Volume V (2022) (2015)
inherently racist, but because she is not aware of what being a Black woman means. Under the
Eurocentric view, the hypothetical presented is a relationship of the Same and the Other — oppressor
and oppressed, master and slave. Despite the differences between the two, both individuals share
clear identifiable suffering from common culturally enforced ideas and traditional representation of
the female character, which traditionally has been reduced to fulfill the purpose of reproduction and
pleasure.
Women do not share the same exclusion from political and intellectual life as they did in the
past; however, the current conditions are not perfect. Topics like the desire and freedom of emotional
and sexual choice of women are still being debated. Often it is presumed that a woman who enjoys
her sexuality is not suited to be a mother or professional because she is pursuing her desire; her
intellect and capabilities as an individual are questioned based on her sexuality and emotional
desires. Why does this occur? According to Braidotti, misogyny is not an irrational act of woman- hating but a structural necessity to perpetuate the male identity and uphold it as the ideal model. 9
This necessity to perpetuate the fixed roles of the male and female characters is a consequence of
the normative moral view. In “ The Subject in Feminism, ” Braidotti claims,
The classical misogynist argument - a very persistent trend in our culture - passes off this difference meant as inferiority as a natural trait. For the misogynist, biology or anatomy is destiny, and the female body, considered unique in its reproductive capacity, is seen as inferior to men in all other respects. 10
Braidotti’s take on the classical misogynist argument is the perfect example of how pre - built
concepts prevail in history. These arguments may take different forms through time; however, they
hold the same essence. As a result, feminist theory has evolved to defend women from these
arguments. First-wave feminism was concerned with eradicating the classical view of women being mentally inferior to men. 11 It was a feminist movement concerned with placing women within
politics and public life. Then, the second-wave was introduced. Second-wave feminism expands the
analysis of its precedents; it was a feminist movement concerned with what means to be a woman.
During these times, feminists like Simone de Beauvoir argued that women, the Other , had a role of upholding men, the Same. 12 The power dynamic of male and female characters that Beauvoir
9 Rosi Braidotti, “The Subject in Feminism,” 158. 10 Braidotti, “The Subject in Feminism,” 158. 11 Braidotti, “The Subject in Feminism,” 158. 12 Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex: Woman as Other , trans. H.M. Parshley, (New York: Penguin, 1972).
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