http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0858091.html
This link leads to an interesting document on some of the history of feminism. The document introduces some prominent figures, such as Mary Wollstonecraft in the 18th century, as well as Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott's convention at Seneca Falls. The women's rights gained over the next years are listed, through the acquisition of women's suffrage in 1920. The document also states the achievements of the National Organization for Women & the National Women's Political Caucus. The document ends expressing the success feminism has had to make the world of today.

Girls, boys, men and women. Each of these terms is used daily to form groups, set standards, and determine a person's character. These definitions are very much linked to brain development, which is second to actual gender differences.
A boy is a young male who has not reached mental maturity. This includes young baby boys directly after birth to certain teenagers in their late teens, and in some cases their early twenties who have not learned how to exercise good judgment. Boys are generally irrational, acting on primal instincts rather than thought out choices. For boys, the urge to play is a main characteristic.
A girl is a young female who has not reached maturity. This generally applies to baby girls through teen girls. Girls tend to mature into women before boys into men, for reasons of improved mental development. Girls do not differ as much from women as boys do from men, as they do not experience such extreme urges as boys do. Girls are also generally more susceptible to teaching than the other three definitions.
A man is an elderly male who shows common sense, rational thought, and intellectual maturity. The transition into a man general occurs sometime in a male's twenties, be it early or late. Men have a sense of work, and many have the ability and thought to accomplish the necessary work. Men are less motivated by sexual instinct (though still motivated by it), and work towards settling down.
A woman is an elderly female who has reached full intellectual capability and full mental maturity. Girls may tend to become women in their early twenties. Women are full of information and seek to use this. Women are prone to socializing, and have the wish to settle down as opposed to following sexual urges. Women generally have more sense of mind than men. Thus, each term shows the importance of mental development & its role in society.

Marjane Satrapi's experience in Persepolis is largely relevant to the ideas of masculinity and femininity. Marjane is forced to grow up in an Islamic society that places women and all things feminine in a lesser category than normal human. Satrapi is forced to continually live with others telling her what to do. Being a woman, she is forced to cover any part of her that may be considered "obscene" (aka everything). Because of her femininity, she is not allowed the rights and freedoms of men - she may not use luxury items (such as lipstick) common to women while similar restrictions are not placed on men. Because Satrapi is a liberal woman, her peers look down on her for not being more appropriate. Satrapi must guard her actions, many of which she may be punished for because she is feminine, while men would not be punished for the same actions.
The idea of masculinity is also emphasized in the world around Satrapi. As Islam rises, only men are allowed to be in positions of power. Thus, a world is created where the masculine control the feminine. The change of power is what turns Satrapi's world into one where femininity becomes a greater issue.
The issues created by "masculinity" vs. "femininity" are not entirely removed when Satrapi visits countries outside of Iran. When she goes to a catholic school, Satrapi is influenced now by "nuns", feminine and chosen appropriately to deal specifically with ladies, such as Satrapi. Satrapi's depression at this point is also caused by the concept of masculinity. Though there is nothing abnormal in attraction, her attraction to Markus was a side effect of masculinity/femininity. Her world fell down because Markus was cheating on her, and thus Satrapi's unhappiness stemmed from these issues.
Even though the concepts of masculinity and femininity created more imminent troubles for Satrapi in Iran, these concepts influenced her life no matter where she went.

Gender development is an age old "tradition". As we mature, we grow apart as our identities as male or female are formed. This change can be linked to biology, and the reproduction of the genes to interact with chemical signals... But if we look at the wild, these gender relation only serves to create animal social standpoint, such as a pack of dogs & a male leader. Male and female dogs both wrestle, chase, and chase after the same ball together. For some reason the differences formed in gender development cause stronger development than for that of animals. The factor that causes this anomaly is society.
Society is everywhere around us, telling us what to do, what we are expected to do, and what people will think of what we do. All around us, in the newspapers, on TV, on the radio, on the Internet, we find stories of sexually discrimination of pride in being a man or a woman. The time when natural gender development is during one's teen years, creating a release of hormones during which one gender realizes the importance of another. Teens are also known for unstable minds (in terms of personal happiness) and are constantly looking to fit in. Teens, more than others, look online and to other sources to find out what they should do. Even in the school yard the students gossip to one another about what is acceptable and what is not.
This key point in the lives of many people is the ideal time to discover an "identity". Such an identity normally involves embracing the semi-stereotypical aspects of one's gender. Young ladies begin to act like "women", learning the necessities of shopping, fashion, and self-respect. Young men learn the important aspects of competition and indifference to others. Thus, through experiences with society, humans develop their gender & their gender "identity", more so than in nature.

I have never been too excited when I hear the term summer reading. However, Persepolis was a surprising change. When I first opened the book and saw that it was illustrated, I though that I must have bought the wrong book. As it turned out, Persepolis was one of the most enjoyable summer reading books I've ever read. Satrapi does an excellent job of narration. Though she starts a bit into the story and works backwards, the first chapter helps to set the tone: comical yet saddening stories in a serious time. The book successfully evoked emotions as I read it. Satrapi is an excellent author with a great writing ability as well as a great ability to convey her story to her audience. This was not a book I felt the urge to put down, and finished it in less than a day (a record for a summer reading book).
I personally like epic books (as long as they are memorable). With Persepolis, each chapter is interesting enough to entice the reader into reading the next chapter. The best aspect about the book, however, is the main character, Marjane. Her childhood antics help to put the turmoil in Iran into perspective (notably that of a child). As an adult, her self-respect and indifference towards the highly abnormal rules of society make her a comical character who exposes the minor details of the Iranian world. While the story ends magnificently, I would like to find out what Marjane does after she leaves Iran.
I also find that the book opens many issues of interest. First, the book blames the western countries as sources for problems in the middle east. When I hear this, I immediately disagree, but what is written in the book lessens my ability to refute it. The book also shows one mindset of the people of Iran, in which they believe that "it (political situation) will get better". This is a mindset seen around the world, and those who do not have are those that hurt others. The book also expresses some interesting parallels between the western worlds and Iran - Islamic vs. Catholic schools and a wish of young people to be in another culture. Altogether I would call this one of the most well-written and enjoyable books I have ever read.

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