Women in the Military

In one of my other classes we read a piece written by a woman in the military, and in it she discusses her experiences.  She talks a lot about how men treated her and how she perceived other women she was working with. The piece was an excerpt from a book titled “Love My Rifle More than You”, and I thought it was an interesting contrast to a movie on Netflix I recently watched called the “The Invisible War”. The piece I read in class was very negative towards other women in the military describing them as “Queens for a Year” (a term used for military women getting more attention because of their sex while oversees), and that women who chose to sleep with their coworkers ruin the reputation of all. I think that this concept can be seen in real life oftentimes too, where women instead of supporting one another are actually contributing to slut-shaming and policing each other.  I was shocked by how little camaraderie she felt with the other women, she mostly described a sense of jealousy.  Also in the article that I read in class it never once talked about the huge problem of sexual assault in the military.  I was curious if in the book it is mentioned it somewhere else, so I searched online and found it was a topic she never discussed in the book. I was shocked that in a book about her experience and women in the military generally, she never once touched on an issue that would seem very relevant women’s experiences. Below is the trailer for “The Invisible War”, which if anyone has time I would highly recommend that you watch. Until watching this I was unaware of just how extensive a problem rape for both women and men in the military was, and how little is being done to change it.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fBaFQk6aE0

Visit to Art Museum

During my visit to the art museum I found a couple of pictures that I thought were interesting and I wanted to share on here.

 In this picture it is pretty obvious how this woman is being objectified. It is a nude painting. I agree that the female body is an amazing thing, but I don't know if it is appropriate to objectify it to this extent for everyone to see. I think it shouldn't be something that people want in their house as art. That is someones body and it isn't appropriate to make them pose for a painting like this.

In this picture to the left if shows how in the olden days women were expected to take care of the children. The man of the family is simply just posing while the woman isn't even looking and she is holding the baby and has the older child pulling on her. It shows the stereotype that women are supposed to be the ones taking care of the children and the man isn't. This was just how it was back then, but it still present in our society today.

John Stewart's Thumbs Up, Women

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-january-16-2014/jon-stewart-s-thumbs-up--women---the-job-interview

So the secret is out: I love John Stewart, and I LOVE Kristen Schaal!  I was watching the Daily Show the other day, and this wonderful piece of satire happened.  The thing that I really appreciate is that it points out the ridiculous sexism that still takes place in the work environment and the fact that it could just as easily arbitrarily be reversed.  It is so unfortunate that men are straight up opposing equal rights for women.  However, that is one of the clearest signs in my opinion that oppression is occurring.  When a group is oppressed, another group receives a direct benefit from it.  For so long, men have been receiving incredible benefits from oppressing women, and now they are clearly hesitating to give them up.  However, the extreme discomfort that these men are feeling and the fact that they are threatened is a clear sign that change truly is starting to occur.  We still have a long way to go though.

Role Reversals in Artwork

During my time at the St. Louis Art Museum, I found something completely fascinating: this picture below! I do not pretend to be a great connoisseur of art work or know the best way to interpret art, but I think that the body language and representations are so interesting in this piece of artwork.  As we discussed in class, many women in artwork are portrayed as weak and feeble.  It is because of that fact that this piece is so interesting to me.  Anyone who looks at it would almost have to do a double take because it seems as if the roles are reversed.  The woman is tall and has a confident stature while the man is short and seems to be weak.  He is leaning on her (it appears) for support.  I tried to look up information about this painting online, but I could not find anything about the background of it.  I would really love to know its backstory.

Title IX training

This past Sunday all Greek students were required to attend "Title IX Training." This particular session was focused on sexual assault.  Two students acted out a scenario.  In the end, the girl was drinking to the point of incapacitation, she was falling in and out of conciseness, and she had been throwing up.  The guy was intoxicated but not to that extreme.  He had sex with her, and she didn't remember it happening the next morning.  It was more than clear to me that he raped her, but I was shocked at some of the things that people said.  The first person to speak was a guy who said, "just because you regret it the next morning, doesn't mean it's rape."  I was appalled.  Eventually, after everyone got a chance to put their two cents in, the students leading the session explicitly said that it was rape.  They said that no one is responsible for the crimes committed against them while incapacitated.  Even after stating all of this so clearly, people still had the audacity to speak up saying, "she shouldn't have been drinking so much," or, "he was drunk too, it wasn't his fault." The whole thing was very eye opening for me. 

     

The Chastity Bra?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelzarrell/this-bra-that-only-unhooks-for-true-love-is-basically-a-chas

The link provided above discusses the "bra that only unhooks for 'true love.'" Just like it sounds, the True Love Tester bra cannot be unhooked without true love. This was created by a Japanese company, Ravijour, in order to "protect" women from creepy guys while they are out for the night. Apparently, can get this bra to come off...I'm still confused how you get it off when you are wearing it...The bra was built with a sensor that reads a woman's heart-rate. Once a woman's heart-rate reaches a certain speed aka the True Love Rate, the bra unhooks itself automatically...still not sure how that would work if your bra randomly came off during a conversation with an individual.

My issue with this bra is that it is basically the equivalent of a chastity belt, and it also provides individuals with a scapegoat for sexual assault. Apparently this bra comes off based one someone's heart-rate...I doubt it can actually differentiate love from other emotions that one feels. Because of that, if a woman is being sexually assaulted, does that mean if the bra comes off, that automatically means the woman wants to take part in sexual acts? It provides a new excuse for assailants, who could assume, "She wanted it. Her bra popped off." If that is not bad enough, it also puts a lot of the blame on women if they are sexually assaulted and NOT wearing the True Love Tester bra because they did not adequately protect themselves when they went out for the night.

I would like to know what your guys' opinions are on the chastity bra. I think the concept has good intentions associated with it, but I think it will lead to future problems for women who are sexually assaulted while wearing the bra or who are assaulted when NOT wearing the bra. What do you guys think?

Title 9

The school recently required the Greek community to attend a lecture with the intent to help prevent rape on campus. Honestly, I went into this thinking it'd be very straight forward but it was actually pretty thought provoking. For example, it turns out that legally no one is held accountable for the crimes committed against them under the influence, however they are accountable for all their own actions when they are the ones under the influence. On paper this makes perfect sense as the basis for a law, however it doesn't account for many grey areas within the serious issue of rape. In the hypothetical situation the man was being pressed with rape charges when he was very drunk himself, and the girl had said "i'm ready" although she was drunk as well. I in no way think it was the girl's sole fault and she should have been expected to not get drunk, however I do not believe it is fair for the man to be convicted of rape in the situation necessarily either. This class to me is about equality, and statistically women are the victims of rape far more than men however there are the occasions that the laws are particularly biased towards men when rape is involved. Overall the strictness of the laws and these biases probably help do more good by putting true rapists behind bars but the topic of some people being lawfully convicted is very interesting to me and would be curious to discuss it in class.

Masks Off

My friends and I are obsessed with this poem by Jeremy Loveday called “masks off”. It is about the role men play in gender violence. He challenges me to take of their masks and stop hiding behind them and to opening talk about violence women face. Jeremy wants people to start discussing and ending violence against women. What I love so much about this video is that violence against women is not a women’s issue but a mans issue as well. The poem says for men to take responsibility and open their mouths about the harm that is coming to the women they love. “Men, if you could make the world safer for the women you love—for all women, children, and men—wouldn't you? Men, you can. Men, we need you to be courageous—to speak up, and be more than a bystander. Men, put your masks down.” This poem is so powerful through its words and it really sparks something inside of you hen you hear it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

here is the link to it:

http://www.upworthy.com/if-a-man-asks-what-women-have-been-asking-for-centuries-will-men-finally-listen

On not wearing make-up...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/22/no-makeup_n_4641101.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

I have a love/hate relationship with make-up. I wear it everyday, I have a lot of it, I love shopping for new makeup...but everyday, especially when I'm running late, I question why I do it.

I am okay with how I look without makeup. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I "like" how I look without it, but I don't hate how I look without it. This makes me feel brainwashed! There's nothing wrong with my skin, or my eyelashes, so why do I spend half of my morning dressing them up and changing them?

The eleven "amazing" things from the article are...kind of stupid. But my reasons for doing it everyday could be called stupid as well. It was nice to be reminded that "Your world is not going to collapse. Everyone is still going to recognize you. And life will go on" if I go bare one (or every) day.  It's just frustrating that this habit has become such a big part of me.

Obama supports decriminalization but don't start lighting up yet.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/01/19/obama_on_marijuana_we_should_not_be_locking_up_kids_or_individual_users.html

                This article is about how Obama has come out in support of the decriminalization of marijuana. He has said that it is no more dangerous than alcohol, and we all know that alcohol is legal. Although the president has smoked in the past, even fondly getting the nickname “The Interceptor” because he always stole hits of a joint when it was being passed around, he decries his “Choom Gang” days and says that marijuana isn’t good for you, but he points out on main issue and the main reason he wants it to be legalized. The problem with our legal system, when you look at the numbers of arrests and convictions for marijuana related crimes there is a heavily skewed amount on the minority’s side. If marijuana is decriminalized or even legalized it will save the lives and futures of a lot of people. He talks about how Washington and Colorado may run into some trouble and that those states are an experiment for the rest of the nation to watch and see. Hopefully that experiment works out and bigger steps can be taken, but that is something that can only be decided in a couple years.

Campus rape task force

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/opinion/sunday/talking-sexual-violence-without-giving-offense.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20140126&_r=0

When I saw this article I thought it would be a perfect addition to this blog. It talks about how President Obama and Vice President Biden have announced a task force against rape on college campuses. This seems like a good sign of legitimate progress in the front of defeating rape culture. Obama and Biden’s words ring true and no matter what a person believes politically, the words that were expressed by the president and vice president should be held in the highest light. The wheels of progress will be turning with this announcement.

 “Our daughters, our sisters, our wives, our mothers, our grandmothers have every single right to expect to be free from violence and sexual abuse,”

“No matter what she’s wearing, no matter whether she’s in a bar, in a dormitory, in the back seat of a car, on a street, drunk or sober — no man has a right to go beyond the word ‘no.’ And if she can’t consent, it also means no.”

                In these quotes Biden expresses what everyone should be thinking, that rape can happen to anyone you know and sometimes it hits home and that guys should be aware. Also, some people don’t realize that the person who gets raped, isn’t the only victim. The family of the victim also suffers with the emotional toll as well as the backlash from a rape accusation as was similar to the Maryville case. All in all this task force is a great idea and I hope it can be expanded to high schools later on. I truly hope this task force helps inform more people about rape which in turn stops it.

"you cant, because you're a GIRL"

I do not have a link or anything to talk about, but I would like to voice the inspiration I have just recieved. Before this class, I was not aware of the many things that feminists stand up for. Now that I have a better understanding, I am looking at the world differently and noticing things that need to be spoken on. Some of these things are very small, but I do see sexism within them. Take for example, my parents. I am a twin, and we are fraternal. He is allowed to do a lot of things. In high school I was never able to go to house parties, yet he was. Whenever I asked why he was able to, they would say "because he is a boy, and can protect himself." Now that I think about that, that is completely sexists. I am capable of doing the exact same things he can. In fact, I often think that I am stronger than him. For four years, my high school life was surrounded around the fact that I was a female. I was not allowed to go to prom after parties until I had an actual boyfriend, I was not able to go to a party unless there was a male in our group. My parents were afraid that I would get date raped. As if a boy in our group, would be giving all his attention to me rather than to the party. As if that one guy had his eye on my cup every second of the night. My parents said that they were trying to "protect" me but honestly, they were not letting me stand up for myself. Now that I know a lot about the feminist movement, a lot of things are being brought to my attention. A lot of things that I never payed any mind to, and just obeyed. I am not going to consider myself a feminists, because there are a lot of wrong things in this world, some very huge like wage gaps, and other things.

Aerie No Airbrushing Campaign

I came across this on facebook, and I found it interesting. Aerie is launching a new campaign where they don't retouch any of their models in the pictures. It is supposed to show how real women look and not make us feel like we need to live up to the model look. I have seen some posts about it on facebook that think it is a good thing and some that think it is a bad thing and just re-entrenches the stereotype that women need to look perfect. Please post and let me know what you think.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/american-eagle-real-models-ads-21569858

Pantene Comercial

I found this commercial on youtube and I think that it sums up perfectly some of the stereotypes that are presented in society, especially in the workforce. It is a pretty short video so please watch it and let me know what you guys think. I really thought that it was interesting, and I think these stereotypes of women can be applied to many other places in the world than just the office. Here is the link: http://business.time.com/2013/12/10/pantene-powerfully-breaks-down-every-sexist-workplace-stereotype-in-one-ad/

Let's Really Think About What Makes Her "All That".

Yesterday, I was watching the classic 90’s movie, “She’s All That” with my roommates; this was a favorite of mine as a tween, but as I watched it again with wiser eyes, I noticed a few things that I found disturbing. The main thing I’m referring to is the climax, in which the main character, Laney Boggs, leaves the prom with Dean, who wants to take her to a hotel room. Upon hearing this, Zach, the male lead, races out of the dance and attempts to stop her from making this horrible decision. (Just to be clear, Laney is single.) We later find out that Laney did not, indeed, sleep with Dean, and it is implied that when he became aggressive in his advances, Laney held a fog horn up to his ear. The fact that Laney is still an assumed virgin is supposed to be of great comfort, both to Zach and us, as viewers. The fact about the sexual assault and the fog horn is thrown in for comedic value. Why are we supposed to be relieved that Laney didn’t lose her virginity to that jerk, Dean? Because of the emotional regret she would suffer from it, or possibly because he seemed to be capable of rape if she was not interested? No, it seems we as an audience were supposed to be relieved, because otherwise Laney would have been “ruined” for Zach. This is ridiculous, and reflective of a culture that places far too much value on a girl’s virginity. If Laney were to choose to have sex with someone else, she would not lose her quick wit, her fearlessness, or her amazing artistic ability, and everything else that draws Zach to her. And if rape was ever a real threat (that isn’t made clear), then it is an issue that deserved much more attention than its use a punch line. Laney Boggs, for the most part, is a strong, independent female lead who isn’t afraid to go against the crowd or to speak her mind. She deserved a better plot than one that places so much value on whom she went home with after prom.