After viewing the Madison Diversity Panel yesterday I have been thinking a lot about gender deviance. One of the girls, Faith, on the panel used herself as an example to explain deviance. Faith said that she is a lesbian with short hair who wears boy’s clothes and as a result if often viewed as “butch” or a “dike”. However, Faith said that is she was a lesbian with long, flowing hair who always wore girly pink dresses she would be viewed simply as a lesbian and everyone would love her for it.
This makes me think back to the beginning of the semester when we learned about gender socialization. We are taught and learn the appropriate thinking and behaviors associated with being a girl. Since Faith does not fit the traditional girl description and image she is seen as a tomboy and a “manly lesbian”.
Faith also went on to explain that when she first meets people they almost automatically assume that she is a lesbian based on the way that she looks. People assume this because of the way society has defined certain types of lesbians and because it is going against the gender norms that which everyone is so familiar. This is not only unfair to her, but everyone with a similar situation. Issues like this, along with many others, are what make it so challenging for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to come out and reveal who they really are.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Privilege & Disabilities
In the beginning of Chapter 2 ableism, the discrimination against the mentally and physically disabled, is briefly discussed. It is said that ableism is a direct result of social factors that actively create standards of normality against which ability or disability is constructed.
This past week I spent my spring break in Charlotte, North Carolina working with Lifespan, which is a nonprofit organization that works with adults and children with developmental disabilities. It was easily the best week of my life. The main thing I learned from the trip is that the disability does not define the person.
Naturally, I have been thinking about this topic a lot and I am now thinking of this in terms of the privilege wheel. On the wheel it shows able-bodied people as privileged and on the reverse side it shows people with disabilities as being the oppressed. This is unfortunately sad, but true. As I saw first hand this past week, people with disabilities are less likely to have the skills and credentials that those without disabilities. In turn, this affects their likeliness to have jobs; however, this trend is slowly beginning to change. Organizations like Lifespan are working to train and help find jobs for the disabled, and recently this has been working. Now more than ever individuals with disabilities are working towards becoming active members of society. This is exciting and new and could very well change the trend that individuals have been experiencing for decades. Although it will take time before people with disabilities are completely integrated into society and thus change the privilege wheel, it is nice to see that progress is being made.
This past week I spent my spring break in Charlotte, North Carolina working with Lifespan, which is a nonprofit organization that works with adults and children with developmental disabilities. It was easily the best week of my life. The main thing I learned from the trip is that the disability does not define the person.
Naturally, I have been thinking about this topic a lot and I am now thinking of this in terms of the privilege wheel. On the wheel it shows able-bodied people as privileged and on the reverse side it shows people with disabilities as being the oppressed. This is unfortunately sad, but true. As I saw first hand this past week, people with disabilities are less likely to have the skills and credentials that those without disabilities. In turn, this affects their likeliness to have jobs; however, this trend is slowly beginning to change. Organizations like Lifespan are working to train and help find jobs for the disabled, and recently this has been working. Now more than ever individuals with disabilities are working towards becoming active members of society. This is exciting and new and could very well change the trend that individuals have been experiencing for decades. Although it will take time before people with disabilities are completely integrated into society and thus change the privilege wheel, it is nice to see that progress is being made.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Closeness Guaranteed
This morning I was watching television when a commercial came on for the Gillette Venus Women’s Razor. Since the product first came out their tag line was always “reveal the goddess in you”. Their new commercials, however, reveal a new line in addition to the old one. The new line encourages you to “embrace the closeness” and it even goes on to say that if you do not get your desired closeness you will get your money back.
To the average viewer this closeness is only referring to shaving and nothing else. Although, the closeness implied in the commercial is referring to more and what is that more? The closeness is referring to the closeness with a man. Use this razor to shave and it will get you closer to the man of your dreams.
This idea may have been lost on me before this semester, but after 8 weeks of women’s studies I know the underlying message. The Gillette Venus commercials are portraying one of the common themes of normalization; that technologies and correction are available. Many things fall into this category besides plastic surgery: wearing makeup, dying your hair, and yes, even using razors to shave. Because of course, what man will ever want you if your legs are not silky smooth? This is the message that commercials such as these portray and it is commercials such as these that lead women and young girls to think that they need to change or alter themselves in some way to seem attractive to a man. Yes, in today’s world it is often frowned upon if women do not shave or wear makeup, but this should not be the case. If a women wants to shave or wear makeup she should do it because she wants to, not because a man wants her to.
Wow, alright so maybe I do have a little feminist in me after all :)
To the average viewer this closeness is only referring to shaving and nothing else. Although, the closeness implied in the commercial is referring to more and what is that more? The closeness is referring to the closeness with a man. Use this razor to shave and it will get you closer to the man of your dreams.
This idea may have been lost on me before this semester, but after 8 weeks of women’s studies I know the underlying message. The Gillette Venus commercials are portraying one of the common themes of normalization; that technologies and correction are available. Many things fall into this category besides plastic surgery: wearing makeup, dying your hair, and yes, even using razors to shave. Because of course, what man will ever want you if your legs are not silky smooth? This is the message that commercials such as these portray and it is commercials such as these that lead women and young girls to think that they need to change or alter themselves in some way to seem attractive to a man. Yes, in today’s world it is often frowned upon if women do not shave or wear makeup, but this should not be the case. If a women wants to shave or wear makeup she should do it because she wants to, not because a man wants her to.
Wow, alright so maybe I do have a little feminist in me after all :)
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