Uganda's mini skirts laws

http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/hundreds-of-women-in-uganda-protest-to-end-miniskirt-harassm

This article talks about recent laws in Uganda that have made it illegal for women to wear any clothing that might be construed as too promiscuous. The law prohibits women from dressing “indecently”. This law has caused men to feel entitled to correct those who are not following it, and has caused widespread sexual harassment and assault. Men have begun to undress women wearing miniskirts in the streets. The reaction by women has been to protest and ask that other countries support them in their fight against this oppressive law and the men who taken it into their own hands. This problem I think plays really well into our discussion of rape culture, and it shows how this problem isn’t just a societal problem in America, but worldwide. I cannot believe that a country would actually put this into law, and by doing so they have given men the license to regulate those who dress promiscuously. It makes me sad that these women have to endure this sort of harassment and assault, and that their country would support it.

Dr. Daphne Brook's Women's Studies Event

This Wednesday I attended Dr. Daphne Brook's lunch talk, and what I took away from the lunch was not only information about her interesting body of research, but also what feminism in action looks like.  Dr. Brook was a well spoken, very intelligent woman and she honestly intimidated the hell out of me. She is not only a professor at Princeton, but works in so many diverse ways outside of academia. I thought that the talk that she gave was more than anything about doing what you're passionate about, and that your work should be a reflection of you, not just regurgitated material you learn in class. Having not read much music writing myself I thought it was interesting to learn that even in fields I am of unaware of sexism still prevails. When talking about her life story what struck me the most was how persistent and strong-willed she was at our age. I think that she was a fantastic example of what it looks like to break gender stereotypes and how not to let social constructions hold you back. 

What's Your Favorite Position?

http://elitedaily.com/women/when-asked-what-her-favorite-position-was-lauren-conrad-said-only-three-letters/

Double standards are everywhere, and women often have to face embarrassing and intrusive questions that men simply do not.  But getting over the shock that someone would even ask anyone in an interview what their favorite position is, I have to marvel at Lauren Conrad's response.

I will give myself a solid slap on the wrist and recognize that I was being a bad feminist for assuming that Lauren Conrad would acquiesce to this question and actually answer with her favorite sex position.  I most definitely negatively stereotyped this woman because she was a Laguna Beach Star and on the show often gave into many of the reasons that women are viewed negatively.  However, it is completely true that she took her career and made it her own.  She created her own clothing line and is in fact a CEO.  However, I do not doubt that most people would merely think of her as a sex object.  If a man had a sexualized role on a TV show and then became a powerful CEO, most people would think of him as the latter.  However, because women are so oversexualized, if a woman does this, people only think of her as the former.

So good for you Lauren Conrad! You proved me wrong and showed this man how audacious his question truly was.

Dr. Daphne Brooks

After attending Dr. Daphne Brooks' lunch discussion today, there were many things that struck me.  The things that she talked about during lunch were completely fascinating, but more than anything, I walked away inspired by her life story and the way that she chooses to live her life.  From the moment she walked into the room, I was struck by her energy and her passion.  She went around the room, asking each person who they were, what there major was, etc, and she really cared.  But caring is not what made her so extraordinary. As we have discussed in class, many women are stereotyped as being caring in nurturing.  Dr. Brooks took the false dilemma that women can either be kind nurturers or aggressive bitches and stomped it into the ground.  She was fiery and intense while talking about the patriarchy that exists in rock music and lively and impassioned while discussing the gendered perceptions that exist in record evaluation in Rolling Stone magazine.  She was an amazing example of a confident and authentic woman.  She has not let society define who she is or who she should be but has totally and completely defined her life.

Pink-Collar Ghetto & Life Experience

Pink collar ghetto is a term in this article that means that many women are stuck in certain jobs, mostly low-paying jobs, and usually because of their sex. “Ghetto” is used figuratively to evoke an area, especially an urban neighborhood, where people are marginalized, often for economic and social reasons. Pink Collar denotes jobs historically held only by women (maid, secretary, waitress, etc.)

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/work/a/pink_collar_ghetto.htm

As we discussed the term pink collar jobs in class today it lead me to think about my job situation. I feel as a medical records clerk it would be considered to be a pink collar job. Yet when men worked in our environment the expectation of productivity was not the same. Whenever males would fall behind in their daily  tasks it would all of a sudden become a team effort to get them caught up. I have even seen women cover for them and it became the norm for  female co workers to  help the male before he falls behind and it becomes mandatory to get his work caught up. I even work with a Caucasian female who is well off and a step away from becoming a doctor herself. When she has conversations with a  Caucasian male about his work performance and life issues its easy for her to identify with him yet when she speaks about the African American males she has worked with in our department she views them as lazy yet we have viewed the Caucasian male doing way worst things. Like  bluntly saying what he is not going to do and kicking his feet up on the desk for longer  than his fifteen minute break (Yet receiving help from newly part-time worker because it take more than one person to complete his job). My point is that in pink collar jobs females cover for males who are probably making more than them and I think it also takes me back to our talk about privilege and how we perceive things in life. The women in this situation always said how depressed the Caucasian male was about his situation and pay. Yet I am a minority senior employee with a child so how much more depressed could he be? As long as I have worked for St. Louis University, I am just now reaching the pay level I had when working for the Special School District years ago.  

"Reclaiming Cunt"

Just a week ago I had the pleasure of visiting my girlfriend and seeing her perform in Mizzou's Vagina Monologues. The show was fantastic and it is among my favorite events in college so far. The script for the show was written by Eve Ensler following her interviews with women all over the world. The show captures something about women as a group that is fascinating to watch unfold. It celebrates women as smart, powerful, sexual beings and tackles the forces that oppress them. One monologue addresses a woman's love for the word cunt. Here is a short performance of it.

The monologue reclaims cunt as a word that feels and means something strong and sensitive. Owning this word takes away the power for other people to use it against women. At the end of the act, the crowd chants, yelling "cunt!" along with the performer. Collectively the audience is reclaiming the word.

I chanted with the audience and the fiery performance at first. Then I remembered something: I'm a male. It is a silly thing to suddenly remember (or to even briefly forget), but in this moment of clarity I felt out of place. The show is a platform for women to show their individuality. It exists for women to reclaim their bodies and their minds from patriarchal forces. Do I have any right to reclaim cunt? It is a word men use with a disgusted tone towards women, a carnal alternative to 'bitch'. I guess this also boils down to the role of men in a women's rights movement.

I don't have a point to make from this post. I just felt something unfamiliar and felt that this would be the place to share it.

After watching the short clip, what do you think of reclaiming cunt?
What role do men have in these efforts to fight sexism?

Porn Star that goes to Duke

http://www.xojane.com/sex/duke-university-freshman-porn-star

Attached is an article written by a female student at Duke University who chose to pay for her tuition by becoming a porn actress. I think I really benefited from reading this article because she has an interesting perspective from an unusual position. A porn actress who enjoys the business, and has proven herself intellectually by attending a top college. Before reading the article, I had heard about this story, just that there was a student at Duke University that did porn. I remember thinking that she was probably receiving a lot of backlash from both girls and guys. I figured extreme conservatives were probably slut-shaming her, and she would be ostracized by the moderates who, I assume at Duke, would not think they would have a lot in common with a porn actress or want to deal with the second hand backlash. I felt bad she had to deal with the conservative backlash, but thought more about the moderate crowd's response to that negative feedback. I remember wondering if I could blame them. Would I want to become more than just class friends with a porn star that is now the top news story on campus? I'd like to think I would not even consider her cloud of controversy and justify not caring to know her too well because I probably would not have enough in common with a porn actress to be best friends anyway, but college can be overwhelming enough, so who knows. I'm sorry to say that was pretty much the extent of my thought process on the story.Then I read this article, and it really made me extremely ignorant for being so sure I would not have that much in common with a student at a top University simply because she is a porn actress. I was generalizing the entire sex industry by grouping her with all of the porn actors' horror stories I had heard of people in the industry and defining her by the stereotypes attached to her job. But she makes great points, one being that we need to stop stigmatizing the industry as a whole so much, so that people feel comfortable reporting abuse, and we can better distinguish between legitimate sex workers and non legitimate. I am still hesitant to accept the legitimate sex business completely though, because I guess there are still some jobs, like stripping, where I can't decide if it is still degrading even if it is consensual. But then I feel like I am belittling the people like this student at Duke, who say that they enjoy it and they feel like they are being treated like a little girl without an opinion when people say she does not know what she is doing. What do you all think?

The "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" Trope

I am a big fan on the YouTube channel, Feminist Frequency that deals with a variety of versions of sexist depictions of women in popular culture. This particular blog is about her video of the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” trope, which is found in the characters of Summer from “500 Days of Summer”, Natalie Portman in “Garden State,” and Kirsten Dunst in “Elizabethtown,” and Kate Hudson in “Almost Famous.” This video was particularly interesting to me because I had always kind of admired these characters, but the video call them out, claiming that they portray women as being shallow and goal-less, with the sole purpose of wanting to change the lives of men that they meet, rather than furthering their own aspirations as a person. I think that this is a very important point, because these are characters that many young women try to emulate, but it is crucial that they understand that they are their own person, and they weren’t just placed here to be a muse to men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJUxqkcnKA

Dreamworld 3

The female exploitation that dominates the world of music videos is disturbing to watch.  As a parent I have not watched music videos for a couple of years now because I did not what my daughter to be exposed to such sexual images. As the documentary stated young girls who watch these videos lose self worth and individuality. I remember when videos like these would only play late at night, now it has become the norm to see them on at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Not that the time of day matters when viewed, it just makes me wonder why it has become acceptable.

The most disturbing part of the film was the student interview at the end of the film. Listening to him speak made me feel like he is someone who would rape. The way he talked about his Hurt The Bitch (HTB) theory is really scary to know that young  men are thinking and talking about women in this manner.  Just because a women seems like a bitch or stuck up does not mean her attitude can be changed by a man screwing her roughly.

Jessica Valenti Speech

So, here is the link to the keynote address I showed a few minutes of in class the other day. I have also included the photo that was addressed in Jessica's speech. I think it is poignant in that it speaks volumes as to the barriers and setbacks that women have to face in the world of activism and social change. I have noticed in many cases that issues headed by men are more likely to gain media attention, except for the ones where women are portrayed as 'angry' whereas a man would be portrayed as 'persuasive', but anyway...
I read recently on this website about the number of bills passed and proposed that limit women's reproductive rights and I was astonished. Still, in 2014 we're fighting the fight that began so long ago.

Why?

Patriarchy, surely, but in a country-in a society-where people claim there is equality, how does this still happen?  Are women still considered to be like those women that Wollstencraft described: caught in perpetual childhood? Is our opinion valued so little that old white men are the ones making decisions about our bodies?

As a woman, I can't help but repeat what Jessica was saying: Yeah, I'm fucking pissed.

Oppressed Majority

Hey folks,

So here is the link to the French short film I showed in class last week. I meant to make a blog post about it but wasn't able to.

I think it brings up a lot of different challenges that many women must face at one time or another: marriage, children, expectations, cat-calling, harassment, rape, the uneasy feeling of not being safe, social expectations for clothing, etc.

The most disturbing aspect of the film was the interaction between the husband and wife at the end of the film, for me anyway. The interaction with the police woman was kind of expected, disappointing, but expected nonetheless. So too were the interactions with other people in the film. I found the interaction between the husband and wife to be so disturbing because of the kind of abuse, control, and manipulation that is implied. Though it was not explicitly shown, it can be assumed that this occurs.

Bringing it back to Egalia's daughters, it often perplexes me when I think about how easily everything could be the opposite than the way it is now. At what point in history did patriarchy set in?

Chronic Bitch Face

http://totalsororitymove.com/chronicles-of-a-girl-with-chronic-bitch-face/
This is an article from total sorority move and I read it the other week when I saw it on facebook, and didn't think anything of it besides that is was funny. However, after our talk in class on Thursday I realized that this is just re-entrenching those ideas that women always have to be smiling or happy and need to "show me a smile, babe" every time you pass a male stranger on the streets. I also think it is problematic that a site that is supposed to be about women is posting this because they shouldn't be posting this in a satirical manner, it should be more of a critical post of men and people who think women always need to look happy.

Women in Politics

I am not born in this country, but lived here most of my life and one thing that I'm sure bothers most of the community is that we never had a Women President. It is the 21st century and I believe that it is time for this country to witness a change. I enjoy the lifestyle here rather than any other country, I love the freedom to wear anything I want rather than thinking what someone will say on the street, I enjoy the freedom to choose what I want to be in the future rather than being pressurized into a specific, I absolutely find it a privilege to live in this country, but it has, it is and will always bother me that we haven't had our first female president. I just find it shocking that countries that you would never expect have had a female president, but not us. We call ourselves one of the developed and modern countries, but are really. If we accept  the image of a women working in a specific field or running the country, how are we ever gonna be that "modern" country. I think it is time for the people in the nation to understand that women can run the country as well as a household. We need to believe and move ahead with this idea and break this norm.

Too Much Aid

Something that I have observed is the damage that too much aid or sympathy for an oppressed group can do. I think it is very important to help the oppressed and do what we can to give them an equal opportunity, but in some situations there is overcompensation that may hurt work ethics or independence. An example of this is the unemployment benefits offered in some European countries. Some of these European countries offer unemployment benefits that rival the wages earned for someone working a full time, minimum wage, job here in the United States. It may seem great that such great aid is available, however those same European Countries have exceptionally high unemployment rate due to this. This is normally not the case, but in some cases the help we give a group of people discourages them to fight and earn a life for themselves. It is not fair that some privileged white kid has a wealthy life handed to them on a silver platter, but I feel sorry for that kid because I know they'll never develop into a strong individual because of this. I think struggle is necessary for everyone, and that the privileged should work just that much harder to properly put their privileges to use. I fully support the aid to individuals that gives them an equal opportunity, but we need to remember that the oppressed are still people (who can use the proper amount of help) and not just a charity, or they may start to think that themselves.  

"Throw me something good, Baby."

After our discussion about Catcalling in class on Thursday, I have really been paying attention to it.  Yesterday I was in New Orleans riding in a Mardi Gras parade.  The weekend before Mardi Gras is most commonly referred to as Family Gras.  You generally avoid people flashing you and being thrown up on.  Even still, the amount of catcalling going on amazed me.  Not only was it young guys trying to get the special beads, but it was also older men in front of their wives and children.  My least favorite, I have decided, is baby.  I was called baby so many times I can’t even count.  This pet name encourages the infantile portrayal of women, which perpetuates the idea that women are dependent on men.  As much fun as riding in a parade was, I could have done without the, “throw me something good, baby.”