Caitlin Fisher
Abstract
Despite numerous legislations in America providing equality and opportunities for women, there still remains a dissonance in the present-day in certain regions of the country. More specifically, the urban setting is defined by its landscape: large buildings, unique architecture, and formulaic divisions of housing and businesses. Similarly, femininity is also impacted by the landscape it is assessed in. Certain buildings and subdivisions of the city do not accommodate female presence. Femininity is not only a social construct, the environment plays a major role in its creation and application. Being a woman in the urban sphere connotes sexuality and deviance. Wilson asserts that being a woman in the city can be compared to that of a Sphinx in the city, which was a woman’s head on a lion’s body who would kill anyone who could not solve her riddle. This dissertation analyzes the landscapes, structures and ultimately, the forces within the city that create these concepts of femininity. Ethnographies as well interviews provide excellent insights into the self-perception of femininity and the current view of female presence in the city. Washington, DC is an eclectic city where its diversity is only outshined by its history. By further analyzing the reason for the dissonance between femininity in the city and elsewhere, we can avoid continuing to build the oppressive landscapes and connotations that shape the meaning of femininity in the future. (232 Words)
