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*