Do clothes provoke rape?

This was a discussion my family and friends after hearing about rape incidents happening in India. An incident that made the headlines for a long time was the Delhi Gang Rape. A shameful incident that happened around December 2012, when a girl was coming back with her fiance from watching a movie when 6 men, including the driver raped the girl and brutally beat her fiance. The victim died 13 days after the incident due to the physical and mental injuries. It was a shameful incident that India is still facing till now, not only because of the incident, but also why the men decided to rape her. When they were asked "why?", they simply responded with the clothes were too short and that's what provoked them. After this, most of the public rose against idea that clothing has nothing to do with it, but there were still few people who decided to agree with the fact that women need to think about what they wear.
     

I was ashamed at the incident as well as the people who thought that clothes leads to rape. In my opinion, its not the clothing, but the rapist's mind that leads to rape. However, I have always seen many people trying to blame the victim in India. If the victim admits about being raped, the family either stops her from complaining or when she goes to complain people tend to ask about what she was wearing and try to convince her not to complain her. I hope Indian and other countries stop blaming the victim and people stop thinking that the types of clothes lead to rape. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/tavi_gevinson_a_teen_just_trying_to_figure_it_out.html

Above is a TedTalk about a teenager who discusses her thoughts on the lack of dynamic female protagonists in pop culture.  She talks about how when she was younger she noticed how female characters on shows were one dimensional in that they would have one hobby or talent and be really good at it, but nothing else. For instance, cat women, who is a superhero that plays up her sexuality and rarely speaks in the movies/comics. But in reality, women have flaws, many hobbies, and like all humans, may not be immediately likable but you relate to them. She claims at a young age she was confused when she did not find her one hobby she was great at, or that she wasn't so one dimensional. She points out that shows such as "Freaks and Geeks" and "My So-Called Life" had complicated female protagonists but were soon cancelled. She praises movies and shows that are successful and have complicated female protagonists, like "Bridesmaids" and "GIRLS". She also discusses her blog which helps young teens figure out their dimensional personalities with discussions and advice columns. I think it's awesome this teenage girl was so perceptive and eager to discuss her thoughts with others. I browsed through her blog and it is an awesome forum for boys and girls to discuss their interests in all different types of music, politics, etc. It encourages boys and girls to be equally dimensional and to get out of the box some aspects of society confine them in. 

We can do everything they do

http://www.returnofkings.com/21177/20-things-women-do-that-should-be-shamed-not-celebrated

Above is a link to quite possible the most offensive articles I’ve ever read. A friend of mine posted in on Facebook and as I read it my jaw literally dropped open. I wouldn’t consider my self a full fledged feminist because I find some of the ideas to be a little extreme, but I have always believed that any lady can do whatever a man can do, and that although we are different we should be treated equally. This article, which I’m assuming is written by a man, is horrific. It talks about “things women do that should be shameful” . One particular point made that stood out to me as seriously offending was “ Birth control, because its their choice.” The author of this article basically says that women have the option to trick a man into having a baby, and all men have is a condom to protect them. The author also says that they should stop making pills and use money to create a birth control for men. I think this is incredibly offensive because I don’t know many women who “ trick” men into having a baby, and men always have the option of using a condom. A women on the other hand should have the right to birth control for many reasons, two being to regulate her menstrual cycle, and mainly to protect her from having a baby. A man, while it would be equally his child, would not be the one to carry around a baby for nine months and his life wouldn’t be completely altered. It is a women’s choice and it is ridiculous, in my opinion, that anyone would think it should be a mans. 

What if men could menstruate?

http://www.mylittleredbook.net/imcm_orig.pdf

I happened upon this article that Gloria Steinem wrote, and I thought it was so interesting and hilarious.  A women's menstrual cycle is something that is so often used against her, but Steinem argues that if men were the ones who menstruated things would be much different.  It would be enviable.  Boys would have parties for "coming into their manhood." The more severe a guy’s time of the month is, the more of a man he is.  It would be something to be proud of rather than something we are embarrassed of.  Menopause would be an accomplishment.  It would signify that a man had served his time, and he would have this societal badge of honor. This concept was mind blowing to me, and the more I thought about it, the more truth I saw in every word.  A women’s menstrual cycle is what sustains our population.  It should be celebrated, but instead we are taught to be quiet and embarrassed by it.  It was a very insightful article!  

Are You Fashionable? 21 or More Steps to Social Power!

 Hey y'all, this one is a little longer than normal. It's a cool topic though. Check it out.
The fashion test:
Do you...

• have the means to acquire clothing?
• have the means to keep up with fashion trends?
• have the obscure social knowledge as to what is considered fashionable?
• have the means to acquire cosmetic supplies?
• have the access to skills for the correct application of cosmetic supplies? 
• have the desired body type and mass?
• have the means to tailor clothing to your body type?
• have a favorable hair color?
• have a favorable hair length?
• have a favorable hair style?
• have the access to a barber that has experience with your type of hair?
• have the right amount of body hair?
• have body hair in the right places? 
• have a desirable and full set of teeth?
• have good health?
• have a desirable genetic code?
  

If you answered no to any of the above, you are likely unfashionable and have a decreased value in the social world.

While I believe that Fashion provides some cultural benefit in establishing a visual identity of a culture, it places unreasonable burdens on marginalized groups that do not outweigh this benefit. In my perspective, fashion is a method of social sorting which often boils down to poor people dress this way and people who have money dress this other way. Style sends a message about individuals that is reflective of the intersections of their gender, class, race, and origin. Our appearance sends a message and only the correct message gains social power.

The issue of access is especially important in professional settings where a specific style is demanded for access to high paying work. This causes a quandary for individuals who seek high paying work, but do not have the means to acquire the fashion necessary. If they do not have a high paying job, they cannot afford well fitting, stylish wear. If they do not have stylish wear, they will not be able to get a high paying job. Fashion is not likely the only force keeping a person from access to desirable lifestyles, but it is another wire in the birdcage.

Discussion questions: Are there benefits to Fashion? Is the test representative of how Fashion works? Does Fashion impact how we distribute social, political, and economic power in our culture? How do pressures to be fashionable impact individual choices? How do you use fashion to gain acceptance? Is this a feminist issue? What does your style say about you?

Gender Rules in Romani Culture

So a few years ago my mom and I watched a show in BBC called "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" and were absolutely surprised by the culture we observed.  While those who oppose feminism might argue that women are not actually forced to stay in the home cooking, cleaning and rearing children, such practices are alive and well in the Romani, Irish and English Traveler communities.  The women in this culture are expected to be perfectly pure and chaste before marriage, and even going on a date and holding hands with/kissing a boy are viewed as immodest and immoral.  However, the men are permitted to (and sometimes even encouraged to) have affairs with gadjo/gorger girls, words they use in Europe and America to denote those of non-gypsy ancestry.  Girls can marry as early as 16, several of which do not even complete high school much less consider higher education.  Families are typically large, and women spend their days cleaning, cooking and raising children.  Houses that are less than pristine are said to reflect negatively on the wife, indicating that she is somehow lazy or incompetent and that her husband, in turn, was foolish for choosing her.  (One of the American Romani women confessed to having purchased a 1,000+ dollar vacuum to really make sure her house was spotless).  Girls and women are expected to stay in peak shape and always look their best, or they are viewed as lazy and undesirable (from what I saw on the show, the girls who were not as "attractive" as their counterparts were often mocked by both males and females rather harshly).  However, the men are not expected to look appealing, as their role is to earn the money and run the family, goals which are not directly impacted by their physical appearance.  Watching this show presented me with the interesting challenge (that I bet many others struggle with) of accepting and appreciating cultural differences while not necessarily agreeing with said practices.  (Especially since many marriages ended fairly early in divorce, leading to lots of stress for both the bride and groom at a typically young age; I felt really sad that they experienced so much struggle so early in life.)  However, the women are by no means passive in every matter, as fights between women break out fairly frequently on the shows; in fact, one was proclaimed one of the most violent brawls aired on live TV: (don't watch this if violence or fighting triggers you)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xoBXL9S1jk&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7xoBXL9S1jk&has_verified=1

Indian Woman Boxer may go to the Olympics

I just found this really great article,  which I think really encapsulates a lot of different themes that we are going to address/have addressed in this class. Chaitali is a fifteen year-old young woman from outside Kolkata who has been training for three years and hopes to go to the Olympics for boxing. What stands out about her and her situation is that her boxing is not just a hobby or something that she does for fun, it is the vehicle she hopes will help her and her family escape from poverty. Her mother is raising her children alone and makes only thirty to fifty dollars a month; chaitali hopes that whaetever money she can make from a career in boxing will be enough to support her sister and her mother as well as herself. She has to face discrimination from everyone in the boxing community and her neighborhood  who tell her that she will be unable to find a husband because she will be ‘ruined’ by the boxing.

Chaitali not only has to face  discrimination because she is a young woman, but also because of the place where she comes from in terms of class and social position. She comes from a home led by a single mother in a very poor neighborhood; Chaitali has a lot of challenges ahead of her, which I think this article demonstrates quite well.  It’s a clear picture of the systemic and institutional roadblocks which many girls in developing countries must face.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading/watching Half the Sky, which I think demonstrates this really well.