France has long been known for the culÂturÂal promiÂnence it grants to its philosoÂphers. Even so, such promiÂnence doesÂn’t simÂply come to every French philosoÂpher, and some have had to work tireÂlessÂly indeed to achieve it. Take Simone de BeauÂvoir, who most powÂerÂfulÂly announced her arrival on the intelÂlecÂtuÂal scene with Le DeuxÂième Sexe and its famous decÂlaÂraÂtion, “On ne naĂ®t pas femme, on le devient.” Those words remain well known today, 36 years after their author’s death, and their impliÂcaÂtions about the nature of womÂanÂhood still form the intelÂlecÂtuÂal basis for many observers of the femÂiÂnine conÂdiÂtion, in France and elseÂwhere.
Le DeuxÂième Sexe was first pubÂlished in EngÂlish in 1953, as The SecÂond Sex. By that point de BeauÂvoir had already travÂeled extenÂsiveÂly in the UnitÂed States (and even writÂten a book, AmerÂiÂca Day by Day, about the expeÂriÂence), but her readÂerÂship in that counÂtry had only just begun to grow. An avowed femÂiÂnist, she would through the subÂseÂquent decades become a more and more oft-refÂerÂenced figÂure among AmerÂiÂcan writÂers and readÂers who sought to apply that label to themÂselves as well.
One such femÂiÂnist was the psyÂcholÂoÂgist Dorothy TenÂnov, who’s best rememÂbered for coinÂing the term limerÂence. A few years before she did that, she travÂeled to France to conÂduct an interÂview with de BeauÂvoir — and indeed “in her Paris apartÂment, proÂvidÂed the TV crew was all-female.”
Aired on pubÂlic teleÂviÂsion staÂtion WNED in 1976, this wide-rangÂing conÂverÂsaÂtion has BeauÂvoir layÂing out her views on a host of subÂjects, from aborÂtion to homoÂsexÂuÂalÂiÂty to femÂiÂnism itself. “What do you think women feel most about femÂiÂnism?” TenÂnov asks. “They are jealÂous of the women who are not just the kind of serÂvant and the slaves and objects — they are themÂselves,” de BeauÂvoir says. “They fear to feel an infĂ©riÂorÂitĂ© in regard with the women who work outÂside, and who do as they want and who are free. And maybe they are afraid of the freeÂdom which is made posÂsiÂble for them, because freeÂdom is someÂthing very preÂcious, but in a way a litÂtle fearÂful, because you don’t know exactÂly what to do with it.” Here we see one reaÂson de BeauÂvoir’s work has endured: she underÂstood that man’s fear of freeÂdom is also womÂan’s.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
An AniÂmatÂed IntroÂducÂtion to the FemÂiÂnist PhiÂlosÂoÂphy of Simone de BeauÂvoir
The MeanÂing of Life AccordÂing to Simone de BeauÂvoir
Simone de Beauvoir’s PhiÂlosÂoÂphy on FindÂing MeanÂing in Old Age
Lovers and PhilosoÂphers — Jean-Paul Sartre & Simone de BeauÂvoir TogethÂer in 1967
Simone de BeauÂvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre ShootÂing a Gun in Their First PhoÂto TogethÂer (1929)
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
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