What is Ecofeminism?

The image above shows a tree trunk in the form of a woman symbolizing mother nature. What I perceived from this image was submissiveness because the woman is looking down and does not look too happy; she looks sad and subjugated. Ecofeminism is a feminist and environmental theory that brings these two together because “ecofeminism asserts that all forms of oppression are connected and that structures of oppression must be addressed in their totality. Oppression of the natural world and of women by patriarchal power structures must be examined together or neither can be confronted fully” (Hobgood-Oster). As we know, women have been controlled by men since the beginning of time, and although there have been some changes, we still live under patriarchal domination. Similarly, nature has been controlled and damaged by men, and it relates to feminism because for example, the term mother nature, is a feminine term that automatically ties nature to women. Why is this? Well, women are always expected to be beautiful and delicate, and nature is beautiful and delicate, so we relate nature back to women because if it was defined in a masculine way, then people would think of nature as strong and powerful and this takes away from the beauty because men are not associated with beauty.

According to Hobgood-Oster, ecofeminism became the theory of feminism and environmentalism in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Some people say that ecofeminism is a third wave of feminism, while others say that it’s more ecological than feminist. The truth is that ecofeminism addresses both issues, and ecofeminist theorists say that one issue cannot be addressed without addressing the other because they go hand in hand with each other. Ecofeminism does not challenge individuals, it challenges social structures that allow the domination of women and nature. Basically, ecofeminism is worried about dismantling patriarchal divides like male/female, mind/body, culture/nature, human/animal, spirit/matter, heaven/earth, and white/non/white. These divides come from patriarchy and divide humanity against itself.

Karen Warren identifies eight connections between women and nature, and one of the connections that interested me the most was the symbolic connection. Warren says that many times women are described in animal terms like bitches, pussycats, and serpents. This is supposed to reflect women’s inferiority and the feminizing of nature. Nature is also described in sexual terms like raped, mastered, conquered, and mined. These terms reflect the patriarchal domination of nature. An example of a symbolic connection between women and nature is when a man gives a woman flowers. Flowers are associated with femininity and are never given to men.

2 thoughts on “What is Ecofeminism?

  1. Hi Natalia,

    I really like your analogy about women, and nature being delicate. Also I agree with the concept that if nature were referred to in a masculine way it would be considered “powerful” and as such the we may all relate to and think of nature in a much different way. Would we rape, master, and conquer lands if it were called “father earth”. ? I honestly don’t believe we would.

    I also really like the picture you chose to use. It really does appear as though she looks sad and that perhaps she has been used in a negative way. It’s sad when you stop and think about the connection between how nature is abused and how closely it is related to the image of women.

  2. Natalia, you have brought up some super insightful points. I 100% see where you are coming from when you say that the woman in the image does not look very happy to be where she is, how she looks submissive and sad. I think that so many times, women are thought to be like “mother nature” and be nurturing by going through the process (of what can be painful, traumatic, and often dangerous) of pregnancy and childbirth, breast feeding, and staying home to take care of the children. And if a woman decides not to do this, she is shamed and called selfish and is apparently not ‘doing her duty as a woman.’ The truth is that women are supposed to be much more than mothers. We are mothers to OURSELVES first and we should never feel bad for doing whatever the heck we want – and if this means having kids and staying home, great; if this means not having kids and focusing on ourselves and our relationships, great.

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