Review: 'The Independent Woman: Extracts from The Second Sex' by Simone de Beauvoir

As a modern Feminist, I think it is important to frequently revisit the classics of feminist writing. Not only do they prove themselves to be relevant (Hey The Handmaid's Tale!) but they also demonstrate the way feminist thinking has developed over time. Sometimes these older books can give insight into current struggles, or show that we have lost ourselves in defintiions rather than searching for freedom. So I found myself reading The Independent Woman, in the run-up to sitting down for the entirety of The Second Sex. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday, Vintage, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Pub. Date: 11/6/2018
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday; Vintage

“Like man, woman is a human being.”
 
When The Second Sex was first published in Paris in 1949—groundbreaking, risqué, brilliantly written and strikingly modern—it provoked both outrage and inspiration. The Independent Woman contains three key chapters of Beauvoir’s masterwork, which illuminate the feminine condition and identify practical social reforms for gender equality. It captures the essence of the spirited manifesto that switched on light bulbs in the heads of a generation of women and continues to exert profound influence on feminists today.

What amazed me most about The Independent Woman was the way in which de Beauvoir beautifully summarised the way the "independent" woman is consistently torn between different ideals. This was so recognisable to me. I would call myself an independent Feminist woman, in the sense that I intend to make my own way financially through education and work. I think this is true for most women today, and even women who are stay-at-home moms are independent in many ways. Yet I consistently find myself torn between my different selves, between my desire to be as "worthy" and comfortable as my male counterparts in my chosen field. I give my opinions loudly and decisively and yet I always wonder whether I wasn't too much, or if I should have said more, or if I should have waited. I am also torn by this ideal of femininity, of a clean house, a cake in the oven, a beautiful home-cooked meal, of a certain look which I have never nailed down. de Beauvoir describes this in clear and to-the-point language that is almost a little hurtful at times. I do give in to certain patriarchal ideas because it does make my life easier. And I chafe against the restrictions it places upon my freedom, of myself as the main subject of my life. The fact that this internal battle is a recognisable one is, in a way, a major relief. But it also fills me with sadness that 70 years after The Second Sex this is still an issue. Revisiting texts like these, however, gives me a vocabulary to explain my ideas, to understand where some of the impulses come from, and in many ways that is a first step to resolving this issue.

Something I found very interesting is that in the first few pages de Beauvoir skewers the idea of "femininity". A lot of recent debates around Trans Rights concern themselves about this idea that femininity or the "female experience" are innate things to "born" women. Here are two quotes.

'So not every female human being is necessarily a woman; she must take part in this mysterious and endangered reality known as femininity.' - 'Introduction'
'it must be repeated again that within the human collectivity nothing is natural, and woman, among others, is a product developed by civilization' - 'Conclusion'

Society shapes what we consider to be female and femininity becomes a tool, a currency, with which women can present themselves. If one does not subscribe to what is considered feminine, many won't see you as a full woman. Nowadays wearing trousers does not set you apart as not feminine. But not having children, for example, and even not wearing make-up, can still differentiate you. There is, in short, no such thing as femininity. It is a set of unspoken rules and behaviours, exteriors and modulations, which then make you socially reconisable as fitting the category "woman". This is not something I want to use as a benchmark to allow someone into the circle of womanhood. If we take the above-describes struggle of woman, the interior battle between desire for freedom and desire for conformity and safety, as defining of women I would argue that Trans women have every right to join our cause and our spaces. They engage with femininity in the same way, are equally punished for meeting or failing its standards, and are equally limited in their chances. I will definitely be reading more into this,, but I found it very illuminating that this argument that femininity is a construct, that "what makes you a woman" is not innate, that "female essence" is nonsense, has been formulated for years.

The Independent Woman is made up of three key chapters of The Second Sex. There is book's Introduction, Chapter 14 ('The Independent Woman'), and the book's Conclusion. It is a little hard to give definitive thoughts on something that is an extract, that is a part of a major argumentation. While these three chapters are cohesive, in the sense that they build towards an argument, there is also clearly information around it that is hinted at but not discussed. As such, The Independent Woman does a great job at getting me interested in reading The Second Sex. But it also leaves me with something slightly incomplete. These chapters are filled with references to the rest of the text, but also to relevant philosophy and writing. This can potentially be a little scary to readers not well-versed in philosophy, religion, sociology, etc., but the text does make sense if one reads through it without picking up on every hint. At the heart of these chapters is her hope for women to become the Subject of their own lives, rather than the Object to be viewed, used, and set aside. It is this which impressed itself most upon me and which I will try to keep in mind moving forward.

de Beauvoir is a force of a writer. She is clearly building a case and you can't help but be swept up in her writing. As I said above, I recognised a lot of the struggles she laid out, but there is also a bite to her argument. She does posit women as partially complicit in their own oppression, while also admitting that we sometimes can't help but be so. Woman is in an impossible position where she needs to separate herself from the institution that also provides her with safety. Rejecting the role patriarchy gives you means you have to find a role for yourself, craft it, work at it, and sadly also suffer for it. It is not easy to be fully independent and therefore we do all fall back into old patterns. A lot of what de Beauvoir describes is still very recognisable and while some things have gotten better I would argue others have gotten worse. The way Feminism has been commercialised and been made into a product to buy and advertise has done a major disservice to the cause, I think. But there is a general trend of improvement. Women do have more access to education and work, which is the first step towards becoming fully the Subject of your own life. I am so grateful that publishers continue to make works like these available, especially in bite-sizes pieces which perhaps make these otherwise intimidating works a little more approachable.

I give this book...

5 Universes!

The Independent Woman is a great excerpt from de Beauvoir's The Second Sex. At under 100 pages it is a lot more approachable than the almost 800 of the main text. The selected chapters are very cohesive and make for a convincing read.