Various crimes for various reasons

I don't think I have ever heard of supremacy crimes before reading Steinem's article. At first I thought that this article was going to just be about bashing males and their "tendancy towards aggression", but I was happy (not happy that these events actually occured) to see that statistics about women and men of color were also thrown into the article. I find it interesting that she goes further than just the history of the people who commit the crime, and tries to see the social constructs that may have led them to committing these crimes. I would have to agree that many men do seem to have a superiority complex when it comes to interacting with women and other men, but this may just be from my own experiences.
I don't have a lot of knowledge on different crimes besides what I have seen on tv shows like csi or law and order, or the occasional cold case. While I know that these situations aren't based on a true story, many of the crimes are described as being crimes of power. One subject wants to dominate the other in order to have personal gratification. Before reading this article I wasn't aware that the norm of people who commit these crimes are white, heterosexual males. I dont agree that all men who fit into these categories have a superiority complex, but it would seem that these men, often times in the middle or upper class, would see themselves as being superior; not only because they are male, but also because they are white, and are financially stable. I can understand how being privelaged in all of these ways coud lead to feelings of superiority, but I also don't think that they should. Being white is no better than being of color; heterosexuality is not better than homosexuality; and being wealthy does not automatically make you better than someone who is less off.

The other article that really caught my attention was Myers article on sexual assault in war zones. I was honestly shocked when I read that article, apparently I was naive enough to think that sick crimes like these didn't happen military. In the article, it was stated that many people are afraid to report crimes like these in the military because they would be shook off. You are in the middle of a war, and someone sexually harrasses you, what would be more important? But I don't think it should be taken this way. Even in the midst of battle the act of sexually harrassing, stalking, or even groping someone should not be accepted. These people should not be granted a pass just because they are fighting in the war. They should be held to the same standards that non-soldiers are held to.

Responding to: the sex culture and rape

The teen sex culture is something that I have always been very curious about. What is the "acceptable age" for children to start having sex? Who decided this was the right age? How do teens view sex? I would have to agree with Lee, and disagree with Levy by saying that while the media may play a large role in influencing young teen sexual lifestyles, the type of/ or lack of information that these students are being taught about sex also contributes.

Pictures of adults or teens dressed in risque clothing or doing risque things can be found all over the media; right there for young teens and children to see. The sex culture is waiting there, prowling, ready to bite into the young teen whenever they decide to take part. But what inspires teens to start having sex? What influences them into making decisions which promote a positive sexual experience and what negative information leads to tem having negative sexual experiences? I personally think its society and outside forces as well as half parental duty. If society is influencing a young teen into thinking that having sex and being crazy is the right thing to do, and their parents are not eaching them otherwise, then most likely the teen is going to do what they see.

http://www.thatvideosite.com/video/school_dances_sure_have_changed

For example, this video shows young children around the age of eight or nine dancing in a very provocative manner. Parents that allow their children to act like this at a young age can most likely expect them to not have a healthy outlook towards sex. They will probably be sucked into the sex culture at a young age and without parents there to guide them, it is hard to tell whether it will be a positive or negative experience.

Lead Post: The Sex Culture and Rape

Rape has become a fact of our society rather we are willing to admit it or not. Women, and men, around our country, around our world are subjected to sexual violence. How did we get to this point? Where is it going? Is there any hope for the future? These are just some of the questions that went racing through my mind.

Ariel Levy discusses a phenomenal sex culture that exists between pre teens and teens. She discusses how girls dressing as sluts and showing there bodies was part of a culture that was designed to attract the attention of young boys. She talks to many teens, boys and girls, who play into this sex culture. At the end of the chapter, I was left asking, what let to this culture?

Being a young twenty year old male, I understand and have lived within this teen sex culture. Levy seems to place it heavily on the media. While I do agree that the media does play a role, I don't think that full blame can be placed on the media. Just last week, we read articles and chapters that discussed how the untrained, unguided curiousity of young men and women can lead to a quest to find themselves and identity. I feel that the curiosity, if unguided, is also what as led to this sex culture among teens. Teens aren't thinking about being safe, being respectful, being aware. They just want to fit in and be cool. What is needed is better guidance and more discussion with teens on their sexuality and safe practices.

So, lets look at it. Levy presents to us a sex culture, rampant among teens. She blames the media, and I go further to claim that it is also curiosity, unguided, that has helped this culture to develop. However, where is the talk of positive sexuality? Are we talking to these young teens about their curiosity? Are we educating ourselves, and our young population on safe sexual practices? Are we helping them to understand their feelings and hormones? I say, no we're not. Teens are thus being forced to develop and create their own sexual world, culture, and feelings. This leads to misunderstandings, misconceptions, the sex culture that exist among teens, as Levy identifies. To me, Levy didn't really delve into the subject to me. However, Whitney Walker, presents an interesting perspective into it. She discusses her personal experience of sexual assault and how it affected her as a young feminists. She went on to discuss how the martial arts class she took empowered her to be stronger and more forceful.

So how does rape play in to all this and transcend the sex culture? Well, I'm still trying to understand that. The underlying theme that I get from both though is that we need to increase the talk about sex, sexual violence, assault, etc. There is a lack of discussion. The problem with the teens is they are not being viewed as sexual beings (which they are because they are human) and sex is "hidden" from them. This leads to ideology that sex is not meant to be discussed and leads to beliefs that rape and sexual assault should also not be discussed because it is viewed as inappropriate. Victims are thus forced to deal with their experiences in fear and alone instead of seeking out help for their ordeal.

Is Childbirth Really Industrialized?

These articles are perfect to read together because Goer’s “How Childbirth Went Industrial: A Deconstruction” analyszes and dissects Gawande’s “How Childbirth Went Industrial.” If you were not able to understand Gawande’s article then Goer’s discussion would help it make more sense by providing more information and statistics to back up major points.
Gawande’s article discusses how Rourke, a pregnant woman, had to stay out of the hospital until her contractions were five minutes apart and lasted for at least one minute. Rourke mentions how she wanted a “natural” childbirth, one without a cesarean section or an epidural. However, as you read on, she begged for an epidural and gave into a cesarean section. In today’s society many people do not follow the “natural” route whether it is by choice and by their doctor’s advice. One of the most interesting parts of this article was when Gawande was talking about how “in a sense, all human mothers give birth prematurely.” I never considered this aspect before, but now after reading about it, it makes a lot of sense. Human babies cannot take care of themselves, while other animals are able to walk and get food soon after they are born. Another part was the discussion of the use of technology in childbirth, which centuries ago were never used and babies were born fine. As Gawande said, “we are seeing the waning of the art of childbirth.”
Goer’s “deconstruction” seemed very opinionated and harsh to me. I felt like Goer’s main objective was to get people to consider the traditional practice of using midwives; “It remains as true today as it did in 1933 that healthy women are better off at home in the hands of a midwife than in the hospital with the typical obstetrician.” Goer is very opposed to cesarean surgery and mentions may risks that the mother and newborn are opposed to. He stated that “standardizing care has done nothing to limit the use of medical intervention to cases,” however standardizing care provides a way for doctors to compare to recommend procedures. However, doctors use their past experience as well when deciding the best way to approach a patient. It makes the most sense for women to research different methods of childbirth and the typical drugs used in order for them to become more acknowledgeable and be able to ask their doctor specific questions regarding their concerns. But with every profession, each doctor prefers a different method because of what they have experienced in the past. Thus, I was annoyed when Goer was putting down doctors and the medical profession. I think some good points were made about not rushing into a method until it was certain it was needed. However, I still will trust doctors who have years of experience in this profession.
Contrary to the articles for Tuesday, both of these articles go into the complexities associated with childbirth. Childbirth is different for each woman, thus women should have the choice to do what they want, as long as it is not affecting their health or their babies.

Abortion

Lately I have been reading and learning a lot about the topic of abortion. For my news flash I discussed the problems with abortion that have been brought up by the current health care reform. Also, this weeks readings deal with personal stories of women who have gone through or been affected by abortion at some point in their lives. I have been struggling when trying to identify my position on the topic of abortion. In one sense I believe that women should have complete rights to their bodies, and no one should be able to tell them what to do with it; but on the other hand, I am very pro-life and believe that no baby should be aborted, unless it is under very extreme circumstances.
In her article, "So I Chose", Allison Crews explains that she is very pro-choice. She believes that a woman's right to abort or keep her child is something that should be left completely up to her. If a woman wants to have sex, she should be able to. If she gets pregnant and cannot support the baby due to financial or career purposes, she should not be forced to have the baby. She also believes that men should have some say in whether or not the woman gets an abortion, but when it comes down to it, the woman is ultimately in charge.
I would have to agree with Crews. I know that in a relationship there is more than just one person, and that both people need to be consulted in the case of having a child. But when it comes down to it, having a baby is directly affecting the mothers life. The man in the relationship would not be forced to drop out of school due to being pregnant, would not have to carry the child for a nine month period.

Newsflash 2

In Support of Abortion, It's Personal vs. Political

The term feminist is often used to describe a person who believes that women deserve equal rights to men, and that both genders should be treated equally. Feminists throughout history have been faced with many different obstacles that they have been forced to overcome. The first wave feminists, which surfaced between the nineteenth and twentieth century, fought for suffrage. The second wave feminists of the late twentieth century fought to pass laws that would push for equality for women, and set out to change the cultural standards that kept women oppressed. The third feminist wave, which is a product of the late twentieth century into today, is fighting to preserve what the second wave feminists fought for, and is still pushing for equality for women. In her article, "In Support of Abortion, It's Personal vs. Political", Sheryl Stolberg explains how different waves of feminists are and have reacted to the subject of abortion.

The option of abortion has not always been available to women. In the past, abortion was very much illegal. Stolberg tells of a woman, Louise McIntosh, who helped her friend go through with an abortion in the 1950's, when abortion was still illegal. Now at age eighty, Louise McIntosh, now known as Louise Slaughter, is the "co-chairwoman of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus -- a member of what Nancy Keenan, president of Naral Pro-Choice America calls 'the menopausal militia'". The current problem that is facing this feminist "militia" is President Obama's new health care reform. The problem with this reform is that it cuts federal funding for abortion purposes. Representative Bart Stupak, a Democrat of Michigan, was responsible for putting this "language" in the health bill. His words state that we will be, "barring the use of federal subsidies for insurance plans that cover abortion". The major problem that faces feminists when it comes to this health reform bill is that, "Lawmakers like Ms. Slaughter, who advocate for abortion rights, found themselves in the uncomfortable position of voting for the larger health bill even though the Stupak language was in it". Feminists are placed in a very bad spot when it comes to voting for this health care bill because even if they strongly disagree with cutting funding for abortions, some are also finding themselves in strong agreement with the rest of the bill.

When it comes to feminist views on abortion, there seems to be a generational gap that influences the views of this subject. The first wave and some second wave feminists grew up in a time when abortion was illegal, where as the feminists of our generation have never seen that day, and can never fully understand the effects it had on women of that era. "It has been nearly 37 years since Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established a right to abortion, and in that time, an entire generation - including Mr. Obama, who was 11 when roe was decided - has grown up without memories like those Ms. Slaughter says are 'seared into m mind'". I believe that because our current generation has never gone through the oppression that the early feminists have, we need to think rationally about decisions that may put us back into that oppression. "The result is a generational divide - not because younger women are any less supportive of abortion rights than their elders, but because their frame of reference is different".
While various polls have showed that the support of abortion is still at the same rate that it was back in the earlier waves of feminism, the language and attitude that is used when dealing with this subject has completely changed. Feminists of the first and early second wave see abortion in more political terms. When Roe v. Wade passed, women felt like they had finally won some control over their body. "Ms. Keenan, who is 57, says women like her, who came of age when abortion was illegal, tend to view it in stark political terms - as a right to be defended, like freedom of speech or freedom of religion". Keenan goes on to explain that women of the current era see abortion as more of a personal issue, and their reasons behind supporting this act are completely different. "The language and values, if you are older, is around the right to control your own body, reproductive freedom, sexual liberation as empowerment,' said Ms. Greenberg, the pollster. 'That is a baby-boom generation way of thinking. If you look at people under 30, that is not their touchstone, it is not wrapped up around feminism and women's rights."
Before reading this article I never really stopped to think about the differences between the different waves of feminism, I only knew about the differences that we talked about in class. After reading this article I did some thinking about the generational gap and what I have heard/discussed with my friends about the topic of abortion. Many of my friends are Pro-Life and under no circumstance do they believe that the option of abortion should be legal. But then again, is this opinion just coming from our naive generation who was never forced to experience the extreme suffrage of women? I believe what Stolberg and Slaughter say about the difference between a political and personal move are completely true. While women of the first feminist movement may not have been in complete support of abortion, they still fought for it to be passed so that they could finally own the rights to their own bodies, something they should have always had the right to. Now, in our generation, some young women see abortion as a fall back plan, just in case something goes wrong. We have all different kinds of condoms and birth controls; literally hundreds of ways to prevent pregnancy at our disposal, yet some women are still pro-choice, just in case those ways happen to fail. It's really hard to weigh in about the topic of abortion without putting your own personal opinions in, so I'm not entirely sure that I can speak for all of the women that are living in my generation. I assume that many are pro-choice and many are pro-life. But what are our reasoning's behind it? I think women of the early feminist movements would like all women to be pro-choice, regardless of if they would ever personally go through with an abortion or not. It's true, all women should have the complete right to their bodies; but the question is, at what cost?

NewsFlash: Women in the Workplace

Link to Newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/234657

The fight for women’s rights has been underway for a little more than a century now. Over this century, women have gain many opportunities, rights, and privileges that were once only deemed appropriate for men. However, there are still many injustices placed against women in present day society. Sexism continues to place a role in the workplace. Women are still fighting for equal rights and equal pay as men in the labor force.
In their Newsweek article, Jessica Bennett (2010) and Jesse Ellison (2010) discuss how female employees are still facing injustices in the work place because of their sex. They claim that present day women still face discriminatory pay and hiring practices. The World Economic Forum (Bennett and Ellison 2010), citied within Bennett and Elliso , reports that even though women have increased within the labor force, an improvement from just a century ago., they still face economic and political injustice.
A news report by the World Economic Forum finds that even though more women are employed around the world than ever before, and now make up 52 percent of U.S. workers, major multinational companies are failing to capitalize on their talents. In surveys with human-resources executives at 600 companies across 16 industries and 20 countries, the Forum's Corporate Gender Gap Report found that disparities in education and health have all but disappeared worldwide, but when it comes to political empowerment and economic participation, women haven't advanced much [Bennett and Ellison 2010).

The forum also goes on to claim that “female employees still tend to be concentrated in entry- or mid-level positions” (Bennett and Ellison 2010). The report does not point out motherhood as the biggest barrier; instead it claims that the patriarchal system is to blame for women’s inequality in the workplace. There is popular belief that one of the reasons that women still face inequality in the work force is due to the traditional view that the role of women revolves around motherhood and domestic life.
In her article, Anne Fausto -Sterling discusses how the woman’s body has been used and viewed as a means to deem women inappropriate for certain jobs. According to her, the hormonal difference that exists between me and women have been used to support claims that The uterus and the menstrual cycle are viewed as making women weak and incapable of performing the strenuous labor. This argument also extended to exclude women from the right to higher education.
Although dated in some of the particulars, the turn-of-the-century scientific belief that women’s reproductive functions make them unsuitable for higher education remains with us today. Some industries bar fertile women from certain positions because of workplace hazards that might cause birth defects, while simultaneously deeming equally vulnerable men fit for the job. Some modern psychologists and biologists suggest that women perform more poorly than do men on mathematics test because hormonal sex differences alter male and female structures; and many people believe women to be unfit for certain professions because the menstruate [Fausto-Sterling ]

Based on this argument, women are thus viewed as unfit in the workplace and more fit as mothers.
In another article Betty Freidman (1994) identifies a phenomenon know as the feminine mystique. She identifies feminine mystique as the ideology that women could “achieve happiness in life only through marriage and motherhood” (Friedan 1994: 48-49). However, Friedman identifies women who question this mystique. According to them, there feminine mystique is not fulfilling at all. They fell that their lives are meaningless and pointless and ask the question, Is this it?
The feminine mystique continues to be common ideology today. While women have gained many rights and opportunities within the last fifty years, present day ideology still place women’s roles as more so in the home with the children. Our media and publications enforce these roles. Advertisements, magazines, and television commercials often promote the ideology of women as domesticated beings-house cleaning products our anything that as to do with the house or children in general are almost always centered towards women.
Amanda Diva, a spoken word and hip -hop artist, spoke of the difficulties and challenges of being a woman in the hip hop industry. At a recent lecture at Colgate, she discussed how she is often sexualized and objectified within the industry. She discussed how difficult it was to gain respect within the industry because she was a woman and was seen as not having the talent as men have although her productions are among the best in the business. While she has made it and stands as one of the leaders in her field, she continues to fight the sexism that is present within the hip-hop industry.


Since the Feminist movement started at the beginning of the century, is as went through many generations and many waves of changes. With these changes, the movement has brought women closer to finally being able to be treated equally as men and to enjoy the same privileges that men enjoy. Fortunately, this has led to present day women being able to enjoy many of the rights and privileges that was originally denied to women of past generations. However, the fight is not over because women are still facing many injustices and inequalities within the economic system. Many of the ideologies that were used against women of the past are still being used today. The fact of the matter is women have gained many opportunities, particularly within the workplace, the patriarchal system still continues to oppress them through unequal pay and unfair hiring.

Newsflash: Gender Neutral Oscars

Leading up to the Oscars this year, more than any other year, there has been increased curiosity into the practice of awarding Best Actor and Best Actress awards, instead of one gender neutral award. “Ladies and Gentlemen: Thoughts on the Oscars’ Gender Gap” by Rachel Maddux discusses this precise debate. Ever since the Oscars were established in 1929, separate acting awards were presented to men and women. The state of women’s rights at this time is very different from present day; women only received the right to vote nine years before and the Equal Rights Amendment was over four decades away. Thus, maybe it was acceptable back then to have separate awards as Maddux points out.

"Is it not fair to assume that an awards program established at a time when
American women were systematically discriminated against in almost every single aspect of life wouldn’t also consider the work of female performers to be fundamentally different from -inferior to- those of men?"

The Oscars are not alone, especially within their respective industry. The Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts all use sex as a form of separation for acting nominees. However, when one travels outside of the movie industry, many of the most prestigious awards, such as the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize, fail to make the same gender separations. Obviously, the reporting and science industries were dominated by men when they were first created, but they still acknowledged the fact that women should be competing with men once they enter these industries. Athletics comes to mind when one thinks of gender distinction in awards. Yet, this is widely accepted by the physical differences between male and female athletes. Biological differences do not affect acting the same way they do athletics, thus this needs to be immediately thrown out as an excuse.

Furthermore, no other award given out by the Academy is separated by sex. There is only one Best Director, Film Editor, or Make-up Artist each year. The best actor and actress, along with the supporting roles, are the sole group that requires a need to “distinguish individual nominees beyond their basic professions” by using sex. Maddux brought up an excellent point that actors and actresses are on the small list of gender specific titles left today (ie. a stewardess is now commonly referred to as a flight attendant).

Gendered Oscars for Best and Supporting Actor/Actress are seen as another insult to women. The separation implies that women would never win when competing against men. This relates to when women were confined to the home to cook, clean, watch the kids, and make sure everything was perfect by the time their husbands got home. They were essentially part of “The Feminine Mystique,” which is when women find their identity through their husbands and children. Both of these examples separate women and men from each other because they are supposedly “different” and require distinct occupations. Women were also secluded from obtaining an education comparable to men. Many of the most prestigious universities were male only and women had to attend a girls only college, where they learned what it takes to be a good housewife, possible prompting the “problem that has no name” occur. Colgate did not even open its doors to women until 1970! However, Kathryn Bigelow’s win over her ex-husband for the Best Director is a first and may lead to men and women being looked at the same, which makes sense because their jobs are identical.

The creation of a gender neutral Oscars stirs a debate in which two different feminism beliefs would support opposing sides. Minimizers, which also tend to be liberal feminists, believe that differences between a male and female should be minimized since we are fundamentally the same. On the other hand, the maximizers, think it is necessary to understand these differences and work around them in order to achieve equality. These two feminism groups would be on the opposite side of the deliberation over removing the gendered awards. The minimizers would be completely for the creation of one Best Actor and Supporting Actor award each because male and females are the same and should be able to compete against each other. On the contrary, maximizers are content with the gender separation because women are treated equally. Therefore, the Oscars represent gender equality since two women, just like two men, are honored every year for the contributions to the movie industry.

Allan G. Johnson, a male feminist, discusses patriarchy as feeling somewhat invisible today because we are used to acting in such a way to conform to its ideals of male superiority. By conforming to this type of society, we all are taking the “path of least resistance” because we are following the norm and not trying to change. Thus maintaining the separation of gender for the Best Actor/Actress awards is the “path of least resistance.” Furthermore, as Johnson points out, patriarchy is “more than a collection of individuals” (Johnson 30), since it is something that everyone in our society is apart of. Thus, in order to change this institution that has been around for almost a century, individuals and society as a whole must find little ways to resist. It takes just one person to initially raise questions about the existence of this gendered honor, and then more people will follow. This year’s awareness that the Oscars and other acting awards are some of the only industries to separate their top honors based on sex is an important step because it is now a mainstream discussion. If this conversion continues then it will constantly be in people’s minds, forcing open discussion.

How are gender and sex defined? The simple definitions state that sex is the biological makeup of a position (nature), while gender encompasses the social construction we face and how we personally identify (nurture). Based on these definitions it seems that the Oscars are gendered because our socially constructed ideals would explain why men and women cannot complete on the same stage for Best Actor. Women tend to play more emotional characters than their more aggressive male counterparts, thus many would cite this reason alone as to why they cannot be compared. However, the other categories the Oscars choose to honor involve similar differences, yet they choose to only have one award. Similarly, the actual Oscar trophy the winners get to keep is quite gendered. It fails to resemble any characteristic of a woman, but displays of that of a man. The male genitals are even up for view!



The fact that no other award category besides the Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress has multiple winners is the most apparent issue. Why is there a need to separate men and women in the same profession? If it is because many think women would not win, that’s absurd! Since women have been viewed as inferior to men from the beginning, we have fought extremely hard to make up ground and even surpass men in many professions. Thus, there is no harm in handing out only one Oscar for each category. On the other hand, keeping the awards separate for men and women is a way of recognizing diversity that exists in the different characters and approaches men and women take when portraying an individual. However, this is not necessarily saying one sex is inferior to the other, but rather their unique styles are both deserving of recognition. Thus, what is better? Celebrating equality between the sexes or recognizing unique performances?

Responding To: How Young is Too Sexy

Both of the readings this week from Listen Up focused on sexuality in the younger generations. In Rebecca Walker's piece she talks about her experiences as a sexually active young child. She admits to having sex as early as 11 years old. While in Sonia Slah's piece she talks about the sexual lifestyle of her younger sister and how she chose to act out in an attempt to have her parents notice her newly acquired sexuality. The issue that both of these rases is what is the affect of a sexual lifestyle on young children. As Marissa brought up in her post, the pageant girl scene seems to be borderline offensive for young girls to be competing in.

This picture is displaying some contestants in the Toddlers in Tiaras television show. At this young age, why exactly are young girls being paraded around in revealing bikinis with their fake tans and extensive make up?

Why would anyone decide to dress their young daughter in an outfit like this one? To what crowd to these parents want their daughters to appeal to? I understand that some young girls may enjoy competing in pageants and getting all dolled up, but the sexual image that this show and its contestants are trying to put across is completely gross. No toddler should ever be seen as sexy or provacative.

How Young is Too Sexy? (Lead Blog)

In Listen Up, Rebecca Walker and Sonia Slah discuss the issue of young girls and their sexuality. Rebecca Walker tells readers of her experiences as a young teen experimenting with sex. To be honest, it has become common for young girls to have sex as early as 11 or 12 (just as Rebecca admitted to doing). However, Rebecca offers a valuable perspective into what these possible girls could be thinking at such young ages. "Sex can look like love if you don't know what it looks like. It gives you someone to hold on to when you can't feel yourself. It is heat in your body when the coldness is inside of you. It is trying out trusting and being trusted (pg. 20). This is an intriguing insight and certainly easy to understand. When you are so young it is only natural that one becomes curious and tries things out for size. But we should ask ourselves: why is there no guidance present in this curiousity?

Sonia Slah discusses the sexuality of her little sister. She tells tales of tight jeans, shirts that reveal skin, and boys. Slah is particularly upset by her sister's dress until she comes to understand that it is merely her sister's attempt to have their parents recognize her sexuality. This is also an understandable theme. Women's sexuality is often seen as invisible or non existent. If a woman wears a piece of clothing that may be to revealing then she could be seen as a whore or slut. However, this is just not case and the denial of a woman's sexuality is not going to ease the curious minds of young girls.

These young women need guidance. They need things to be explained to them. They need to know that it is ok for them to feel what they. Instead of covering it up, it should be discussed. They are human beings. They have sexual desires. They have sexual needs. Until we come to this acceptance then our young are doomed to search for answers on their own.

P.S.- Let's not forget that young women are also getting their idea of sexiness from media.

In Response to: She is just PMSing

Prehistoric Monster Syndrome

I was glad that we were able to read an article that focused on the nonfictional account of what going through PMS is actually like. Women who batter their children and husbands? Emotional waste-cases? Apparently some people missed one or two health classes.



I knew that if I types PMS into youtube it would come up with some very interseting results on what people thought about this process. This video was made to mimic the type of videos that were being made by the government and various orginizations during the 1950's. As we talked about in class, society has been constantly trying to "pretty up" the menstrual cycle. By displaying pictures and videos of women going completely bonkers during their menstrual cycle, the media and society was hoping that women would make a change and not let their emotions run wild anymore during this time. By making women look like such animals, they would hopefully change their behavior. The invention of tampons and pads that came with scents such as "fresh garden" or various other scents, was also just another way to pretty up the menstrual cycle. Honestly, it is a bit ridiculous the lengths that society has gone to to cover up the menstrual cycle and make it more hidden.

She is Just PMSing!!!!

At first “In Celebration of My Uterus” by Anne Sexton faced a lot of dissent, since she was the first person to write poetry that explored female experiences and body parts. However, as society became more accepting of such discussions new audiences began to read it. I have never found poetry easy to understand, and “In Celebration of My Uterus,” was no different. I main idea I took out of Sexton’s piece was that everyone is included, “there is enough here to please a nation,” and she wants women to be able to act as they please, which is mentioned in the “let me” phrases. Overall, the poem is a celebration of women and how they are able to have the same opportunities.

I found Valdes’ “Ruminations of a Feminist Fitness Instructor” very interesting because throughout it Valdes was fighting herself. She goes from this women who loves music and writing, but there is no money in it forcing her to devote her time to being a fitness instructor. She is mad at her herself for betraying her feminist beliefs for a job that fails to encourage women to love their bodies, but rather strengthens their obsessions about their body. Johnson could see Valdes as taking the path of least resistance, since she took the easy way out by becoming an aerobics instructor. Johnson would recommend that she listen to what she believes in and find a job as a writer in order to stand up for her feminist beliefs, which would definitely be much harder than throwing them under the rug. The statement Valdes quoted of Seid, caught my attention instantly. Seid mentions that skinny people, those who show “mastery over hunger,” no longer create a jaw dropping response because they are so commonplace. This statement is very true because once a style becomes mainstream in our society people do not stare at people wearing this particular style. But once it is out of the norm, then people will glance more often.

For many years menstruation was used as an excuse for women to “receive less pay or more restricted job opportunities” (91). Even physicians, like Dr. Katarina Dalton, believed that PMS, which precedes the process of menstruation, causes women to “batter their children and husbands, miss work, commit crimes, attempt suicide, and suffer from up to 150 different symptoms” (94). The word symptom carries two different meanings, one associating it with a disease and the other a sign. Confusion here causes people to think that women actually suffer from some disease that makes them fragile and unfit for work. I think this is a bunch of crap and these are the types of ideas that people get stuck in their heads to justify why men are superior to women. When in actuality has nothing to do with how a women performs. The ideas about PMS are still around today. I would be surprised if you can go one day without hearing a boy in high school say a girl is PMSing when she is “bitchy” or in a bad mood. I remember hearing this all the time, even from my brothers when PMS had nothing to do with what was going on.

Overall, these articles enlighten women that it is necessary for us to celebrate our bodies and by happy with god gave to us. I think some of the betrayal Valdes felt was due to how working out for a women is seen. Can a women go to the gym just for fun? Does it always have to be associated with body image? Can it just be that they want to blow off some steam?

Big, Blonde, and Beautiful

"Today, many young girls worry about the contours of their bodies - especially shape, size, and muscle tone - because they believe that the body is the ultimate expression of the self" (pg. 2).


The title to this blog happens to be lyrics from the broadway hit and relatively new movie, Hairspray. This movie featured Queen Latifa signing and dancing to a song called Big Blonde and Beautiful in which she sang about embracing her body and loving herself for who she truly was. But, in Brumbergs article, "Body Projects" she talks about the pressures that young women have endured which convince them to change their body in some way. I found this article to be the most interesting piece that we read for today because I have had many friends who have battled with different kinds of eating disorders in order to fit into societies view on "being pretty". In her article, Brumberg tells the story of a woman named Yvonne Blue. "What was new and modern about Yvonne's adolescent angst was that she focused on weight loss as a solution to her problems" (pg. 5). Too many times young teens feel their lives spinning out of control and can only find one way to bring it back, by controlling what they eat. In Brumbergs article we travel with Yvonne throughout her weightloss experience, from a 150 pound girl to a 125 pound woman. But, like we often see in many eating disorders, Yvonne did not lose her "excess" weight in a healthy manner. "By watching her sweets and denying herself all carbohydrates and most meat, Yvonne reduced her weight to about 125 pounds.. " (pg. 6). This form of crash dieting is not good for any person, women or man. Brumberg goes on to explain that, "Yvonne intuited tat modern femininity required some degree of exhibitionism or, at least, a willingness to display oneself as a decorative object. This sensibility has made girls in the "century of svelte" extremely vulnerable to cultural messages about dieting and particular body parts" (pg. 8).

I'm not really sure where to take my stand when it comes to deciding if the media is the main reason why young women feel such a pressure to change themselves. While pictures and videos of skinny models may cause a young woman to feel jealous, it also causes them to feel bad about themselves, lowers their self esteem. For this reason, I think that media and self both play a role in the dieting epidemic. The picture above is of a woman posing for the dove campaign.
I strongly support what the dove campaign has been doing, using larger women to model in their shoots. Trying to promote that women who dont have all of their ribs showing through their back can be sexy too. I believe that if more examples of normal sized women were put in the media young girls would feel like it is more acceptable for them to be themselves. I've had many close friends that have struggled with various eating disorders, and its even painful to be a bystander and watch these beautiful girls change their bodies based on what they think society wants them to look like.