Discussion on 'The Second Sex' by Simone De Beauvoir
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“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.”
Dubbed the ‘feminist bible,’ The Second Sex (1949) combines philosophy, political theory, phenomenology, and feminism. The book describes how the narrative of women as the ‘defective man’ was constructed and examines how such narratives have impacted the lived experiences of women.
Simone De Beauvoir (1908-1986) argues that women have been conditioned to view themselves as an ‘Other’ to the default male ‘Subject.’ This is recognized during puberty as women are conflicted in both the desire to please men, while also acknowledging the unfairness of their circumstances. This mythos begins as soon as the child is born, as Beauvoir casually gives an example of two babies being born, one with a sign that says “I am a Boy.” The other, “It’s a Girl.”
Simone De Beauvoir is not immune to being both complicit and a victim in the patriarchy. Her work is often compared to her partner and lover, Jean-Paul Sartre. While he is in the foreground of existentialism, Simone De Beauvoir was cast as his ‘intelligent and feminist girlfriend’ rather than a fully fledged philosopher in her own right (and in my opinion), a more influential writer. She met Sartre while in college, and in 1929, the two became ‘essential lovers’ despite their radical commitment to non-monogamy; their bond remained a constant throughout their lives. Furthermore, Beauvoir was one of the few existentialist scholars to refute existentialist critics and create an ethical structure on existentialist principles from Sartre’s Being and Nothingness (1943) in her essay, The Ethics of Ambiguity (1949).
When choosing the sections from this dense philosophical text, I focused on the age demographics of the group. Furthermore, while the history and myths section is important, for the sake of ‘The Triangle Common Good’, we will focus on the lived experiences of our female-identifying members. The focus should be on phenomenology, rather than debunking old myths about gender.
Furthermore, we must recognize that this text was published in 1949, before the Sexual Revolution and Second Wave Feminism. However, this was a pivotal book that has been critical to the feminist movement and existentialism.
Understanding the Texts
Part One of the Second Sex: Explains how and why women become the Other versus men being the Subject. The historical materialism behind gender, capitalist systems, and religiosity.
For the sake of the group, I will be composing a PowerPoint of key takeaways from Part One.
Part Two is Simone De Beauvoir at her best and deals with the phenomenological experiences of women. This will be a good place to discuss with the group, share experiences of being a female identifying person in the Triangle, open discussion, and participate in respectful dialogue.
Part Two explores how women are socialized and conditioned to be the ‘Other.’ Furthermore, it focuses on how women tend to subject themselves to patriarchal standards/(in existentialist terms) in ‘Bad Faith.’
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Recommended Chapters From Part Two: Lived Experience
For Those Interested in Lived Experiences of Women
- The Childhood
- The Girl
- The Married Woman/ I will argue this extends to the ‘Girlfriend’
- The Mother
- Social Life
- The Woman and Her Situation
For Those Interested in the Woman in ‘Bad Faith’ (Existentialism)
- The Narcissist
- The Woman in Love
- Mystic
- Independent Woman
- Conclusion
Other Recommended Sources