Dear Facebook: Rape Is No Joke

Christie Menna
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/09/19/dear-facebook-rape-is-no-joke/


     This blog discusses how Facebook, the largest social networking site out there, is failing to take the concept of rape seriously, which therefore creates a detrimental problem for all women, especially the ones who experience this trauma. I chose this article because in class we have discussed the importance of women speaking up, being heard, and taken seriously such as in the documentary "Raging Grannies." The blog explains how certain Facebook pages are being created that encourage rape, such as “Riding your girlfriend softly, 'cause you don’t want to wake her up” and “You know she’s playing hard to get when you’re chasing her down an alleyway.” There have been numerous complaints about these pages, but they have still not been taken down. Even if these pages are meant to be "funny", they are talking about rape, and rape is rape. There is nothing funny about rape. Think about the women who were actually raped and are seeing these pages on Facebook. This would make those women feel as if what happened to them did not even matter, that it was something that people simply mock and forget about and do not take seriously. Women who are raped and feel that their rape will not be taken seriously are fearful to speak out about what happened to them. By poking fun at rape on Facebook, it is inhibiting the chance that victims will speak out and rapist will be caught. The blog explains: "Hundreds of Facebook users have reported the pages as Terms of Service violations, and a petition at Change.org demanding their removal has received over 130,000 signatures. But Facebook has yet to take action." A change definitely needs to be made so that this serious subject will be taken seriously.

Woman brutally beaten for using women’s toilet in fast-food restaurant

http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2011/04/woman_brutally_?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+thefword+(The+F-Word+Blog)&utm_content=FaceBook

This blog is about a white transgendered woman who used the women's restroom in a Baltimore McDonalds, and was brutally beaten afterwards by a 14 year old girl and an 18 year old girl, both black. an employee had videotaped the whole thing, without bothering to help, as others stood idly by. This tied into our discussion about PISSAR and the bathroom violence that transgendered people(among others) face.

unbelievable

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/04/25/2011-04-25_teonna_monae_brown_18_idd_as_suspect_in_mcdonalds_beating_of_transgender_woman_c.html


Absolutely awful. Why can't people just let others be?

Bald Beauties

http://hotforwriting.com/2010/06/is-long-hair-what-makes-a-woman-feminine/#comment-569

I think a bald or shaved head is such a bold move. My sister had cancer and had to shave her head after chemotherapy. She got a wig but rarely wore it. She was absolutely beautiful with her little bald head. I do not think hair length should define femininity whatsoever. You do not have to have long flowing locks to feel as though you are feminine or a female. It is frustrating that society so often equates beauty with things such as hair. It is impossible to watch TV or flip through a magazine where there is not emphasis on hair color, style or texture. I shaved my head a few years ago for a cancer fundraiser and it was one of the most liberating experiences of my life. Granted, this bald head was my choice. A woman with alopecia or cancer who loses their hair does not have that choice. That is why I so greatl respect and honor them by being proud and showing the world that one without hair can still exude femininity.

Emotional/ Verbal Abuse IS Abuse

http://thefbomb.org/2010/06/emotionalverbal-abuse-is-abuse/comment-page-1/#comment-28995

Throughout the past week, my Women’s Studies class has started an ongoing discussion of the realization of the various types of abuses. Many people are very familiar with the term abuse; however, do not really understand that besides being of physical nature it can be a verbal and emotional well. My best friend of 17 years is one of the most honest, loyal, and humble people I have ever come across in my lifetime. Regardless of how I feel about him one thing is for sure, he verbally abuses every girlfriend he has ever had. Often do I recall reaming him out for saying things beyond terrible to his lady friends. Once a month I would expect a call from his girlfriend at the time, crying hysterically because of the hurtful words he had said to her.

In class we had just reviewed an abuse myth, which states: “if women are abused, they should be able to pick up and leave.” The myth still is proven wrong, regardless of how bad he has treated them in the past, they still won’t leave him.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-kimmel/from-thats-so-gay-to-no-h_b_345390.html

Choices Campus Leadership Program

http://feministcampus.blogspot.com/

I choose this blog to present to the class because the foundation that organizes the blog is bringing awareness of feminist issues to college campus. Being a college student who is taking a class about feminism and gender studies the issues surrounding these topics had brought upon awareness. I thought that it would relate to class because the foundation is spreading awareness of issues surrounding women’s rights to college students. The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) started Choices Campus Leadership Program was created to inform college students about women rights, threats to abortion access, and affirmative action. The blog that interested me was about a rally that was held on April 7, 2011 at Pacific University to protest the effects of eliminating Title X. This is the funding that supports Planned Parenthood and other family run clinics in America.

The Pursuit of Harpyness- blog

http://www.harpyness.com/2011/02/25/what-were-about/

What I found isn’t a feminist blog parse, but it is a blog posted about a website of feminist blogs.

While I was looking through the different blogs on the site, I realized why they posted this particular one.

 People were asking questions like “What do these have to do with feminism?” (Which is the exact question I was thinking while scrolling through the different topic blogs.

The response of the website owners is what made me choose this particular reading. They responded to the question by saying those people are too focused on the ideology of feminism and their own version from what they know.

While the women running the website talk about things like jobs, politics, books, families, food , sex, travel relationship, they are usually informed by feminism and that there is no one right way or one feminism way for women to write about their experiences. They write about their lives as feminist women, therefore linking it to the ideas of feminism in their eyes.

The Games We Play: Did You Move Today, Fatty?

I thought that this blog was interesting. I have always loved playing Wii games and have grown to be very familiar with many of the games from the kids i babysit. I have also thought about trying to Wii Fit games as a source of indoor exercise on those days where I don't feel like going to the gym or leaving the house. After hearing from various friends both young and old, this game makes people very uncomfortable. Once I stumbled upon this article, I knew I had to share it with the class. In the blog, the writer talks about her experience with the Wii Fit game and her previous struggle with eating disorders and body image. The game weights you and insinuates that a person is "fat" without taking into consideration what they look like and other physical features. I feel like this, along with many other influences in the media are causing both women and men to feel uncomfortable with their bodies and image. I know for a fact that my 12 year old cousin is starting to do the Wii Fit. If a video game is telling a person about their image, I cannot even imagine what will happen next.
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/the-games-we-play-did-you-move-today-fattie

Women in Namibia Fight Back Against Foced Sterilization

http://blog.soros.org/2010/11/women-in-namibia-fight-back-against-forced-sterilization/comment-page-1/#comment-10740

I found this article and was surprised at how prominent the issue of forced sterilization is around the world. According to this blog, forced sterilization among HIV-positive women is an increasing global issue around the world. The World Health Organization has stated, that the chance an HIV-positive mother, with proper medication and treatment, will pass on the HIV to her child, is "virtually nonexistent". However, even with this knowledge, women around the world are being sterilized with out their consent, and hospitals that perform these procedures, give excuses that don't match up and hide the truth. These women are being tricked into signing over their reproductive rights as women, just like the mother of the Relf sisters was tricked into signing over her own daughters' reproductive rights. After reading this, I have come to suspect that maybe these hospitals are not owning up to the real reason for their "desperate" and deceitful acts of forced sterilization.

Rejecting the Pence Amendment

The House of Representatives voted on a bill entitled the Pence Amendment to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding. The margin came down to 240 to 185 in favor to stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the leading reproductive health care provider. The pence amendment will stop 102 affiliated reproductive health care organizations from receiving any federal funding including STD testing, cancer screenings, and pregnancy testing. Cutting the funding of Planned Parenthood is supposed to be apart of the budget cut because of the countries debt. According to Mike Pence (with whom the pence amendment is named after) Planned Parenthood receives 363 million dollars from the U.S government. If this bill is past many women’s lives will be at risk. The pence amendment will cut 4.8 of Planned Parenthoods patients which is 1.4 million people, most of which who are low income patients. The idea of cutting funding for Planned Parenthood seems ridiculous, and narrow minded. The idea of saying that the country will save such an amount of money is just a smoke screen for why people like Mike Pence really want to cut the funding, and its because of religious moral reasons. But the problem is that Planned Parenthood provides more needs than just abortion. Its helps all women and men to be able to safely test for STD’s, women to have breast cancer screenings, and provides women and men with information on ways of preventing unwanted pregnancies and having safe sex. Many republicans who voted for the bill believe that stopping funding to Planned Parenthood is going to put an end to abortion and save lives, but it’s going to have the exact opposite effect. Not only will this amendment not end abortion its going to force women to conduct more self abortions, putting more lives at risk. This goes far beyond a religious moral concern; this is about people’s rights and people’s lives. Whether you believe abortion is right or not one thing that people should be able to agree on is that if these women are going to make this decision they should be able to be in a safe clean place for the procedure rather than in an un sanitized environment using coat hangers and endangering their lives. If a woman feels she needs an abortion she’s going to get an abortion, that’s a fact many people opposed need to come to terms with, so rather the abortion be in a clean, safe, sterilized place. Sometimes people need to be less stubborn about their beliefs and realize what’s probably best for the safety of people rather than what their believes say what they can and cannot be involved in.

Rejecting the Pence Amendment

Video

Operation rescue sets up shop

http://feministing.com/2011/03/30/operation-rescue-sets-up-shop-across-the-street-from-dr-carhart/

This blog is about an organization by the name of Operation Rescue.This organization has set up shop in a building right across the street from an abortion clinic.Operation Rescue is an extremely anti-choice organization.I thought that it was realy controversial that an anit-choice clinic would set up right across from the most famous late term abortionist.The blog states that they chose this location to provide help for people that have already had an abortion or to try to persuade others not to get the aboriton but to come across the street to the other clinic.I thought it was ironic that this came up in a blog since we have been on the topic of unplanned pregnancy and birth control methods.

intersex and music

http://intersexandthecity.blogspot.com/2010/01/intersex-and-music.html

This blog discusses the topic of inter sex and music. The writer briefly talks about a popular artist (Lady GaGa) who once joked about being an inter sexual. This caused a lot of rumors on whether she was or not even though in the end her manager claimed she in fact wasn't. I believe that this is a serious issue and if the artist is then she should used her status in the world to bring light to the cause instead of joking about it or starting rumors to further her career. The write then went on to list a few songs that they believe "captures the intersex experience". One of the most interesting ones to me was a song called Herm Aphrodite by Stephen Lynch.

Mattel Doll Preaches The Gospel Of Hair Removal

http://jezebel.com/#!5782870/mattel-doll-encourages-girls-to-pluck--shave

I was really surprised to see the blog Jezebel’s article on Mattel’s Monster High Doll, Clawdeen Wolf. The Monster High line of dolls are based on famous monsters, and Clawdeen is a werewolf’s daughter and is causing uproar with parents. On the doll’s box is the description: “My hair is worthy of a shampoo commercial, and that's just what grows on my legs. Plucking and shaving is definitely a full-time job but that's a small price to pay for being scarily fabulous. “. This statement has gotten attention because people worry that this will give girls the impression that in order to be considered beautiful and to fit in, they have to remove their body hair. Not to mention the fact that the doll helps to enforce a number of society’s other beauty ideals, with her thin build, super-short skirt, and profile that states that she likes shopping and flirting with boys. While I know that it is just a sentence on the back of the doll’s box, if a child reads that it could give them the wrong impression about beauty. My favorite part of the article is when Mattel made a statement saying their dolls "deliver a positive message of celebrating ones imperfections and embracing those of others.". As the author stated, creating a doll that extensively removes its body hair to fit in, is not really giving the message for girls to embrace their differences.

FAQ: "What is "slut-shaming"?

When I first saw this blog post, it had me wondering what exactly was slut-shaming? It was a term that I hadn't exactly heard before. According to the article, slut shaming is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual or having one or more sexual partners. It is also labeled as an "out of control, trampy female" who is "not worth knowing or caring about." This got me thinking about how often on campus you hear guys and girls call other girls sluts or whores. People have started saying this so much that we don't really think about the effects of calling someone a slut, unless someone calls yourself one. People seem to think so lightly of such a negative word. The article also mentioned the double standard of men being called a "man slut." If you call a guy a slut, it has a completely different meaning. According to Urban Dictionary, a male slut is "one who prowls a regular bar route to lure coyote ugly women home for selfish reasons." It is not nearly as negative as when a girl is considered a slut. In the "Constructing Masculinity" article, this got me thinking how John Money says it is better to be an imperfect female rather than an imperfect male. Money believed that females are born imperfect and nothing can change that. The definition of a women slut compared to a male slut seemed to make this statement true. As a society, we are socially accepting this degradation to be allowed towards women.

http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/what-is-slut-shaming/

"Why don't you just hit him?"

http://geekfeminism.org/2010/12/07/why-dont-you-just-hit-him/

This blog caught my eye when I first read the title. We had been talking about sexual harassment in the work place in class and I thought this tied in well with our discussions. This blog is a response to comments at a conference that encourages women to literally fight back when harassed by men. The author has a very valid point that it is not the victim's responsibility to "stand up" for themselves when sexually harassed. So it's not fair to encourage victims to take such actions especially when it can possibly conflict with their moral codes. Instead, it is the business's responsibility to protect employees from work place harassment. Employers have a duty to set policies in place punishing such inappropriate behavior in the office. Such polices would hopefully prevent a situation in which an employee needs to physically defend or stick up for themselves. Mary, the author of this blog, also touches on the point that a public conference is not the appropriate place to be telling people that violence is an acceptable solution to harassment. The author isn't saying that you should never physically defend yourself, but she is saying that it is not a general solution to all harassment issues because it can have many consequences. Such consequences are assault charges, making yourself an easy target for further harassment, onlookers aren't sympathetic to the person who physically assaults someone, and the most severe consequence is that the harasser may hit back. Overall, I think the author of this blog has some very valid points to her argument that hitting back is not the right solution and can be counterintuitive.

Words & House Bill 14 in the State of Georgia.

http://www.ihollaback.org/blog/2011/02/25/words-house-bill-14-in-the-state-of-georgia/




After reading "Words & House Bill 14 in the State of Georgia" by Lauren Zink (iHollaback.org), I felt enraged. Zink explains how Representative Bobby Franklin proposed to change the word "victim" to "accusor" until convictions are obtained regarding rape, domestic violence, etc. Starting with changing the name "victim" to "accuser" is turning the tables on who is at fault in the situation. The rapist now seems to be the good guy here. Zink also makes a good point- we are now making it clear that "...not even the government believes their story." Granted, there are stories of some women, who I would consider a little screwed in the head, have accused someone of rape or violence without it even happening. Those are the exceptions...but for someone who is actually assaulted to feel like there will not be justice for them is depressing and just out-right wrong. I decided, after reading the article, to look into a few other stories. First, I found that a police officer in Toronto stated (to women) that the way they dress causes sexual assault. In finding that, I was directed to a story about a judge in Canada setting a rapist free because the victim (oh wait, ACCUSER) was "asking for it". There is a serious problem here... because no one deserves to be taken advantage of- I don't care if they have a sign on their forehead that says whore- no still means no.

Exclusive: New York Fashion Week Was The Whitest In Years

I read the article "Exclusive: New York Fashion Week Was The Whitest In Years." In this article they shared how 84.8% of the models used in Fashion Week this year were white models. Out of the 5,269 looks Black models were used 384 times, Asian models were used 323 times, Latina models were used 79 times and models of other races we used only 15 times. This was the least diverse show since 2008. Many designers used all white models.
This article made me think of our in-class discussions of what the ideal beauty is. 84.8% of the models used were skinny, white, tall, and young, "the ideal beauty." This blog also made me think about the racial retsrictions that we still have tooday. Many ethic models were passed over due to their race. I thought this was suprising, especially in New York, because that is "one of the most racially diverse places on this planet."

http://jezebel.com/#!5772606/exclusive-new-york-fashion-week-was-the-whitest-in-years

Tale as Old as Time?

http://chelseamarie23.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/tale-as-old-as-time-a-false-sense-of-feminism-in-beauty-and-the-beast/

I chose this Blog Tale as Old as Time? A False Sense of Feminism in the Beauty and the Beast.
I chose this specific blog because I was obsessed with it when I was a young girl.  Also, this blog depicts the images and concepts of how Disney princess, though, are seemingly independent, still are categorized  as a stereotypical women. For example, Belle seems independent and strong willed, but when it comes down to it, she still seeks the love/ appreciation of a man in the end... "Happily Ever After".
This blog is congruent to articles we read and topics we have discussed in class.  Like the Disney classics, real life women are seen as different, by means of independency. But after all is said and done, it seems the stereotype of women, that they need a "good looking boyfriend" remains the TRUEST measure of happiness and success.

Feminist Coming Out Day

As I was looking for feminist blogs online that that are relevant to our in class discussions I came across one about Feminist Coming Out Day. It intrigued me as soon as I saw it. I had never heard of it before so as I clicked onto the page I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. It deals with feminists all over the world coming out to support feminism. The marked day to do this is March 8, 2011. On the website anyone can upload a picture and write what feminism means to them or what it is they define feminism to be. I really enjoyed reading what each individual had to say, especially what the male feminists wrote. People also answer questions on the blog that ask "why feminism is important, what issues matter to them most, why is gender equality important, and what was their feminism awakening". I think it is great that there is a day designated to "come out" as a feminist no matter which race, gender, or sexual identify one defines them self as. This day gives people who might not typically feel comfortable labeling them self as a feminist a chance to feel support from the entire community and know that they are not a lone in their beliefs. This blog made me feel inspired so I put in a submission with two of my favorite quotes about being a female feminist:


"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels."  ~Faith Whittlesey

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is:  I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute."  ~Rebecca West, "Mr Chesterton in Hysterics: A Study in Prejudice," 
The Clarion, 14 Nov 1913, reprinted in The Young Rebecca, 1982

http://feministcomingoutday.com/ 

Interesting...

  In one of my classes, we took a nice look at 'hip hop culture' and its strong visual (music videos) association with dominant/aggressive masculinity and the objectification of women. After this class, my friend and I were discussing this prevalence of male violence and female objectification... she suggested something interesting: Were the artists that were spoken of male? Actually, yes; they all were. So, she and I decided to do some research and looked up female hip-hop artists: Lauryn Hill, Beyonce. The search didn't really prove her point but, I was sure she was on to something. So, I looked up more female artists/groups such as: MC Lyte, Sista (Misy Elliott's first group), Missy Elliott, No Doubt/ Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Salt-N-Pepa, Lin Que, Mary J Blige, Aalyiah and Lil' Kim. I found a pattern... the music videos and lyrics of these ladies that were released before the mid 1990's  are generally "clean".. that is to say, there are very few men shown in the videos and when shown, they are 'backup', fully dressed non-aggressive dancers. The videos do not depict the female artist(s) as sexual objects.... until the mid/late 90s. I don' t know what happened but, Sista's songs in the early early 1990s, about love and sisterhood-- showing fully dressed women rap artists.. just singing... turned into "Pass that Dutch"... in 2003 that showed very scarcely dressed women, in a line shaking it... almost screaming: I am only meant for sex! Woo!... Ok, let's throw up, now. I also noticed that, no matter the year, if the female artist co-sang/co-produced a song/music video with a black or latin male artist, the women were more likely to be depicted as sexual objects and male violence was more prevalent however, when co-singing with Eminem, Rihanna was fully dressed, video showing mostly her face (not body), the other white girls in the video were also not objectified but, the male dominance/aggression was still very relevant. I couldn't find that much evidence for Gwen Stefani or really find many white female hip hop artists... Does race really play that BIG of a role in the prevalence of male aggression and female objectification in contemporary hip hop culture? This is serious...

Bill Maher says "we're" better than "them"

I chose this blog because the recent events that have taken place in Cairo have greatly struck my interest.  Also, I have found that the most interesting part of this Women’s Studies course was learning about racism and that feminists find it very important to involve women of any race in their activism.  Bill Maher’s comments took away from the fact that Lara Logan was hurt by a sexual assault, and he made the issue a matter of racism.  He referred to Middle Eastern men as being less than us, and he rhetorically asked his audience, “What’s wrong with saying that?”  All I want to know is what isn’t wrong with his statement.  Bill Maher purposefully ignored the sexual assault case to demonstrate that Americans are not as sexist as men of the Middle East.  I can’t tell is he was being more racist or sexist in this TV clip, but I do know that he truly has the “Western Eye”.

http://www.ihollaback.org/blog/2011/02/20/bill-maher-uses-cairo-rape-to-justify-racist-rant/

Everything I Learned About Women I Learned From Reality TV

http://www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog/2010/11/12/newsweek-reviews-reality-bites-back-everything-i-learned-about-women-i-learned-from-reality-tv-plus-my-slideshow-reality-tvs-9-worst-stock-characters/
I chose this article because everyone I know watches some form of reality television. Most women are cast in stereotypical roles of bitches, housewives or plastic surgery patients. 75% of creators and producers are men who cast and edit these women into these roles. It supports the thought that sisterhood is dead and is replaced withh two-faced catty women.

Feminist Mormon Housewives

http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=3506

 I decided to choose this blog after reading several others because it interests me to see how people grow up and be feminist. I am curious as to see why they have decided to turn feminist and the struggles they have went through to stand up for what they believe in. In class we have been discussing a lot of stories how women could not speak there mind. This blog is a little different because Joanna did not realize she was a feminist till her college years. She said, "As a young Mormon feminist at BYU, I felt like I finally was starting to figure out how to put the pieces of myself together and understand what my life was for.  I have never felt so alive as when I was marching through the streets of Provo late on a spring night with hundreds of women (and several dozen pro-feminist men) for our first Take Back the Night." This interested me because she went a few years without knowing she was actually feminist. She also stated, "Why, I wondered from the time I was a little girl, if my eternal destiny was homemaking had God given me a head full of brains and words and absolutely no aptitude for or interest in sewing, cooking, or crafting?  That glass slipper just never fit." When I read this I feel like she knew that she wanted to stand for something like equal rights for women. Along with the stories we have been reading in class about women not being able to speak there mind I feel like Joanna was able to and felt like she fit in at church because she stated this about church being a protection for her "where a smart, dark-haired, oustpoken girl was encouraged to take herself seriously."

But It's Just a Can! -- The Sleek, New Look of Diet Pepsi

I chose a post on the blog the Pursuit of Harpyness which discusses the new Diet Pepsi campaign as well as other advertisements created by Big Foods (which created the Skinny Pepsi advertisement).  I chose this blog and this topic because the messages sent to women about what the ideal body should look like are highly problematic.  Even though most of us are (at the very least) aware of this problem, it is still a very important issue to discuss.

In the wake of the controversy created by the Pepsi Max Superbowl commercial, Pepsi has unveiled their next ad campaign: “the taller, sassier new Skinny Can”.  This new can, which is indeed taller and skinner than its predecessor, is meant to celebrate “beautiful, confident women”.  In a press release for PepsiCo, Chief Market Officer Jill Beraud (who, for what it’s worth, also worked for Victoria’s Secret) stated, "Diet Pepsi has a long history of celebrating women through iconic fashion imagery seen in our infamous and historical campaigns, and we're proud to continue that tradition as an official sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Our slim, attractive new can is the perfect complement to today's most stylish looks, and we're excited to throw its coming-out party during the biggest celebration of innovative design in the world."  Basically, the message of this campaign (coupled with Beraud’s comments) is that in order to be beautiful, confident, and fashionable, you must be “tall”, “skinny”, and “new” (so therefore young?).  Although this is hardly a new message, especially for advertising, that does not make the campaign any less ridiculous (how can a soda can be sassy?).

I know some people may be inclined to argue that it’s just a can, and, to be honest, they’re partially right – there is nothing inherently wrong with redesigning a can.  The problem is not with the can, but the advertisements and the decision to unveil this design in conjunction with fashion week.  The fashion industry is notorious for pushing the exact message that the Pursuit of Harpyness (as well as many other feminist blogs) argues that PepsiCo is trying to push with this campaign – that in order to be beautiful and fashionable, you must be thin and tall.  As a final though, I find it very interesting that the new design and campaign is for Diet Pepsi and not regular, full-calorie Pepsi.

-- Stephanie Cristiano

Sex & The City

"A Feminist Argument For 'Sex And the City 2'"

http://blog.ajchristian.org/2010/05/31/a-feminist-argument-for-sex-and-the-city-2/

I chose this particular blog for several reasons. To start, throughout the semester thus far we have been given several examples of how not just women, but also men, are feminists. The author of this blog, Aymar Jean Christian, claims to be a male feminist who "investigates visual culture and media industries".

Another reason I chose this article is because of the interesting content, which I could find relatable. The article gives the reader a critical look at the Sex and the City 2 movie that was released last year. Most blogs and articles I have read on this movie, regarding a feminist outlook, see the movie in some ways degrading to women. In this category they also included realty shows such as the Desperate  and Real Housewives TV series. However, to the contrary this blog depicts the movie in a different light.

Christian highlights how the movie still raises valuable questions such as the institution of marriage and what female sexuality is like at an older age. (To add to this I also believe it shows how women can rely on friendships between each other, instead of the sometimes evident "caty-like" behavior between women.) The importance of these topics is relevant in today's society with the increasing divorce rates, it seems that the media is depicting marriage in several different ways. Just throughout this movie the gay couple gets married (and states that they might have open sexual relationships with others outside of their marriage) and how Carrie, the main character, is thinking of divorce within a year of marriage. A growing trend throughout media is also emerging, depicting women only being happy if they are married. (For example movies such as: Date Night, The Proposal, Couples Retreat, He's Just Not That Into You)

Female sexuality is also highlighted through Samantha's inner battle of aging, and the movie shows in an exaggerated form for entertainment what life is like to be sexual and single at an older age. This I found interesting because throughout most movies and TV shows having an active single social life is only depicted through a younger cast.

When does defining your sexuality matter?

http://feministsforchoice.com/defining-sexuality-matter.htm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=defining-sexuality-matter

Killing two birds with one stone?

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/02/04/new-bill-will-let-doctors-refuse-to-save-the-lives-of-pregnant-women/


I chose this blog because it irritated me and frustrated me with the healthcare system, even more so then I already was. I am studying to eventually go into med school, and as a scientist from a purely factual manner, this new bill is absolutely ridiculous. To think that in America, we have to right to emergency care with or without insurance in a life or death situation is clearly NOT the right assumption. This "Protect Life Act" states that point in black and white. "The Act allows doctors to refuse necessary care to a pregnant woman if that care will kill the fetus."


ARE YOU KIDDING ME? There have been so many cases in our society where emergency abortion has been necessary to save the life of the mother. Think about it, say a mother has three kids at home and is having her fourth and has a life-threatening condition. The doctor's would rather allow for the mother to die then to save her life for her to be home with the other children. In reality, the doctor is committing crimes well past the realm of just malpractice and poor sense of judgement. The doctor is allowing NOT one, but TWO deaths to occur, the death of the fetus AND the death of the woman. Not to mention, the code of conduct that doctors take after leaving medical school. To allow religious beliefs into federal government not only disproves that America is a country where all religious beliefs are equal, but blatantly is a serious breech in the constitution where "church and state is kept separate".  Doctors really need to start working with their hearts and brains, instead of with dollar signs. Sheesh, hopefully drug therapy and genetic advancements move a little quicker, otherwise people are just going to be left out high and dry to die. 


-Kayleigh Jones

Beauty & Representation: Dove's Commercial

-Ali Wondoloski

Is this new Dove commercial promoting their idea of a "strong, beautiful women"? Go to this website and watch the 30 second commercial and see for your self. For me, I think they see the ideal beauty in women as tall, skinny, brunette. They show many women in the commercial, but only one of them is a darker skinned women. That doesn't represent Dove as a company that believes in beauty in everyone, does it?! Also they are saying "where beautiful girls find strength" in the tag line. Only beautiful girls can be strong? This is a deodorant commercial of all things! Armpits-all women have them and in my opinion not the most beautiful part on ANY women.



http://bitchmagazine.org/post/mad-world-dove-deodorant-is-just-for-pretty-babies

Study reveals gender pay gap in new doctors

http://feministing.com/2011/02/04/study-reveals-gender-pay-gap-in-new-doctors/comment-page-1/#comment-342142

I chose this blog, "Study reveals gender pay gap in new doctors," because it stood out to me and I found it very interesting.  It stated that the pay gap in men vs. women is widening, especially among new doctors.  As of now, the gap is $17,000 and this seems rediculous to me.  A woman can be just as good of a doctor as a man can so I don't understand why they need to receive so much less for the work they do.  The blog suggested that the pay gap could be attributed to indirect things, such as a women's desire to work less and for her job to be family friendly and the fact that men can negotiate their salary better than women can.  Although this things are indirect, they are still a result of sexism.  For example, of course women perfer a more family friendly work environment, because they are expected to be the primary caretaker of the household, so it is extremely difficult to work long hours or inconvient shifts and care for their family at the same time. Also, women are probably not as good at negotiating as men because women have always been led to believe that their male counterparts are superior to them and that their voice doesn't matter as much as men's so obviously it will be harder for them to have the courage to ask for a higher salary then it is for men.  I was disappointed to see that the pay gap is widening instead of becoming smaller, but I hope this changes because I believe women deserve the same pay as men if they are doing the same exact job as them.

Kristie Weiss

The Character of a City

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/01/23/the-character-of-a-city/#comment-348651

I chose this blog in reference to the racism and classism we have been discussing in class. This blog talks about the racism and classism that is still seen today in Australia. It opened my eyes to the fact that racism and classism are world wide issues and they do not solely occur in the United States. I feel like there is a big push within our society to speak of racism and classism two-sidedly, which is great. However, I feel by focusing only on our own countries racist and classist habits is a biased notion in itself. So while we are aiming to not discriminate within our own country, we are discriminating against other countries.

The one thing that stood out to me in this article was the talk about Australian day.
       "For me, personally, the hardest time for living in this country is 26 January. Australia Day is the anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival: the beginnings of the colony of New South Wales. Australia Day is known also as Invasion Day. It’s a day on which it’s popular to dress up in clothes with Australian flags on them, and to use Australian flags as capes. I am scared to go outside on 26 January because I know that racist feeling is running high (‘we grew here, you flew here’)."

The statement that I highlighted really stood out to me because it made it real to me that racism is in fact bigger than the United States....it is everywhere.

-Sadie Little

The smaller the body, the bigger the paycheck

http://feministing.com/2011/01/31/the-smaller-the-body-size-the-bigger-the-paycheck/

http://www.medindia.net/news/Good-Looks-Equate-Intelligence-79558-1.htm


I found this interesting because we have been discussing this such as women in the workplace. I had never thought about a salary having anything to do with looks or body composition. There may be certain reasons as to why this is, one maybe because people making more money find it easier to do this such as purchase a gym membership or exercise equipment. Other reasons may be more judgmental. This may include that more men may be higher up in companies and would prefer to higher "better looking women" or that it looks better for a company to have employees that are in good shape and attractive. Another study by researchers at the London School of Economics says that physically attractive men and women are to have IQs approximately 14 points higher than those of average or lower than average attractiveness. This may show why more attractive women make more but what determines someone attractive versus unattractive? What ever the reason it seems to be an unbeatable cycle that needs some serious attention.

Cisgender Folks: The Bullies on the Playground

http://www.alternet.org/story/149667/on_tv,_the_lesbians_are_all_right..._as_long_as_they%27re_pregnant/?page=2

I chose this blog thinking about "good gay" and "bad gay"; who decides what is acceptable and who receives the brunt of that decision.

The article draws from the TV series 'Rules of Engagement'. I found other applicable examples in TV series: "The 'L' word" and the movie "The Kids are All Right". I'm sure Maury and Jerry are also proud sponsors of this stereotyping.

In summary, the author is pointing out that many of the lesbians that ARE displayed in media are lesbians who want to be pregnant, are trying to get pregnant. pregnant or with children. Personally, I take this seriously. If lesbians are very rarely being depicted in media then, when they are depicted many viewers are receiving only one message: Lesbians can have female lovers... sure but, they will never escape the desire to have a family, like all the 'normal'/cisgender gals... Bullshit! Bullshit! Horseshit!

I read this article as the cisgender folks' way of giving gays/lesbians a means of assuming the role of 'good gay'.

They seem to be saying, "We are completely accepting of your sexual preferences only if you show some signs of normality and pop out the babies. Thanks, we're watching you..."

Upsetting, disturbing, immature bullying.
I'd like to research this more, seeing as the article drew from only one source. We shall see..

Men Can Be Feminists?

This article is written by Matt, a male who identifies himself as a feminist. He argues that though he may not overtly experience the inequalities females face, he does recognize and care about changing them. Matt specifically focuses on people's reaction to him as a feminist. The jokes and laughter he well-expected, but what suprised him the most was the praise he recieved.

He states, "I find it unfortunate that when you find one man who cares about gender equality, it’s cause for praise...It’s great when men self-identify as feminists, but when it’s cause for celebration, then you know something is wrong with society."

http://thefbomb.org/2009/12/men-can-be-feminists/

-Adrienne Jarrett