After a recent class lecture about feminism I was sort of floored at how many people were really afraid of being called a feminist. While I do know that there is some negative connotation involved with being a feminist, I was still surprised. So, I decided to ask some people around me what they pictured when they thought of a feminist. I asked them to describe everything they could, including physical appearance. I had some mixed answers; here is a short list of the answers:
1. Ugly
2. Lesbian
3. Angry - I heard this the most
4. Man hater
5. Attractive
6. Intelligent
What I thought was interesting about the answers was that the negative ones came from men. It was the women that I had asked that mentioned the terms at the end of the list. My favorite line that someone said was "a woman that can't find a man to love her". I can see why people are maybe afraid of being associated with being a feminist, when our society sheds such a poor light on the term. After I was done asking the people what they pictured, I asked them some other questions that represent what mainstream feminism is:
1. Do you believe in equal pay for equal work?
2. Do you believe women should not be abused?
3. Do you believe that a woman should be able to apply for any job that she is qualified for?
Would you guess that everyone had the same answers? Everyone believed in equal pay for equal work, everyone believed that women should NOT be abused, and everyone believed that woman should have the right to apply any job she is qualified for. I explained that those were the main things that woman fight for, that was mainstream feminism.
Next time you think about whether you are a feminist or not, consider these very questions. Feminists are only fighting to be treated equal, we are not fighting to have more, but to simply just have the same.
As a side note, I was later asked by a male participant if he was allowed to be a feminist. I explained that I definitely think men can be feminist's, we should all be fighting for equality!!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Be All That You Can Be....Unless You're Gay???
In recent months the current Don't Ask Don't Tell policy that the United States military follows was up for voting on a possible repeal. The vote didn't happen due to a filibuster led by John McCain. After looking into this a bit more I found some articles and research that would favor the repeal for openly gay men and lesbian women to join the military, as it stands now the military can't ask about sexual orientation, but if you come out then you are kicked out. I guess I'm not really sure what sexual orientation has to do with defending our country? Some of the arguments that support the current DADT say that it would "effect the cohesiveness and lower morale." A study done in a few other countries with similar view points as the US have lifted the ban on allowing openly gay people into their military, and research following the ban lift has shown that the effectiveness and morale has NOT changed. What's holding this country back? Check out the following videos...they may be offensive, but they are funny and definitely shed some light on the situation.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Don't | ||||
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Pretty?!?!?
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of pretty is a. pleasing by delicacy or grace. b. having conventionally acceptable elements of beauty.
What is the standard of beauty? I suppose when I hear someone comment on another's beauty I automatically assume they are speaking about the physical attributes. The words that surround physical attractiveness can have some seriously damaging effects, particularly on women. While I do understand that men face obstacles in the physical aspect, it is still very much a female issue. Who are we trying to be pretty for? What's the motive for being considered pretty? I asked myself these questions and realized that being pretty to me was merely being attractive for someone else. Not that I don't like doing things for others, but I can think of a million things I could be doing for someone else than trying to fit into some box of beautiful; a box that only 2% of all women in the world can fit into. It seems to me that trying to change myself is rather tedious and really a bunch of wasted time and resources. Beauty is a social construct that keeps people oppressed. Think about one woman you admire, write a list of the reasons you admire her, when you are done look to see how many of the items are related to physical beauty, then tell that woman you admire her and tell her why!!
"To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are" - unknown.
The following clip is very powerful, I encourage you to watch it and then let me know what you think about all this "pretty" stuff.
What is the standard of beauty? I suppose when I hear someone comment on another's beauty I automatically assume they are speaking about the physical attributes. The words that surround physical attractiveness can have some seriously damaging effects, particularly on women. While I do understand that men face obstacles in the physical aspect, it is still very much a female issue. Who are we trying to be pretty for? What's the motive for being considered pretty? I asked myself these questions and realized that being pretty to me was merely being attractive for someone else. Not that I don't like doing things for others, but I can think of a million things I could be doing for someone else than trying to fit into some box of beautiful; a box that only 2% of all women in the world can fit into. It seems to me that trying to change myself is rather tedious and really a bunch of wasted time and resources. Beauty is a social construct that keeps people oppressed. Think about one woman you admire, write a list of the reasons you admire her, when you are done look to see how many of the items are related to physical beauty, then tell that woman you admire her and tell her why!!
"To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are" - unknown.
The following clip is very powerful, I encourage you to watch it and then let me know what you think about all this "pretty" stuff.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Welcome...
Welcome to my first blog ever!!! I am excited about doing this and will try my very hardest to keep up with it on a regular basis. I am hoping to post at least once a day, even if it's a small posting. This blog will always contain some of my thoughts, but I'll also be posting videos and links to some interesting points of view. So make sure to stay tuned to whats going on in my little world :) I started this blog to bring light to issues that people face everyday, whether it be racism, sexism, classism or ableism. Until recently I lived in my little happy privileged world not ever really understanding how crazy our society is as a whole. After I spent some time talking about some of these issues with others my view of the world has changed, I have changed. I realized that every single one of us is perpetuating inequality in this world and without bringing it to light it will never stop or change. I named this blog "In Progress". I chose this name because I feel like we are all a work in progress and with progress we can all make a difference!! My goal is to merely challenge what you think and make you think about what's really going on in our society. I hope to see some comments from people following this blog, as I like to be challenged in my thinking as well!!
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