Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Daughter Like A Skank

Celia Rivenbark is so good!  I have this if anyone wants to read it.  Has to do with Cinderella Ate My Daughter.  The other one is called Men Are Better Than Women and it is the most rude, bigoted, asshole thing I have ever laid my eyes on.  If anyone wants a laugh, pick this up

The Lesbian Continuum

Rich talks about two specific things in her article "Compulsory Heterosexuality".  They are "lesbian existence and compulsory heterosexuality. 

Lesbian existence is Rich's idea that  all women live as at least partial lesbians, and almost says that women should "try out" a lesbian relationship, because it is the ultimate form of feminism.  She does not necesarially mean a full out sexual relationship, though she implies it, but instead talks about how every relationship between two females is somewhere along a "scale" of lesbian-ness.  My apologies for making it sound so crude.  I think her first idea, the idea of trying out a "lesbian relationship", is actually a good idea.  Very few people ever truly explore their sexuality, simply because society tells them that it's wrong.  In reality, it can actually be a very telling experience.  Whether it is something you end up wanting to remember or not, I fully believe this is something everyone should experience.

Compulsory Heterosexuality is the idea that women have been raised to firstly identify as heterosexual, because media and lineage, both good and bad, tells them that the best idea is to be straight, submissive females.  Rich talks about heterosexuality as an institution, something imposed on us from birth, and this is extremely true.  There are no childrens shows or popular children's books that have to do with having two mommies, and only about 15 "mainstream" books for teenagers about bisexuality and lesbianism, and how to deal with it as teenagers.  I personally have read two, in one of them the girl decided she wasn't actually a lesbian, and in the other the girls cheat on each other with guys before pursuing a noncommittal sexual relationship in the woods during a summer camp.  What the hell.  Society needs to start putting in kid's heads that it's okay.  That other people have two mommies too, and other teenagers are trying to figure out how to accept being gay too. 

Extended Comments on Being an Ally- Brooke's Blog

Can I just say that the first thing I noticd and loved about Brooke's blog was that she had Born This Way by Lady Gaga.  Lady Gaga is just fantastic and I love how inspirational she is.  She really is a symbol of acceptance and loving everyone for who they are.  Second of all, I thought the three quotes that Brooke picked were very good points, and captured the essence of the article.  My favorite one was "I believe it is difficult for young people to grow up and become something they have never heard of."  This was my favorite quote when I originally read this article, because it's exactly how I intend to raise my children.  People don't get into a certain state of mind without someone to be an example of it.

We talked a lot about this issue in class, and one of the most important things I think you can do in life is be  an ally.  If you can stick up for someone, you can hopefully convince someone around you to be an ally as well.  Enough allies in the world will destroy ignorance and bullying.  Consider Jamie Rodemeyer.  At the age of 14, he killed himself because he did not have an ally.  If he had had a friend to be there when those kids were bullying him, his love and bright personality might still be here on earth.

Women's Studies Event

Unfortunately, my main opinion on the Promising Practices Conference was that it wasn't what I expected.  I was hoping it would be something that would apply more to what we have been doing in class.  The workshop I attended had a little bit to do with it, it was It Gets Better.  What they didn't mention was that it was not the popular, country-wide organization meant to help people in the LGBT community, but instead it was It Gets Better with URI, which was helpful-ish but not at all what I expected.  Luckily, I did make a connection with a girl there from the religious group on campus who wants to talk to our group (HOPE) about the conflict between religions and the LGBT community.  So I was excited about that.  However, we then attended the Promising Partnerships thing, which I had hoped would include more organizations, but ended up having about 9 or 10 which almost all had to do with helping the poor and poverished, and had nothing having to do with what I was really interested in.  THEN we had to go to an hour an a half meeting thing in the auditorium, during which I felt like 90% of the things were simply marketing books and techniques to teachers, which was rather boring, even more so since we were all seriously hungry. I just felt like we all, or I at least, expected for it to pertain more to the issues we cover in Women's Studies.  Hopefully in the future, they can do a few different large seminars so that people can do things more tailored to their reason for being there.


I think one of the things that this conference could be connected to is what we discussed involving being an ally for someone.  During my workshop, we discussed many things about how to be an ally for people of the LGBT community, and how to best help the debates around marriage for same sex couples. http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Another thing I noticed that the conference related to was the idea of privelege, power, and difference.  There were a few kids at the conference who were talking about how their teachers and friends helped them to realize they could make a better life for themselves, and who were inspired to get out of the conditions they were in, which included drug and gang activity.  It was really inspirational to hear their stories, and I hope that it inspired some students there who come from priveleged lives to consider how lucky they are and maybe put more effort in in life.

The last thing I noticed the conference related to was that in my workshop, we talked a lot about how crippling it can be to a person who "comes out" as being a member of the LGBT community.  It changes lives, and not always in a good way.  People talked about being thrown out of their houses, fired from their jobs, being bullied, and we talked about how that needs to be changed. We talked about advocating for people whose lives have been altered in a bad way for being a part of LGBT, and how we can make a difference by setting up shelters and getting the word out that just because someone doesn't label themselves as straight, it doesn't mean they should be shunned.   

Plotting...

going to do the blog based on someone else's blog, and no one else is posting so this may be a problem... i'm going to have it done in the morning :)

Cinderella Ate My Daughter- Orenstein- Connection

Everywhere you look nowadays, moms and society are dollifying daughters.  From the disproportioned "perfect" Barbie dolls, paired with their Kens, to the oversexualized Bratz dolls, having crazy adventures in crop tops and mini skirts, girls grow up with ideas of role models with tiny waistlines, perfect breasts, stick-skinny legs, and perfect long hair.  Disney princesses are another example, as discussed in the excerpt, which are talked about as being alone and often times scared or hurt until a man with muscles and a perfect jawbone and sleek hair takes the princess into his arms and gives her that one kiss, the kiss every girl dreams about.  The kiss that breaks the princess of the curse, and signs eternal love for the pair.  As the child gets older, it turns into money, money, and more money.  From trips to Disney, including the authentic $100 princess costume, the park fee, the nearly impossible to get in to princess castle dinner, all the way to the Disney bedspread with the princess tv and the princess dolls and the stuffed animals and the themed outfits, it never ends.  Even getting into teenage and adult, Disney princesses are marketed on sweatshirts, t-shirts, pajamas, and even slutty versions of the costumes.  And surrounding all of this marketing is the need for girls to have simply three things: money, beauty, and a guy. 

What this all amounts to, is ultimataely the oversexuality of little girls, in an effort to obtain those three things.  Shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras (video #1) or Dance Moms (video #2) display the mothers blatant drive to sexualize and beautify their daughters for money, beauty, and eventually, to attract a guy.

Both of these videos show the blatant sexualization of little girls, in an attempt to make them "princess-like".  Though outrageous, things like this are happening.  In my opinion, as in Orenstein's, girls need less provocative influences.  How about a Barbie construction worker?  Or a Barbie with a 34 A bra size?  Or how about even a Barbie and Kendra?  Is there anything so outrageous about that?

Reflection on Michael Kimmel- What Are Little Boys Made Of?

I thought this was a very insightful piece that made me consider feminism in a new light.  In studying feminism, I have found that rarely do we stop and think about the the effect that the feminist movement has on men, and how they might feel.  This article reminded me of an article that I read in 11th grade, and you can find the link here.  Guys have been wrapped up in the feminist movement since it began, as part of the movement involves men taking more "feminine" roles, such as child care and nursing.  I think that having such a lengthy and powerful movement which is affected by so much passion is definitely having an effect on how boys are brought up and how men go about life. 
In class I would like to bring up the idea of raising children to be more or less feminine, as Renkl tried.  Also, I would love to know more about how the feminist movement is affecting the mindset of men, especially because we are now fighting for equal rights in a few of the last places that men are still on top, so to speak.  What are men feeling about women fighting for the last bits of total equality?  How do they feel about taking on more "feminine" roles in society?

Argument of Barbara Smith's Racism and Women's Studies

This author, Barbara Smith, argues as one of her main points in her article Racism and Women's Studies that "white women"  are racist, but do not realize it.  I honestly do not believe this is true at all.  To me, this article just sounds like Ms. Smith is trying to hunt down every reason other white women dislike black women, and turn it into a reason why white women need to be more educated.  Quite frankly, I  zfound this article to be rather irritating to read.  While I do not disagree that black and white women have things to learn about each other, I do disagree that we are all still racist and do not know how to socialize with women of a different color.  I think it would not be difficult to get women of all colors and "races" together to rally for total feminist rights.  I think that "black" women and "white" women could find things to teach each other about their roles in feminism, and how their cultures come into play.  However, overall I found Ms. Smith's argument to be largely invalid.

What I would like to bring up to the class is an issue that we talked about in my Biological Anthropology class.  Race does not exist.  It is a man-made, false concept which was created to assign new meaning to social order and class.  I think if we focused on that, instead of bringing "races" together, we could get a lot more done.  Why should someone be picked on because they have darker or lighter skin?  It makes no sense.

bwagh

it's going to be a wednesday morning sort of week.  I had a midterm yesterday and i have one at 8am tomorrow and i just want to scream and cry right now because i'm so stressed >.<  i just can't force myself to stay up and understand this right now.  so i'm going to go cry and you shall all see my post around 10 am tomorrow.  goodnight all <3

People Like Us Discussion

So on Thursday we watched "People Like Us" which was a very interesting view into the lives of different people and how they handle wealth and social status.  I think one of the stories that touched me the most was the one about the woman who walks a ridiculous distance to work everyday and still gets called terrible names because she can't afford to drive.  I think that part really shows to me how our country focuses on someone's wealth rather than their determination, which is really terrible because there are so many people who work very hard justi to maintain a lower middle class status, but then there are people who barely do anything and still manage to be able to throw away millions on things they don't need. 

One part that disgusted me was the part about the woman whose grandmother told her "not to let the poor people touch her" as though poor was a disease. 

As far as the quote goes, I really don't agree with it at all.  The woman I talked about in my first paragraph I viewed as acting very rationally.  It is not her fault so much as it is the economy's, and she is trying as hard as possible to work her way to a better future.  I think there are cases in which people who are poor spend the little money they have on frivolous things, because there was someone who worked with my brother (who is autistic and needs extra help)  who could barely take care of herself and her child, and yet she was spending much more than necessary on video games and christmas presents.  So there are times, but I do not think that there's a reason to generalize and stereotype.

Websites

So I admittedly spent a lot more time on the PBS website because it was more fun.  I think the thing I found really interesting was that my expectations for the future labeled me as having a "trailer park" outlook, but when furnishing my "house", everything I picked was a display of money.  I don't know why, maybe it's just because I have been really stressed this week, but I couldn't find anything pertaining to what we're studying in class.  I have a total lack of concentration because of my upcoming psychology test.  So yeah.  But nonetheless, I'm going to try and write something that makes sense!

Economic inequality is a major feminist issue because without economic equality, women cannot live the same way that men do, which could mean anything from not being able to live without being married, to simply not being able to have the same advantages for her family that a man can with a larger paycheck. I don't understand why, at this point in time, we're still fighting for equality with pay of all things.   I feel as though this issue should have been solved a long time ago when women started getting the same education as men.  I was wondering if there were any statistics that showed whether women bosses were still paying women differently, or men for that matter.  Having those statistics could hint as to whether changing the ratio of men to women in the workplace, as well as the importance of those positions, would be key to changing things once and for all. Anyone have any suggestions?

Oppression by Marilyn Frye-Quotes

Quote 1: "We hear that oppressing is oppressive to those who oppress as well as to those they oppress."
This quote actually made me laugh the first time I read it, because it's very true.  There is always a paradox to be found in situations like this. And in reality, the quote holds truth, to an extent.  If someone claims to another that they feel opressed, the other person can always come back with "well I'm more oppressed because..." and it seems to be a never-ending cycle.  There is always a way, it seems, for a man especially to come back at us with such a phrase.

Quote 2: "Both heterosexual activity and heterosexual nonactivity are likely to be taken as proof that you wanted to be raped, and hence, of course, weren't really raped at all."
This quote makes me want to like, kill somebody.  I hate people who think that women are asking to be raped, or that they should like it, and things like that.  The fact that anyone can think a woman wants to be sexually violated  is sick.  I would love to know why people think that way, because I really don't understand it...I did some research and here's an article I found on myths about women and rape: Myths About Rape

Quote 3: "People can and do fail to see the oppression of women because they fail to see macroscopically and hence fail to see the various elements of the situation as systematically related in larger schemes."
I think this quote strikes a chord in me because it is the same exact thing that non-heterosexual people are facing in today's society.  Most people look at the little things, "oh, they have the ability to get a civil union", or "oh, they can have children", but do not take the time to step back and realize that the war for rights is still raging on, just as it is with women equality.

Points to Share

Today, I was getting into the car with my boyfriend and we happened to be talking about gender equality.  He said "Well if women want to be equal, that's perfectly fine, but then they expect men to wait on them hand and foot.  Where is equality when the bill comes at dinner?"  I wanted to know what people think of this.  I never thought of it that way, because women run around saying "chivalry is dead" and yet we are the ones fighting for equality with men.  How does it apply in that situation?  And do you think he's right, or should we still expect men to be as chivalrous as they were when they courted women without the rights and money we have today?

A Tsunami in History- Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Fear of Feminism- Lisa Maria Hogeland

Hyperlinks, based on this passage from Fear of Feminism:

"For women who are survivors of men's violence-perhaps most notably for incest and rape survivors- the shift feminism enables, from individual pathology to systematic analysis, is empowering rather than threatening."- Lisa Maria Hogeland

This reminds me a ton of the SlutWalks, created because a police officer told some women that if they don't want to get raped they shouldn't dress in "inviting clothing".  Origin of SlutWalks

This reminded me immediately of SlutWalks because it was created in response to a derogotory term used towards women, regarding the way they appear, and the fact that a police officer thought it was reasonable to blame the victim.  The victims then chose to act in a way that no one expected them to.  They took to the streets with their heels and push up bras and protested being thought of as having "asked" to be raped and violated.  They stirred up cities from coast to coast and got their powerful, if not strange, message out to the world, inspiring other victims along the way.

To the class, I would like to bring up the topic of SlutWalks, because although I find them inspiring, other people have found them crude, vulgar, and pointless.  Some people have even said they believe that SlutWalks are just excuses for girls to put on tiny skirts and walk around the street.  I am curious as to how many people feel this way, especially ranging in gender, age group, and background. 

My Intro Post

So my name is Taylor, as you know.  I have a brother, a rabbit, a bird (who bites) and 3 dogs, one of whom I got a week ago! Her name is Sophie (I picked her name, it's actually Sophia Luna).  I picked this course because I find the subject of gender, race, sexual orientation, and religion affecting our society both fascinating and repulsive.  When I'm not in class I like hanging out with friends, watching sci-fi movies and documentaries, and shopping.  So far I love college, it's a lot more free, and easygoing as far as allowing people to express themselves.  I feel more comfortable being myself around the people at RIC than I ever did with the 100 kids I grew up with in my town.  Change is wonderful.  I'm here at RIC for the next 4 years (unless I can take enough credits to graduate early), and then I'm off to graduate school to study clinical psychology.  I really feel like this sounds more like an eHarmony ad than a blog post, so I'll end it before it gets worse.  See ya :)

My first post :)

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/

This is the website I was talking about, they have everything from sex slavery to space expeditions, if you're interested!