Here, I would like to bring up 'identity' in the sense of identity/relationships within those of the same gender. Simone de Beauvoir wrote in The Second Sex that women don't say 'we.' For her, the lack of a unified feminist front was a unique situation in comparison to other oppressed groups. She states that women don't have any type of separate history, nor a culture specific to themselves, nor a language of their own, nor a community structure that would allow for a unified spirit to be fostered. Others, though, could easily chalk up said situation to 'natural female competitiveness.' It's debatable as to whether such 'competition' between females exists as a biological preset, but I've certainly seen it in action. This being something I have come across myself, it's actually difficult for me to draw the line between where the 'natural' desire of impressing a mate ends and where a competitive culture's conditioning begins. Any thoughts, fellow bloggers, on the state of said competitiveness between women?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Identity: Competition?
The idea has been brought up within this blog that even though biological distinctions exist, they don't necessarily pre-determine someone's preferences nor personality.
Here, I would like to bring up 'identity' in the sense of identity/relationships within those of the same gender. Simone de Beauvoir wrote in The Second Sex that women don't say 'we.' For her, the lack of a unified feminist front was a unique situation in comparison to other oppressed groups. She states that women don't have any type of separate history, nor a culture specific to themselves, nor a language of their own, nor a community structure that would allow for a unified spirit to be fostered. Others, though, could easily chalk up said situation to 'natural female competitiveness.' It's debatable as to whether such 'competition' between females exists as a biological preset, but I've certainly seen it in action. This being something I have come across myself, it's actually difficult for me to draw the line between where the 'natural' desire of impressing a mate ends and where a competitive culture's conditioning begins. Any thoughts, fellow bloggers, on the state of said competitiveness between women?
Here, I would like to bring up 'identity' in the sense of identity/relationships within those of the same gender. Simone de Beauvoir wrote in The Second Sex that women don't say 'we.' For her, the lack of a unified feminist front was a unique situation in comparison to other oppressed groups. She states that women don't have any type of separate history, nor a culture specific to themselves, nor a language of their own, nor a community structure that would allow for a unified spirit to be fostered. Others, though, could easily chalk up said situation to 'natural female competitiveness.' It's debatable as to whether such 'competition' between females exists as a biological preset, but I've certainly seen it in action. This being something I have come across myself, it's actually difficult for me to draw the line between where the 'natural' desire of impressing a mate ends and where a competitive culture's conditioning begins. Any thoughts, fellow bloggers, on the state of said competitiveness between women?
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