Final answer:
Radical feminism originated from the broader feminist movement in the late 18th and 19th centuries and became prominent during the second-wave of feminism in the 1960s. It included a focus on lesbian rights, racial and sexual equality, and hosted events like protests at the Miss America Pageant to challenge societal norms and the oppression of women.
Step-by-step explanation:
Origins and Aspects of Radical Feminism
Radical feminism originated as part of the wider feminist movement that emerged in the late 18th and 19th centuries, with key figures such as Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill in England, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the United States. The movement gained prominence during the second-wave of feminism in the 1960s and flourished throughout the 1970s, which saw a newfound focus on social structures and the power dynamics that perpetuated gender inequalities.
One significant aspect of radical feminism was the inclusion of lesbian rights and liberation. This came to the forefront when, in 1970, the Lesbian Feminist Movement shined at the second Congress to Unite Women, where the Radicalesbians, among others, advocated for a discourse on lesbianism within the feminist movement, combating earlier hostilities. This shift in the movement encompassed broader issues of racial and sexual equality, highlighted by protests like those at the Miss America Pageant in 1968, which criticized the pageant’s racial exclusion policies and the commodification of women’s bodies.
Radical feminists also engaged in consciousness-raising events and symbolic actions aimed at challenging and transforming societal norms around femininity and gender roles. These events often served as powerful tools to bring awareness to the exploitation and marginalization of women, and to promote changes in both law and public perception towards women's rights and liberation.