Faith

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.

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.

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 :)

Killing Us Softly? Definitely!

I really enjoyed the video of Jean Kilbourne. However, I found “Killing Us Softly” to be alarmingly true. I completely agree with everything she had to say. Advertisements have been degrading women for years; regardless of what is trying to be sold. From clothes to alcohol and everything in between these is a negative association with women.

The one I found the most disturbing was definitely the advertisement for the watch. This particular add showed an extremely skinny, decrepit, white woman wearing minimal, transparent clothing and a watch up around her upper arm; meaning that this woman’s upper arm is the same size as a normal woman’s wrist! What is the most ironic part? That without Ms. Kilbourne explaining that the advertisement was for a watch I never would have known. Without an explanation I thought the message was that women should stop eating, but no, the message was that women should buy this watch.

Thankfully, advertisements like this are no longer as common as they once were. Today there are advertisements that show women of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ethnicity. As mentioned in class today CoverGirl makeup now has Queen Latifa and Ellen DeGeneres as there spokeswomen; an African American women and a lesbian. I think this is an ideal example of the strides women are making in the world of advertising and marketing, and I’m sure that in the years to come this beautiful trend will continue.

I Love Rebecca Walker

I just read the Rebecca Walker article titled “We Are Using This Power to Resist”. I found it so interesting, but in particular I like when she talked about the Third Wave Direct Action Corporation. I liked that Rebecca Walker and Shannon Liss both knew that they wanted the corporation to be multiracial, multicultural, and multi-issue. The multi-issue was the part that really stuck for me. They wanted to support young male and female activists in whatever way they could, whether it be simply connecting them with resources or organizing a group of fellow activists again sweat shops. They wanted to help with everything and anything and I think that is phenomenal, and definitely something that was not seen in the first or second waves of feminism.

Similarly I like the Third Wave Foundation and was surprised to find that it was the only organization of its kind. I have always been interested in nonprofit organizations (and it is my minor) so I visited the website to find out more information. I found that the “Third Wave [Foundation] is a feminist, activist foundation that works nationally to support young women and transgender youth ages 15-30. Through strategic grant making, leadership development, and philanthropic advocacy, they support groups and individuals working towards gender, racial, economic, and social justice.” I have looked a lot of nonprofit organizations and I have never seen one quite like this. The Third Wave Foundation is truly unique. They have only been around for 12 years and they have made amazing strides through out the world, and I am sure they will continue to have great success.

After reading the Rebecca Walker article and learning more about her organizations it has made the third wave of feminism my favorite of them all because it touches on all issues; and I think that is what is needed to really make a difference.

Good and Bad Feminism Theories

In my opinion, I think that socialist feminism is the most relatable. Socialist feminists use the insights of class analysis and seek to understand the workings of capitalist patriarchal institutions and societies. In simpler terms, this means that socialist feminists think the root of female subordination is a result of living and working in a male dominated society. They view this as an institutional problem, not just an individual one.

I think that this is easiest to relate to it looks at what is happening not only in the public realm, but the private as well. This theory is a combination of Marxist feminism and radical feminism, which places socialist feminism in the middle of the road, instead of being at one extreme or the other. The comic we saw in the slideshow during class was a perfect example of socialist feminism. It shows that a woman can rule the board room and be a good mother at the same time.

To me, the feminist theory that is hardest to relate to is radical feminism. This theory is very extreme, and in my opinion, a big part of what gives feminism a sometimes bad reputation. These feminists feel that women were the first people to ever be oppressed, that women are oppressed in all societies, the victims of violence, and are biologically oppressed in pregnancy and childbirth. I think this is borderline ridiculous. If radical feminists want their theory to be taken seriously they need to calm down a bit. Their theory involves too many heavy issues... violence, pregnancy, and childbirth, oh my!

When I first heard it I practically ignored it myself, so I cannot even imagine what men would say when they heard this theory. Don’t get me wrong, it would be nice to overthrow patriarchy, and I am in favor of anti-pornography as much as the next girl, but if that is what radical feminists are trying to accomplish I think they need to take it piece by piece, step by step. They currently have too much on their plate and it makes it all the easier to ignore. If they broke it down they would at least accomplish more and will be more likely to see results. Even if these results were minor, they would still be results, and in the end is that not what everyone is after?

Gender Socialization

Gender socialization is a process that I have been familiar for a very long time. I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where football knowledge and the Steelers in particular, is a must. I also grew up four boys (two younger brothers and two friends of the family who I call my older “brothers”). So naturally, when the boys were all playing with G.I. Joes and Ninja Turtles, I did not want to be playing with Barbie. When the boys were watching football, I did not want to be having a tea party with my dolls. I was considered one of the boys and that is the way I liked it. I’m pretty sure I even thought I was a boy at one point, just with longer hair. My parents never pushed me to play with “girl toys”, in fact, they probably liked that they only had to go down one isle at the toy store.

It wasn’t until fourth or fifth grade when I started to noticed that I was dressing more like a boy than a girl; wearing the longer gym shorts and Nike t-shirts, with my knees always cut up from sliding into first base. This was around the same time that my older brothers started to be interested in girls and did not have much time for me and my tomboy ways. Slowly throughout middle school I began to transform my wardrobe and self into something that resembled a girl, while realizing that I could still talk about football and hang with the boys without looking like one.

My brothers have definitely had the biggest influence on the way I view of gender socialization, and I am happy that it happened. The way I see it, I got the best of both worlds and I would not want it any other way.