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From: helen@zen.co.uk (Helen Grayson)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Citations of the Word "Feminism"
Message-ID: <2038@zen.co.uk>
Date: 10 Nov 89 11:58:48 GMT
References: <47469@bbn.COM> <1329@uvaarpa.virginia.edu> <28959@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <60622@aerospace.AERO.ORG>
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In article <60622@aerospace.AERO.ORG> nadel@aerospace.aero.org (Miriam H. Nadel) writes:
>
>I am almost positive that the word "feminism" was in use well before 1970.
>The earliest written work considered "feminist" is Mary Wollstonecraft's
>_A Vindication of the Rights of Women_, which was published in the 18th
>century.  [Yes, she also wrote _A Vindication of the Rights of Men_, for those
>who think feminism has nothing to do with men's rights].  I'll have
>to look back to see if she ever used the word "feminist" but I'm fairly
>sure it was in use by the late 19th century.

I've read _Vindication of the Rights of Woman_ (twice!) and I'm pretty
sure that Wollstonecraft never used the word `feminism'.

[I went back and checked.  She didn't.  But two other people have cited the
OED as a reference for usage around the end of the 19th century.  - MHN]

Btw, some of the points she makes (if you can find them in the verbiage)
are still very relevant (and some, alas, unresolved), particularly
the complaint that women are expected to be beautiful and decorative,
and then get slagged off for spending all their time fixing their hair
and talking about clothes.

Helen.