A feminist sociologist will be speaking about the extent of her research as well as the misconceptions and stereotypes of feminism Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Kelly Alumni and Visitors Center .

Karen Steele, the women’s studies program director , said speaker Monica Casper will intertwine the responsibilities, obstacles and experiences of being a woman, mother and feminist in her speech, “Body Politics: Private Talks of a Public Feminist.”

Casper’s research as a feminist sociologist goes hand-in-hand with the university’s focus on sustainability, including subjects such as environmental health and justice, bioethics, and public health aspects of security and war, Steele said.

“Dr. Casper’s talk promises to be bold, inspiring, and relevant for many TCU students who wonder how or why one would make the journey to feminist activism,” Steele said.

The Women’s Studies program and the Women’s Network are co-sponsoring the event.

Megan O’Brien, head of the Women’s Network, said this event is the first for the recently revived network, which had been dormant since the fall 2007.

O’Brien is in the process of recruiting more students to join the network, which will meet to discuss women’s issues and rights, such as health issues, pay equity and sexism in the arts and other predominately male industries, she said.

O’Brien said she hopes this talk will encourage other young women to join the network and not be discouraged of becoming a feminist.

“We want to reach young college women who, even though they believe women should be equal, will still say ‘but I’m
not a feminist,'” O’Brien said. “People assume that a feminist is a lesbian and hates men and doesn’t shave her legs, which is not true. The talk will focus on debunking the feminist stereotype . and where to go from there.”

Casper could not be reached for comment.