Global Feminism Post

"The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World" threw me off guard. While the subject of female oppression has come up in some of my classes throughout my high school and college career, this book was the first time I had ever seen and facts or in-depth research on the subject. I was extremely impressed by the range of topics Seager covered, from Ms. Universe pageants to the Olympics to the amount of time women spend fetching water.

Two maps I found particularly interesting were the ones on domestic violence (p 28-9) and murder(p 30-1). The fact that approximately one quarter (22-35%) of all women who visit the emergency room in the United States due so because of domestic violence shocked me. In the UK one domestic violence incidence is reported every minute. In Russia 36,000 women are beaten everyday by their partner. These numbers are staggering, but the part that really got to me is that I had never heard them before. Well there are several countries where women consider violence committed by husbands against their wives to be permissible (94% of women in Egypt hold this belief) there are also countries where the vast majority of women are against such violence. Why is it that these women are not educating women of the world, or that the vast majority of popular media ignores the issue?

While domestic violence may be pushed to the back burner, I do not understand how murder can be. In Papua New Guinea women can still be, and are, killed for practicing witchcraft. 50% of all murders committed in Bangladesh are husbands murdering their wives. And, the statistic that hit home for me because of where I reside, was that for over a decade an average of 23 women per week have been killed by their intimate partners in the United States. I can't help but wonder if these statistics were publicized and the general public more educated if domestic abuse would be addressed more often?

I remember last year in my Self and Society class Professor McCormick asked how many people had witnessed or heard about an incident of abuse within a relationship. Several people raised their hands, but not everyone could say they had done anything about it. Would this change if people realized the extent to which abuse occurs? Or how many women are killed at the hands of their husbands or partners each year?

Global Feminism

I thought "The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World" was such an interesting book! Geography and maps have never really been my thing, but looking through this book, I started to understand the importance of them. Not only was this book extremely informative it also brought up a lot in terms of global feminism. I will admit that sometimes I forget to think about the world as a whole when I think about issues such as feminism but this book really showed how important feminism is globally. One statistic that really stood out to me (among the many) was how in Yemen women are not allowed to leave the house without their husband's consent(pg. 19)- talk about a housewife. How can there be a law that allows a human being to stop another human being from walking outside? Like a lot of other statistics in this book, that one really illuminated the power men have in the world. It also shows how feminism is so badly needed everywhere. Those facts were from the early 2000s! Making change in a town, city, state or country is not enough- it needs to be made everywhere. I am not saying one feminist needs to go out and change the world: I am saying there needs to be awareness so that there can be at least one voice in every part of our world that is working towards global change. There is still so much progress that needs to be made to better the lives of women everywhere. Which is why it is so crucial to have the work and voices of feminists spread globally.

Global Feminism Part 2

So I already (unintensionaly) wrote a blog about global feminism, but I focused mainly on the idea that where feminism is really needed is in coutries around the world where women are living under worse coditions than we do in America. So today I'll try a new approach.
I just read two posts on Clio Talks Back about women against war. She gave many historical examples of women writing to protest war and to try and persuade other women to join them. I thought this was really interesting because if you think about it, it only makes sense that women should be the ones to bring about peace. In relationships women are generally the bridge-builders. We are the care takers of the family, we are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly. So why not take that to the global level? War is a monumental drain on wealth, resources, and human life--for the most part male life. At the end of a war, after all the men have killed each other off, the women are left to pick up the pieces, care for the wounded, and just in general survive. Of all people women should be against war and do everything in their power to protest it and end it. I hope that if I am ever faced with the reality of war I won't shy away from the challenge of trying to make peace.

Iron Jawed Angels

Iron Jawed Angels does a very good job of showing a very important era in US history. It is the struggle of a group of radical suffragists who break away from the mainstream women’s rights movement fighting for the passage of the nineteenth amendment. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns push the boundaries of political protest in the 1920s to secure the right to vote for women.

The two protagonists have very different personalities and have a tough fight in a chauvinistically dominated country.

The first scene of interest to me was when Alice was outside of the factory and the young factory worker called her a college girl, implying she could not relate to her. Alice goes on to explain about factory fires and the young worker realizes that this is a struggle that affects her as well. This point cements the fact that the movement for women’s suffrage was a universal movement and had some benefit to all regardless of class and race.

Another very unpopular notion was Alice and Lucy’s decision to oppose Woodrow Wilson. This was extremely unpopular because he was a war time president. People thought that the suffrage movement should wait for the war to be over but the radicals decided to break from the mainstream policy and boycott Wilson or any other official which was opposed to woman’s suffrage. They were eventually arrested on false charges and punished and force fed after a hunger strike. This information was leaked and when it was made apparent that this could damage Wilson, he used the war as an excuse and pushed for the passing of the amendment.

One very interesting character in the movie was the Senator’s wife. After she was found to have supported the Alice, the senator cut off her accounts and spending money leaving her with no financial independent support. This in today’s society might seem ludicrous but it showed how much power men held in such a society. Then he appalling took away her children stating that she is too busy to raise them when he does not raise them and thus doesn’t know what goes into it, so who is he to decide. It is eventually this same senator that leaks the information of the treatment of the Iron Jawed Angels that gets the 19^th Amendment passed. The most powerful line in the movie came when she states that she is doing this for her daughters. At that point I feel as if the father realized that he does not want his daughters to go through such a struggle and relates to the mother.

Overall, IJA is a terrific film that keeps the viewer grasped until the very end by showing a fight for equality by the other half of the human race.

Why is Feminism Needed?

sFeminism is the social and political movement that supports the equality of both sexes in both private and public life. Arguments center on the notion that legal and social restrictions on women must be removed in order to achieve equality. Feminism is a fairly new concept, with the discipline of women’s studies being founded and expanded over the last forty years. For many people in the world, Feminism is a very controversial but necessary topic.

Women have historically been oppressed. Feminism is not just a women's movement but rather a movement for the human race. Men can be feminists as well. Feminism in its simplest terms is equality for all regardless of sex. If you support equality amongst the human race then by nature you are a feminist.

Feminism is still relevant today because women are still not equal in many respects globally and domestically. Statistically women do not earn as much as their male counterparts and often have many stereotypes associated with why they cannot occupy the same positions of power and prestige in the work world. Women can also not do the same things that many men can. They often live with the fear of unwanted sexual advances harassment or the fear of rape. I have seven sisters and in an ideal society they should be able to walk down a dark alley late at night wearing a midriff and a miniskirt and not have to fear for their safety. It is because of this and many other fears and inequalities projected upon women that feminism must remain active. Without it, women will continue to be viewed as sexual objects within the media, leading them to be viewed as sexually inferior by many amongst society. As long as we subordinate women and sexualize their nature they will never be truly equal. Until the day comes when a women has no less or more to fear than a man and is not viewed as a sexual object by the society in which she resides, feminists are necessary to bring about a change.

Maternity Care

I found the following link on Maternity Care interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jj6pqajvB8

I thought it was stupid for Stabenow to say he "does not need maternity care" in his health insurance because it will be "too expensive". Are you kidding me? If every man thought this way, then housewives who depend on their husbands health care would be left out. They would have to depend on the old practices to give labor. Why doesn't he see equality in having a health care policy that takes care of the beauty of giving birth? Does he have any daughters? How can he not think about what his decision means for the future.

Comments like this is why feminism is important today, people need to speak up about what these decisions have on our future. Also, like Kyl stated, connections need to be made with the topic at hand and reality. I understand that in passing a law both arguments need to be made but this is ridiculous!

He needs a letter from his mother like in Iron Jawed Angels!

Why is feminism necessary?

Feminism is necessary within our day in time because there is still work to be done to get this country and world at an egalitarian point of view. If everyone were equal many of the problems we conquer in this world would be solved. We would not have people playing the parts of their certain gender. Children at an early age are taught how their body should look at a young age. Feminists are also portrayed to “look” and act a certain way as well. They are believed to be lesbians,and have short hair cuts, just to name a few. If you have ever watched Disney movies such as Mulan, Aladdin, or Sleeping Beauty the characters are completely stereotypical of what society believes should be the “perfect” body. Hourglass shaped wastes, exposed stomachs, and muscular arms and chest. This leads to so many children dressed up as these characters for Halloween. Halloween costumes show the body excessively, because some girls make the decision to wear costumes in which their body is exposed to the cold, never mind the eyes of other men and children. Boys are accustom to seeing people of their gender in the media portrayed as strong powerful beings, so when they get to be whatever they would like on Halloween guess what they lead towards, just that strong powerful beings such as the hulk or superman. I don’t even want to begin to imagine how many girls were dressed as Miley Cyrus, with mini skirts and high heal boots on. Children should just dress their age no matter what day it is. They shouldn’t be wearing bikinis while they are still in diapers. Children are showed what is right and what is wrong from their elders right from the beginning so why not teach them all equally from the begging and we would not have a hierarchy situation.

Things have not changed

This is my first time watching Iron Jawed Angels. When our professor explained to us that we were going to watch a movie about woman’s suffrages this is not what I was expecting, this movie went far beyond my expectations. This movie solidified the fact that women are still going through the battle of equality and there is still much work to be done. It brought many things to light to me that I would not have thought of without watching this movie.
Scenes in this movie show how much one gender is inferior to the other. A perfect example of this would be when the senator tells his wife that he has sent the children to their grandmothers, canceled her bank account, and has forwarded all of her bills to his office. As well as by letting her know specifically that no judge would rule in favor of her at that moment in time because she was “neglecting” her children by being apart of this movement and not tending to their every need. Nowadays women are expected to hold a position in the job market as well as to tend to the house and the daily chores that come along with a household. Things have still not drastically changed. There are still men out there that believe women should be the head honchos of the duties a house brings, but they of course are the people that run the house while the women scurry along doing the dirty work.

IJA Response

Is there anything that you care about so much that you would dare to get arrested fighting for it?  Is there anything that you would go on a hunger strike for, being force-fed raw eggs through a tube?  Is there anything that you would devote your entire heart and soul to?

I, personally, do not feel that passionately about anything, so it was very interesting for me to see how passionate these women were about their cause.  I think that essentially it was the immense fervor of Alice Paul and her allies that inevitably led to the ratification of the nineteenth amendment in 1920.

I think that what we can all take away from Iron Jawed Angels is that great effort and dedication actually can make a difference – a big one.  However, this comes with a disturbing thought: why should anyone have to fight so hard for something that is so seemingly right?

I was shocked by just how terribly the suffragists were treated by men, the government, and even other women.  It is incredible that with nearly all of society against them, the suffragists never gave up.  I am not sure that in the same position I would be able to be so courageous.

Hopefully, I will never have to go through what these suffragists had to go through.  However, I hope that if I ever care about an issue as much as they did, I will fight just as hard for it.

Women Verses Women

Although I had watched this film at least twice before in my high school history classes, we had never had time to watch it in it's entirety, but rather focusing mainly on the picketing and jail sentences of the NWP. However one of my favorite parts was still at the end of the film as President Wilson was delivering his address endorsing the suffrage movement and Carrie Chapman Catt getting up so Alice Paul could take a seat. Now that I have seen the film the whole way through I appreciate the gesture even more.

In every text book addressing the women's suffrage movement it is always acknowledged that women had multiple activist groups that emerged such as NAWSA and the NWP however, it is rarely discussed how the two groups differed from each other. That's why one of the most interesting aspects of the movie, in my opinion, was the basis behind the split of the two groups. The fact that the women like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns associated with the NWP were considered too radical in their actions and were hindering rather than helping the movement.

On the other hand the women of NAWSA were considered too patient and determined to continue the process of gaining votes state by state, when in reality it wasn't producing the progress they were hoping for.

Yet this scene at the end I felt was important and powerful because it showed that no matter the disputes along the way women were indeed fighting for the same cause and although they had different tactics they were ultimately united under the same goal.

Response to IJA

This was the second time I saw the movie, the first being sophomore year of high school. The first time I saw it I was really tired, disgruntled, and in a not very good place. I really didn't want to watch a movie about (what in my opinion at the time was) an unnecessary topic. I was ignorant enough to think that since women had the right to vote, and work in equal or higher positions than men, that there was no longer a need for feminism or the women's movement. I completely forgot about the rest of the women around the world, and looked through blinders only at the women in the U.S. I paid no attention to biases and stereotypes made about someone's gender. All those opinions changed drastically after I saw Iron Jawed Angels for the first time. I remembered sitting shocked in my seat as the rest of the class left after the movie, and I asked my teacher how long ago those events had transpired. When she responded with "less than a century ago" I was completely dumb founded.

In the movie itself some might say that the treatment of the women in prison was the most shocking part of the whole film, that was not the case for me. Even though what they endured was beyond horrific the scene that shocked me the most was when the senator's wife is told by her husband that her assets were frozen and she was banned from taking care of her children because she was "to busy". As if that wasn't bad enough he continued to say that she had nothing without him, and that no court would ever hear her out or even care. It really opened my eyes to how bad it really had been then. The sad part for me was that although women have since gained the right to vote and own their own property, the stereotype that their only purpose in life is to be a care giver still exists today.

Overall this movie pulled me out of the dark in a sense. It shed light on issues that women still face today even though such progress has been made in this country. It made me look at my own childhood, and a lot of stereotypes surrounding women can be seen in my upbringing. After all my mother was the one who took off of work temporarily to take care of me when I was born, not my father; and when my mom went back to work she hired a nanny to take care of me. My "aunt" Connie took care of me from the time I was two months old, and she still takes care of me from a far. The maternal instinct is something that cannot be denied but men are perfectly capable of showing affection and raising a child also. Look at the movie where Ben was a single father, its more than possible. And yet the world continues to operate on stereotypes based off of gender, but Iron Jawed Angels sheds light on a lot of those stereotypes, and hopefully with time and effort more progress will be made towards eliminating said biases and stereotypes.

Iron Jawed Angels

For this post I want to focus on the character in the movie that I thought had an important, yet understated role. The fictional character of the senator's wife, Emily Leighton, challenged a variety of stereotypes that still exist about feminism today. First, she highlighted a group of women who during that time wanted to speak out, but felt it either unnecessary or improper for them to do so. Her comfortable life and happy marriage as well as her husband's career made her political opinions seem irrelevant. I think a major part of the Suffrage Movement was getting women like Emily Leighton out of their comfort zone and thinking about how much better/significant their lives could be. This character shows that women of all social standings were and are still valuable assets to the feminist movement. She had all the money available to her that she could possibly need, yet it wasn't hers. Her rights to that money were non-existent and she as much as the women working in sweat shops deserved the right to manage her own finances. Also, the common stereotype that feminists can't be nurturing mothers was put on the chopping block by Senator Leighton's wife. As she clearly stated in the movie, she was acting out for all women on behalf of the daughters she was raising. She found self confidence in the Women's Suffrage Movement as well as self respect. If anything, this movie really made it clear to me how diverse the Movement really way. Women from all walks of life were coming together for a common cause and Iron Jawed Angels definitely opened my eyes to how grateful women today should be for their unwavering efforts.

Iron Jawed Angels

At first, I thought this movie was going to be a boring documentary on women's suffrage with black and white pictures of protests and historians commenting on various events and people. After watching the movie, I realized that I learned a lot of things that I probably would not have learned from a documentary. Because the movie told a story, the viewer also gets a sense of the emotion involved in the women's suffrage movement, something that a documentary usually does not do. One thing I learned from the movie was what a long struggle gaining the right to vote was. I always knew the range of years for the first wave, but I never realized how long and hard this struggle was. It also made me think about how hard it must have been for women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to dedicate their lives to this cause and not even get to see an amendment in their lifetime. This movie made me realize how much I take for granted my right to vote and how much more that right gives me than an ability to say who the leaders of our country are.

We need equality NOW.

The two things that jumped out at me while I was watching the movie was the determination and the courage that Alison Paul, Lucy Burns and the rest of the women had, as they were fighting for women’s right to vote. I feel that their courage was contagious because I felt there courage thought the screen; as they were picketing out side of the white house in the cold, getting hit and spit at by men. But the one scene that really touched me was when the women got unfairly imprisoned and were forced fed with a tube.
I believe that courage and determination are at the root of the women’s movement. Determination is the patience that women had for waiting 100 years and never giving up, while everyone told them to wait a little longer. It was also how well they handled the constant excuses that were given to them by the president and the politicians. How they kept away from violence and used other ways for their voices to be heard. How they kept on knocking on doors and talking to people in the streets although they were ignored. Courage is what these women had as they went on a hunger strike as they risk their lives and were starving themselves to death. It is the pain that they went through as they were force fed and resulted in throwing up. It is also the oppression that they faced and the fear of having their children taken away if their husbands chose to, having no authority in their private or personal life, having no one to defend them and having no voice.
One of my favorite quotes that the psychiatrist said as he was talking to the president about Alison Paul was when it pertains to women, “courage is often mistaken by insanity.” I truly believe that courage is at the root of this movement because it was what all these women had as they were patience and constantly being oppressed. Courage is what made the women’s movement so successful; I believe it makes any social movement successful.
As I think about where we are today eighty nine years later from when the 19th Amendment was passed. I believe that we lost that courage and determination that Alison Paul and Lucy Burns had as they were fighting for women right to vote. We cannot wait another 100 years for women to have full equality, to have a society where women can and are able to participate fully in all aspects of social and political life. We need equality NOW.

Iron Jawed Angels

This movie was the complete opposite of what I thought it was going to be- and I mean that in a good way. I had no idea that it was made so recently, I thought it was just going to be another documentary on women activists. I was surprised right away when the movie started and there was a popular song playing while it showed a scene from the early 1900s. Within the first 30 seconds it had completely contradicted my expectations. I thought that this film was a very effective way to portray this time in American history to a modern day audience. It appealed to the typical “movie watcher” of today, yet it portrayed an important part of history that is often taken for granted. I learned a lot about the first wave of feminism through this film.
Even though there were some fictional parts (for example the Patrick Dempsey love interest), I felt that the message that these slight additions created were beneficial to a better understanding of US history and made it more relatable for the viewer. Watching this film made me appreciate the struggles that these women went through for my rights so much more. I think that it was because it was easier for me to relate to these women through the contemporary music and familiarity of their faces that I felt more appreciative of their fight for equality.

Iron Jawed Angels

This movie was incredible. When watching Iron Jawed Angels and seeing the difference Alice Paul and Lucy Burns made in the 1920's was inspirational. It calls for more activism today regardless of the consequences. The dedication these women had for gaining their rights during this time was interpreted for insanity when in actuality it was courage. (Psychiatrist) These women not only stood up for themselves but they fought for us to have more of an opportunity at equality. While watching this movie I noticed the ignorance of men, boys and some women. During the parade, I noticed men screaming sexist slurs and throwing alcohol bottles, while the boys followed behind their unrighteous role models they called fathers and women such as Caren Catz disowning her fellow sisters that were fighting for the same cause.

How could a woman's group hate another woman's group when they were fighting for the same cause? Was money the real reason? I don't believe so. It was about who would be heard first. Catz believed she would be the one to persuade President Wilson into passing the right to vote. Instead, he gave her the four letter word that made my skin crawl every time I heard it, "W-A-I-T". Wait for what? Wait to be considered a human being, wait until young girls grow older and realize that the only place they have in this world is under a mans wing. Alice Paul was a perfect example of what it means to self-motivated, confident and independent. Her activism demonstrated what it is to be opinionated and stand for ones own beliefs.

My favorite quote from the movie was "No one should have to fight, their shouldn't be a fight". I totally agree! Why is it necessary for a women to tell a man that they should be treated equally. What makes a man different from a woman besides the physical parts. NOTHING! I do not see either gender better than the other, however, I do believe women have more to offer. The fact that women have the opportunities they have today of receiving education, getting a job, raising children while taking care of a house hold makes us way more valuable. In reality a women doesn't need a man unless she wants to. Our freedom has given us the right to decide what we do and do not want in life. There are still more rights we have to fight for; getting the right to vote was only the first one!

Iron Jawed Angels

I was really looking forward to seeing this Iron Jawed Angels. I didn't have many expectations for it, thinking that it'd be a documentary very similar to what we viewed in class last Thursday. However, reading the synopsis and seeing that actresses I was very familiar with would have leading roles added to my excitement, but also caused me to be a bit inquisitive about the film. Many movies that are based off of books and true stories tend to do a rather bad job of the actual portrayal of events and characters. They add in fictional characters and scenes or even take away important ones. However, I loved Iron Jawed Angels and some of the fiction included in the movie were may favorites parts. Beginning with the Emily Leighton (the senator's wife). Her character and story was one of the most intriguing to me. From the moment she was walking down the street with her daughter and was asked if she'd like to be a volunteer or make a donation to the women's suffrage group, to her writings in her diary, to her husbands visit in jail, I felt a connection to the curiosity involved in the diversity of the many women suffragists. I felt that although Emily was not necessarily a real person there were many women like her, closely related to political figures and believing in the fight for women's rights and wanting to participate in the movement. I did not think Emily was going to fully immerse herself in the movement but was overjoyed when she did. My favorite line of hers was "They are the only reason I am here" (in reference to her two daughters). That line showed both the will, strength and maternal instinct that many feel is not included in the personality of a feminist.

Aside from the Emily Leighton I enjoyed developing more knowledge about just went Alice Paul and hundreds of women endured to gain equal rights. While I learned about the movement from teachers and text books in high school, the topic was only discussed to a certain extent. Images of the women standing through all types of weather outside of the White House and how they were treated in Jail struck me. It affirmed the question I often hear of whether or not images are more intense thought provoking and then text. The one dislike I had about the movie was with the portrayal and viewings of Ida B Wells and her involvement with the movement. While there is a time limit, intentions on showing Alice Paul and Lucy Burn's struggle and efforts, I still feel that Ida's actions, ideas and differences made should have been included more in the film. She was only in one seen at the beginning about the parade and to me that was not enough. However, it did not change how I felt or how much I was impacted by the movie. I loved Ironed Jawed Angels and would recommend it to anyone learning about or interested in the First Wave of Feminism.

Iron Jawed Angels- Strategies Used by Suffragists

In the movie, Iron Jawed Angles, women suffragists, led by feminists and advocates Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, were relentless in their fight to have a constitutional amendment for women to have the right and privilege to vote. Paul and Burns were young feminists’ leaders and united in their approach for the passage of the 19th Amendment. The activists were defiant and fearless, focusing solely on getting the amendment passed; they would not allow anything to stand in their way.

Paul and Burns had been in England and were deeply influenced by the British radical feminist, Emmeline Pankhurst. When they returned to the states to join the fight for women’s equality, they did so with the same radical tactics they had learned in England. This did not go over well with the older, more conservative feminists like Carrie Chapman Catt and Anna Howard Shaw, whose approach was to go state-by-state and build a consensus for each state allow women to vote. This was in stark contrast to Paul and Burn’s strategy. Paul and Burns felt there were no guarantees by going state-by-state; it would take too much time.

While political courage cost Alice a great deal, especially in her relationship with Ben Weissman, she sacrificed and put the cause ahead of him, which was unusual at the time. From planning parades, handing out fliers, speaking in streets, recruiting volunteers, speaking to the President, creating a newspaper, organizing the NWP, campaigning all over the country, picketing in front of the White House, to starting a hunger strike in jail, Alice Paul and other suffragists never gave up and did everything in their power to pass a constitutional amendment so women would have to right to vote.

Responce to Iron Jawed Angles

"Courage in Women is often mistaken for insanity". This is an idea that has followed and constrained women for centuries, and it was a huge hurtle that the suffragists in the movie had to overcome. The belief that women are not capable of any kind of intellectually strenuous activity and are overly prone to hysterics has limited women for centuries, as it has perpetuated the idea that women are simple and weak. The threat of being perceived as unstable has been a tremendously damaging stereotype that women are still trying to overcome in many regards, and it certainly managed to limit what both suffragist organizations where capable of doing, as any over the top behavior was liable to discredit their campaign entirely.
I felt that the most powerful scenes in the mover where those that took place in the jail. It was in these scenes that the physical and mental strength of the women where undeniable and unwavering. The most powerful scenes by far was the scene in the mental ward of the prison when the doctor was questioning Alice Paul about her actions and demanding to explain herself. It is in that scene that here intelligence and personal strength shine through, and she proves that in a moment of extreme pressure, women are in fact capable of keeping their heads. As the doctor tries to coax her into making statements that would bring her sanity into question, she manages to state her case so articulately that she in the end manages to win over the doctor’s opinion.

Iron Jawed Angels

I have to start by saying that the movie was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I was expecting some boring, documentary style film that would drag on with a monotonous narrator and dusty newsclips. Obviously, it was nothing of the sort.
What I found most compelling about the movie was the sub-plot concerning Senator Clayton's wife. It starts with her ignoring the feminist movement, then she volunteers an hour for them, then she donates money, and eventually ends up picketing and going to prison for the suffrage cause. What makes her such a powerul figure to me was that her husband, a senator, did not support the movement in his home or on the senate and even once threatens to divorce her. And yet, she perseveres depsite the fact that the man she loves openly opposes her views. I feel it is one thing to stand up for something you believe in and quite another to stand up for it when your partner is on the other side. can you imagine how hard that would be? What I couldnt understand was how plainly he could see how she felt and still wanted to keep her down by not allowing her to have a vote and therefore to have any rights of her own. I'm pretty sure he came around in the end, but how any man could deny a woman he loves any of the privelages he has, how he could watch her suffer under her oppression and not feel moved to change things is absolutely beyond me. Before this movie I did not fully understand how callously women were treated before they were granted their full rights as citizens.

The New Masculinity

According to the seminar description on "The New Masculinity," Pat Fagan, senior fellow and director of the Family Research Council's Center for Family and Religion, will discuss how "feminism has wreaked havoc on marriage, women, children and men. It is time to redress the disorder it has wrought and that must start with getting the principles and ideals for a new 'masculinism' right."

This quote is from an article on feministing.com that I wanted to bring to peoples attention. Apparently, the FRC believes feminism is ruining families, and the only way to fix this is with masculinity. I personally think this is hilarious- who are these brilliant men who think feminism can be beaten down with masculinity? Don't they realize feminism has been fighting this battle ever since it came into existence? And if you really consider equality between men and women "wreaking havoc" you're out of your mind, and have no place giving speeches to anyone.

Iron Jawed Angels

Though I had learned about the woman's movement for voting rights, I had never heard about it from this context. This was a truly powerful movie about perseverance despite opposition. These women have changed the world and began a movement that still continues today in the fight for equal rights.

What surprised me the most about this film was seeing the reaction of the government and public to the movement. There was resistance as I expected, but I did not realize that the government worked hard to suppress the movement and portray it in a negative way. When the women continued to demonstrate outside the White House even during the war, this showed great strength and determination. However, the government switched this image around and called their demonstrations treason. They came up with any kind of excuse to imprison the women and even tried to get Alice Paul institutionalized for life. I was horrified and moved by the actions they took to silence the women. One of the most disturbing scenes for me was when they were force feeding Alice. Despite the extreme pain she went through she continued to stay strong and continue her hunger strike. She was an amazing source of inspiration to all of the other women who were part of the movement (and especially those who were jailed like she was).

I really enjoyed learning about the movement from the perspective of those on the inside and learning about Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. I feel like these women are not recognized enough for their accomplishments and it was eye-opening for me to learn about them in this way.

Iron Jawed Angels

This movie was nothing like I had expected, I didn’t know anything about it going in and usually movies assigned for a class can feel like a waste of time but this is a movie that I would watch again. I really enjoyed the use of humor especially between Lucy and Alice, it made a very serious subject matter really entertaining, but then I thought maybe that was a method of the filmmaker’s to hold attention by making light of such a serious issue. And then the comedy gets ripped out of the story while the suffragists serve their sentences in the work prison. That section of the film was incredibly moving and really well done, it illustrated in so many different ways their unity, for example when Lucy has her hands cuffed above her head so the rest of the women place their hands above their heads. And I could have interpreted this wrong but I felt as if the suffragists won the female guards over, that Alice and Lucy’s determination and endurance to withstand whatever mistreatment the warden threw their way gained the respect of the guards. I had no idea the physical pain and suffering that these women went through to get them the vote and my vote means so much more to me after seeing this film. I really appreciate the women we saw portrayed and the ones we didn’t for working so tirelessly to get me what I take for granted, but I won’t take it for granted anymore.

Violence in Iron Jawed Angels

I found Iron Jawed Angels to be a shocking, and enlightening movie. I realized after watching it that I really had no idea of the struggles that women went through to obtain the vote. Although the picketing, protests, parades and speeches did not surprise me, I was appalled by the amount of violence and cruelty that Alice Paul and the other women in the movie endured. It was startling for me to realize that not only were these women verbally assaulted, but also physically abused while in prison. I could not believe that the United States treated its citizens in the way that they did, by tossing them violently into prison then by physically forcing food down their throats. The hardest part of the movie for me to watch was when Alice Paul had a tube pushed down her throat and raw egg was poured directly down it into her stomach. This movie provided me with a fresh appreciated for my own ability to vote, and a  profound gratitude for what women in the past have gone through to give me this right. 

Methods Used by Suffragists (IJA)

Along with the physical methods attempted (the parade, boycotting Wilson, forming their own party, etc), the more effective methods were those intangible.  The overall sense that they tried to establish their identity as "not above the law" made them somewhat accessible to less radical stems of political parties.  They accepted responsibility for their actions with stoic calm and even in the face of jail and cruelty, they stuck together.  Which brings me to the most important aspect of the NWP's mentality--unity.  An example of this is when Lucy's tied up by her wrists and the rest of them follow suit.  The woman on the horse stayed with them despite it being bad for her health, they appealed to even the lower classes, and even the hunger strike they did together.  Finally, the vote to change the amendment was only achieved when NAWSA and NWP worked together in the end.  

Iron Jawed Angels Response

Like many people before me- I loved this movie! There were a few parts of the movie that really stood out to me. One thing was the relationship between the different groups of women and to see women fighting women. At a time when it was so important for women to be getting as many people as possible on board with their cause it surprised me to see the hostility between the two groups in the movie. Similarly, the situation with the black women, although she did not play a big role in the movie, it was another form of discrimination against women. Although I see where the NWP was coming from in terms of needing all the support they could get; it still surprised me that women who showed such little fear of rebelling hesitated when it came to fighting for equality between women of all races. Another message that was conveyed throughout the movie was the concept of "patients" not only is that a quality many believe a "proper women" should have, it was also a major road block in the progress of women's rights. There seemed to always be something "more important" than giving women the right to vote. The movie showed this in a lot of different ways but particularly when it came to war. Because the country was at war, should women stop "bothering" the President with something "less important"? That may be a valid question but what I learned from watching the movie is that there will forever be something else going on in the world of politics and women's rights should be just, if not more, crucial than all of those things. "Be patient" is a phrase that should only be used once because eventually it translates to "nothing is ever going to happen." This movie was extreamly powerful and gave a clear picture of how hard they faught for the lives we as women have the privalege of living today.

Iron Jawed Angels

The first wave of suffragettes had to fight for more than just the right to vote. Women of color and lower class women were seen as even lesser than upper class white women. During the first parade, Alice Paul worries that having women of color join the other suffragettes there would be more problems for them later. The woman in that scene tells Alice that the women of color must join in the fight at that time, or white women will get the right to vote, and the women of color would be left behind. Not only were women of color in even more of a disadvantage, but lower class women as well. These groups were seen as even less than women, and they had more to lose. Lower class women risked getting their names blacklisted and denied work anywhere, and women of color had to fight harder to be seen as citizens in general. The film shows three different goups of women (white women, women of color and lower class women), and instead of a single struggle of the same magnitude for all of them, there are different hurdles each must overcome.

Iron Jawed Angels

Iron Jawed Angels was nothing like what I expected; it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Does anyone know how accurate the movie is in portraying what actually happened? I realized when I was watching that I had never really thought about what those women went through. I mean I thought about it, but what I imagined was no where near what the movie depicted; I felt a kind of bizarre appreciation.
One of the parts that didn’t surprise me, but maybe should have, were the issues of race; how black women weren’t really included. (This is most likely because I read about it a while back in our Women: Images etc. book). I’m not saying I agree with the treatment of black women (because I absolutely do not) but I do see where the NAWSA and the NWP were coming from, they needed all the support they could get from women and if that meant they couldn’t include black women it puts them in a very difficult position, especially when the majority of them didn’t agree with this. I don’t know what I would have done if I were in their position.
What I found kind of upsetting was that the only reason Wilson spoke on behalf of women voting, seemingly taking their side, was because the hunger strike and mistreatment of women in the jail leaked to the press and he was at risk for bad publicity. I don’t know enough about this to know if this part of history is accurate but if it is I’m very disappointed that that is how it happened. I suppose I should be happy just in general that it happened at all, but I can’t help but feel let down that after all the work the women’s suffrage movement put it, it was as shallow as bad publicity for the president.

IJA Response

I was surprised with the relations between different races and ethnicities in Iron Jawed Angels. It seemed that the tension and oppression that occurred within the movement were pushed to the back burner and downplayed. While a Black woman from the Chicago delegation did make a stand against the segregation of Black and White women in the parade, I felt that the impact of joining the parade and the ramifications were likely downplayed. I also found it interesting that most of the working women who joined the movement were treated as equals, although many of them appeared to be immigrants. During the early 19th century immigrants faced wide-spread prejudice and discrimination, and I found it interesting that the women's movement appeared to welcome these women as equals but did not do the same for Black women. I know this movie is about the movement as a whole and not specifically about race, but I thought the impact of race and class on the movement should have been given a little more emphasis. Regardless, I think Iron Jawed Angels is an extremely informative and powerful movie, and a great learning tool for both men and women.

Iron Jawed Angels

This was probably one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time, and I cannot believe how much I learned from it. The issues of race and class were one of the things that surprised me the most. I have always thought that African American women were a part of the suffrage movement as well as white women, but in the movie, there was only one African American woman, and she was only shown about two times. I was very surprised by the part when she explained how her committee wanted to march with the rest of the women, and then came the reply that if they wanted to walk, they had to walk in the back because otherwise another committee would not march. I really liked how the response came, if they were marching as women, or as white women. Along with scenes such as this, the rest of the movie requires an incredible range of emotions, from joy, to sadness, to anger. I had no idea the extents to which anti-suffragists were against suffragists until I saw this movie. Even what I learned in high school wasn't anything compared to this movie. In my mind it had always been just women wearing sashes passing out buttons and fliers. There was no violence against them, or hunger strikes, or picketing the White House in my images of the movement. When I saw what it actually was, I was shocked. Probably, the things that I learned the most from this movie were all the different ways they had of getting the public's attention, and as seen, they worked. When their goal was to make it into the newspaper, they did it, even though 100 people ended up in the hospital. But to them, they had reached a goal. The dedication they had to the movement, especially Alice Paul and Lucy Burns was beyond amazing, something I can't even begin to imagine. Overall, this was one of the best movies that I have ever seen.

IJAs

Iron Jawed Angels just may be the best movie that I’ve ever seen. Both the story and the movie transcend time. It tells the story of these courageous women who fight for what they believe in; it’s one of those projects where the focus isn’t just on the time period, but rather the conviction of heart that is conveyed. The movie was made to be able to connect with generations of women, proven in its shooting style, modern soundtrack, and frank depictions of suffragists as humans rather than the worn stereotypes that are immediately thought of today. The movie remembers the viewers, especially women, of just how important it is to vote and have their opinions heard; it’s important to use the rights that were granted to us not even one hundred years ago. The only critique that I have with the movie is rather more of a question: Is it really possible that suffragists, or even modern day feminists, can have both the roles of wife/mother and that of working woman? Like it was said in the movie, “The new suffragist is single, young, independent, educated, and very beautiful” and “My whole heart’s in this fight; there’s nothing to spare-not if I mean to win.” I understand that it was a different time period in the movie, and that different customs were upheld, but the same idea still applies. If someone is whole heartedly committed to the movement, how can there be enough room for anything else?

Separate Trains for the Sexes

I was browsing through feministing.com today and I came across an article about how India now has separate trains for women. That article then links to other pieces that talk about the same matter within other countries such as Japan, Tehran, and Brazil. In the Western world, when women are segregated in any way, Western women, and most definitely Western feminists, will automatically assume it’s an act of sexism. In some cultures, some women view the separating of men and women as discriminating against the men. On one hand, I’m extremely excited and happy that these trains are being put into action since it’ll reduce the amount of crime committed against women on public transportations i.e groping, kidnapping, etc. and it is a sign that countries are beginning to step in to help the women who have been victimized. But on the other hand, these events make me ask some questions: Are these actions a way of segregating women? Should we be looking at this event from the Western angle alone? Shouldn’t the men be better educated instead? My problem with this situation is that by removing the women, it seems to send the message that women are the reason why men behave in such horrible manners and that by removing them, the men automatically transform into ideal model citizens. The problem with solving harassment shouldn’t be placed on women but on the men who think that committing such crimes are not only acceptable but also a male born right.


The attached video is from Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel show titled No Reservations. The relevant footage, taken from an episode when he visits Saudi Arabia, is from, approximately, .47 to 2:11.

To be or Not To Be, a feminist

I had never actually questioned whether feminism was necessary, or rather I had never considered that some people believed it wasn’t; that is, until this Women’s Studies class started. However, I think people who say it isn’t [necessary] are not truly considering the weight of their answer. Do they actually believe women are treated the same as men, or do they think women have ‘come far enough,’ so no more work is needed? Until violence against women seizes to exist, and women and men are considered equals in every imaginable way, feminism is necessary. If we didn’t have feminism, or the feminist movement never began there is a very good chance Wheaton would be an all boys’ college and I would be married and baking for my two children rather than writing this blog entry right now. I realize this is a fairly drastic statement, but you get what I mean. We need feminists because they fight for the equality of all women- they speak for the women who can’t [for whatever reason].
I was on girlwpen.com reading some articles the other day and in the sexual freedom category I came across an entry about the ‘Take Back the Night’ protest last spring. This protests’ aim is to stop violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment against men and women- to make our streets safe at night. The thing that stuck out to me most about this entry was something the speaker at the protest said,
“One day I hope that I’m not invited to speak at Take Back the Night. One day I hope that violence and sexual assault against women — and against anyone — is eradicated so that we no longer need marches, and candlelight vigils, and speak-outs, and T-shirts, and signs.”
This is exactly how I feel about feminism- the same way these speaker felt about Take Back the Night. One day I hope feminism isn’t necessary because we are all equal and there is no reason to fight anymore- that time just hasn’t come yet.

Global Protection

After having browsed through the websites of various feminist blogs I came across a post liked from feministing.com discussing the recent death of a young girl in Yemen due to complications in childbirth. This article goes on to discuss the circumstances that lead to the death, including being forced to leave school due to lack of financial means and the consequential marriage to a 24-year-old man, a man exactly twice her age.

It’s situations like these that further my pervious argument, that women’s rights are continually relevant, not just here in the United States, but worldwide. While feminism may take on different roles in other countries due to the extreme cultural difference, the idea that women deserve the right to be protected as human beings is still applicable. If things such as age restrictions of marriages, or even contraceptive had been made available for this girl in Yemen or others like her these situations may have been avoided. It is stories such as this one that I feel are the most persuasive to others and myself when considering whether or not feminism is still necessary today. There are women all over the world that are being put in similar situations because they have no means to make a difference. While I feel it is important to consider that for some of these countries there are restrictions based on religious and social structures, it is still important that these women receive rights as human beings and are protected most importantly for bodily harm.

Feministing.com Response

On feministing.com, I came across this blog post about a car racing video game. The article is about an application which players can buy in order to tattoo designs or words on women's breasts. I think that this article is a perfect example of why feminism is still relevant today. This game is completely degrading to women and (I assume) no real value to the racing part of the game (I seriously doubt the car will go faster if the woman has a tattoo on her breasts).

Women Worldwide

I have to admit that until recently feminism was not something I considered much at all. However, lately I've spent a considerable amount of time contemplating the question of whether or not feminism is something that is still relevant today and I have come to the conclusion that yes it is and probably will always be something that pertains to our society.

As a citizen of the United States when the idea of women’s rights is mentioned we have an immense amount of history to consider and use as reference. From the first wave of suffragist in the early 1900’s, to the activist movement in the 1960’s, women have been fighting for rights in the U.S. for an extensive period of time. As the fight has been ongoing for so many years, it is no surprise that we can track the advancements women have made and when considering the past, note the considerable progress.

Yet, there are is always room for improvement and I feel that the fight to ensure equal rights and protection for all women in this country is and will always be an ongoing movement regardless of the progress made in the past.

That being said I also think it is highly important to consider not only women in this country but worldwide. While the feminist ideas may be most prominent here in the United States, the idea of gaining legal rights and protecting women is something that is relatively new in other countries. In locations such as Somalia and Iran, where women have little to no legal rights feminism is just beginning to become a social movement and with the technological advancements of today things that are happening all over the world are easily made pertinent to everyone with just a click of a button.

Response to (http://girlwpen.com/?p=1717)

I stumbled across this article while browsing through the Girl With Pen blog site. After about a half an hour I found this article and started skimming through it, and the phrase "But the other discovery here is about the talking" stuck out to me. the first thought that came to my mind when I read this was the scene from Mona Lisa Smile, when the one blonde woman finds out that her husband is cheating on her. She couldn't communicate with him about it for fear of rejection. All she could do was remain quiet and tolerate it the best she could. This opened my eyes,up until this point I had never really thought about the dynamics between men and women in marriage. I knew the actuality, that humans are purely sexual beings and we can't help the way we feel; but I never really gave much thought to how that dynamic would play out in a committed relationship. Reading this article shed light on the fact that committed relationships have indeed changed in the last fifty to sixty years. This is good because it shows that since more men and women are talking things out together, rather than knowing it exists and just turning a blind eye. It means that the dynamic of most households has switched from situations similar to those in Mona Lisa Smile (where the husband did pretty much whatever he wanted), to a mutual relationship where both parties talk things out. Not only does this make relationships better and stronger, but it also shows that women have begun playing a more equal role in their relationships, rather than being considered someone's "private property". This also allows women to be more independent, free to think for themselves, and that is a very good sign for feminism and the fight to end sexism and gain equality.

Is feminism...

In answer to the question "Is feminism still necessary" my response is a resounding yes. We live in a country that has been making steady progress towards equal rights for women in terms of better wages, job opportunities, better education, and independence. To me it seems that the U.S has placed primary importance on better education and job opportunities for women, and hasn't focused as much time and energy on helping women gain independence, get better wages (in comparison to men), and become equal in society. That however is just the U.S. If you broaden your scope, and look at some other countries around the world where men's superiority can be seen back to ancient times, and still hasn't changed all that much. For example countries like Egypt, Afghanistan, and other Middle Eastern countries where women's place is to be seen and not heard. I'm not saying that that's the way it is in all of the Middle East, but it definitely is true for the most part. Then look back at the U.S, it seem like we've done so much more to help the feminist and women's movements. Yet there is still a long way to go in the march towards equality. Things like patriarchy, domestic abuse, bias, sexism, and in equality obviously still exist, so it is my belief that as long as those things do exist there will be a need for feminism.

Oh Boston, You've Disappointed Me...

It’s obvious that feminism is needed after reading this article about the Chris Brown-Rihanna assault. Apparently, about half the Boston teenagers who participated in the polling blamed Rihanna for the whole affair. What kind of society and values do we live in if the victims of a crime are blamed for having had it happen to them? And what’s worse, even before Brown’s “apology” in which he pleaded with America and Americans to forgive him his mistake (but never once directly apologized to Rihanna herself), teenagers, mostly girls, are still willing to support him and his career? After the story exploded onto seemingly every single media outlet, I noticed that almost every person in my high school had some sort of opinion on the matter; some of my friends told me that after finding out about the story, they were shocked but then it quickly passed and was quickly forgotten. How is it possible that our culture has become for jaded and indifference to things like domestic violence and sexism? I had spent a week just observing the behavior and mannerisms of my female classmates and noticed that most consistently contradicted their proclaimed values whenever they allowed a friend to call them the b word or wearing shirts with images of exposed wet breasts plastered over their own chests. Perhaps feminism can help reverse this trend of indifference that has taken over teenage mindsets today and help form better understanding of the feminist movement as one that fights for equality and try to reverse opinions such as these.

Feminism in the 21st Century

I have to be honest I really never connected the inequalities that occur in our society to feminism. After reading the personal stories about feminism and the history behind it I realized that yes, I believe that feminism is still in need today. But I do have to acknowledge that the movement has come a long way, with women voting and in the military. Now we are seeing more and more women in position of power and in institutions where men usually hold all the positions. With that being said I still think that feminism is relevant because of the sexism and the glass ceiling that prevent women from moving up to positions faster and also because the way that women are criticized when they decide to work in the labor force. I will also have to include the media and its impact on peoples thinking about women’s roles in society. The media creates negative perception of women in the work force which makes it even harder for women to have a family friendly relationship with the company that they work with. I say this because most jobs do not pay for maternity leave or have no help when employees need child care. Feminism is also important because there needs to be more focus and attention on feminism with the experience of African American, Hispanic and Asian women. I believe that there will be new issues and concerns that the feminist movement will have to deal with in the 21sr century.

Yearn for Youth

My first visit to feministing.com was one that caused me to feel frustrated, angry, and blessed. The first post on the website caught my attention them most. It was about the death of a 12 year old Yemeni girl who died from severe bleeding during child birth. Her name is Fawziya Ammodi and because of extreme financial issues, she was forced not only to drop out of 4th grade last year, but marry a 24 year old man. While child brides are common in different countries and even religions it is a very touchy subject because it involves the boundary of the rights of and liberty of women, disregarding their opinions, desires and decisions. However the discussions on the post also include thoughts of portions of these situations (such as planned pregnancy) being positive. But the most thought and emotion provoking part of a story like this is the view of women (daughters) in the world and more specifically, their families. Are they not valued the same as sons, but as burdens? I personally feel that there is a point where tradition or religion can only have so much of an influence. There is a point where the abuse of human rights is not and should never seen as acceptable.

Angry Much?

This blog, which is advertised by the author as advice she wishes she had received as a young woman is a little crazy, however, it does bring up some issues we already discussed in class. She falls into some of the stereotypes we mentioned being brought up in interviews for our “F” word papers. Basically she sums up being a woman as them only having two choices of how they will be or be perceived by the rest of the world (men in particular). She says we get to be the bitch or the victim. And she also breaks up her rant about life as a woman a few times to comfort any female reader who may be feeling irritated or depressed from the information the author is providing as perfectly fine and that yes, it is true, and no its not going to get any better. Her answer to all of this is that women should take every opportunity they have to absolutely humiliate (the more public the better) any man who makes them feel unequal. I think this blog demonstrates how alive and well feminism is today and where some of those unfortunate stereotypes we discussed in class come from… I know she has help but the author is doing a really great job perpetuating the negative connotations that tag along with feminism all by herself. Please read it.

feminism today? (corina allender)

Before even beginning to tackle the question, is feminism still needed today? I feel required to firstly define what the word feminism means for myself personally. When I tell people I am a feminist it is because I consider myself to be someone who strives for equal rights for everyone and the ability to have control over your own mind and body. So in this sense I clearly do believe in supporting women’s rights, but I believe equally in fostering opportunities for people of all different cultures, religions and ethnicities.            

So for myself, when I ask if feminism is still needed today, I must also ask if everyone, in respect to different cultures, is being granted equality, and control over their own body. When I look around at our own country, and other countries throughout the world I see that clearly we are still in dire need of feminists. Here in America, women’s bodies are subjugated through the media’s perception of us as large breasted, super skinny Barbie dolls. This type of portrayal leads to a slew of problems for young girls such as eating disorders, and depression, not to mention the effect that it can have on men by falsifying the female body. In many African countries female genital mutilation is an engrained part of the culture. Although it is generally a religious ritual, we should not forget that this excruciatingly painful practice is often forced upon young girls against their will. Sometimes they are given anesthetic but usually the girls are provided little medical care (in the western sense) of any kind.

            The media’s portrayal of women in the United States, and female genital mutilation are just two examples of injustices that I see in the world, which as a feminist make me want to stand up and help create change. I think feminism is still vitally relevant today, and although the literal word may carry negative connotations, its goals and intents are generally admirable and essential to the fight for human rights in the world. 

First...Foremost...Feminism

Until recently I was familiar with feminism but did not have a complete understanding of its origin, the path it has taken and the direction it is heading in. While I'm still learning about feminists and feminism as a whole, I have gathered a general idea of the controversy and complexity involved with the movement. Being reminded of the discrimination, mistreatment, and abuse women have and continue to endure, feminism and feminists work with the efforts to put an end to every aspect, and conclude with women being treated as equal to men. That equality does have an extent, because women and men are completely different when it comes to our biology, however that is not true regarding areas such as education, employment, politics, etc.

That being said, these issues are still at hand. While significant progress has been made, women are and men are still not universally seen as equal beings. Some may say because we have not had a woman president (in the United States) and others may say because of the payroll of men over women in some companies. Either gender equality has not been achieved thus proving that feminism is still relevant.

Why I think feminism is still relevant today...

I think that feminism is still relevant today and will always have a purpose in society. As of now, sexism still exists. There are many people in our society who deny the existence of sexism, or refuse to recognize that sexism is wrong, and it is the job of the feminists in our society to educate these people about the problems with sexism. Although women have come a long way, they are still not completely equal to men in our society. Feminism is needed to help women gain the equal treatment they deserve. I also think that even when our society does reach a point where both genders are completely equal, feminism will still be relevant to keep society from moving backwards to gender inequality. It will be the job of feminists to educate and remind people of injustices that women faced in the past.

YES, feminism is needed today!

It is important to understand that there are a lot of women in the world that are enduring so many obstacles. Some of these women are being held captured in their situations and others have the option of leaving their situations but do not know how to get out of them. So the fact that feminism exists allows these women who have no voice to be represented. Feminists are also activists, so for those who help protect victims of domestic violence, they are helping the women who need that encouragement to leave their abusive relationships do so. The feminist who believes it is one's own decision to have an abortion; help the women who decide to terminate their pregnancy do so. It’s about supporting all women and helping one another make valid decisions.

When scrolling through feministing.com I noticed the article, "Australian teen could get seven years in prison for home abortion." The subject abortion is so controversial. Is it okay to have an abortion? Is it wrong because she did not seek medical attention? Whether you agree what the teen did or not she had the right to make that decision. When it all comes down to it, what you believe generates from what you were raised to believe. In her case (probably religion or family played a part to her decision) she could not have the baby and now may face jail time because she did what was in her best interest. I’m not agreeing I can just look beyond my beliefs.

Feminism's Relevancy Today

If feminism wasn’t relevant today than there wouldn’t be a women’s studies department in almost every college or university in the country. Of course its still relevant, there are still woman, there are still men, and women still have yet to gain equal rights to men. As much as many may try and claim we are equal on paper that doesn’t mean people are acting that way… there are jobs, college majors, and activities dominated by men. Women are still placed in a feminine box and expected to stay there and men are placed in a masculine box and expected to stay there. God forbid anyone tries to display traits of the opposite sex they will be criticized and reprimanded for it. There doesn’t seem a way to win. When Hillary Clinton was running for President her every move was criticized, either she was too dainty and emotional or when she put fourth some evidence of strength and opinionated thoughts she was bitchy and not nurturing enough. Now I understand that this can’t all be fixed with a wave of a magic wand, however, as long as women are discriminated against solely on their gender and men are granted privileges solely because of theirs than yes feminism is still needed and yes it is still relevant. We create out of necessity and if a successful solution or a fulfilling resolution had developed we probably wouldn’t have this class.

Why Feminism is still Relevant

In the past few decades, women have made significant strides in equality and human rights, but we still have along way to go; there is much room for improvement. Today we’re allowed to vote, go to law and medical schools, and be a presidential candidate, but having a say about our reproduction rights should be part of a woman’s human rights, including the right to an abortion, access to contraception and quality prenatal care. Equal rights do not exist for women in certain countries and according to various surveys, there continues to be great inequity in pay; men are paid more than women for the same position, and sexism still exists in the workforce. When women work outside the household, they earn, on average, far less than men. Also, one would think that as time goes on, there would be more equality between men and women, but trends are moving in the other direction. In certain countries, governments are not living up to their promise to protect women from discrimination and violence such as rape and female genital mutilation, not to mention harassment and sexual abuse.

This year, there were approximately 15 female CEO’s of Fortune 500 Companies in 2009. Granted not an impressive number, but still a number. How does that translate? The men of America created the financial mess. Big surprise. The question is: Can the growing ranks of female CEO’s clean up the mess? While many female CEO’s pull in much lower salaries than their counterparts, their companies are weathering the economic storm much easier. My bet? A portfolio of the companies run by low-testosterone executives could out-perform the Fortune 500 next year. Banks are still in bad shape but at least women can’t be scapegoats because there weren’t enough of them in leadership roles who had the power to affect change.

Relevancy Of Feminism

Women can vote.  Women can own property.  Women can get an education.  Most women could not give you a legitimate definition of the term feminism, and if they could would most likely follow it with the fact that they are not feminists, themselves.  So while it may appear that feminism has become irrelevant in modern society, the truth is that feminism is still needed. 

Although women in western culture have earned rights and freedoms to which every citizen should be entitled, there are still nations in the world that treat women as second-class citizens or worse.  Feminism is and should be about fighting for the rights of ALL women, not just some, and therefore it is still desperately needed in areas of the world such as the Middle East.

Furthermore, aside from the fact that society should be concerned for the rights of individuals residing elsewhere in the world, if feminism were to be completely abandoned, there would probably still be people out there who would try to revoke the rights of women and reverse much of the progress made thus far.

Whether male or female, we all want to be treated equally, and we should want every other person to be treated the same, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender.  That is why feminism is still relevant today.  The world needs equality, which cannot be achieved by simply forgetting everything that has helped the world progress and grow, such as feminism and the fight for equal rights.

stripper woes

I found this link at girlwpen.com  To be completely frank, I am sick and tired of feminists claiming that they want to treated equally to men, and to be free of generalizations and stigmas, but cannot give back their same wishes.  As of now, I am referring to the woman who wrote this blog post about men in strip clubs.  The point of a strip club is essentially for people to get pleasure from watching the dancers.  The author forgets to mention that there are clubs in which men are dancers, and women can come in and do exactly what the author claims all men do.  This is sexist in itself, and she has some nerve to fight for equality and make such statements about men.  Taking note of frequent customers is one thing, but to place all men who go to strip clubs into one of three unforgiving categories is insulting and rude.  The author says that all men eventually set eyes on a set of boobs, and then Bing!  All other thoughts go away, and all the man can think about is what's under that erotic top.  However, even if this was true (which it is not in all cases) I wouldn't exactly call it degrading.  Yes, there may be some extenuating circumstances surrounding the female dancer's employment, but when she signs her work papers, she knows what she has signed up to do.  When you work as a stripper you are fully aware that you will be taking your clothes off in attempt to arouse your audience and get tips.  So, I don't think the author of this article has the right to victimize the female dancers when they know quite well what their task is.  And, so the next time she decides to make such statements about men and their desires, she should think about what she's fighting for.

Is prostitution a feminist topic?

While looking on feministing.com, the first post that caught my eye was a male describing his encounter with a female sex worker in Atlantic City. This article reminded me of a presentation I did for a Public Health class while I was studying abroad in Australia. I did a presentation about whether or not prostitution should be legal. I became very interested in this topic and in my research, I learned a lot of new things about the industry and I even had a few email conversations with sex worker advocates. Though prostitution is legal in most states in Australia, it is still a big topic of controversy, just like in the United States. In Australia where it is legal, these women are protected by the government. This is much different from other areas where people are running illegal brothels. The women in these places are abused in every way possible, and they have no protection. People may say that it is their fault for joining the industry in the first place, however, many of these women were trafficked from other countries and others have no other choice but to do this type of work for money. Though I did not morally support prostitution, it is in the best interest of the female sex workers that it is made a legal profession with appropriate government regulations. I think that this is one instance in which the feminist movement is necessary because it is important to protect the physical and mental health of these women.

I also found this interesting comment on the Feminist Collective blog: "Sex work often puts feminists in difficult positions. On the one hand, many feminists consider that ‘selling one’s body’ cannot be understood outside of patriarchal mechanisms that keep women, and gender non-conform persons, oppressed. That it amounts to violence against women. On the other hand, many feminists know that self-organizing and claiming one’s rights is the way to transform the world. And that this by no means differs for sex workers."

Here are also some links to sex worker blogs that may be interesting to others:

Reneade Evolution

Bound, Not Gagged

Harlots Parlour

The Fight Continues- Feminism and Human Trafficking

While I know human trafficking exists, the subject is not something I think about on a regular basis. While on feministing.com I saw a link about a German ad campaign to combat trafficking. I clicked on the link and saw a petite blond woman crammed inside a clear suitcase. It turns out that Amnesty International in Germany shocked people in German airports by putting ads on a suitcase that say “stop slave trade” going around the carousels with a volunteer shoved inside. “According to Amnesty International, over 500,000 women and girls are victims of human trafficking every year.”

The photo alone of this poor girl was deeply disturbing. And then it made me think. Thousands of women and young girls are taken away from their families, often to another country every year. They are forced to be prostitutes, housekeepers, involved in criminal activities, and some are forced into oppressed marriages. These women are beaten, raped, starved, psychologically abused, dependent on drugs, and financially broke among other things. They are being enslaved and bought, sold, and smuggled. This disgusting trade is an international business that profits over 9 billion dollars every year according to the FBI. This is sexism and female oppression at its worst. While strides have been made that put American women on the forefront of female equality, the war has not been won and we must never stop fighting. Feminism has gone through many changes throughout the past thirty years. Now more then ever there is no room for accepting this treatment.

Its All About The Women (Reaction to Blog)

While looking through feministing.com, I came across a blog that really illuminated why feminism is relevant today and why others believe it is too. Apparently Kanye West got up at the VMA's and told Taylor Swift that Beyonce should be the one getting the award. Now, the majority of people would agree that this was a rude thing for Kanye West to do, but as I continued to read through the post I came across the bigger issue with the story- the response. Lara, the writer of this post points out the extreme ignorance of Billy Johnson, Jr., the author of an article discussing the incident. Sure, it is probably hard for Taylor Swift's family to see what happened to her but come on! Is that really what this Billy Johnson, Jr. guy thinks is the issue at hand- what Swift's father is going to think about this? Gender is never left out. Sometimes, that is a good thing to make sure we don't ignore it. Other times, however, a story is strictly about humans and the gender really plays no important role. It is amazing to see how a disrespectful act from one human to another can suddenly be turned into a "poor helpless woman" tale. I see no connection between what happened at the VMA's and the gender of Taylor Swift or her father's opinion. So, has the fight towards equality of women and men been won? Clearly not. This blog was a strong reminder that feminism is quite clearly, still relevant. 

Can you walk a straight line?

While scrolling through the feministing blog I came across one post that really opened up a new reason for why feminism is necessary in the world. The post was about an ad in Singapore for a light beer that is only 2.9% alcohol. There are three different ads and each depicts an unattractive or inappropriate woman to bring home seen through "beer goggles". According to these ads because the beer is only 2.9% alcohol men will be less likely to bring these women home. While this extremely unfair to women, it's also unfair to men. Women can get just as drunk as men and bring home some pretty undesirable characters. Shouldn't there have been at least one depicting some ugly old trucker with a MOM tattoo who has the face of the Brawny paper towels guy? You know, just to have a little equality in the world.

She's a Sexy Bitch

After thinking about this question for the majority of my weekend, I made some sort of a realization (I’m ashamed to admit it probably should have happened a while ago). I started thinking to myself, what is feminism? Do I believe in it? How does it affect my life? Do we still need it today? As a senior I have had many friends take this course and tell me their take on feminism, but I’ve never really thought it through myself. I’ve realized that the definition of feminism is different for every person- but it has the same message. Women should have equal rights as men do; they should be respected and acknowledged for who they are, not what they are. After a typical weekend at Wheaton, I can convincingly share with you that there is still a definite need for feminism in our society. I think that many women have become numb or accustomed to the way we are viewed in society and especially by men. Whether this is displayed by the way I danced to lyrics such as “girl, you’re a sexy bitch” with no shame; or watched a tv show with girls going out and partying while referring to themselves as “slores” (a rather clever combination of the words “slut” and “whore”), either way it has definitely become somewhat of a norm in today’s world to objectify women; especially normal for today’s youth. The sad thing is, is that many women are “guilty” of going against this belief themselves without thinking twice.

the power of the sterotype

After reading an article on girlwpen.com and viewing the related youtube clip, there is no doubt left in me that stereotypes can be damaging. The post talked about a study that was done where women were given a math test; the test group was told half way through the exam that statistically women performed poorly in comparison to men on math tests, while the control group was given no such information. The results of the study found that the women who were told that statistic did consistently and significantly poorer on the math exam then those who were told nothing. This implies that simply being told that you are not expected to perform well, can lead you to perform poorly. But how far does this reaction to language go? If a girl hears someone say that all girls are sluts, is she more likely to be sexually promiscuous? Can it work in reverse; if a girl is told that women are better drivers, is she more likely to be a good driver, as opposed to the girl who has always heard that women are terrible drivers. How much of what we hear affects how we behave? As the YouTube clip mentions, it seems that women put in these situations have the unfortunate fate of becoming self fulfilling prophecies. Personally, I think it’s natural for people to have strong reactions to the things they hear, especially when they are so immensely relatable, but it’s startling to think about the physical manifestation that these feelings can create.

sexism is in the eye of the beholder

There are differences between actual, undeniable injustices, and feeling victimized when no harm was meant.  Women getting paid less than men based on their sex is an absolute injustice: no questions asked.  However, getting offensive and rude when a man opens a door for you (trying to be polite) is a bit over the top.  I do not deny the fact that feminism is indeed a completely relevant subject, as injustices happen to women every day; but I believe that sometimes feminists and/or advocates take things too far.  Sexism is in the eye of the beholder.  I see a man open a door for a woman and I think to myself, "Hm.  I guess chivalry isn't dead."  I hold doors open for women because that is what I was taught is the polite thing to do, and I mean no offense by it.  On the other hand, someone else may see a man open a door for a woman and think, "What a pig.  He just wants to get in her pants."  Both are valid arguments; and I believe that the intentions are variant upon the situation.  And what I say is not meant to be offensive to feminists (or anyone for that matter) I have just noticed that in most groups of oppressed peoples there are those who take things too far. 

Images such as those Emilia mentioned in her post (the half naked woman essentially selling sex and the domestic perfection) are completely objective.  When I read magazines and I see pictures such as these, I do not think about the half naked girl as being exploited.  Nor do I think of the picturesque domestic as being subservient or dominated.  I see the pictures for what they are - campaign ads.  I can understand how many people would completely disagree with me, however, what I have noticed about these people is that they do not (for the most part) realize that not all people think the same as they do.  It is situations such as this, where a feminist (or other advocate) may see things too literally, and take his or her advocacy too far.

My Top 25

Yesterday, after spending the majority of the day avoiding thinking about why I think feminism is still important, I stumbled across a portion of my iTunes library that typically goes unnoticed: The Top 25 Most played songs. My Top 25 is a diverse collection of some radio hits, moody jams, and an almost humiliating amount of dance mixes. I’ll start with a mellow beat by Dierks Bentley. “Come a Little Closer Baby” is a catchy tune that many would categorize as a love song. After a brief investigation of the lyrics, I found this line: “I feel like layin you down. On a bed of sweet surrender, where we can work it all out.” This particular sentiment, although most likely not intended to strike up a conversation about feminism, irks me a little bit. Especially at this age, as we attempt to have adult relationships, all too often sex is used as a synonym for love. Every weekend we see Wheaton women, including myself, get all dolled up for the chance to turn a few heads at a party. My next Top 25 confession pays homage to that effort we females make. I dare admit that coming in at #24 is Colby O’Donis with “What You Got.” I will pause briefly, ashamed that I have listened to and probably sang the lyrics “I don’t mind if you come and play with us, just don’t talk too much” a total of 72 times. This entire song is dedicated to describing an impressively hot and apparently passive female, every man’s dream right? Despite the progress our society has made, the presence of such blatant sexism is still acceptable in our daily lives. For this reason, and a myriad of others, feminism is still important today.