Molly Tumanic

Two UW-Eau Claire students are seeking to eradicate a stereotype of feminists that they say is grossly inaccurate: that of the man-hating bra-burner.

Sophomore Katie Bowman and senior Jess Henry are co-presidents of the College Feminists, a student organization that lauds the ideals of modern, or Third Wave, feminism.

“Third Wave feminism is an inclusive movement,” Bowman said. “It is about working away from the separation of the sexes and toward gender equity.”

Bowman and Henry were drawn to feminism at different points in their lives. Both were selected to fill vacant executive positions of College Feminists by Patti See, the organization’s adviser and instructor of various Women’s Studies courses.

See said when Bowman and Henry were both in her Third Wave Feminism class during the summer of 2003, they made an impression on her.

“They were so bright and vocal about the readings and films that I thought they’d be wonderful spokespersons for the College Feminists,” she said.

Henry said she has been a feminist her entire life, but became more involved after taking Psychology of Women with assistant professor of psychology Lori Bica.

“For once I wasn’t learning about white male history,” she said. “I was actually learning about things that pertained to me and my life.”

Henry said she came from a home where housework was divided equally amongst her mother, father and their five children. This, she said, attributed to her understanding of gender equity.

Henry, who is from Oakdale, Minn., a suburb of St. Paul, said when she was younger she played a lot of ball with her father and the neighborhood kids.

She often heard someone say she could not do something because she was a girl.

Her interest in things other than Barbie dolls earned her the title “tomboy” at an early age.

Building on that title, Henry and her female friends started a “Tomboy Club,” where the girls played various sports together, she said.

“Girls would show up for tryouts,” she said.

Laughing, Henry said she recalled one characteristic of the organization.

“We had a cheer,” she said.

In retrospect, Henry sees the club as an early example of feminism, she said.

Bowman also has been interested in feminist ideals throughout most of her life.

“I knew I wanted to be making my own choices,” she said. “I didn’t want to be in the typical roles.”

Her interest in feminism materialized completely when she took an English class at Eau Claire Memorial High School.

“My teacher must have been a feminist,” she said, in regard to the books her class read. A few key book titles were “Jane Eyre” and “The Awakening,” she said.

Once she attended college, Bowman found herself taking a variety of women’s studies courses.

In fact, she took so many that she decided to minor in the field of study, she said.

By the time she took See’s class her role as a leader in the College Feminists was inevitable: she considered herself a full-on feminist.

Despite Bowman’s disinterest in traditional gender roles for women, her own family is traditional.

“My mom stays at home and my dad works,” she said. “My mom was a nurse, then became a house mother after she decided she wanted kids.”

Earlier waves of feminism would shun such a decision, but Third Wave has a lot more flexibility, Bowman said.

She said her mother chose the role she has and is happy doing it.

“Third Wave grants the opportunity for women to stay home if they choose it,” she said.

Associate Professor and Women’s Studies Program Coordinator Susan Turell also recognized the spirit and leadership in Bowman and Henry, and said modern feminists are concerned with gender equity, not gender equality.

“We want equal status (for women),” she said. “Not for men and women to be the same.”

Feminism is not about women oppressing men, Turell said.

“(Feminism) teaches us to respect all people and find all people of equal value and worth, across gender, ethnicity, class status, sexual orientation and ability,” she said.

Bowman said Third Wave feminism also applies to young women who wear practically nothing to house parties.

If they choose to dress that way and are being true to themselves, Third Wave allows it, she said.

Henry said that College Feminists is still seen as a women’s organization and that the only man to attend the first meeting of fall semester was forced by his girlfriend to attend.

One of Henry’s male friends was surprised to learn that she was involved with the organization, she said.

“He asked me ‘What do you guys do, sit around and hate men?’ ” she said.

Henry gave him a pamphlet in response.

Henry does not get upset in these situations, she said.

Her alternative to is to explain to dissenters her point-of-view.

Senior Matt Flaten has taken a Women’s Studies course.

“I think that everyone is pretty much a feminist today,” he said, “even if they don’t think they are.”

To Flaten, feminism is simple.

“If you support the idea that women should have equal rights as men, then you are a feminist in my book,” he said.

Flaten said a few of the readings in his Third Wave Feminism class were very critical of men, but he did not find any personally offensive.

“It forced me to think about how my actions or the words that I say have an impact on other people,” he said.

Despite what many people think, feminism is still necessary in our contemporary era, Bowman said.

Turell agreed.

She said that one major example of gender inequity that still exists today is that women get paid about 75 cents for every dollar that a man earns.

Bowman said she and Henry look forward to making a difference.

In terms of gender equity, she said, there is a long road ahead.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said.