Final Essay 2

It's almost impossible to define feminism. Through our women studies class we've discovered that even the people that align themselves with feminism believe in different definitions. The Merriam- Webster Online Dictionary says that feminism is “The theory of political, economical, and social equality of the sexes” but I think that the real definition is much more encompassing. Feminism to each person is completely different. It would be completely impossible to designate one definition as the sole meaning for each man, woman or follower. As a feminist, not everyone may believe in the same things. My personal favorite definition is the one that was suggested our first day, "the radical notion that women are equal" but as we've learned, even this definition doesn't encompass all. It comes down to each individual person and what they think their own personal definition is.

The history of feminism has been a long and winding one. One that still has no end in sight. We've seen success, misfortune, and change. The movement can most easily be broken down into its designated waves. Although the primary goal of its followers have fought for gender equality, each generation or wave have set out to make this possible in their own ways. This feminism movement all started back in 1848 when the “first women’s right’s convention was held … in Seneca Falls, New York” (Finkbeiner 20). The first wavers goal was the right to vote. Most known for her work was Alice Paul. She along with her group the National Women’s Party fought relentlessly for the nineteenth amendment to the constitution. A great portrayal of her successes and challenges is the movie "Iron Jawed Angels." With this movie, you can most accurately see the pickets, protests, and hunger strikes these brave women of the early 1900s went through just so that we can take part in the governmental process. Up to this point, women were only seen as wives, mothers, and parts to their husbands. With the right to vote, these women could now have a voice in politics. Although they still faced challenges, this first wave gave women hope that one day they too would be just as successful and they would finally see their hopes and aspirations fulfilled.

The second wave can most accurately be defined by our struggle for equality in the workplace and birth rights. This wave lasted between the early 1960s well on until the early 1980s. In the second wave, protesters fought for the right to escape sexual harassment in the work place, equal job opportunity, the right to an abortion, paid maternity leave, child care, and receiving equal pay to men. They were truly seeking their independence from men. Although we have seen great strides in most of these areas, one that has yet to be completely challenged is the right to equal pay. Even in the 21st century, we still have women who are making far less than their male counterparts.

The 3rd and final wave discussed in women studies started in the early 1900s and has continued on through today. In this wave, The F word describes as the fight for women to be successful in the work place but they no longer have to chose between work and family. Although some women as described in Lisa Belkin's Opt-Out theory believe that they have the right to give up their jobs in order to raise their family many still don't believe you have to chose between the two. On top of this struggle for family and work, the 3rd wave continues to fight for equality in the workplace and many are introducing the fight for sexual orientation into the mix. Our third wave generation is definitely more open to new ideas and we still have the drive and passion of our other generations within our fight. The problems that lie within mainly have to deal with our diverse definitions of what feminism truly means. Until we can fully define what our 3rd wave is fighting for, this confusion will continue to divide us.


The amazing thing about our women's studies class is that when you take it, you truly begin to recognize that everyone has their own idea of what feminism is. You may not always agree, but you learn to accept others beliefs by agreeing to disagree. There were many times in our class when people had differing opinions, and no matter how hard it was to hear each other's sides, there was no way you were going to change their opinion and they were not going to change yours. But by learning women studies, it can help shape your beliefs and introduce you to all perspectives in the matter. As discussed before, the 3rd wave has had difficulty in defining what are cause truly is. With differing opinions we find ourselves divided a lot of the time. One example of this divide is described in Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth". She discusses how our own beauty and image insecurities are actually plaguing our ultimate fight for equal rights. Instead of bringing us together, we are divided by our petty jealousies. Within women studies, we get to see this divide, we learn about others, and we are able to step into the shoes of beliefs of men and women all around the world. By doing this, we are able to accept our neighbors beliefs and understand that we should drop all of these divides. We need to accept everyone as they are, and once we can do this, our fight for equality will only grow stronger.

At the beginning of the course, I was completely skeptical of how Women’s Studies was going to focus on feminism and the women’s rights movement. I never really knew exactly what I was classified as. I knew I believed in equality and I knew I wanted to be successful when I graduated college. My mom has always kept me informed. I never just thought it was going to be an easy journey and through her struggles, I knew that there would probably be a time when I was discriminated against just because of my gender. Although I have yet to truly experience this, I'm proud to live in a generation where equality continues to be fought for. When it came to labeling myself as a feminist, I didn't know it was possible. I thought in order to receive the title, I needed to be out there protesting or doing something that made a difference. I was definitely wrong. Feminists are any person that cares about women’s issues or gender equality. Feminism isn’t a set belief but an open and ever changing belief that varies from person to person. It's not all about what you physically do, it's about being strong and believing in yourself. I can honestly say yes, I am a feminist. I believe in promoting women’s health, I believe in women receiving the same amount of pay as men, I believe in better child-care and the welfare system, and most of all I believe in the equality of women everywhere.

sources:

"The F-Word: Feminism In Jeopardy" by Krisitn Rowe-Finkbeiner

"The Opt-Out Revolution" by Lisa Belkin

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Movie: "Iron-Jawed Angels"

"The Beauty Myth" by Naomi Wolf

Final Essay 1

Throughout the course of women studies we have delved into many works of literature and writing that depict different aspects of feminism. Some I agree with, others I do not. We have reached an area in time where the fight for women's rights is at a standstill. It's not that we are not making progress, it's just that so many feminists are on a different page in regards to the direction our 3rd wave is heading. Through discovering other writers' perspectives, you get insight into how different women feel in regards to our progress. Overall, each reading helped me to shape my view and gave me new perspective on how I view women in general.

One interesting article in particular, "All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave" gave great insight into the struggles of Black feminists. Never had I set down to discover what other feminists have to deal with. As I discover feminism, I notice that there are so many injustices towards women in general and then you look at other races and they have double to injustices. Not only do they have to deal with gender inequalities but racial inequalities as well. Hull really portrays a picture of the struggles black women face on a daily basis and she effectively shows that this is yet another divide between the feminists of the 3rd wave. Never will we see complete equality until we iron out the flaws that lie within racial and gender inequality. Until both are completely equal, men and women around the world will not truly be seen as the same.

Another book that had a major impact on how I viewed not only feminism but society in general was the book The F Word: Feminism in Jeopardy. I really enjoyed this book, it not only gave great insight into the struggles we've faced from the beginning as feminists but it shows the continued struggles we face in politics and everyday life. My favorite quote in the book was one placed at the beginning of the second chapter were Marie Curie is quoted saying, “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done” (Finkbeiner 19). This quote can really describe myself. Not only was I blind to the struggles we faced but I was blind to the continued efforts of women in my generation. I've always taken my rights for granted. Never had I truly sat down and thought about all the things I'm able to do, all thanks to women of my past and present. These women fought hard to see change and yet I have done nothing. I was grateful to read about all the inspirational events that have taken place through history that have helped me to be successful as a women today. The fact that I'm in college writing this essay right now is a testament to the inspirational women of feminism's past.


Manifesta is another reading that I really enjoyed. When we had the young woman visit our class one Wednesday, she referenced this reading. I immediately became interested in it and I was glad it was one of our lasts. This reading was full of emotion. It was inspiring, it made me laugh, and it also made me sad. The idea of having a dinner party where women of all types, ages, and beliefs could gather together to just talk is amazing. A place where these women could speak freely about anything and everything without being judged. I have a lot of respect for the girl that came to our class. For her to implement this idea and make it an actual event instead of something we just merely read about truly shows the amount of persistence women of our generation have. We have the ability to make a difference. Just like the women of our past, we have a passion to see changes made and we won't sit back and just let life pass us by. In events like these, it shows that women don't have to be catty enemies. We should accept each other for how we are and support all of our different hopes and dreams for our world.


"The Opt Out Revolution" reading by Lisa Belkin is yet another reading that gives insight into the diversity within feminism. Throughout this reading, Belkin delves into the trend of successful women giving up their careers in order to raise their children at home. This article brings up the question, Since women have the right to leave their jobs and raise their children, does this give them equality in the workplace? The answer in my opinion, Absolutely not. First off, Belkin admits that these mother's are part of the upper class. They have this option because they have successful husbands that are making more than necessary for their families to survive minus their wives working. Although many women would love to take advantage of this, it's not a universal privilege. It gave me insight into this trend, and it made me question if it is something I would partake in the future. After examining, although it does seem like the best of both worlds, getting to work for awhile and then raising a family, staying at home 24/7 would create too much boredom for me to handle.


The last reading that had the greatest impact on me was The Eternal Feminine. To me, this play ties in all of the readings and shows the importance of each. I believe this reading really ties in all aspects of feminism. The author Rosario Castellanos really does a beautiful job of hi-lighting many aspects involved with feminism. Whether it be discussing the past struggles like the F Word does to showing what needs to be done, this play really ties all of our readings together. I love how the playwright, Rosario Castellanos catches the essence of each women and what they are going through. One great way she did this was when Lupita would try on the different wigs and become a different woman with a different lifestyle. It showed the prostitute, the lover, and the writer. She gave light to all different types of women and I believe she affectively showed the diversity of our past, present, and current generations. No matter their type, she shows we are all women and deserve equality. The greatest thing I took away from the play was to be myself. Don’t change who I am don’t try to be someone different because I have a voice and an opinion that matters.

With every reading this Women’s Studies class read this semester I learned that every woman does have a voice of her own opinion. Each reading really portrayed the voices of many kinds of women. Whether it be the past, present , or future women, we all have a voice. These readings inspired, made us think, and challenged us to accept other people's views because if we aren't united in this fight for feminism, we won't make a change.

sources:
"All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave" by Gloria Hull

"Manifesta" by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards

"The F Word: Feminism in Jeopardy" by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

"The Opt-Out Revolution" by Lisa Belkin

"The Eternal Feminine" by Rosario Castellanos

Blog 10...

This topic doesn't necessarily involved feminism but it is a very important topic to me. Recently many of the news outlets covered the Rescue of the "Invisible Children" of Uganda. For 23 years, a war in Uganda has been fueled by a man named Joseph Kony. Although much of Uganda is against his continued warfare, he is still gaining followers. Sadly his followers are gained using force and most if not all are kidnapped children, snatched from their bedrooms and homes at night and forced to be soldiers for his army. If they do not comply they are killed, if they comply they are practically slaves. Either way, it is a horrible vicious cycle and no child should have to live in fear, let alone be the cause of millions of others fears. The non-profit Organization Invisible Children fights to make peace with this army and to let the children be free. Their approach is simple. They are raising awareness in America, especially through our government officials in order to show how important it is that we no longer let this war go on. If America is supposed to help smaller countries escape humanitarian crimes, this is one thing we can not turn away from. These children need our help and personally, I would rather be sending our troops to help those in Uganda instead of our continued efforts in the middle east. Although Invisible Children is hoping for a peaceful agreements, Their leader is obviously not backing down anytime soon and other approaches will have to be made to see him taken down. At the moment, a way to get involved in invisible children is to help by lobbying to officials in Washington DC in June. Recently as in last weekend, the Rescue took place. At this event 100's of thousands of people gathered all over America, Europe, and Austrailia in support for the invisible. These citizens "abducted" themselves and gathered outside of a common place in their city and waited for a public figure or celebrity to "rescue" them. The event lasted for over a week and finally ended with the last city to be rescued in Chicago. Oprah was their rescuer. Through events like these, the awareness for Kony's horrible crimes become more apparent to Americans. On the website you are encouraged to watch the video documenting the founder's stay in Uganda and you also have the opportunity to contribute money.

Respond to the readings...

In the F-word the author discusses the friction between the 2nd and 3rd wave feminists. He outlines that many blame the 3rd wavers for the halt in continued change. Although the 3rd wave is described as lack of unity, the blame does not lie within this generation. The times have changed completely. It would be difficult to use the tactics of the 2nd generation to get things done now. There are so many things people are fighting for and we are definitely not united because we all have different beliefs of what feminism should stand for. Until we decide on a united definition of Feminism we will continue to have problems but if other generations had to deal with our problems too, the fight for equality would be just as complicated.

The Eternal Feminine

From the play The Eternal Feminine, written by Rosario Castellanos, the scene that stuck out to me most was presented in Act Three. During the third act Lupita trys on different wigs with different labels. Each time Lupita puts on a wig she imagines herself becoming the person the wig portrays. When Lupita trys on the wig “At the Edge of the Storm” starts the scene that I believe is most interesting. This scene starts on page 349.

When Lupita puts on this wig she becomes the leader of a small female bourgeoisie student discussion group. I thought is was interesting how the author chose the actual play "The Eternal Feminine" as the main center point of hte discussion. I believe Castellanos did this to almost foreshadow that her play would become a topic of discussion among people after it was published. She was aware of the controversy it could unfold from her views even if the discussers hadn't even seen or read the play. It's almost if she is using this scene to prepare herself for possible backlash. To prove my point, an example of this can be found later on from a student who in fact admits to not seeing the play. Lupita: “Have you seen The Eternal Feminine?” Lady IV: “I don’t need to go to the theater to assimilate ideas- like some of my friends- or to think. I think on my own.” Lupita: “And you think the worst.” Lady IV: “Than as the proverb says, I get it right…”

The women even begin to delve into what sort of action they will take against the play Castellanos created. A suggestion is thrown out “to fight to be given the right to vote” but Lupita counteracts that by saying “We Mexican women have had the right to vote since January 18, 1946” in response a shocked sounding lady replies: “How come we never…” This is an important point because it shows that although women have at the right, they have a tendency to not use it. If you have the power to make a change, why didn't they do it? The discussion continues with a lady pointing out “with or without the vote, Mexican women continue being oppressed” and then another women says “by girdles and by bras- terribly oppressed.” This scene points out that although women were beginning to recognize that they need to change their current state of treatment, they just weren't exactly dead on about why they were supressed. This misconstrued notion that material items were the things that were keeping them supressed is way off. With them not recognizing that it was in fact their traditions that were keeping them from regaining respect, they were unable to find a plausable way to fix their current problem of supression.

Lupita takes it upon herself to create a list of changes for the women once they decide it is finally time to take action for themselves “these are various options. First defend traditions, modernizing them, of course, in order to up-date them.” The key part of the scenes is when they lady speaks up, “The third way has to reach the heart of the problem. It’s not enough to adapt to a society that changes superficially, while its roots remain the same. It’s not good enough to imitate the models proposed for us that are answers to circumstances other than our own. It isn’t even enough to discover who we are. We have to invent ourselves.” After that was state the women go literally crazy! Some start praying, some begin to rip off their bras, and others begin to cry out for random wants. This scene is a some what exaggerated example, and it could be a bit truthful, of when something you have believed in for so long is labeled as wrong, you don't know what to do. You don't know if you should rebel, freak-out, or continue to live in denial. It was probably extremely hard for women in the early 1900s to overcome their stereotype. The idea of the woman being only a figure of the home was something extremely hard to overcome, it's easy to see that women probably freaked out about when they discovered that times were changing. Change is scary.

In the end, Castellanos created her work in order to make women think. She wanted them to question their current conditions and wonder what if? Although some women decided that change wasn't for them, her play probably sparked an idea in others to question their lifestyles. Without forewarding thinking people such as Castellos, the women's movement would have never taken off.

Blog 9...

For the non-governmental organization I researched HumanTrafficking.org...This organization aims to bring Non-governmental organizations and governments in Asia together to fight to abolish human trafficking. They head up the "be smart, be aware" campaign, which aims to inform travelers from other countries about the dangers and risk they put themselves as they travel. This is not to scare them from traveling it is to just inform them to be aware of their surroundings at all times because they could fall into the trap set by traffickers. They really aim at informing women and children of their risk because they are the most sought after. The site also informs of rescues/ escapes, prosecution, protection and advocacy. This is a real threat in our world and this organization really is fighting to see its power be destroyed. It has many help lines set up for different countries. The site informs you of how to get involved. Whether it be recognizing the signs of a trafficked person or even discovering an area that is being disguised in order to not blow their cover as a trafficking organization. There are tips on the site that recognize these characteristics and their is also an option to give money in order to contribute to the fighting of this cause. DIrector and founder of Visayan Forum Foundation, another NGO, accredits the site for their help in the fighting and prevention. She said the best way to get involved is to be aware of your surroundings and if you see something that doesn't seem right, don't just let it continue, inform someone.

In response to the readings...

The FIFE chapter talked about feminism throughout the world...I think that we are extremely lucky to be living in America. Although it is not completely ideal at times, we have overcome a lot. Also in reference to much of the women's movement being controlled by upper class women, we need to change this. In order for us to succeed as a movement, we need to incorporate everyone. Everyone should have a chance to contribute their ideas into furthering our cause. Although our cause can be a bit muffled at times, I think the women's movement needs a bit of reconstructing. It's all too broad at the moment. We need to all agree in light of our differences. This doesn't seem like it will happen anytime soon....

Ethnography Paper...

After reading opting out, I became really interested in this trend that working women are taking on. Since I grew up in a household where both my parents worked, that's all I ever knew. I don't think I was negatively affected by the lack of parental presence when I was younger, but I sometimes wonder if parents, especially the mother feels like they are harming their child by not being present for every aspect of their maturing. Along with this I was wondering about people who have the option to opt-out and why they decide to, although this may seem harsh, choose to keep their career in lue of making their children the number one priority. I feel that when I get older, I too will want to try and balance a career and have children. I know that it will become hard, but as of right now, I can't let my children take away my since of independence.

Methodology: While thinking about these topics I decided to follow the life of a typical working mother, trying to balance time with her family and contributing to the success of her family financially. My question: Do you think that working could cause a negative affect on your children? and if you had the option or do have the option to opt out, why haven't you? I followed around Annette Powell, a full time worker and mother of 3. Her hours at the aiport call her to work at a minimum of 4 days a week with hours ranging from 6am-2pm or 1pm-10pm.

Interview...

Q: Do you feel like you have missed any significant part in your child's life? if so what?
A: I do sometimes because my job does interfere with events at school. My job does not give me the ability to just take off whenever I want to.

Q: I see that you leave early every morning, do you feel that this morning time not spent with your child could be a negative?
A: Sometimes the father has to take the place of taking the child to school and getting them ready and It's just a part of teamwork. it's good because it shows the child to rely just as much on the father as the mother, rather than just one primarily.

Q: Do you have the option to opt out?
A: No, because with three children and the expense and the cost it takes to raise them, to cloth them, to feed them, that it is to the children's benefit to have two parents working. It's attainable because both the mother and father are fully engaged.

Q: Why do you enjoy working, instead of staying at home?
A: I enjoy working because I feel like my husband can take up the slack when I'm not there. This shows the children that nowadays the mother is not the only care taker and she has the ability to be successful on her own. When she's happy with her accomplishments it can be a role model for the children because they realize they can accomplish the same thing.

Q: Was this your plan to do so your whole life?
A: I always thought that I would stay at home when the children were little but with the kind of job my husband had, it made it possible to be able to work and have a family life.

Q: What do you think this is teaching your children?
A: I just teaches them the value of parenting as a team and taking equal responsibility with raising the children. It is attainable.

Q:With the economy as it is, are you seeing the rewards to deciding to stay with your job?
A: Considering we are in a recession, In my opinion it does take two incomes. We can't afford to take any chances with the way the economy is. If one of us were to lose our job, we would have a back up plan.

Notes...

As mentioned above I followed her throughout her day. She woke up at 4 a.m. to get ready for work and since her commute to the airport is 30 minutes away she left by 5:15. This was way before any of her children had awoken. They are all elementary aged children so they had school that day. She explained to me that it was her husband who helped get them ready, fed, and off to school in time. After work if was her duty to pick the children up from school and then take them to their various activities. Throughout the time, I noticed that her absence was in fact not a burden to the children. Although she expressed it could be hard some mornings for her to miss getting them ready, she does in fact spend a lot of time in the afternoons with them. This sharing of powers gave the children a chance to look at each parent as equal and to get to spend a separate time with each parent. After viewing I now feel that I too can, when the time is right, balance a family and a job. Although opting out could have been an option, in trying times like these, each parent will see the benefits in caring for their children equally when it comes to working.

Blog 8...

I'm very confused what happened because I thought I posted this yesterday but I guess my computer did not follow through with posting...? Oh well here lies Blog 8...

In many of the articles I read online they outline that opting out is just not always an option. Since Belkin showed this idea through her very successful friends, she fails to show that not all women have the luxury of opting out of the workplace. May it be they aren't financially able or perhaps they are a single mother who is the soul income provider for her children. This idea is just not an option.

Another idea against opting out is putting too much reliance on the male figure in the household. What if there is divorce? What if the spouse dies? That luxury the woman once had is gone in a flash and they are now forced to re-enter a very competitive workplace that has changed drastically since they first left. An author on the Mothersmovement.org points out that Belkins friends may find themselves facing displaced homemakers' syndrome. The woman writing the response is a recently divorced free-lance writer. Although she claims she will be more well off then many others in her situation, she struggles with the fact that she decided to opt-out herself and now she is facing the harsh concequences of her decisions. She wishes she would have listened to her advisors when they said "only you can take care of yourself, don't left anyone else fill that position." When her husband was financially stable to take care of her, she opted-out and now she wants to warn others of the problems that can occur with this decision. With divorce rates rising, the idea of opting-out is a scary one. Although no one goes into a marriage expecting a divorce, I think that women should arm themselves with the possibility.

I come from a family with divorced parents. My mother has always worked her entire life so when this unfortunate circumstance took place, she did not have to worry about how to take care of me on her own. Although both my mother and father are active in taking care of me, my mother's job was just as financially stable to keep us from changing our normal lifestyles. She has forever drilled into me that I need to be responsible for myself. I don't need a man to give me everything and I should NEVER rely on one completely. Obviously my mother did not go into the marriage with my father expecting the worst but since she came from a divorced family herself, she knew how vital it was to support yourself financially no matter how much money your spouse makes.

Blog 7...

Okay so I am normally an avid movie watcher but I have to say I've been rather lacking within the past 2 months. I've seriously only seen like 2 movies, which to me is kind of ridiculous! But anyways between the two I've seen which is Milk and Coraline...the one I saw most recently was Coraline so I'm going to attempt to describe it in terms of gender. Coraline is a 3d movie. Its characters and surroundings are very similar to those of the Nightmare before Christmas because they share the same directors. But anyway...the story line is about a girl, Coraline, who moves with her family to a new town. Her family is very involved with their work so they pay little attention to entertaining and interacting with their daughter. Coraline is left to create her own adventures and use her imagination to discover her new surroundings. During her search, she discovers a door that leads to world unlike her own. When she enters, she is encountered by her "other parents." These parents unlike her own, seem to live their life only to please Coraline. They make her favorite foods, they create gardens and sing songs about her, and they treat her like she is the only thing that matters in her life. It is easy to see why Coraline becomes enchanted with this world. But she soon figures out that her "other parents" are really just figures of her imagination created by an evil witch who plays the role of her "other mom". The rest of the movie is full of twist and turns as Coraline fights to beat the evil witch and return to her own life in the real world. So basically it is kind of hard to describe it in terms of gender but in reality, I think this movie breaks a lot of gender stereotypes. Coraline is obviously a girl and she is the strong heroine of the movie, which is unlike most movies where the male is the central hero. Her nemesis is also a woman. She is the wicked and strong counterpart to the courageous Coraline. The witch even has control over the whole made up environment. She uses characters like "the other father" to her own advantage of enticing Coraline to remain the other world. There are many other characters that do portray specific stereotypes but overall the women are the lead characters of the movie. Although Coraline's sidekick is a boy, he typically takes direction from Coraline and although at the end he has a shining moment to save the day, Coraline is the one that takes part in most of the aciton. It was actually a pretty good movie especially since it was directed more towards a younger audience. It was refreshing to see the girl as the heroine fighting to protect her family. It helps to break the stereotypes to young children who may always believe it is the man's job to save the day.


In reference to the readings...

After reading I noticed how much times have changed. Well obviously women aren't only thought of as the extension to their husband..or only functioning by the terms of the husband. But really now we have such a hard to struggle to overcome. We still have the motherly instinct and being a mother requires so much time. It scares me to think that soon I will have to face the decision to either further my career or start a family. But I want both so badly. There is only so much time in life. There's so many things I want to accomplish. It feels like the early twenties to early thirties are the times of your life where you really set yourself up. To think that so much happens within that small time frame is a bit overwhelming. This class has really challenged me to think more into the future so I can set my goals straight so when the decision comes, it will be well thought out.

Blog 6...

When I first saw this ad, I was disgusted. This not only portrays the woman as weaker and inferior to men, It portrays the man as a the dominating power. It insinuates that the men are going to use their dominating power to take advantage of the woman. What kind of picture does this paint to Dolce and Gabbana shoppers or even people passing by viewing the advertisement. Not only is Dolce and Gabbana a primarily women bought brand but it shows that obviously the women continuing to buy the products are supporting a brand that is advertising using the weaknesses of women. There is no text within this advertisement but but I believe that's even worse. They are just leaving it for your imagination to make up what you think the ad is trying to say. Obviously, we all no what it is insinuating. It just disgusts me that this ad was actually thought up and mass produced in order to sell clothes. I don't think it has much to do with clothes at all, it just shows the male dominance the men continue to hold over women. If we continue to have ads like this, women will all ways be thought of as just a piece of meat that men can take advantage of.


In Response to the readings...

In the Beauty Myth Chapter online, Wolf shows how although women are gaining more power in the work place and in the world itself, we are still plagued by the beauty and image insecurities. Wolf talks about how women images are used to beat down our ultimate fight for equal rights. Women's images and jealousies are ultimately breaking up our unity. We have become so jealous of the pages we see in the magazines, of the images we view of tv, that we forget that most of these are merely just photoshopped creations meant to make the perfect women. That women just doesn't exist in real life. Although I fall into this trap everyday, I have to remember that I am my own person, I can't be like anyone else. I need to own my own faults and be proud the body that God has gifted me with. It is hard in this day and age but if women can overcome this, we can no longer be taken advantage of by our own sex.

Blog 5...

I love music...So this assingment was kind of tricky and kind of easy. I as kind of hard racking my brain to find music that applies specifically to gender. I picked a few that were completely relevant and then I picked a few that if you listen to the lyrics they can apply ot the typical gender stereotype that women may fall into.

1. I'm a Bitch- this describes all sides of the woman. Just because you may be bitchy one day does not mean that you can be labeled that for life. A woman is so diverse...they can't just be labeled by one word
2.Merry Happy- If you listen to the lyrics you can see that she may have been broken hearted but in the end she learned that she can be alone and do things by herself...she doesn't need a man for everything
3.Man! I feel like a woman- this was like my favorite song when I was 10..I had to included it but it's the typical girls anthem
4.That's not my name- the lyrics although a bit hard to understand describe a girl...just a typical girl...and the guy can't get her name right..A certain probelm that women feel..if we don't stand out we sometimes think people won't notice us..but we don't have to stand out...someone will notice you
5.Girls just want to have fun- yet again...another typical girls night anthem
6.I am woman- Kind of cheesy but when I would be upset or I get turned down for something...my mom used to sing this song to me...I would just laugh and it would make me feel better...very empowering
7.She's always a woman to me- all about the power women hold over the man
8. American Girls- because we are "manipulative" and we are stereotyped...supposedly


My music has definitely changed over the years. I grew up on country like Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, TIm Mcgraw...all the 90's country. Country now is not so appealing. My music choice is very diverse ranging from the beegees and Elton John to Coldplay and Death Cab for Cutie. It's hard to say who my favorite bands are. All I can say is If I like it, I'll listen and if I don't I change it.

In response to the readings...

Hooks describes all the stereotypes a man fall into and the implications of labeling a man to be strong and unable to show emotion. I option get caught up in all the stereotypes that women get labeled. It usually angers me and I sometimes make the mistake of believing men don't have to deal with it. But they do. While reading it showed me that men have to struggle with gender stereotyping too. Men don't have to be so strong that they can't show emotions. They don't have to take on all the responsibilites of a family. They don't have to be the only one to rely on. They are allowed to be weak and release pent up aggressions while crying. The world needs to understand that everyone is so diverse that we can no longer be labeled by the single strong man, weak women stereotype anymore.

Blog 4...

Currently my major is PR and it is within the Gaylord College of Mass Communications. Within this major important courses all pertain to PR...like PR writing, PR campaigns, PR Publications, Mass Communication Law and of course the very vital Internship. 

In my job, I will definitely have to be a strong woman and stand up for what I'm trying to sell or represent. Whether I work in a Business atmosphere, a Non-profit or I work to represent a certain person or product, I will have to fight for what I am representing. I can't let pressure from men keep me from actively putting my product/person first and foremost. I get paid by the success of what I am representing and if I let my status as a women interfere with my job, I will not come out successful. I have to remember, I am good and what I do and I can't let someone tell me otherwise. I don't feel that gender will really effect me, but I will always have to be prepared. A good women's study course I could take would be body image vs. reality. This could help me be more confident in myself so that I'm worried less about what I'm portraying to the public and more on what I should be presenting to them. 

My past work experience is a little bleak. I've done the babysitting gig and but most of my work experience comes from volunteer work. Sadly, I have not yet had a real paid job but I believe some of my volunteer efforts have been very comparable (minus getting paid). I guess in reference to gender,"it would be the girl thing to do". I mean babysitting...it is the typical woman job, not that I stereotype myself with the typical woman. Volunteer work can be for all, typically within the different volunteer situations I have worked within, there have been an almost even ratio of men to women. 

In response to reading...

I have to say I really agree with the top 10 Social Issues facing Women.

Obviously equality is number one. But I was a bit surprised by number 2. Although this subject is the center for many debates I have to agree as a woman we should have the right to choose. Although I am not for abortion...I am not against it either. The woman who is carrying the child should have the right to decide, and a law should not tell them otherwise. Another important issue is Education. This one is very dear to me. Obviously higher education has now become a necessity in the competitive world of job searching. This higher education is just part of the steps we need to take to show that we are just as capable as men of getting the job done. Our degree is our proof that we are as equally qualified. This thought sort of goes along with what I read in FIFE. Still in today's society women are not completely equal to men. I think the degree is even more important now because although some will still discriminate, in the end if you have the same education as a man, in theory you should be considered equally...but yet again this isn't a perfect world....

In the reading on Black Women Studies...I think it is ridiculous that racism is still apparent in society. It's just plain wrong. Personally I feel there is not need to have separate movements. Although we first and foremost need to overcome race issues, we secondly need to remember we are all women and if we unite together, we will make much more of an impact than participating separately. 

Blog 3...

I really enjoyed this movie and found it to be quite inspirational. It made me feel really thankful for the continued fighting women in generations before me. This movie really portrays all the struggles Alice Paul and the members of the National Women's Party endured to obtain the right to vote. 

I think it really surprised me the lengths these women went to. Alice Paul starving herself to make a point was not only a bit disturbing but surprisingly inspiring. I mean it doesn't inspire me to starve myself for something that I want in life but it does show me that if I believe in something strongly enough, to fight for it. 

A theme of the movie the the movie really stands out is women are able to do anything that they set their minds to. Although this doesn't come without great struggle. The women in the movement had to overcome many struggles. One that really stands out in my mind was the scene where the parade was organized. When the men reacted, it caused great chaos and it shows how against the movement they really were. I can't even begin to comprehend what it must of felt like to have so many men fighting against something you believed so strongly in. Why couldn't they see that we deserved the right to vote to, that we were as ignorant as they thought? Not only did Alice Paul have to deal with men aggression but she had to deal with other women fighting against her too. NAWSA didn't agree with her tactics and it caused her to break off and create the National Women's Party. Overcoming these struggles meant uniting under one cause and that was what they precisely did. 

Like I said...this movie was very enjoyable and although I had already previously seen it, it is always a favorite. 

In reference to the readings....

One of the most interesting areas in the reading revolved around the idea of "sisterhood", Hooks shows that this decreasing effort of sisterhood has actually downplayed our strength as a whole. The more we continue to cause drama between our own sex, the more problems we create when we actually need to unite together to further our own hopes and goals. I know for a fact that I fall into this category. There are many times when i've encountered fights within my own gender...I mean who hasn't. Girls in general live for the drama. But why do we do this to ourselves?Why do we let jealousy get in the way? Why don't we look into the fact that we are all different and all great in our own ways? Maybe if we could all answer these for ourselves and start to build each other up instead of tearing others down...we could join together and fight for something that actually matters...until then I think were kind of stuck

Blog 2....

I interviewed my mom, Carla Calhoun. She has worked with Southwest Airlines for 27 years. Through her hard word and perseverance, she has accomplished a lot in her lifetime. I strive to be more like her everyday. 

what is you experience with gender?

I'm very conscious of my gender everyday.  l live in a male dominated world. I have a boss who listens to the men in our office over the women. I hold a managerial position at Southwest Airlines and as a supervisor I work in an office with 3 men and 2 women. My co-worker, Ruthie, and I are continually fighting for what we believe in. But, we keep getting pushed out by the men and their opinions. Their opinions always have full control of our office. I feel like my opinion doesn't matter. But, despite it all, I don't let this take over. I'm not passionately fighting to be equally taken seriously. I keep a strong opinion but I don't put my job in jeopardy and I always keep a positive attitude. I voice my opinion but I don't demand that my opinion be heard over everyone else. 

Describe one experience in your life that made you conscious of gender. (weird story)

One day we had information coming through OKC in reference to a piece of luggage that had some oozing coming out of it. When we took it off the airplane we discovered there were body parts in it, We couldn't tell if it was human or animal. I had the police come to investigate it Three MALE officers responded to the call. When they were told the story they refused to take any reports. They refused to deal with the situation. They wanted me to just pretend like it did not happen. When I explained to them that it was against Southwest procedure, they still refused. They felt it should just be looked over. They just didn't take me seriously. I feel very passionately that if i had been a man in that situation they would never had questioned my authority. They just did not want to deal with it. They wanted to cover it up. I was the only manager on duty so I had no choice but to direct the situation to someone else. I had to call Kansas city and get in touch with the FBI there in order for them to investigate the suitcase. In the end, it was a situation in which the man who had checked the bag originally was wanted by the FBI for questioning and 60 minutes had even done an investigation on him. If this would have just been "brushed under the carpet" like the officers had wanted, this man would have continued to be loose. This is just one of the many times I have felt handicapped by my gender. 

history?

I haven't ever really been an activist but your great-grandmother was an activist in Texas fighting for the 19th amendment. But I did start out in pants in go go boots and I wasn't taken seriously when i first began my job at Southwest. Being the girly-girl was the role I played at work. As there years progressed on, we got different uniforms. At first Southwest Airlines only hired females at the front desks. After years went by they slowly started to hire men to work at the ticket counters, too. In the beginning, only men were in the management positions. There were very few women being hired at the higher positions in the company. Throughout my 27 year career at Southwest, I've watched more and more women take on these higher positions, myself included. Although I cannot say that our positions are evenly distributed between gender, I can say that we have gradually come along way from originally being hired for our looks. 

define feminism?

Strong compassionate leadership with a servant's heart

Response to Readings:

In reference to Chapter 5 of the F-word I noticed something when describing the 3rd wave the author used a lot of excerpts of other women's opinions describing in their own words the progression of the third wave. A lot of their opinions showed aggression towards the direction of the 3rd generation.  The problem with is is that if women continue to just complain about what should be happening instead of acting upon it, maybe there would be more of a direction for the 3rd wave. Instead of waiting for someone else to fix the problems of our generation maybe we just unite. Although there are many problems with this because obviously there are a lot of different opinions because some want to unite and fight for every one's rights and others just want to unite to further only women's rights. But the more we contemplate who to help, the longer we have to wait for our goals to be continued. Maybe if just one person decided to stand up for change and begin to lead the way....everyone else would follow?

In reference to the taking sides issue....

I had the NO issue

Although biologically there are things that keep us gender divided. A lot of things could be different though. Like when it describes competition. Although men do have competitive tendencies, this does not apply to all men and the idea that all women cooperate doesn't always only apply. A lot of the terms allotted to each gender can change depending on where you were raised and what situation you are in. It's hard to put labels on genders because everyone is their own person and everyone has their own qualities, as we've evolved through each generation those so called gender delegated tendencies have now become meshed between both genders. 

Just me....

Hello...

My name is Emily Calhoun, a current freshman at OU and PR major. With this blog site I will attempt to give in full details my thoughts and ideas relating to women's studies. Although I am not a women studies major, a western culture credit was indeed needed for me to graduate. As i sifted through my options on enroll.ou.edu, my eyes fell upon Intro to Women's Studies as a possible choice. As I weighed my options, I considered the fact that although being a female and knowing a lot about my gender from personal experience, I have never really delved into learning about the history or current controversies of my gender. That is when I decided this would be the course for me. I do not currently consider myself to be a die hard feminist but as I learn more on this subject...my opinion could very well change. I hope to keep my blog as open and truthful as possible. So... if you happen to agree or disagree....feel free to leave a comment :)

Questions I hope to be answered:

1) What really is a Feminist?

2) Am I a Feminist?

3) Where did the superficial stereotype of women originate?

4) Have we or how do we overcome it?

5) Will women ever be considered as equals among men? How far off are we or are we already there?

Hope you have a fabulous week :)

*Emily*