you, that’s your box, calling for you to crawl back in. Don’t trap yourself. I won’t tell you to ignore what people think, that it doesn’t matter. I won’t tell you that it won’t matter in ten years, like that’s supposed to make you feel better. Because ignoring people is so much easier said than done. And no matter how much we say we don’t care what people think, we do, and we will for a long time. I have no concrete advice for you, just know that we all feel this way. We all care what people think of us. We all let it define us. So let’s support each other, in our mutual oppression of expectations. We all have been told how we are born equal, and people who consciously believe differently are rare. But we all have subconscious prejudices. And we know people have prejudices for us. So why be against each other? Why tell someone that they don’t understand? We are all under society’s thumb, desperately trying to please. So we need to support each other if we truly believe that we are born equal. We are all born with equal expectations."
"I believe that it’s a womans body therefore it is her choice.
I believe that in order to have self confidence you have to accept your self, flaws included.
I believe that you should almost always put your happiness before others.
I believe that male hormones does not excuse any violent, dominate or rude behavior.
I want to live in a world where my kids and generations after me are not put in boxes/gender roles.
I want to live in a world where rape is taken more seriously.
I want to live in a world my where my female little cousins will be paid just as much as my male cousins will.
I want to live in a world where body positivity is talked about more and body shaming is not.
I want to live in a world where feminism is talked about outside of the internet/social media and talked about at schools.
I am creating this world now by being in this intersession, and being able to speak my mind even though others may agree or disagree.
Here’s what I know for sure: you will meet new people who will accept and love you.
Here’s what I know for sure: you have to stop underestimating yourself.
Here’s what I know for sure: your body is so beautiful simply because it is yours. After all we only have our bodies to live and survive, not to meet the “socially acceptable” standards.
Here’s what I know for sure: you will get over your ‘random’ phase.
Here’s what I know for sure: you will make mistakes and that’s okay, it means you’re learning and growing.
You were not put on this earth to please or make everyone around you happy. Travel. No, I don’t mean backpack Europe. I mean go to your bestfriends house. Spend a weekend with them, remember what it was like to go over to their house for the very first time and failed to do an ‘all nighter’. It’s okay to cry and be sad or angry or mad. It does not mean you’re weak. Speak your mind even if no one agrees with you. You weren’t created to have the same thoughts and outlook on life as everyone else. I believe that you should sometimes always put your happiness before others."
I believe that in order to have self confidence you have to accept your self, flaws included.
I believe that you should almost always put your happiness before others.
I believe that male hormones does not excuse any violent, dominate or rude behavior.
I want to live in a world where my kids and generations after me are not put in boxes/gender roles.
I want to live in a world where rape is taken more seriously.
I want to live in a world my where my female little cousins will be paid just as much as my male cousins will.
I want to live in a world where body positivity is talked about more and body shaming is not.
I want to live in a world where feminism is talked about outside of the internet/social media and talked about at schools.
I am creating this world now by being in this intersession, and being able to speak my mind even though others may agree or disagree.
Here’s what I know for sure: you will meet new people who will accept and love you.
Here’s what I know for sure: you have to stop underestimating yourself.
Here’s what I know for sure: your body is so beautiful simply because it is yours. After all we only have our bodies to live and survive, not to meet the “socially acceptable” standards.
Here’s what I know for sure: you will get over your ‘random’ phase.
Here’s what I know for sure: you will make mistakes and that’s okay, it means you’re learning and growing.
You were not put on this earth to please or make everyone around you happy. Travel. No, I don’t mean backpack Europe. I mean go to your bestfriends house. Spend a weekend with them, remember what it was like to go over to their house for the very first time and failed to do an ‘all nighter’. It’s okay to cry and be sad or angry or mad. It does not mean you’re weak. Speak your mind even if no one agrees with you. You weren’t created to have the same thoughts and outlook on life as everyone else. I believe that you should sometimes always put your happiness before others."