So I got into this show recently, "Queer as Folk". I strongly recommend this show for various reasons firstly, this show is a great way of learning how to interact in social situations as a gay man, secondly, it covers many social issues the U.K. version did not (one example being the recurrence of a couple in which one of the partners is HIV-positive and the other HIV-negative). This show also was one of the first big American television shows to have lengthy gay sex scenes as a regular and necessary aspect of its presentation. For more about why gay sex was so important to arguably America's first fully embraced (explicit sex and all) gay primetime show.
For more about why gay sex was so important to arguably America's first mostly embraced (explicit sex and all) gay primetime show, click my name to follow the link.
What are peoples' thoughts on the new "anti-Barbie", the Lammily doll? (https://lammily.com). I think it's not a bad idea to make a more realistic looking pre-teen doll. However, I don't necessarily believe that Barbie causes self image issues. I never compared myself to Barbie, and the only thing I didn't like about her was that she didn't move/bend that well. In the video they produced (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jue_JlxnPGM), they tried to show us that 2nd graders liked the Lammily doll better than the Barbie. Although the kids did agree that she looked more like themselves and was more moveable, most of their reasons for preferring the doll over Barbie was that they already had Barbie. We also don't know how much the interviewer hinted that they should prefer Lammily over Barbie. Thoughts?
The Lammily doll is a great idea but I don't think it would sell as fast as Barbie products. I never compared myself to Barbie either, but I've seen older women who try to copy her looks (such as the "Real Life Barbie: www.huffingtonpost.com/news/real-life-barbie/).
In conclusion, I think Barbie should be treated as a regular toy and that parents and society should teach the children to love themselves rather than have Barbie serve as a guide to looks.
I've seen the Lammily Doll as well and I am all for it, because the doll is realistic. They make some of these dolls with attachable acne which is awesome because it is realistic.
My link is a model wearing a milk dress and promoting the milk, which Coca Cola created. Milk on a woman's body is unnecessary, especially because the dress is short. It is implying that healthy is being thin and it perpetrates stereotypes. The Marilyn cut dress is also sexual because of the cleavage.The scale under her supports not only her, but body image issues that women today already face.
I think that the idea of this doll is similar to my previous post about giving Disney princesses realistic waistlines. Almost every girl had a barbie or watched a Disney princess movie when they were younger and even if they were not idealizing these women's looks I think that the fact that the imagery was so prevalent in their lives it helped to reinforce the beauty standard that skinny is beautiful.
I like the idea of a more realistic looking doll for young girls. I dont think it will replace the popularity of the Barbie, but it could be a reminder that being skinny/perfect is not ideal and not what young girls should strive to be. I think in a way, young girls can look at the Lammily doll and relate it to most women they see in their lives (teachers, mothers, or themselves).
Personally, I have no issue with what doll parents choose to buy their children. If the Lammily does allow girls to form a better self-image I am all for it. I did however find it interesting that this doll is being called "average" and I am a little offended because the doll has brown hair instead of blonde, and I just think it is weird that the manufacturers of the doll chose that hair color. Not sure if it has any significance, I just found it interesting.
I just have a few comments and questions to go off of based on chapter 10 and the articles given from our discussion. A few things I never really thought of till now after reading chapter 10 was the idea of conflict and peace tied with aggression in males and females. It's always naturally perceived that women are less aggressive and willing to fight but does everyone think women really do have more peaceful natures? Or do we think it's something else maybe like we only see what women are supposed to be i.e. peace makers? How do we think the views of war and the military will change now that women can truly participate in combat? And kind of on a side note and since I usually debate this with many people, who thinks world peace is achievable? or not? Thoughts?
I think women are characterized as peaceful figures because society sees them as psychological and emotional. History has shaped us to believe that men are the ones in combat and women stay home to protect their children while being supportive their husbands at war. Although laws permitted women to participate in combat, parts of society still oppose women to take combative position because the ideal of masculinity is still tied to the military. Under current conditions, I do not believe world peace is achievable. If all countries adopt similar types of government and maintain economic stability, world peace may be possible since there would be no disagreements and discrepancies.
I don't think world peace is going to be achievable any time soon because there is always someone who is unhappy with policies an regulations. However, maybe in the future, when resources run low and the world is forced to share oil, gas, and water with its inhabitants we will possibly form peace treaties and achieve peace.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/women-in-combat-roles-would-strengthen-the-military/2014/04/03/f0aeb140-bb50-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html Hi Everyone, This week, I will like to discuss about an article that supports women in combat roles, which relates to readings in Chapter 10 of the Women’s Lives text. William Denn, an army captain, publishes an article on the Washington Post about Madaline Kenyon, a freshman Cadet, who managed to finish a combat training course by a record breaking time. Although Kenyon’s performance was exceptional, she was rejected to hold any combat positions because she is a women. Seeing this as an social discrimination, the Department of Defense made an order to open all military positions to women by 2016. Denn believes that placing women in combat roles will be beneficial since they are “socially sensitive,” which allows them to read people’s emotions. From my understanding, this article renounces the military to be characterized an male-dominant institution. Because society sees men as powerful and unresponsive figures, they are able to withstand the hardships and savagery of war. Until recently, we have discouraged women from taking combat positions since they lack physical strength, stamina, and thought to be the first ones to get injured. Allowing women in the military would not only create social equality, but also promote other institutions in society to permit women in to higher positions. In conclusion, both males and females have potentials to serve as leaders and defenders of our nations.
Many of you may have seen this viral on Facebook but I'd like to share it here and put some thoughts into it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXI3IWV-_6E This short clip shows what women go through when they try to fit into society's idealistic view of image and beauty standards.
Each year, new standards are made; this then causes women to "fix" their bodies each time some new beauty trend comes out. After watching this clip, the female body becomes worse than it originally was. Our anatomy was not made to be altered. Besides the physical part of the processes, females would have to go through personality changes (the replacement of brains in this clip). Society does not only expect women to change their features, but also their place in the community.
In relation to our chapter about women in the military, I thought i'd share this article about current political efforts to deter sexual assault in the military. As Professor Craig mentioned in class, Senator Gillibrand from New York has put forth several attempts to pass a bill that would move the prosecution of sexual offenders in the military out of the military command system. Currently, she is putting forth a new bill called the Military Justice Improvement Act that would require commanders to stay completely out of defendants cases in order to protect their case from bias. Personally, I think this is an incredibly important bill because it is not fair for the people who serve in our military to feel like they have no way to seek justice after being sexually assaulted or raped. Many adversaries however claim that it should not be passed because it breaks with a longstanding military tradition. Though it may be tradition, I really think that the military needs to be willing to adjust and accommodate to new times, as it is fairly recent that we are having this many women serving in the military. Since this bill has bipartisan support, hopefully it will be successful in passing so the large amount of sexual assaults in the military can begin to go down.
I agree that this is a very important bill and I think it would have a serious impact on the amount of rapes that take place in the military. It's amazing that not much has been done to help victims of military rape. There is no reason that 26,000 people in the military were sexually harassed or raped before any concern was presented.
The article that I decided to write about was about whether conservative women can be feminist. I thought that this was an interesting article because people generally associate feminists as having liberal political views. However, as a movement, feminism is decentralized and has many different groups with different view points. This allows women from all political parties to participate in feminism and what they believe is necessary. One quote in particular stood out to me...
"Yes, women are different — as different as men are from one another. And until women accept those differences, they will remain minority players in a world that pats them on the head and sponsors summits where women rule, if only for a day." I think that this quote summarizes the idea of feminism and the class very well. Being a women is nothing a person can change and it is important for them to embrace who they are in order to stand up against the society that has made them inferior so that they can have a voice that will count.
Hi Kelly! I'm really happy that you found and shared this article because I truly found it really fascinating. I love many of the points it brought up and I think we can all benefit from what it has to say. The quote that you picked to highlight also stood out to me. I completely understand what they're trying to say. Today many women, feminist or not, are fighting each other, and for some reason in competition with each other, and I don't think we can move feminism as much as we would like until we can all agree to disagree, accept each other and our differing opinions, and be respectful of such. We need to be a united front, and support everyone, no matter what. I also found this really interesting because I feel I consider myself more of a conservative than liberal, but I do also consider myself a feminist, and I don't see why I couldn't be both. Our viewpoints may be slightly different from liberals but we can also call for equality of all. Why shouldn't we be able to be both?
Hey Kelly! I think your topic is a very interesting one to bring up! I have never really considered the debate of whether feminists can be conservative, but I think you make a good point. I think women probably could achieve more if they accepted differences in their ideologies and moved forward to create change.
I was shown, by my sister and mother (whom could not be more thrilled), this youtube channel, started by a UC Berkeley Gender Studies Grad, called Sex Positive. The magnificent Laci Greene explores every facet of love and sex from a discussion on loving your foreskin to a discussion all the labiectomies. She covers a breadth of topics over seven years culminating in a mass collection of knowledge accessible to any (all) curious about their body and its functions, and how to navigate through the social waters from condom usage to "butt stuff".
I found this video relevant with the lectures we have had about women and violence. This video is about a transgender woman, CeCe McDonald who was attacked on her way to a grocery store. The attacker was yelling transphobic, racial slurs and hit CeCe with a bar glass that split open her face. To defend herself CeCe stabbed her attacker with a pair of fabric scissors and was sentenced to an all male prison for 41 months. Her attacker was a white, male neo-nazi who had three previous convictions of assault and a swastika tattoo on his chest. Despite all this evidence that pointed to a hate crime, CeCe was still punished for defending herself.
Part of the video mentions how transpeople are more at risk for bullying violence, domestic abuse, assault by law enforcement, suicide attempts, and hate violence. When considering violence against women, it is important to understand the most oppressed groups of women who experience violence often without protection from the state.
The video interviews CeCe Mcdonald as well as Laverne Cox who is the transgender actress in the series 'Orange Is The New Black.'
It's stories like this that really infuriate me. We learned in class that women have higher risks of sexual assault, especially in the military. And although sexual assault is still prevalent in the military, action is taking place. However, your video brings light to the not-so-public issue of transgender bullying, violence, domestic abuse, and assault by law enforcement. It is really unfortunate that transgendered people have to worry about their safety because of who they are or what they look like.
In this case, I believe that the court did no act in the most just and fair way in that it seems almost inhumane to send a transgendered woman to an all male prison. Additionally, the evidence is almost blaring obvious that her attacker is a criminal and therefore she was actually defending herself.
It seems insane for someone to be attacked because of how someone appears to be of how they choose to identify themselves as. It's almost as if the attacker is punishing the transgender woman for being discursive. Even though the attacker had multiple convictions of assault, he was not convicted. In society, it seems that white males are part of a more privileged race, therefore not having to undergo severe consequences. However, for the transgender women, she appears to be deviant and non-conforming making her more susceptible to being punished no matter what the scenario is.
Hey guys! Since we just covered the "Violence Against Women" chapter, I would like to discuss the Ray Rice assault case against his girlfriend Janay Rice. Ray Rice is a famous football player who was charged with assault after a video of him punching and knocking out his girlfriend in an elevator was leaked on the internet. Reports say that the NFL knew about this footage months before it was released to the general public, but tried covering it up in order to allow Ray Rice to continue playing for his team, the Ravens. I found this video very disturbing and I would just like to get other people's thoughts on why the NFL would attempt to cover up such a horrendous act that obviously needed to be punished. I have attached a video below that captures what exactly happened. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbwTMJroTbI
Hi Mckenna, it certainly is very horrendous that the NFL would cover it up because there seems to be little doubt that they knew about the footage. Honestly I think it just comes down to the fact that our society values male success over a womens problems. The NFL found it more profitable to ignore the attack until it began to be widely acknowledged, which is really wrong. I also think that victim blaming plays a huge part in this case. A lot of people have been remarking that it is his fiances fault because she agreed to marry him. The NFL may have just assumed that it was not their business since she agreed to marry him and thus it isnt an offense on Rice's part, but that makes no sense and is really wrong.
Hi Mckenna :), Honestly, this is terrible, but it's hardly surprising still. We hear so often in media and more rapes and abuses commited by athletes and what not and they're hidden or never charged. And as we routinely see the victim is the one who gets yelled at usually, for making such an event happen. The thing I heard though somewhere along this happening was that even after this happened she decided to stay with him or something along those lines, and I found that really interesting. I wonder if now she is ashamed to leave him, or feels guilty or something. I have no idea her incentives but I wonder why she didnt leave him.
Recently, I watched a film called "Circumstance" that gave me more perspective on woman's struggles. The movie “Circumstance” is a suspenseful tale of a family household intertwined with forbidden love upended by obsession and suspicion. This provocative and taboo-busting story delves into the hidden, underground world of Iranian youth culture where the most dangerous secrets could be a woman’s most rousing passions. Set in the subcultures of Tehran, the film features Atafeh and her best friend Shireen who are experimenting with their sexualities and falling in love, keeping this a secret from their families. They often go to stores with Western videos, attend secret parties, risk arrest, experiment with sex, drugs, and defiance while sharing fantasies of the freedom they could have in Dubai and putting their futures at danger. However, Atafeh’s brother, Mehran comes back from drug rehab and disapproves of his sisters intimate relationship with Shireen and obsesses with saving Shireen from Atafeh’s influence. Atafeh’s haven of her family home becomes a place of danger as she is entangled in suspense, surveillance, and betrayal. The film speaks of a passionate lesbian relationship that cannot be fulfilled because of societal views and the ideology of orientalism.
This is heartbreaking because oftentimes, an intimate relationship can give people a sense of fulfillment and rejuvenation of life. It is so terrible that society would deny this couple the right that heterosexual couples have.
As I was "studying" for finals, I came across an article on Buzzfeed entitled, "19 Science-Fiction And Fantasy Novels By Women Of Color You Must Read." The fact that this even exists is baffling. Why would someone feel the need to compile a list of books by non-white artists? I don't think the general public picks up a novel, examines the author, and decides whether or not to read the book based upon the skin color of the author.
This is a really great point. It is sickening to think that society feels the need to point out that these novels were written by women of color, but at the same time this hits on the point that people may simply assume that the books they are reading are by white authors.
I was watching The Colbert Report a few weeks ago and Toni Morrison was Stephen's guest. She is an extraordinary author (she won a nobel prize in literature!!) and at one point in the interview Colbert asked her what type of author she wanted to be labeled as she has stated that she doesn't like being classified as an African American writer. Toni then states that she just wants to be known as an American writer. It was a really good interview, she goes into the social constructs of racism as well. If you have an extra 7 minutes I highly recommend you watch it!
Hey everyone! Since we covered militarism in class and how women in the military are often sexually abused, I thought it might be interesting to consider whether this still holds true for women in the Israeli army, where all citizens at the age of 18 have to serve for 2 years. In my mind, the Israeli army would seem to have more equal numbers of men and women than say, an American army. The Israeli army may still have more men, but I don't think that there would be quite as big of a disparity.
Hey everyone, I actually just wanted to share something I came across and I hope hasn't been shared yet. So I came across this trans violence tracking website(I'll attach the link below) and thought it was really neat. They help to report and track violence against trans people, and to commemorate those that have committed suicide. I think this could be really helpful in the future and was a really neat idea. The internet holds many wonders. What do you guys think? http://www.transviolencetracker.org/
Reading about the homophile movement and later more radical LGBT movements, I wondered what the current social climate regarding the topic was. Growing up in a very conservative town, I saw a friend struggle with societies pressure to conform. He not only came out of the closet in high school, but also started the process of going from Erik to Erika. I had never known anyone who was openly gay, let alone transgender, and at first I was confused. You can't defeat the system until you can see it, Erika was what broke through so I could see the constructs that society had built telling me that heterosexual was the norm. Erika faced scrutiny from peers and adults as she challenged their strong rooted beliefs. It is our generation that can break down the barriers completely to create equality in the LGBT community. I found this video that demonstrated what it would be like if homosexuality was the norm instead heterosexuality. I will admit that I cried, it was a very well done production. It's long, but it is definitely worth the watch.
So I got into this show recently, "Queer as Folk". I strongly recommend this show for various reasons firstly, this show is a great way of learning how to interact in social situations as a gay man, secondly, it covers many social issues the U.K. version did not (one example being the recurrence of a couple in which one of the partners is HIV-positive and the other HIV-negative). This show also was one of the first big American television shows to have lengthy gay sex scenes as a regular and necessary aspect of its presentation. For more about why gay sex was so important to arguably America's first fully embraced (explicit sex and all) gay primetime show.
ReplyDeleteFor more about why gay sex was so important to arguably America's first mostly embraced (explicit sex and all) gay primetime show, click my name to follow the link.
ReplyDeleteWhat are peoples' thoughts on the new "anti-Barbie", the Lammily doll? (https://lammily.com). I think it's not a bad idea to make a more realistic looking pre-teen doll. However, I don't necessarily believe that Barbie causes self image issues. I never compared myself to Barbie, and the only thing I didn't like about her was that she didn't move/bend that well. In the video they produced (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jue_JlxnPGM), they tried to show us that 2nd graders liked the Lammily doll better than the Barbie. Although the kids did agree that she looked more like themselves and was more moveable, most of their reasons for preferring the doll over Barbie was that they already had Barbie. We also don't know how much the interviewer hinted that they should prefer Lammily over Barbie. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThe Lammily doll is a great idea but I don't think it would sell as fast as Barbie products. I never compared myself to Barbie either, but I've seen older women who try to copy her looks (such as the "Real Life Barbie: www.huffingtonpost.com/news/real-life-barbie/).
DeleteIn conclusion, I think Barbie should be treated as a regular toy and that parents and society should teach the children to love themselves rather than have Barbie serve as a guide to looks.
I've seen the Lammily Doll as well and I am all for it, because the doll is realistic. They make some of these dolls with attachable acne which is awesome because it is realistic.
Deletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/fairlife-sexist-milk-ads_n_6248376.html?utm_hp_ref=women-news
My link is a model wearing a milk dress and promoting the milk, which Coca Cola created.
Milk on a woman's body is unnecessary, especially because the dress is short.
It is implying that healthy is being thin and it perpetrates stereotypes. The Marilyn cut dress is also sexual because of the cleavage.The scale under her supports not only her, but body image issues that women today already face.
I think that the idea of this doll is similar to my previous post about giving Disney princesses realistic waistlines. Almost every girl had a barbie or watched a Disney princess movie when they were younger and even if they were not idealizing these women's looks I think that the fact that the imagery was so prevalent in their lives it helped to reinforce the beauty standard that skinny is beautiful.
DeleteI like the idea of a more realistic looking doll for young girls. I dont think it will replace the popularity of the Barbie, but it could be a reminder that being skinny/perfect is not ideal and not what young girls should strive to be. I think in a way, young girls can look at the Lammily doll and relate it to most women they see in their lives (teachers, mothers, or themselves).
DeletePersonally, I have no issue with what doll parents choose to buy their children. If the Lammily does allow girls to form a better self-image I am all for it. I did however find it interesting that this doll is being called "average" and I am a little offended because the doll has brown hair instead of blonde, and I just think it is weird that the manufacturers of the doll chose that hair color. Not sure if it has any significance, I just found it interesting.
DeleteI just have a few comments and questions to go off of based on chapter 10 and the articles given from our discussion. A few things I never really thought of till now after reading chapter 10 was the idea of conflict and peace tied with aggression in males and females. It's always naturally perceived that women are less aggressive and willing to fight but does everyone think women really do have more peaceful natures? Or do we think it's something else maybe like we only see what women are supposed to be i.e. peace makers? How do we think the views of war and the military will change now that women can truly participate in combat? And kind of on a side note and since I usually debate this with many people, who thinks world peace is achievable? or not? Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia,
DeleteI think women are characterized as peaceful figures because society sees them as psychological and emotional. History has shaped us to believe that men are the ones in combat and women stay home to protect their children while being supportive their husbands at war. Although laws permitted women to participate in combat, parts of society still oppose women to take combative position because the ideal of masculinity is still tied to the military. Under current conditions, I do not believe world peace is achievable. If all countries adopt similar types of government and maintain economic stability, world peace may be possible since there would be no disagreements and discrepancies.
I don't think world peace is going to be achievable any time soon because there is always someone who is unhappy with policies an regulations. However, maybe in the future, when resources run low and the world is forced to share oil, gas, and water with its inhabitants we will possibly form peace treaties and achieve peace.
Deletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/women-in-combat-roles-would-strengthen-the-military/2014/04/03/f0aeb140-bb50-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
This week, I will like to discuss about an article that supports women in combat roles, which relates to readings in Chapter 10 of the Women’s Lives text. William Denn, an army captain, publishes an article on the Washington Post about Madaline Kenyon, a freshman Cadet, who managed to finish a combat training course by a record breaking time. Although Kenyon’s performance was exceptional, she was rejected to hold any combat positions because she is a women. Seeing this as an social discrimination, the Department of Defense made an order to open all military positions to women by 2016. Denn believes that placing women in combat roles will be beneficial since they are “socially sensitive,” which allows them to read people’s emotions. From my understanding, this article renounces the military to be characterized an male-dominant institution. Because society sees men as powerful and unresponsive figures, they are able to withstand the hardships and savagery of war. Until recently, we have discouraged women from taking combat positions since they lack physical strength, stamina, and thought to be the first ones to get injured. Allowing women in the military would not only create social equality, but also promote other institutions in society to permit women in to higher positions. In conclusion, both males and females have potentials to serve as leaders and defenders of our nations.
Hello fellow friends,
ReplyDeleteMany of you may have seen this viral on Facebook but I'd like to share it here and put some thoughts into it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXI3IWV-_6E
This short clip shows what women go through when they try to fit into society's idealistic view of image and beauty standards.
Each year, new standards are made; this then causes women to "fix" their bodies each time some new beauty trend comes out. After watching this clip, the female body becomes worse than it originally was. Our anatomy was not made to be altered. Besides the physical part of the processes, females would have to go through personality changes (the replacement of brains in this clip). Society does not only expect women to change their features, but also their place in the community.
In relation to our chapter about women in the military, I thought i'd share this article about current political efforts to deter sexual assault in the military. As Professor Craig mentioned in class, Senator Gillibrand from New York has put forth several attempts to pass a bill that would move the prosecution of sexual offenders in the military out of the military command system. Currently, she is putting forth a new bill called the Military Justice Improvement Act that would require commanders to stay completely out of defendants cases in order to protect their case from bias. Personally, I think this is an incredibly important bill because it is not fair for the people who serve in our military to feel like they have no way to seek justice after being sexually assaulted or raped. Many adversaries however claim that it should not be passed because it breaks with a longstanding military tradition. Though it may be tradition, I really think that the military needs to be willing to adjust and accommodate to new times, as it is fairly recent that we are having this many women serving in the military. Since this bill has bipartisan support, hopefully it will be successful in passing so the large amount of sexual assaults in the military can begin to go down.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/02/bill-military-sexual-assault_n_6255812.html
DeleteI agree that this is a very important bill and I think it would have a serious impact on the amount of rapes that take place in the military. It's amazing that not much has been done to help victims of military rape. There is no reason that 26,000 people in the military were sexually harassed or raped before any concern was presented.
Deletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kathleen-parker-can-feminism-see-the-right/2014/12/09/7f572a1c-7fd7-11e4-9f38-95a187e4c1f7_story.html
ReplyDeleteHi all!
The article that I decided to write about was about whether conservative women can be feminist. I thought that this was an interesting article because people generally associate feminists as having liberal political views. However, as a movement, feminism is decentralized and has many different groups with different view points. This allows women from all political parties to participate in feminism and what they believe is necessary. One quote in particular stood out to me...
"Yes, women are different — as different as men are from one another. And until women accept those differences, they will remain minority players in a world that pats them on the head and sponsors summits where women rule, if only for a day." I think that this quote summarizes the idea of feminism and the class very well. Being a women is nothing a person can change and it is important for them to embrace who they are in order to stand up against the society that has made them inferior so that they can have a voice that will count.
Hi Kelly!
DeleteI'm really happy that you found and shared this article because I truly found it really fascinating. I love many of the points it brought up and I think we can all benefit from what it has to say. The quote that you picked to highlight also stood out to me. I completely understand what they're trying to say. Today many women, feminist or not, are fighting each other, and for some reason in competition with each other, and I don't think we can move feminism as much as we would like until we can all agree to disagree, accept each other and our differing opinions, and be respectful of such. We need to be a united front, and support everyone, no matter what.
I also found this really interesting because I feel I consider myself more of a conservative than liberal, but I do also consider myself a feminist, and I don't see why I couldn't be both. Our viewpoints may be slightly different from liberals but we can also call for equality of all. Why shouldn't we be able to be both?
Hey Kelly! I think your topic is a very interesting one to bring up! I have never really considered the debate of whether feminists can be conservative, but I think you make a good point. I think women probably could achieve more if they accepted differences in their ideologies and moved forward to create change.
DeleteI was shown, by my sister and mother (whom could not be more thrilled), this youtube channel, started by a UC Berkeley Gender Studies Grad, called Sex Positive. The magnificent Laci Greene explores every facet of love and sex from a discussion on loving your foreskin to a discussion all the labiectomies. She covers a breadth of topics over seven years culminating in a mass collection of knowledge accessible to any (all) curious about their body and its functions, and how to navigate through the social waters from condom usage to "butt stuff".
ReplyDeleteEnjoy :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz68K2qAlkE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuH43-_4Yo
ReplyDeleteI found this video relevant with the lectures we have had about women and violence. This video is about a transgender woman, CeCe McDonald who was attacked on her way to a grocery store. The attacker was yelling transphobic, racial slurs and hit CeCe with a bar glass that split open her face. To defend herself CeCe stabbed her attacker with a pair of fabric scissors and was sentenced to an all male prison for 41 months. Her attacker was a white, male neo-nazi who had three previous convictions of assault and a swastika tattoo on his chest. Despite all this evidence that pointed to a hate crime, CeCe was still punished for defending herself.
Part of the video mentions how transpeople are more at risk for bullying violence, domestic abuse, assault by law enforcement, suicide attempts, and hate violence. When considering violence against women, it is important to understand the most oppressed groups of women who experience violence often without protection from the state.
The video interviews CeCe Mcdonald as well as Laverne Cox who is the transgender actress in the series 'Orange Is The New Black.'
Hi Krissy,
DeleteIt's stories like this that really infuriate me. We learned in class that women have higher risks of sexual assault, especially in the military. And although sexual assault is still prevalent in the military, action is taking place. However, your video brings light to the not-so-public issue of transgender bullying, violence, domestic abuse, and assault by law enforcement. It is really unfortunate that transgendered people have to worry about their safety because of who they are or what they look like.
In this case, I believe that the court did no act in the most just and fair way in that it seems almost inhumane to send a transgendered woman to an all male prison. Additionally, the evidence is almost blaring obvious that her attacker is a criminal and therefore she was actually defending herself.
It seems insane for someone to be attacked because of how someone appears to be of how they choose to identify themselves as. It's almost as if the attacker is punishing the transgender woman for being discursive. Even though the attacker had multiple convictions of assault, he was not convicted. In society, it seems that white males are part of a more privileged race, therefore not having to undergo severe consequences. However, for the transgender women, she appears to be deviant and non-conforming making her more susceptible to being punished no matter what the scenario is.
DeleteHey guys! Since we just covered the "Violence Against Women" chapter, I would like to discuss the Ray Rice assault case against his girlfriend Janay Rice. Ray Rice is a famous football player who was charged with assault after a video of him punching and knocking out his girlfriend in an elevator was leaked on the internet. Reports say that the NFL knew about this footage months before it was released to the general public, but tried covering it up in order to allow Ray Rice to continue playing for his team, the Ravens. I found this video very disturbing and I would just like to get other people's thoughts on why the NFL would attempt to cover up such a horrendous act that obviously needed to be punished. I have attached a video below that captures what exactly happened. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbwTMJroTbI
ReplyDeleteHi Mckenna, it certainly is very horrendous that the NFL would cover it up because there seems to be little doubt that they knew about the footage. Honestly I think it just comes down to the fact that our society values male success over a womens problems. The NFL found it more profitable to ignore the attack until it began to be widely acknowledged, which is really wrong. I also think that victim blaming plays a huge part in this case. A lot of people have been remarking that it is his fiances fault because she agreed to marry him. The NFL may have just assumed that it was not their business since she agreed to marry him and thus it isnt an offense on Rice's part, but that makes no sense and is really wrong.
DeleteHi Mckenna :),
DeleteHonestly, this is terrible, but it's hardly surprising still. We hear so often in media and more rapes and abuses commited by athletes and what not and they're hidden or never charged. And as we routinely see the victim is the one who gets yelled at usually, for making such an event happen.
The thing I heard though somewhere along this happening was that even after this happened she decided to stay with him or something along those lines, and I found that really interesting. I wonder if now she is ashamed to leave him, or feels guilty or something. I have no idea her incentives but I wonder why she didnt leave him.
Recently, I watched a film called "Circumstance" that gave me more perspective on woman's struggles. The movie “Circumstance” is a suspenseful tale of a family household intertwined with forbidden love upended by obsession and suspicion. This provocative and taboo-busting story delves into the hidden, underground world of Iranian youth culture where the most dangerous secrets could be a woman’s most rousing passions. Set in the subcultures of Tehran, the film features Atafeh and her best friend Shireen who are experimenting with their sexualities and falling in love, keeping this a secret from their families. They often go to stores with Western videos, attend secret parties, risk arrest, experiment with sex, drugs, and defiance while sharing fantasies of the freedom they could have in Dubai and putting their futures at danger. However, Atafeh’s brother, Mehran comes back from drug rehab and disapproves of his sisters intimate relationship with Shireen and obsesses with saving Shireen from Atafeh’s influence. Atafeh’s haven of her family home becomes a place of danger as she is entangled in suspense, surveillance, and betrayal. The film speaks of a passionate lesbian relationship that cannot be fulfilled because of societal views and the ideology of orientalism.
ReplyDeleteThis is heartbreaking because oftentimes, an intimate relationship can give people a sense of fulfillment and rejuvenation of life. It is so terrible that society would deny this couple the right that heterosexual couples have.
DeleteAs I was "studying" for finals, I came across an article on Buzzfeed entitled, "19 Science-Fiction And Fantasy Novels By Women Of Color You Must Read." The fact that this even exists is baffling. Why would someone feel the need to compile a list of books by non-white artists? I don't think the general public picks up a novel, examines the author, and decides whether or not to read the book based upon the skin color of the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great point. It is sickening to think that society feels the need to point out that these novels were written by women of color, but at the same time this hits on the point that people may simply assume that the books they are reading are by white authors.
DeleteI was watching The Colbert Report a few weeks ago and Toni Morrison was Stephen's guest. She is an extraordinary author (she won a nobel prize in literature!!) and at one point in the interview Colbert asked her what type of author she wanted to be labeled as she has stated that she doesn't like being classified as an African American writer. Toni then states that she just wants to be known as an American writer. It was a really good interview, she goes into the social constructs of racism as well. If you have an extra 7 minutes I highly recommend you watch it!
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjDVVMowHmU&spfreload=10
Hey everyone! Since we covered militarism in class and how women in the military are often sexually abused, I thought it might be interesting to consider whether this still holds true for women in the Israeli army, where all citizens at the age of 18 have to serve for 2 years. In my mind, the Israeli army would seem to have more equal numbers of men and women than say, an American army. The Israeli army may still have more men, but I don't think that there would be quite as big of a disparity.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone,
ReplyDeleteI actually just wanted to share something I came across and I hope hasn't been shared yet. So I came across this trans violence tracking website(I'll attach the link below) and thought it was really neat. They help to report and track violence against trans people, and to commemorate those that have committed suicide. I think this could be really helpful in the future and was a really neat idea. The internet holds many wonders. What do you guys think?
http://www.transviolencetracker.org/
Reading about the homophile movement and later more radical LGBT movements, I wondered what the current social climate regarding the topic was. Growing up in a very conservative town, I saw a friend struggle with societies pressure to conform. He not only came out of the closet in high school, but also started the process of going from Erik to Erika. I had never known anyone who was openly gay, let alone transgender, and at first I was confused. You can't defeat the system until you can see it, Erika was what broke through so I could see the constructs that society had built telling me that heterosexual was the norm. Erika faced scrutiny from peers and adults as she challenged their strong rooted beliefs. It is our generation that can break down the barriers completely to create equality in the LGBT community. I found this video that demonstrated what it would be like if homosexuality was the norm instead heterosexuality. I will admit that I cried, it was a very well done production. It's long, but it is definitely worth the watch.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnOJgDW0gPI