I have a comment about last discussion, wrong cultural representation in Halloween costume. Many traditional clothes, most of them are stereotypical, are used as a Halloween costume as we saw. Before making or wearing these costumes, we should consider and respect other cultures. I think these stereotypical image is sometimes caused by people form the culture, so it cannot say that only consumers have a responsibility. Well-known fashion model, Miranda Karr dressed like a Geisha, Miku Hatune (an animation character), and a Japanese warrior in Vogue Japan’s cover of the November 2014 issue. She is from Australia, and the photographer, Mario Testino, is from Peru and he works in U.K. If the pictures were not on Vogue Japan, it would be wrong cultural representation like Halloween costumes and it is relatively understandable as an indiscretion by foreigners, but the provider is actually Vogue Japan, which represent Japanese culture. I do not say that the pictures give the wrong image, but it gives us very stereotypical image, which usually people do not want people from other culture to have. I think it is silly because it seems Vogue Japan want to make stereotype stronger. They had to consider their influence.
Miranda Kerr gets the Mario Testino treatment as she cements her sexy look in Geisha-inspired photo shoot for Vogue Japan's 15th anniversary http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2762647/Miranda-Kerr-gets-Mario-Testino-treatment-cements-sexy-look-Geisha-inspired-photo-shoot-Vogue-Japan.html
Professor Craig mentioned gendered marketing in lecture last week and how it is used as a marketing tool. I watched a video about gendered marketing a while ago and found it pretty funny how such small changes to a product can make it "for men" versus "for women". Straight lines and scientific numbers for men and flowers and frills for women. In some cases, one gender even pays more for the same product because of different packaging. The video also mentions shortly about the attitude of men using women products as far more negative than women using men's products. While this is great for companies looking to create new markets, it feeds into a more negative perception of women in general. This is also bad for men because it creates more stringent boundaries on who is a "man" and who is a "woman".
I watched part of the video and agree that it does create greater boundaries on genders. I found it interesting, though, that the whole division between pink for girls and blue for boys used to be switched. It may show how much power the market, companies, and consumerism have on people over their decisions to buy certain products. In relation to gender marketing, I saw an ad for Bic pens "for her". They look like any other bic pens, except for the fact that they're in sparkly pastel colors. It seems crazy to me to be marketing pens based on gender, when they could have easily not even added any part about gender in the labeling. I'm sure they are just like any other pen, but apparently they are more feminine because of the sparkly colors.
This is something I'm sure everyone has been seeing on their facebook homepage, but I'm interested in hearing peoples' thoughts on the new instagram user @byefelipe. http://instagram.com/byefelipe
This instagram shares conversations from online dating where guys have responded mean things to girls who are not interested in dating them. Thoughts?
All the males I've seen on the posts are quite disrespectful. I think that they should understand that if a girl doesn't want to talk to them, they should just leave the conversation or back off nicely. Just because a girl doesn't want to respond or if she's not interested, that does not mean that she's a "bitch" or that she's "stuck up"- she's just not interested.
I haven't seen this instagram yet, but after looking at it the comments are extremely rude. It brings about the misogynistic idea that women should want to be desired/ desire all men, but when women don't want to talk to or be in a relationship with a man they are shamed for it. The instances where the conversations went from saying "hello" to calling the woman a "slut," really showed just how much women are expected to fulfill the desires of men, and again are treated disrespectfully solely because they did not wish to reply.
As technology, communication and media have advanced within the last decade, it has given people unlimited opportunity to blatantly say whatever they please because they are hiding behind a computer screen, a cell phone, an iPad…the list goes on. Men justify saying insulting, degrading and abusive comments because women "ignore" them or just don't respond. And it's appalling. They're offended because we don't reply to a "hey sexy," message, but what they fail to comprehend is that we are just as irritated with their derogatory greeting as they are with our silence.
Hi everyone. Some of you may or may have not seen this video:
"Pretending to be a 13 year old girl & catching child predators red handed" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elODqFXcMuw
While watching it, I can see that girls are not only in danger on the streets but on the internet as well. It is terrifying to know that children everywhere are in risk of being one of the victims; it is even more terrifying if or when you have a child. This video makes me think about my parents and why they are overprotective. If the world didn't have these offenders (or rape, as Prof. Craig discussed in lecture) we would be able to jog freely at night or just about anything while knowing we are safe.
I, too, understand now why my parents and siblings were always so protective while I was growing up. And it really is horrifying to realize all the different ways that children (and females) can be targeted and harassed.
Personally, I am terrified to walk alone anywhere even if it is in broad daylight. Harassment can happen anywhere and it is true that can happen to anyone. My parents are also overprotective and, like Rachel, I understand why.
While reading chapter 6 and thinking about the discussion on rape culture and sexual assault, I couldn't help but remember the viral video that had been going around recently about the woman who walked around while filming herself and documenting all of the instances of catcalling she had received. Although I don't think the book had mentioned catcalling as an example of violence against women, I do think it is a really good example of the existence of rape cutlure and sexual harrassment that pretty much every woman has experienced at least once in their lives. What I also thought was interesting was the discussion that CNN had held on it. The man in the video linked below constantly insists that women should just take the compliments because they "enjoy" it or, otherwise, carry a gun if they thought they were in danger. This is such a clear example of the victim blaming that takes place in rape culture and I feel that it was pretty frightening that, even after so many testimonials of women saying that catcalling is rampant and needs to stop and a video actually documenting how creepy it is, the man in the cnn interview insists that it isn't a problem.
I saw both of those videos too. And the discussion that CNN held really upset me. The man was totally trying to blame women for what happens to them. He is supposed to be a "specialist" on women and he still tried to say that the catcalling should be taking as compliments when it is harrassment. I just feel that men really should try to see things through the eyes of women before they go trying to blame them for speaking out about the injustice they face due to men's actions.
I thought the comments the man made were extremely sexist. He not only blamed the women for not defending themselves or appreciating the comments from the street harassment, but also blamed the parents of the harassers, rather than the harassers themselves. I also thought the point the women brought up an important point about if women say they don't appreciate the catcalling, men should respect and stop harassing women. Even after she made this comment, the man in the video felt the need to make the statement that it was only a certain "type of guy" who harasses women on the street. His defenses continued and never put the blame on all of the individuals who commit harassment.
In this blog post, Brooks notes how she has been stigmatized for her weight, despite how this weight seems to have been gained as a side-effect of her kidney being rejected. As a result, people around her have treated her disrespectfully due to her appearance, instead of the experiences and life she has experienced. This blog post connects with how Women’s Lives notes how women who face "discrimination and stigma experienced by women who are considered overweight" are fighting against this image via various activities, such as creating groups to combat this issue and representing "'full body' projects" of women (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey, 212). I thought this blog post is a good reminder to not assume that even if people appear to be physically different from ourselves, we should not make negative judgments that others are physically inferior compared to ourselves.
I found your post very interesting. I am often amazed at how ignorant and how judgmental people can be. Weight is a huge problem in society that will not be solved by bringing people down or making them feel bad about themselves. By doing so, this belittles people and is even a form of dehumanization because they are being treated as if they weren't a normal human. There is a huge stigma surrounding weight in society. In cases like Brooks, there is side factor that contributed to her weight gain. However, she is simply judged based on her appearance. I agree with your ending comment about how people should not be more open minded and remember that there is a story to every person that they do not know.
I'm very concerned about the issue of weight throughout history women are always held to some beauty standard look at famous art such as the Birth of Venus, and adverts from the 20th century, up until a certain age a plump figure was desired, whereas today a slender shape is wanted. women are continually pressured into a mold.
Reading chapter six was truly eyeopening and makes me think about safety as a woman. Violence against women can happen anywhere, even in your own home where you should feel the most safe. I don't usually think twice about walking alone at night or taking a jog around Davis or parking in my apartment complex. But while thinking about this, I thought about last year, and how there were a couple of incidents on campus and in Davis where young women were attacked. One of which was attacked in the parking lot of her apartment complex. This reminded me of other incidents of colleges where women have been attacked, raped or abused. Over the summer before starting this school year, my friend that goes to the University of Florida told me about how three girls had been attacked, all in the same week. I found the article, and it is posted below. This should be used as a reminder to always be aware of our surroundings even if it may be a place you think you are safe.
It really is scary to think that the UC Davis dormitories are considered not to be safe, especially for first year students who are working through their first year of college and are not sure what to expect from living with others. Although this incident did help raise awareness around locking doors and keeping an eye out for one’s own personal possessions, I would suspect that such an incident could repeat, even in the dorms.
Honestly I can see it happening again. Especially when new freshmen move into the dorms and weren't around when the Potter Hall break in happened. Including basic precautions like not tailgating or using the deadbolt in orientation (if they don't already) is one way to reduce the chances of another break in happening. So is mentioning the Potter Hall break in and others that happened in the past.
I found this article on how the FBI updated its definition of rape: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/11/10/fbi_2013_crime_report_the_bureau_expands_its_definition_of_rape.html The definition has changed from "the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” to “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." This new definition now includes men and other genders, which is a step in breaking the hegemonic idea that men can't be raped. It also covers cases like someone at a frat party being too drunk or high to consent even if no force is involved.
While going through the readings of chapter 6, I noticed that there is more written about what men can do to prevent violence against women (Grove's "Engaging Men Against Violence" than there is written about men who faced sexual violence. The only one I've noticed was the soldier who "cut off the testicles of White Antelope to make a tobacco pouch" (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey, 276). Sexual violence affects all genders, so why do people think of women as being the main victims?
I feel like women are seen as weak in society because of all the gender stereotypes so that is why they are the "main victims". I do not believe that women are more likely to be raped. I think everyone has an equal chance because there are many predators out there. It is true that the sexual assault crime rate for women is higher, but the sexual assault rate for men has increased.
About a week ago, Kiera Knightley posed topless for Interview Magazine. This received a lot of the media's attention, both criticizing and supporting her decision to do the photoshoot. Ultimately, I think it is a good thing for the following reasons: 1) It shows that she is in control of her own body, regardless of others' input, 2) It maintains a positive body image since she is comfortable with her body and does not feel the need for photoshop. For so many other photoshoots, Kiera's body - notably her chest - was photoshopped, made to appear noticeably larger. But now, she has made public her criticisms of this. Perhaps after this, more celebrities will request to do all natural photoshoots; even now, celebrities are going for the "au natural" look (e.g. no makeup).
The article is very interesting and It reminds me of other case about photoshop. Coco Rocha, Canadian fashion model, is against being nude, and she has policy not to be nude, and when she wear transparent clothes, she always wear beige underwear. However, when she was a cover girl on Elle Brazil in 2012, her sheer underwear was photoshopped out. She said "to give the impression that I am showing much more skin than I actually was or am comfortable with." I strongly believe we have a right to control our own body and to present our idea ,in this case, of beauty, with our body. http://oh-so-coco.tumblr.com/search/elle+brazil
Hi everyone! I was watching Top Chef the other night when it caught my attention that the majority of the contestants were male- a reflection of the fact that the culinary industry is primarily populated with men. This got me thinking about our discussions about The Help and the stereotype of food preparation as "women's work". If cooking is usually done by the matriarch of the family, why does cooking become a male profession when it becomes paid work? I find this contradiction fascinating and would love to hear your thoughts on how this phenomenon came to be.
I watch Top Chef as well sometimes and that thought has crossed my mind as well! I agree with you in regards to that question, it seems as though cooking for the FAMILY is traditionally women's work, but when we cross over to the PROFESSIONAL/SPECIALIST sector of cooking, its men who are mostly seen in the forefront. Maybe the ideas behind the male dominated culinary industry is that women wouldn't be able to handle the high pressures of a fast pace kitchen the way a man can? That would be a cool interview to construct for chefs. Also interestingly, when it comes to pastry chefs, or owning bakeries, many of them are women, so where is that line? Even where I work, the head sous chefs are all male.
In light of yesterday's discussion on street harassment, I have found two posts which pertain to verbal harassment. I'm sure many of you have already seen this video that has been circulating the web, illustrating a women walking around New York being harassed over 100 times in 10 hours. Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A Along with this video I have found an article with tweets from several individuals claiming that catcalling is not an issue within our society: http://elitedaily.com/humor/people-dont-understand-catcalling/839015/. After watching the video and reading the twitter comments that went along with it, it is easy to see just how prevalent the problem of catcalling really is. The problem starts with the mindset of individuals, which as seen through the twitter posts, is largely a positive and defensive view of catcalling. Several comments referred to the video as "stupid," claiming women were "overreacting," and defending street harassment stating "it's street harassment if we're not attractive to you." These statements reinforce the sexist idea that women's bodies are not their own and issues relating to a women's body are not important. This topic of street harassment also ties into the reading from Chapter 6 about "Violence Against Women." Street harassment can be seen as the beginning of violence against women. Individuals who carry out violence against women and individuals who catcall women on the streets, hold the same mindset about women. In both cases, the individuals establish what they see as superiority and ownership of women either through verbal or physical abuse or harassment. Another comment from the article in which street harassment and violence against women tied together was when a twitter user stated "That the girl ain't say "stop" in the video so it's [technically] not harassment." This statement is similar to the justification of rape, in which various individuals make the claim that it's not rape if the women did not say "stop," "no," or did not verbally communicate that she did not want to have sex. In order to bring an end to violence and harassment of women, we must start with changing the mindset of individuals.
In regard to the viral video about street harassment in New York, some people did the same thing in New Zealand with a model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXdMAXaMicc However, in this video, there were only two instances in which people tried to converse with the woman: one man asked for directions while the other told her she was beautiful and he apologized for interrupting her. This video demonstrates to us that the catcalling isn't common in all areas of the world, so we really should think about what type of system has been created and how/why it was created to make this type of harassment seem acceptable to some individuals, especially those in the U.S. where catcalling is extremely prevalent.
When we had our discussion on the 'nuclear family,' it got me thinking about the classic 50's sitcom I Love Lucy, which is one of my favorite shows because of its comedy and the adventures/trouble the girls always got themselves into. I got to thinking about their marriages in the sense of the nuclear family. I found a clip online about one of the episodes where the husbands, Ricky and Fred don't believe the women could go out and earn the living, and similarly, the women don't think the men could handle the household chores. Each side says it would be easy to do, so they decide to switch tasks for the day. In typical sitcom fashion, both sides end in a humorous disaster. This was set in the fifties, so although the concept of the domestic and the work sphere are addressed, both sides realize that in the end they are each better off doing what they have been. The women cooking and cleaning and the men working for the income. The clip is below if you all wanted to check it out. http://youtu.be/HFfvvSi1gLc
This was one of my favorite shows and it took me a while to realize what dynamic they were trying to set. It was set in the 50's and women were always seen as housewives while men were the breadwinners. As I analyze the show, I notice that Lucy is portrayed as dumb and clueless. I dislike that women were always deemed to be less intelligent than men because of the stereotypes that were set in the 50's. I know some of this still holds truth today, but it has changed and changed for the better.
I decided to correlate a discussion we had in class this week about the concepts of Tatyana Fazlalizadeh's street art (and her message) to a recently debuted song called "Girl in a Country Song," by two women named Maddie and Tae. I downloaded and began to like this song before I had even enrolled in WMS 50, and when riding the bus home the other day and hearing the lyrics for the 300th time I realized how much it related to our conversations about street harassment. The first verse of the song directly addresses what many women had spoken about in Tatyana's video and regarding the societal expectations of Brooklyn. One of the most powerful and resonating verses is: "I hear you over there on your tailgate whistling', saying, "hey girl," but you know I ain't listenin'. Cause I got a name, and to you it ain't "pretty little thing," "honey," or "baby." When I heard that verse I immediately thought of one of the images that is a part of the "Stop Telling Women to Smile," series. Below the portrait of a women, is a quote that states, "My name is not baby, shorty, sexy, sweetie, honey, pretty, boo, sweetheart, ma." Two sets of women from two completely different cultural societies say THE EXACT SAME THING. No matter where they are, gender based street harassment is still prevalent and very potent. The social location of both of these protests of harassment can give insight into their unique perspectives. Within the realm of country music and southern states there is a stigma that men in those areas treat women archaically and unequally; There is also a stigma correlated to crime, danger and gender discrimination in New York. I also found it interesting how both this particular song and Tatyana’s street art established a bold presence in environments where they beforehand had felt insecure and endangered. Since women were being abused and belittled on the streets, that’s where Tatyana decided to embed her work, directly in the face of her opponents. And in a sphere where women are constantly degraded, undermined, and verbally assaulted is within the music industry, where Maddie and Tae decided to make their statement. I hear at least 10 songs a day that refer to women in disgusting terms and descriptions; The fact that two young, beautiful country singers are addressing the issue in the most powerful way they know is admirable. I have attached a link to their music video, which is not as serious as I would have hoped it would be. It views the issue from a humorous perspective. However, what I consider to be important and resonating is their lyrics and not so much the music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MOavH-Eivw
Okay, so I have two little brothers so I know the tons of shirts they have plastered with all those of the superhero blockbuster for the year. Recently the Guardians of the Galaxy was released and with it the onslaught of boy's shirts, as per norm the movie had one female lead, but on the team shirts I see in the store the character of Gamora is missing, this form of marketing has also affected characters such as Black Widow from the avengers. Has anyone noticed this crossing out of female characters on tv or movie merchandise?
I definitely have. One of the worst things I've seen while shopping with my little sister was a shirt in the boy's section that said "trust me, I'm a superhero" and had a picture of the avengers (minus Black Widow). We then went to the girl's section to try and find a similar shirt that would fit her and all we found was a shirt with almost the same picture of the avengers that said "I need a hero." She ended up just getting the boy's shirt even though it was too big because she wanted to be a superhero too, not a helpless girl who needed saving.
During Thursday's lecture when Professor Craig was discussing the nuclear family, it reminded me of a few older shows that my dad liked to watch and continues to watch that I have grown up viewing with him. One of the shows is called All in the Family and it was about a typical nuclear family with the breadwinner husband, wife who is overly nice and submissive, and a daughter and her boyfriend. When I watched episodes, I never really thought about the context of everything presented, but even as it presents a typical nuclear family, there are other components that intersect. While reading an article on the evolution of the nuclear family, I realized that the show addressed many issues at the time that were not usually discussed in public, like racism and war. The intersectionality of the social topics showed the husband's racism against their African-American neighbors, while other members of his family had an opposite view. Also, the daughter and her boyfriend were always shown arguing with the father, the main character, over issues in society at the time, like the Vietnam war and homosexuality. The daughter and her boyfriend showed more liberal opinions, while the father was more conservative. Even though the show did depict a nuclear family, it also was not typical of a sitcom of the time. If you look at some sitcoms today compared to others from the 50s and 60s, the idea of family has broadened a little, but it is still not all inclusive to others that do not fit the typical nuclear family mold.http://splitsider.com/2011/10/the-evolution-of-the-sitcom-family/
I saw a video that talked about this article a few weeks ago: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shocking-picture-shows-teenagers-injuries-4159378 It relates to what were we talking about in class about violence. In his article, a teenage male bit his girlfriend's face aggressively in order to prevent her from cheating on him. Before he bit her face, he asked her, "Do you love me?" and then proceeded. This article shows that these violent acts don't just occur in poor areas that are primarily inhabited by racial minorities but can indeed happen to white, middle class individuals despite the lack of media representation of violence among these individuals. This also demonstrates this young man's need for dominance in his relationship, even if that means acting out in a violent way to someone he says he cares about. This article is also an example of a violent act that was carried out by someone this individual was close to and thought she could trust, which occurs in the majority of violent sexual acts.
In discussion this week we talked about catcalling and how men use words to degrade women. The night after that class I was walking home from El Burrito in downtown Davis with 2 friends. We noticed a few guys in the corner but did not pay much attention until one of them catcalled us. He used that "animal whistle" on us and started calling us over. We ran because we were afraid he would try to do something to us. I was so disgusted by the way he treated us. He was obviously a lot older than us. I always hated when this would happen because it has happened to me before in my hometown. I did not think it would happen to me here but I am glad nothing more happened.
This is definitely a scary thing that happens everywhere on the streets no matter where you are. I hate how some men think they can say or do anything to women and think it's ok. I'm glad that you or your friends were not hurt!
I too, had a friend who was walking in downtown davis by herself when a middle aged man tried to pull her into a house with him. She was lucky enough to get away because she resisted very strongly, but even in Davis it is a common misconception that we don't have to worry about sexual harassment, but in reality we do.
Wow, this is serious! But thank you for sharing your stories with us here. It seems that in Davis issues of street harassment or sexual violence are often swept under the rug, because the community "seems safe" and has a good reputation. But it is important for the pervasiveness of sexual violence to be known, so that we combat it through awareness, legislation, and other ways.
Omg, some men are so gross. Sucks that we are always getting picked on and molested. I've experienced something similar too. I used to be in track and field and I had to wear short tight spandex for my track meets. Our track meets would so late in the afternoon and my only ride was my road bike. I lived like 4miles away and well I would be followed sometimes by random guys. First they started by whistling at me and saying things to me that made me feel uncomfortable. I guess my track uniform would provoke them to check me out but it was my track uniform that I had to wear. It was never my intention to provoke them. Even when I would wear pants they would still drive next to me and whistle. Luckily I haven't experienced this in Davis. But it's sad to know that sexual harassment is happening here in our community.
This week we talked about nuclear families and I've noticed for years we have had shows on TV that have displayed nuclear families, but as of recently I have noticed that some of the best or well known TV shows that have been on TV for the last 20-30 years have not all displayed nuclear families. For instance Full House, Modern Family, Sister Sister, The Nanny; all of these shows have families but they are not nuclear families. They have more than one male parent or no mother present, there are is a nanny in the mother's place or you have families being combined without a marriage. Today it is not so common to not see a nuclear family on TV, there are still nuclear families on shows. But it's not uncommon for there to be different family structures being shown now, that in the last 20-30 years un-nuclear families are slowly being sort of a normal.
I agree that many TV shows have "non-nuclear" families but I feel as if writers are using that quality to make their shows more interesting. Many of the shows plot points and conflicts revolve around the issue of not being a non-nuclear family, which seems reinforce the idea that having a nuclear family is what is best in this society.
A couple years ago I was introduced to the film, The Invisible War. This independent film is a documentary talking about the sexual assault happening to women in the United States military. In this film, they interviewed several women talking about their experience with sexual assault and it was heart breaking hearing what they had to go through. Often these men are not punished for what they have done to these women and can get away with anything. It is very unlikely for these assaults to turn into punishment. These women are trying to protect and serve our country but they are not been given the respect they deserve.
I saw this movie as well, it was heart breaking hearing the stories and how powerless the victims were. It was almost unbelievable that rape had become such a norm and that so many soldiers had accepted it is a just another part of being in the military.
I saw a video the other day that showed a woman walking through NYC for ten hours, while she experiences over 100 accounts of street harassment. It is a perfect example of the type of harassment that artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh based her piece "Stop Telling Women to Smile," off of. The woman is told compliments like "you're beautiful," as well as "smile, baby, you should smile." While it might be hard for people to understand the negative effects of cat calling, especially for men who haven't experienced it, it puts women in a very vulnerable place. Cat calling reinforces patriarchy in our society. It puts women down and reduces them to just their looks, and makes them feel like prey. Women are then consistently seen as objects there for decoration, just things to look at at, and it causes them to be seen just this way when applying for jobs, or internships. In turn, they aren't taken seriously and this enhances the inequalities between genders in our society, and results in negative outcomes such as the gender pay gap. Some men see cat calling as giving compliments to women, but in reality it makes women uncomfortable, and it is ultimately not ok. Here's an article about Rush Limbaugh's reaction to the video where he determines that men are just being "polite" when they call out at women on the street. The article has a few other comments of his on the topic that will seriously make you face palm.
We’ve talked a lot about violence against women and rape culture in lecture, and one of the stories I keep seeing in the news is about the allegations of rape and assault against Bill Cosby. Recently another woman came forward about her experience of being forced to perform oral sex, and in an interview she was asked by a reporter if she had considered just not doing it, or getting out of it by biting her attacker. I think it’s disgusting that an interviewer would force her to talk about the details of her attack, and to suggest that she could have done more to prevent being taking advantage of. This perpetuation of rape culture and victim blaming makes it unlikely for more women to speak out about their experience with rape and sexual assault, because who would want to if they were only going to be ridiculed on national television?
I wanted to write about crime in the media, since our reading and lecture were based on crime and criminality this week. This article gives a striking example of racial inequality through incarceration. Ricky Jackson, an African American, was convicted of murder and sent to prison 39 years ago, to be finally released after being discovered innocent. Eddie Vernon, a witness to the case, recently came forward admitting his testimony in court against Jackson was a fraud, and he was fed details by a friend and the police, who threatened to imprison Vernon if he spoke out. Vernon was only 12 years old at the time. It is expected that Vernon will not be charged. While the article showed some justice being delivered, there are many unresolved issues in this tragic story. Is it right for Vernon to have no consequences, for essentially permitting an innocent person to be incarcerated for almost 40 years? Although Vernon was a child when he delivered the testimony, waiting an extra few decades before confessing seems inexcusable. And how about the ugly truth that police were involved in the fraudulent testimony? Some wrongs were resolved with the freeing of Jackson, but many injustices are left without repair.
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ReplyDeleteI have a comment about last discussion, wrong cultural representation in Halloween costume. Many traditional clothes, most of them are stereotypical, are used as a Halloween costume as we saw. Before making or wearing these costumes, we should consider and respect other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI think these stereotypical image is sometimes caused by people form the culture, so it cannot say that only consumers have a responsibility. Well-known fashion model, Miranda Karr dressed like a Geisha, Miku Hatune (an animation character), and a Japanese warrior in Vogue Japan’s cover of the November 2014 issue. She is from Australia, and the photographer, Mario Testino, is from Peru and he works in U.K. If the pictures were not on Vogue Japan, it would be wrong cultural representation like Halloween costumes and it is relatively understandable as an indiscretion by foreigners, but the provider is actually Vogue Japan, which represent Japanese culture. I do not say that the pictures give the wrong image, but it gives us very stereotypical image, which usually people do not want people from other culture to have. I think it is silly because it seems Vogue Japan want to make stereotype stronger. They had to consider their influence.
Miranda Kerr gets the Mario Testino treatment as she cements her sexy look in Geisha-inspired photo shoot for Vogue Japan's 15th anniversary
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2762647/Miranda-Kerr-gets-Mario-Testino-treatment-cements-sexy-look-Geisha-inspired-photo-shoot-Vogue-Japan.html
Professor Craig mentioned gendered marketing in lecture last week and how it is used as a marketing tool. I watched a video about gendered marketing a while ago and found it pretty funny how such small changes to a product can make it "for men" versus "for women". Straight lines and scientific numbers for men and flowers and frills for women. In some cases, one gender even pays more for the same product because of different packaging. The video also mentions shortly about the attitude of men using women products as far more negative than women using men's products. While this is great for companies looking to create new markets, it feeds into a more negative perception of women in general. This is also bad for men because it creates more stringent boundaries on who is a "man" and who is a "woman".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JDmb_f3E2c
I watched part of the video and agree that it does create greater boundaries on genders. I found it interesting, though, that the whole division between pink for girls and blue for boys used to be switched. It may show how much power the market, companies, and consumerism have on people over their decisions to buy certain products. In relation to gender marketing, I saw an ad for Bic pens "for her". They look like any other bic pens, except for the fact that they're in sparkly pastel colors. It seems crazy to me to be marketing pens based on gender, when they could have easily not even added any part about gender in the labeling. I'm sure they are just like any other pen, but apparently they are more feminine because of the sparkly colors.
DeleteThis is something I'm sure everyone has been seeing on their facebook homepage, but I'm interested in hearing peoples' thoughts on the new instagram user @byefelipe. http://instagram.com/byefelipe
ReplyDeleteThis instagram shares conversations from online dating where guys have responded mean things to girls who are not interested in dating them. Thoughts?
All the males I've seen on the posts are quite disrespectful. I think that they should understand that if a girl doesn't want to talk to them, they should just leave the conversation or back off nicely. Just because a girl doesn't want to respond or if she's not interested, that does not mean that she's a "bitch" or that she's "stuck up"- she's just not interested.
DeleteI haven't seen this instagram yet, but after looking at it the comments are extremely rude. It brings about the misogynistic idea that women should want to be desired/ desire all men, but when women don't want to talk to or be in a relationship with a man they are shamed for it. The instances where the conversations went from saying "hello" to calling the woman a "slut," really showed just how much women are expected to fulfill the desires of men, and again are treated disrespectfully solely because they did not wish to reply.
DeleteAs technology, communication and media have advanced within the last decade, it has given people unlimited opportunity to blatantly say whatever they please because they are hiding behind a computer screen, a cell phone, an iPad…the list goes on. Men justify saying insulting, degrading and abusive comments because women "ignore" them or just don't respond. And it's appalling. They're offended because we don't reply to a "hey sexy," message, but what they fail to comprehend is that we are just as irritated with their derogatory greeting as they are with our silence.
DeleteHi everyone. Some of you may or may have not seen this video:
ReplyDelete"Pretending to be a 13 year old girl & catching child predators red handed"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elODqFXcMuw
While watching it, I can see that girls are not only in danger on the streets but on the internet as well. It is terrifying to know that children everywhere are in risk of being one of the victims; it is even more terrifying if or when you have a child. This video makes me think about my parents and why they are overprotective. If the world didn't have these offenders (or rape, as Prof. Craig discussed in lecture) we would be able to jog freely at night or just about anything while knowing we are safe.
I, too, understand now why my parents and siblings were always so protective while I was growing up. And it really is horrifying to realize all the different ways that children (and females) can be targeted and harassed.
DeletePersonally, I am terrified to walk alone anywhere even if it is in broad daylight. Harassment can happen anywhere and it is true that can happen to anyone. My parents are also overprotective and, like Rachel, I understand why.
DeleteWhile reading chapter 6 and thinking about the discussion on rape culture and sexual assault, I couldn't help but remember the viral video that had been going around recently about the woman who walked around while filming herself and documenting all of the instances of catcalling she had received. Although I don't think the book had mentioned catcalling as an example of violence against women, I do think it is a really good example of the existence of rape cutlure and sexual harrassment that pretty much every woman has experienced at least once in their lives. What I also thought was interesting was the discussion that CNN had held on it. The man in the video linked below constantly insists that women should just take the compliments because they "enjoy" it or, otherwise, carry a gun if they thought they were in danger. This is such a clear example of the victim blaming that takes place in rape culture and I feel that it was pretty frightening that, even after so many testimonials of women saying that catcalling is rampant and needs to stop and a video actually documenting how creepy it is, the man in the cnn interview insists that it isn't a problem.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HI4DC18wCg
I saw both of those videos too. And the discussion that CNN held really upset me. The man was totally trying to blame women for what happens to them. He is supposed to be a "specialist" on women and he still tried to say that the catcalling should be taking as compliments when it is harrassment. I just feel that men really should try to see things through the eyes of women before they go trying to blame them for speaking out about the injustice they face due to men's actions.
DeleteI thought the comments the man made were extremely sexist. He not only blamed the women for not defending themselves or appreciating the comments from the street harassment, but also blamed the parents of the harassers, rather than the harassers themselves. I also thought the point the women brought up an important point about if women say they don't appreciate the catcalling, men should respect and stop harassing women. Even after she made this comment, the man in the video felt the need to make the statement that it was only a certain "type of guy" who harasses women on the street. His defenses continued and never put the blame on all of the individuals who commit harassment.
DeleteI found an interesting article about how a woman, Kathleen Brooks, describes her experiences of being fat according to what other people think of her:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-brooks/being-fat_b_6097544.html
In this blog post, Brooks notes how she has been stigmatized for her weight, despite how this weight seems to have been gained as a side-effect of her kidney being rejected. As a result, people around her have treated her disrespectfully due to her appearance, instead of the experiences and life she has experienced. This blog post connects with how Women’s Lives notes how women who face "discrimination and stigma experienced by women who are considered overweight" are fighting against this image via various activities, such as creating groups to combat this issue and representing "'full body' projects" of women (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey, 212). I thought this blog post is a good reminder to not assume that even if people appear to be physically different from ourselves, we should not make negative judgments that others are physically inferior compared to ourselves.
I found your post very interesting. I am often amazed at how ignorant and how judgmental people can be. Weight is a huge problem in society that will not be solved by bringing people down or making them feel bad about themselves. By doing so, this belittles people and is even a form of dehumanization because they are being treated as if they weren't a normal human. There is a huge stigma surrounding weight in society. In cases like Brooks, there is side factor that contributed to her weight gain. However, she is simply judged based on her appearance. I agree with your ending comment about how people should not be more open minded and remember that there is a story to every person that they do not know.
DeleteI'm very concerned about the issue of weight throughout history women are always held to some beauty standard look at famous art such as the Birth of Venus, and adverts from the 20th century, up until a certain age a plump figure was desired, whereas today a slender shape is wanted. women are continually pressured into a mold.
DeleteReading chapter six was truly eyeopening and makes me think about safety as a woman. Violence against women can happen anywhere, even in your own home where you should feel the most safe. I don't usually think twice about walking alone at night or taking a jog around Davis or parking in my apartment complex. But while thinking about this, I thought about last year, and how there were a couple of incidents on campus and in Davis where young women were attacked. One of which was attacked in the parking lot of her apartment complex. This reminded me of other incidents of colleges where women have been attacked, raped or abused. Over the summer before starting this school year, my friend that goes to the University of Florida told me about how three girls had been attacked, all in the same week. I found the article, and it is posted below. This should be used as a reminder to always be aware of our surroundings even if it may be a place you think you are safe.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/01/two-rape-attempts-near-uf-campus/14933093/
Your comment reminds me of an incident that happened at Potter Hall within Tercero last school year during the month of March.
Deletehttp://www.theaggie.org/2014/04/08/uc-davis-police-arrest-man-suspected-of-breaking-into-dorm-room/
It really is scary to think that the UC Davis dormitories are considered not to be safe, especially for first year students who are working through their first year of college and are not sure what to expect from living with others. Although this incident did help raise awareness around locking doors and keeping an eye out for one’s own personal possessions, I would suspect that such an incident could repeat, even in the dorms.
Honestly I can see it happening again. Especially when new freshmen move into the dorms and weren't around when the Potter Hall break in happened. Including basic precautions like not tailgating or using the deadbolt in orientation (if they don't already) is one way to reduce the chances of another break in happening. So is mentioning the Potter Hall break in and others that happened in the past.
DeleteI found this article on how the FBI updated its definition of rape: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/11/10/fbi_2013_crime_report_the_bureau_expands_its_definition_of_rape.html
ReplyDeleteThe definition has changed from "the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” to “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." This new definition now includes men and other genders, which is a step in breaking the hegemonic idea that men can't be raped. It also covers cases like someone at a frat party being too drunk or high to consent even if no force is involved.
While going through the readings of chapter 6, I noticed that there is more written about what men can do to prevent violence against women (Grove's "Engaging Men Against Violence" than there is written about men who faced sexual violence. The only one I've noticed was the soldier who "cut off the testicles of White Antelope to make a tobacco pouch" (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey, 276). Sexual violence affects all genders, so why do people think of women as being the main victims?
I feel like women are seen as weak in society because of all the gender stereotypes so that is why they are the "main victims". I do not believe that women are more likely to be raped. I think everyone has an equal chance because there are many predators out there. It is true that the sexual assault crime rate for women is higher, but the sexual assault rate for men has increased.
DeleteAbout a week ago, Kiera Knightley posed topless for Interview Magazine. This received a lot of the media's attention, both criticizing and supporting her decision to do the photoshoot. Ultimately, I think it is a good thing for the following reasons: 1) It shows that she is in control of her own body, regardless of others' input, 2) It maintains a positive body image since she is comfortable with her body and does not feel the need for photoshop. For so many other photoshoots, Kiera's body - notably her chest - was photoshopped, made to appear noticeably larger. But now, she has made public her criticisms of this. Perhaps after this, more celebrities will request to do all natural photoshoots; even now, celebrities are going for the "au natural" look (e.g. no makeup).
ReplyDeleteThe article is very interesting and It reminds me of other case about photoshop. Coco Rocha, Canadian fashion model, is against being nude, and she has policy not to be nude, and when she wear transparent clothes, she always wear beige underwear. However, when she was a cover girl on Elle Brazil in 2012, her sheer underwear was photoshopped out. She said "to give the impression that I am showing much more skin than I actually was or am comfortable with." I strongly believe we have a right to control our own body and to present our idea ,in this case, of beauty, with our body.
Deletehttp://oh-so-coco.tumblr.com/search/elle+brazil
Hi everyone! I was watching Top Chef the other night when it caught my attention that the majority of the contestants were male- a reflection of the fact that the culinary industry is primarily populated with men. This got me thinking about our discussions about The Help and the stereotype of food preparation as "women's work". If cooking is usually done by the matriarch of the family, why does cooking become a male profession when it becomes paid work? I find this contradiction fascinating and would love to hear your thoughts on how this phenomenon came to be.
ReplyDeleteI watch Top Chef as well sometimes and that thought has crossed my mind as well! I agree with you in regards to that question, it seems as though cooking for the FAMILY is traditionally women's work, but when we cross over to the PROFESSIONAL/SPECIALIST sector of cooking, its men who are mostly seen in the forefront. Maybe the ideas behind the male dominated culinary industry is that women wouldn't be able to handle the high pressures of a fast pace kitchen the way a man can? That would be a cool interview to construct for chefs. Also interestingly, when it comes to pastry chefs, or owning bakeries, many of them are women, so where is that line? Even where I work, the head sous chefs are all male.
DeleteIn light of yesterday's discussion on street harassment, I have found two posts which pertain to verbal harassment. I'm sure many of you have already seen this video that has been circulating the web, illustrating a women walking around New York being harassed over 100 times in 10 hours. Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A Along with this video I have found an article with tweets from several individuals claiming that catcalling is not an issue within our society: http://elitedaily.com/humor/people-dont-understand-catcalling/839015/. After watching the video and reading the twitter comments that went along with it, it is easy to see just how prevalent the problem of catcalling really is. The problem starts with the mindset of individuals, which as seen through the twitter posts, is largely a positive and defensive view of catcalling. Several comments referred to the video as "stupid," claiming women were "overreacting," and defending street harassment stating "it's street harassment if we're not attractive to you." These statements reinforce the sexist idea that women's bodies are not their own and issues relating to a women's body are not important. This topic of street harassment also ties into the reading from Chapter 6 about "Violence Against Women." Street harassment can be seen as the beginning of violence against women. Individuals who carry out violence against women and individuals who catcall women on the streets, hold the same mindset about women. In both cases, the individuals establish what they see as superiority and ownership of women either through verbal or physical abuse or harassment. Another comment from the article in which street harassment and violence against women tied together was when a twitter user stated "That the girl ain't say "stop" in the video so it's [technically] not harassment." This statement is similar to the justification of rape, in which various individuals make the claim that it's not rape if the women did not say "stop," "no," or did not verbally communicate that she did not want to have sex. In order to bring an end to violence and harassment of women, we must start with changing the mindset of individuals.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the viral video about street harassment in New York, some people did the same thing in New Zealand with a model:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXdMAXaMicc
However, in this video, there were only two instances in which people tried to converse with the woman: one man asked for directions while the other told her she was beautiful and he apologized for interrupting her. This video demonstrates to us that the catcalling isn't common in all areas of the world, so we really should think about what type of system has been created and how/why it was created to make this type of harassment seem acceptable to some individuals, especially those in the U.S. where catcalling is extremely prevalent.
When we had our discussion on the 'nuclear family,' it got me thinking about the classic 50's sitcom I Love Lucy, which is one of my favorite shows because of its comedy and the adventures/trouble the girls always got themselves into. I got to thinking about their marriages in the sense of the nuclear family. I found a clip online about one of the episodes where the husbands, Ricky and Fred don't believe the women could go out and earn the living, and similarly, the women don't think the men could handle the household chores. Each side says it would be easy to do, so they decide to switch tasks for the day. In typical sitcom fashion, both sides end in a humorous disaster. This was set in the fifties, so although the concept of the domestic and the work sphere are addressed, both sides realize that in the end they are each better off doing what they have been. The women cooking and cleaning and the men working for the income.
ReplyDeleteThe clip is below if you all wanted to check it out.
http://youtu.be/HFfvvSi1gLc
This was one of my favorite shows and it took me a while to realize what dynamic they were trying to set. It was set in the 50's and women were always seen as housewives while men were the breadwinners. As I analyze the show, I notice that Lucy is portrayed as dumb and clueless. I dislike that women were always deemed to be less intelligent than men because of the stereotypes that were set in the 50's. I know some of this still holds truth today, but it has changed and changed for the better.
DeleteI decided to correlate a discussion we had in class this week about the concepts of Tatyana Fazlalizadeh's street art (and her message) to a recently debuted song called "Girl in a Country Song," by two women named Maddie and Tae. I downloaded and began to like this song before I had even enrolled in WMS 50, and when riding the bus home the other day and hearing the lyrics for the 300th time I realized how much it related to our conversations about street harassment. The first verse of the song directly addresses what many women had spoken about in Tatyana's video and regarding the societal expectations of Brooklyn. One of the most powerful and resonating verses is: "I hear you over there on your tailgate whistling', saying, "hey girl," but you know I ain't listenin'. Cause I got a name, and to you it ain't "pretty little thing," "honey," or "baby." When I heard that verse I immediately thought of one of the images that is a part of the "Stop Telling Women to Smile," series. Below the portrait of a women, is a quote that states, "My name is not baby, shorty, sexy, sweetie, honey, pretty, boo, sweetheart, ma." Two sets of women from two completely different cultural societies say THE EXACT SAME THING. No matter where they are, gender based street harassment is still prevalent and very potent. The social location of both of these protests of harassment can give insight into their unique perspectives. Within the realm of country music and southern states there is a stigma that men in those areas treat women archaically and unequally; There is also a stigma correlated to crime, danger and gender discrimination in New York. I also found it interesting how both this particular song and Tatyana’s street art established a bold presence in environments where they beforehand had felt insecure and endangered. Since women were being abused and belittled on the streets, that’s where Tatyana decided to embed her work, directly in the face of her opponents. And in a sphere where women are constantly degraded, undermined, and verbally assaulted is within the music industry, where Maddie and Tae decided to make their statement. I hear at least 10 songs a day that refer to women in disgusting terms and descriptions; The fact that two young, beautiful country singers are addressing the issue in the most powerful way they know is admirable. I have attached a link to their music video, which is not as serious as I would have hoped it would be. It views the issue from a humorous perspective. However, what I consider to be important and resonating is their lyrics and not so much the music video.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MOavH-Eivw
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5b/e6/96/5be696dd19c1885f267b99102768963e.jpg
Okay, so I have two little brothers so I know the tons of shirts they have plastered with all those of the superhero blockbuster for the year. Recently the Guardians of the Galaxy was released and with it the onslaught of boy's shirts, as per norm the movie had one female lead, but on the team shirts I see in the store the character of Gamora is missing, this form of marketing has also affected characters such as Black Widow from the avengers. Has anyone noticed this crossing out of female characters on tv or movie merchandise?
ReplyDeleteI definitely have. One of the worst things I've seen while shopping with my little sister was a shirt in the boy's section that said "trust me, I'm a superhero" and had a picture of the avengers (minus Black Widow). We then went to the girl's section to try and find a similar shirt that would fit her and all we found was a shirt with almost the same picture of the avengers that said "I need a hero." She ended up just getting the boy's shirt even though it was too big because she wanted to be a superhero too, not a helpless girl who needed saving.
DeleteDuring Thursday's lecture when Professor Craig was discussing the nuclear family, it reminded me of a few older shows that my dad liked to watch and continues to watch that I have grown up viewing with him. One of the shows is called All in the Family and it was about a typical nuclear family with the breadwinner husband, wife who is overly nice and submissive, and a daughter and her boyfriend. When I watched episodes, I never really thought about the context of everything presented, but even as it presents a typical nuclear family, there are other components that intersect. While reading an article on the evolution of the nuclear family, I realized that the show addressed many issues at the time that were not usually discussed in public, like racism and war. The intersectionality of the social topics showed the husband's racism against their African-American neighbors, while other members of his family had an opposite view. Also, the daughter and her boyfriend were always shown arguing with the father, the main character, over issues in society at the time, like the Vietnam war and homosexuality. The daughter and her boyfriend showed more liberal opinions, while the father was more conservative. Even though the show did depict a nuclear family, it also was not typical of a sitcom of the time. If you look at some sitcoms today compared to others from the 50s and 60s, the idea of family has broadened a little, but it is still not all inclusive to others that do not fit the typical nuclear family mold.http://splitsider.com/2011/10/the-evolution-of-the-sitcom-family/
ReplyDeleteI saw a video that talked about this article a few weeks ago:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shocking-picture-shows-teenagers-injuries-4159378
It relates to what were we talking about in class about violence. In his article, a teenage male bit his girlfriend's face aggressively in order to prevent her from cheating on him. Before he bit her face, he asked her, "Do you love me?" and then proceeded. This article shows that these violent acts don't just occur in poor areas that are primarily inhabited by racial minorities but can indeed happen to white, middle class individuals despite the lack of media representation of violence among these individuals. This also demonstrates this young man's need for dominance in his relationship, even if that means acting out in a violent way to someone he says he cares about. This article is also an example of a violent act that was carried out by someone this individual was close to and thought she could trust, which occurs in the majority of violent sexual acts.
In discussion this week we talked about catcalling and how men use words to degrade women. The night after that class I was walking home from El Burrito in downtown Davis with 2 friends. We noticed a few guys in the corner but did not pay much attention until one of them catcalled us. He used that "animal whistle" on us and started calling us over. We ran because we were afraid he would try to do something to us. I was so disgusted by the way he treated us. He was obviously a lot older than us. I always hated when this would happen because it has happened to me before in my hometown. I did not think it would happen to me here but I am glad nothing more happened.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a scary thing that happens everywhere on the streets no matter where you are. I hate how some men think they can say or do anything to women and think it's ok. I'm glad that you or your friends were not hurt!
DeleteI too, had a friend who was walking in downtown davis by herself when a middle aged man tried to pull her into a house with him. She was lucky enough to get away because she resisted very strongly, but even in Davis it is a common misconception that we don't have to worry about sexual harassment, but in reality we do.
DeleteWow, this is serious! But thank you for sharing your stories with us here. It seems that in Davis issues of street harassment or sexual violence are often swept under the rug, because the community "seems safe" and has a good reputation. But it is important for the pervasiveness of sexual violence to be known, so that we combat it through awareness, legislation, and other ways.
DeleteOmg, some men are so gross. Sucks that we are always getting picked on and molested. I've experienced something similar too. I used to be in track and field and I had to wear short tight spandex for my track meets. Our track meets would so late in the afternoon and my only ride was my road bike. I lived like 4miles away and well I would be followed sometimes by random guys. First they started by whistling at me and saying things to me that made me feel uncomfortable. I guess my track uniform would provoke them to check me out but it was my track uniform that I had to wear. It was never my intention to provoke them. Even when I would wear pants they would still drive next to me and whistle. Luckily I haven't experienced this in Davis. But it's sad to know that sexual harassment is happening here in our community.
DeleteThis week we talked about nuclear families and I've noticed for years we have had shows on TV that have displayed nuclear families, but as of recently I have noticed that some of the best or well known TV shows that have been on TV for the last 20-30 years have not all displayed nuclear families. For instance Full House, Modern Family, Sister Sister, The Nanny; all of these shows have families but they are not nuclear families. They have more than one male parent or no mother present, there are is a nanny in the mother's place or you have families being combined without a marriage. Today it is not so common to not see a nuclear family on TV, there are still nuclear families on shows. But it's not uncommon for there to be different family structures being shown now, that in the last 20-30 years un-nuclear families are slowly being sort of a normal.
ReplyDeleteI agree that many TV shows have "non-nuclear" families but I feel as if writers are using that quality to make their shows more interesting. Many of the shows plot points and conflicts revolve around the issue of not being a non-nuclear family, which seems reinforce the idea that having a nuclear family is what is best in this society.
DeleteA couple years ago I was introduced to the film, The Invisible War. This independent film is a documentary talking about the sexual assault happening to women in the United States military. In this film, they interviewed several women talking about their experience with sexual assault and it was heart breaking hearing what they had to go through. Often these men are not punished for what they have done to these women and can get away with anything. It is very unlikely for these assaults to turn into punishment. These women are trying to protect and serve our country but they are not been given the respect they deserve.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fBaFQk6aE0
I saw this movie as well, it was heart breaking hearing the stories and how powerless the victims were. It was almost unbelievable that rape had become such a norm and that so many soldiers had accepted it is a just another part of being in the military.
DeleteI saw a video the other day that showed a woman walking through NYC for ten hours, while she experiences over 100 accounts of street harassment. It is a perfect example of the type of harassment that artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh based her piece "Stop Telling Women to Smile," off of. The woman is told compliments like "you're beautiful," as well as "smile, baby, you should smile." While it might be hard for people to understand the negative effects of cat calling, especially for men who haven't experienced it, it puts women in a very vulnerable place. Cat calling reinforces patriarchy in our society. It puts women down and reduces them to just their looks, and makes them feel like prey. Women are then consistently seen as objects there for decoration, just things to look at at, and it causes them to be seen just this way when applying for jobs, or internships. In turn, they aren't taken seriously and this enhances the inequalities between genders in our society, and results in negative outcomes such as the gender pay gap. Some men see cat calling as giving compliments to women, but in reality it makes women uncomfortable, and it is ultimately not ok. Here's an article about Rush Limbaugh's reaction to the video where he determines that men are just being "polite" when they call out at women on the street. The article has a few other comments of his on the topic that will seriously make you face palm.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/rush-limbaugh-street-harassment_n_6082742.html?utm_hp_ref=feminism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A
We’ve talked a lot about violence against women and rape culture in lecture, and one of the stories I keep seeing in the news is about the allegations of rape and assault against Bill Cosby. Recently another woman came forward about her experience of being forced to perform oral sex, and in an interview she was asked by a reporter if she had considered just not doing it, or getting out of it by biting her attacker. I think it’s disgusting that an interviewer would force her to talk about the details of her attack, and to suggest that she could have done more to prevent being taking advantage of. This perpetuation of rape culture and victim blaming makes it unlikely for more women to speak out about their experience with rape and sexual assault, because who would want to if they were only going to be ridiculed on national television?
ReplyDeletehttp://theconcourse.deadspin.com/lemon-asks-alleged-cosby-rape-victim-why-she-didnt-bite-1660492075
I wanted to write about crime in the media, since our reading and lecture were based on crime and criminality this week. This article gives a striking example of racial inequality through incarceration. Ricky Jackson, an African American, was convicted of murder and sent to prison 39 years ago, to be finally released after being discovered innocent. Eddie Vernon, a witness to the case, recently came forward admitting his testimony in court against Jackson was a fraud, and he was fed details by a friend and the police, who threatened to imprison Vernon if he spoke out. Vernon was only 12 years old at the time. It is expected that Vernon will not be charged.
ReplyDeleteWhile the article showed some justice being delivered, there are many unresolved issues in this tragic story. Is it right for Vernon to have no consequences, for essentially permitting an innocent person to be incarcerated for almost 40 years? Although Vernon was a child when he delivered the testimony, waiting an extra few decades before confessing seems inexcusable. And how about the ugly truth that police were involved in the fraudulent testimony? Some wrongs were resolved with the freeing of Jackson, but many injustices are left without repair.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/20/ricky-jackson-free-innocent-wrongfully-convicted_n_6192358.html?utm_hp_ref=crime