The Struggles Of Mother Nature

Women and the environment that we live in have faced oppression for centuries now. Even though the oppression may not seem as harsh as it once was, it is still prevalent. Ecofeminism looks into the causes and potential solutions of this oppression. It shows that the oppression of women and nature is caused mainly due to the patriarchal society we live in. Our beautiful Earth and the nature it is made of is dominated by males. Just as women are often treated unfairly and are seen as inferior to men. Ecofeminism was developed back in the 1970s to fight back against the patriarchal society. To try to create some equality for women and nature. The ecofeminist movements have grown stronger and the activists have become more confident now that there is more data to prove their beliefs. It helps to show the clear connections between women and nature. I chose this image for my blog post because it truly moved me and I thought it would be very relevant for this week’s readings.  I believe the woman’s face can symbolize the beauty of nature which can relate to ecology. The manly hand holding the gun can represent the oppression both women and nature face. The patriarchal structures in our world are making women seem as the inferior sex. I also believe this photo can be related to feminist philosopher Karen Warrens connections between women and nature, more specifically her fourth connection- symbolic connections. Symbols of women are common in many different aspects of life. I believe the womanly face in this photo is a symbol of something everyone will know- mother nature. In Warrens fourth connection she even mentions Mother Nature as well. There are also many other symbols used for woman as well such as goddesses. Some other connections Warrens makes are regarding language used to describe women and nature. This language can clearly be seen as sexist. Such as referring to women as pigs, birds, cows or “bitches.” These words are clearly very offensive. Nature can also be described in feminine terms as well. I believe the goal of trying to destroy this offensive language is a very important step for women and nature to be more liberated. Women specifically mothers are not to be very nurturing creatures. Women are known for being very caring especially towards our environment. The abusive powers we see used in our patriarchal system can become quite debilitating. Ecofeminists are trying to confront these issues to make a positive difference in this world. I believe that humanity will continue to be divided until women and nature are no longer seen as inferior. Ecofeminists views are very open minded and support diversity and equality in society. Many people do not realize that there is still substantial inequality in our world today, especially males. A lot of people do not care about the problems in our world if they are not directly affected them, which I believe is part of the problem. Luckily there is still time to make positive change to help ensure the protection of women as well as our Earth.

2 Replies to “The Struggles Of Mother Nature”

  1. Hi Allie!

    When reading your blog, I felt as if you were describing ecofeminism in your own words and it made it much easier to understand when compared to standard definitions from papers and online definitions. The information you found lined up perfectly with what Hobgood Oster would say, just in your words. Your photo describing ecofeminism really opens my eyes to women and nature being inferior and receiving oppression. The oppression is represented by the gun-set to harm or belittle someone, in this case, women. The hand holding the gun looks to clearly be that of a man who serves as superior to women and in control of the oppression, she is facing. I enjoyed reading your connections with symbols to women and nature and connecting those to the words of Warren. I do believe that in the photo you found, the connection to mother nature can be seen. The woman is covered in plants and full of life and nature and beauty; some ways we can describe mother nature. I wanted to point out how you mentioned ecofeminists wanting to confront issues to make the world more positive and their acceptance for all. I think people mistake ecofeminists for people who are crazy or people who are tree huggers. These people just think negatively about feminists as well as those who care for our environment and do not want to see it die in front of our eyes. The way you described ecofeminists should put those negative people to shame and show them that ecofeminists are normal people with a passion for positive and equal treatment towards women as well as the environment. I mean after all; those negative people live in this world too. They should want to see real change. I really enjoyed reading your blog and feel as if you hit everything right on the target.

  2. This first thing I noticed about your blog is your picture. This image alone is a perfectly beautiful symbolism of what ecofeminism is. When I saw this image, it made me think of the way in which has been associated with women for centuries, hence the term “mother nature.” I never really looked at the correlation between the feminization of oppressed species, but this image illustrates just that. Although my interpretation of the image was slightly different from yours, I like how you stated the image showed the beauty of nature. I feel like people can notice the beauty which moments in nature hold (sunset, stars, sunrise), but they fail to acknowledge natures beauty as a whole. I like the facts that you brought up the association between women and animals and the way in which animal names are used as derogatory terms towards women. When you started talking about the way in which women are normally associated with being caring, I thought about the double standard which comes along with this caring aspect of women. Women are associated with nature because of the supposed gentle qualities, and yet they are negatively associated with animals (below humans in the food chain). I really enjoyed your blog, it opens up the idea of the different correlations between women and nature, as well as, the destruction caused by our patriarchal society.

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