1960s Quote by Carolee Schneemann
“My teachers always said, "You're very talented, but don't set your heart on art. You're only a girl." I was inspired by Virginia Woolf in 1960, but they wouldn't let me write about her. They said she was a trivializer. I also wanted to do a paper on Simone de Beauvoir, and my philosophy teacher said, "Why would you write about the mistress? Write about the master." That was Sartre.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Gender bias in academia, 2022
The speaker faced gendered discouragement, being told to avoid art and to focus on male perspectives, revealing systemic sexism.
In simple terms: She was told her talent was limited by gender.
Key Takeaway
Challenge gender stereotypes in education.
Themes
gender bias
art
education
sexism
Mood
critical
determined
Type
personal
social.
When to use this quote
- academic mentorship
- artistic pursuits
- career advice
- literary studies
Key Concepts
systemic discrimination
female empowerment
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you confront gender bias in your field?
- What steps can institutions take to support women artists?
A Different Perspective
Some may argue meritocracy exists despite bias.
![“[ From a New York Times biography from May 27, 2010 entitled Introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's 'The Second Sex' ] Beauvoir herself was as devout an atheist as she had once been a Catholic, and she dismisses religions — even when they worship a goddess — as the inventions of men to perpetuate…” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2a8/simone-de-beauvoir-407_atheism_from-a-new-york-times-biography-from-may_955735.jpg)
![“Thrown into the atmosphere of action [in 1954], I suddenly understood the kind of neurosis that dominated all my previous work. I had not been able to recognize it before: I was inside. Simone de Beauvoir had guessed these reasons before I did.” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/045/jean-paul-sartre-220_able_thrown-into-the-atmosphere-of-action-in_423265.jpg)
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)
![“[In the 1960s]...you could take LSD but you couldn't wear a pantsuit.” quote by Betsey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/29a/betsey-johnson-11907_1960s_in-the-1960s-you-could-take-lsd-but-you_14174.jpg)
