- emerged in the 1960s, continued onto 1980s - focused on legal, economic and social rights for women such as unequal pay, employment discrimination, abortion and contraception rights

- the approach used by 2nd wave feminists was focused on unification and collective character of the problems that women were facing - large-scale protests, demostration, rasing-awareness groups (ex. Woman's Liberation Movement in US)

- criticism : the main critique on the 2nd wave feminist movement is its lack of inclusivity and exclusion of the experiences represented by women of other race, class or sexual orientation than white, middle-class and heterosexual

 Second Wave
Feminism

- emerged in the 1990s and continues till this day - focused on issues of intersectionality; foregrounds personal narratives that illustrate diverse and multiperspectival versions of feminism

- the approach used by 3rd wave feminists is decentralized with focus on individuality and self-empowerment, it takes into account factors such as race, class or sexuality; social media play an important role by allowing for previously marginalized voices to be heard

- criticism : the 3rd wave feminist movement is often accused of being too fragmented and lacking a clear goal, some critics also argue that this decentralized form resulted in depoliticization of feminism and shifted it towards superficial activism

 Third Wave
Feminism

Niki de Saint Phalle's art can be related to both the second and third wave feminism. She mainly was active as an artist in the post-war period when the 2nd wave movement was most prominent. Though not free from criticism, her artwork still resonates with the current generation.

One of the examples that alignes with the goals of 3rd wave feminism exceptionally well (particularly the body positivity movement) can be her "Nanas" sculpcures - these were created as a celebration of women's bodies and self-empowerment.

Saint Phalle challenged the traditional, coventional representations of women and put emphasis on their liberation from rigid societal norms.

 Saint Phalle's art in light of these movements