Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir ;
9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986
was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist.
Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she considered one at the time of her death, she had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory.
Beauvoir wrote novels, essays, biographies, autobiographies, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and social issues. She was best known for her "trailblazing work in feminist philosophy"
Beauvoir maintains the existentialist belief in absolute freedom of choice and the consequent responsibility that such freedom entails, by emphasizing that one's projects must spring from individual spontaneity and not from an external institution, authority, or person.
Beauvoir's novels were often criticised for having female characters who did not live up to her feminist ideals. But after cataloguing stifling stereotypes of femininity, Beauvoir did not want to furnish new galleries with oppressive mythical portraits.
Though she spent most of her life claiming she was not a feminist because she believed the label was antithetical to her socialist beliefs, Beauvoir's theories had a profound impact on feminist thought.
She is best known for her groundbreaking ideas surrounding feminism; her book, The Second Sex, is said to mark the beginning of second wave feminism across the globe. In her book, Beauvoir argues that throughout history, women have become classified as the Other, which has allowed women to remain oppressed.
Despite a hugely influential career as a writer, philosopher, and the founder of modern feminism, Simone de Beauvoir stated that her relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre was “the one undoubted success” in her life.
Instead of describing our predicament as "absurd," de Beauvoir prefers "ambiguous": We are a biological organism in the world, yet we're also free consciousness transcending the given situation.
Sartre places primary importance on the individual existing as an individual, whereas, Beauvoir stresses the importance of the individual existing in a unified way as both an individual and as a member of the aggregate.
