Philosophy
Beauvoir's discussion of woman as an absolute Other leads her to consider the diverse ways women have been represented (or mythologized) by men. How did her chapter on Myths increase your awareness of your own experiences as mythologizer and mythologized.
Introduction
Beauvoir is famous for her philosophical and existentialist classification of women. In her works, womanhood and femininity are seen from different lenses – as being an agent in the society (an absolute Other) and as a subject of the society (capable of being mythologized by the mythologizer). In Beauvoir's discussion, a woman is considered an absolute Other because the main framework of all the relevant concepts pertain to that of a man. Man is the epitome of standard. Thus, conformity to the norms means conformity to the functions that are attributable to men. For things that are opposite to the characteristics of men, or those that do not conform to the standards of men, they are considered as Other. The topic of this paper is how a woman is mythologized. The paper is divided into three: Myth; Other; Personal Experiences as Mythologizer and Mythologized.
The Idea of Myth by Beauvoir The idea of myth is based on the fact that a woman is a represented being. One of the famous propositions by Beauvoir is that a woman is not born but continuously created by the society she belongs to. However, the tricky part here is that Beauvoir separates woman as a biological entity and as a social construct. In this case, a woman is born a woman in terms of her physical characteristics. On the other hand, a woman as a social construct is a creation of the society. This is a myth that Beauvoir deconstructs in her work to value the proposition that a woman is an absolute Other. In the concept of myth, it is significant to mention that difference, similarities and interrelationship between the mythologizer and the myth. Normally, the mythologizer is the dominant sector in the society. Since the discussions of
Introduction
Beauvoir is famous for her philosophical and existentialist classification of women. In her works, womanhood and femininity are seen from different lenses – as being an agent in the society (an absolute Other) and as a subject of the society (capable of being mythologized by the mythologizer). In Beauvoir's discussion, a woman is considered an absolute Other because the main framework of all the relevant concepts pertain to that of a man. Man is the epitome of standard. Thus, conformity to the norms means conformity to the functions that are attributable to men. For things that are opposite to the characteristics of men, or those that do not conform to the standards of men, they are considered as Other. The topic of this paper is how a woman is mythologized. The paper is divided into three: Myth; Other; Personal Experiences as Mythologizer and Mythologized.
The Idea of Myth by Beauvoir The idea of myth is based on the fact that a woman is a represented being. One of the famous propositions by Beauvoir is that a woman is not born but continuously created by the society she belongs to. However, the tricky part here is that Beauvoir separates woman as a biological entity and as a social construct. In this case, a woman is born a woman in terms of her physical characteristics. On the other hand, a woman as a social construct is a creation of the society. This is a myth that Beauvoir deconstructs in her work to value the proposition that a woman is an absolute Other. In the concept of myth, it is significant to mention that difference, similarities and interrelationship between the mythologizer and the myth. Normally, the mythologizer is the dominant sector in the society. Since the discussions of