ICE Event Review: She is Beautiful When She is Angry
On Mar. 1 the Department of Diversity Initiatives held an Inter-Curricular Enrichment “ICE” event “She is Beautiful When She is Angry: The History of the Women’s Liberation Movement”.
They showed the documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry which was released in Nov. 2014 by Director Mary Dore. In the documentary, the women who were at the forefront of the movement discussed the beginnings of the Women’s Liberation Movement and how they organized protests and demonstrations. They also gave insight into what life was like for women at the time.
Women weren’t expected to have career aspirations and their success in life was getting married. There was a constant fear of pregnancy, not being able to take care of a child financially and illegal abortions that claimed the lives of thousands of women every year. The movement brought women together through their shared experiences. It allowed them to recognize their personal experience were part of a societal issue.
When Marilyn Webb discussed being on stage announcing the movement for the first time, at an Anti-War Movement demonstration to protest the election of President Richard Nixon, I was surprised to learn the reactions of the men a part of the other social change movements.
They shouted suggestive remarks at her, told her to get off the stage, and threatened physical harm. These men worked with her and other women. They were part of other social change movements going on and women had helped with the work in those movements. It was upsetting to see the pushback they dealt with, but it really put into perspective how men viewed women. Men did not view women as people but rather as extensions of themselves. Some men still do to this day.
Another reason this is so important to look at is that the Civil Rights Movement was at its height and black women were heavily involved at the forefront of that movement as well. In addition to being oppressed for the color of their skin, they were also oppressed by men. In the movement, they established the Black Women’s Liberation committee Dec. 7. 1968.
Learning about the different sectors of the Women’s Liberation Movement was such an interesting part of the documentary. Before the documentary, I didn’t know about the Redstockings and the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (W.I.T.C.H). The Redstockings would spread information on women’s liberation. In W.I.T.C.H. they wore folding witch hats, and capes and pretended to cast a hex with plays on University slogans.
There were many different tactics used during the movement such as women burning their doctoral degrees, burning bras in freedom trash cans and protesting outside of Wall Street by catcalling men in the same manner they did women. A notable moment in the documentary was when they revealed a banner with the words “Women’s Liberation” and it was viewed nationally. It shows how much planning and organization went into the movement.
While the ICE event could’ve been more interactive by having discussions between students at different moments throughout the documentary, overall it was educational and provided insight into the Women’s Liberation Movement. It put things into perspective with how the fight for Women’s rights and liberation is never over, especially with the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022.
Students who missed the opportunity to watch the documentary at the ICE event can stream She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry on Tubi and other streaming platforms.
