De Beauvoir and the Impact of Her Philosophy by Kiara

De Beauvoir and the Impact of Her Philosophy by Kiara - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

I was intrigued by how complex philosophy could be, but being in my political philosophy class widened my critical thinking to various contexts and perspectives I couldn’t have imagined before. In my class Freedom and Empowerment, I read authors such as Max Weber, Simone De Beauvoir, and Micheal Foucault who changed my outlook on autonomy and the current systems in place.
One author in particular who significantly impacted me was Simone De Beauvoir. When reading De Beauvoir, I couldn’t initially comprehend the ideology of the Eternal Feminine. De Beauvoir elucidated how women have been subjugated in society because their well-being was essentialized or limited by Men. According to De Beauvoir, Men were allowed to be freethinkers through innovation, while women were confined to gender roles and stereotypes. Simultaneously, she stated that we should live as existentialists, meaning we have free agency and nothing is hindering or defining us. Learning this, I wondered, how can we have total control over ourselves but still be subjected to oppressive forces? How can women not allow patriarchal systems to define our place in society? I soon came to realize that De Beauvoir urges us to fulfill our potential the best we can. If we have more privilege, we must take advantage of it. We cannot control our environment, but we can dictate how we utilize the power we already possess. Her ideas challenged me to think critically about life’s obstacles.
As a Black woman, it’s fathomable to recognize the racial and social hierarchies that benefit the one percent. Ambiguously, I must not let these hierarchies prevent me from seizing opportunities and working towards the life I want. Since this class, I have been inspired to continue working endlessly to achieve my goals despite my socioeconomic status.