Daughters of de Beauvoir

 Word Count: 307

From Daughters of de Beauvoir

This documentary accurately defines why the editor of “The Norton Book of Women’s Lives”  included Simone de Beauvoir in the collection. Simone was a very inspirational woman who accomplished many things in her life. Her influence was greatly established in France, especially among women where she was their first exposure to a relatable narrative in the perspective of a real woman, discussing real topics, experiences and feelings. 

Simone was a woman, who did not fall into the expectations of society or her parents. Simone never got married and never had kids, her life did not revolve around the home, it revolved around her studies, which was relatively abnormal during this time. Simone remained committed to her own work and maintained a sense of integrity without giving up life as a woman. Many women saw her as an important role model in their lives. Since she wrote so many books about all different aspects and times of her life, many different types of women were able to relate to different real things they felt or experienced and in turn they took her life advice. Simone’s writing still allowed for questions and debates however and when presented with another opinion, listened and considered it. 

She was admirable simply because women needed a real life picture of what someone was doing out in the real world. She was some of the first exposure to the discussions on the reality of women other than simply the sexual pleasure of women. Simone presented many ideas that allowed women to free themselves from the bondage they felt. For example, she said that women’s connections to the outside world were through the men in their lives because their whole reality is based on their home. But defining these realities and experiences inspired women to go outside of their comfort zone and pursue more education.