Existentialism and The Second Sex

Although I missed class on Tuesday afternoon, I shall attempt to discuss existentialism as I understand it (from the mini catch-up-lecture and readings). I found this website particularly helpful (there are also some pretty cool diagrams which you should all look at, and when I say cool I mean stick-figure, flow-chart cool)

In reading JED's post regarding the de Bauvoir and Camus excerpts, I found myself disagree with his assertion that neither were "really existentialist."

I came to class on Wednesday psyched to talk about the de Bauvoir stuff, and when I heard the word "existentialism" I instantly became confused, whether from not really knowing what "existentialism" meant or because I saw no conceivable connection between the topic and The Second Sex. On further thought, I have reconciled the two in the following manner.

Focusing on the tenet that "Existence precedes essence," which we broke down in class as "You are what you do." Although we exist, we "construct our nature or our essence through our actions" (source). In terms of de Bauvoir: women exist. They define themselves by their attachment to men, or rather, the dominating male defines the female. Women "do" nothing, actively that is. All they have won in their struggle for equality is not really won at all. Rather, it has been given to them by men and women accept that as enough. Until women actively organize and take their due rights, they will not have constructed their nature or essence.