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When one begins to think about it, America depends rather heavily on women's passive dependence, their femininity. Femininity, if one still wants to call it that, makes American women a target and a victim of the sexual sell.
Betty Friedan
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote critiques the societal expectations placed on women and how those expectations contribute to their objectification.

Betty Friedan's quote highlights the deep-rooted issues of femininity and passive dependence that American women face, suggesting that these societal constructs render them vulnerable to exploitation. By acknowledging the complexities tied to femininity, Friedan calls attention to how these societal norms perpetuate objectification and hinder women's autonomy.

Themes

FemininityDependenceSexualityObjectificationWomenSociety

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a discussion about gender roles in a classroom setting.

More from Betty Friedan

Over and over again, stories in women's magazines insist that women can know fulfillment only at the moment of giving birth to a child. They deny the years when she can no longer look forward to giving birth, even if she repeats the act over and over again. In the feminine mystique, there is no other way for a woman to dream of creation or of the future. There is no other way she can even dream about herself, except as her children's mother, her husband's wife.
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It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if you have never faced it before. It is frightening when a woman finally realizes that there is no answer to the question 'who am I' except the voice inside herself.
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Who knows what women can be when they are finally free to become themselves?
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Quote by Betty Friedan | QuoteProject