Essay 2-Sources

Garnier, Katja Von, dir. Iron Jawed Angels. HBO Films, 2004.

Scott, Linda M. Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism. N.p.: Palgrave,n.d.

Rowe-Finkbeiner, Kristin. The F Word. Emeryville, CA: Avalon Publishing Press, 2004.

Darraj, Susan. "Understanding the Other Sister: The Case of Arab Feminism". August 2008:

Essay 2 - Final

Feminism is the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings states Cheris Kramerae. Feminists are hairy, butch, lesbian women or old, rich, white men. Feminism is not only in America, but can be seen all across the world. Unfortunately, the media in America does not always give accurate portrayals of women around the world. For example, in the article Understanding the Other Sister: Arab Feminism, Susan Muaddi Darraj stated, “I understood–and not for the first time–the astounding disconnection between the lives of Arab women, and the lives of Arab women as represented by the American media and entertainment industries, thus as perceived by Americans themselves.” Before this class, I had that stereotypical view of Arab women, I thought they walked one step behind their husband, weren’t allowed to wear anything but a head-to-toe cover, not allowed to work and were just made to serve the man. I have grown up with us being at war with the middle east and seeing only the pictures that the medai wants us to see. “The rise of
U.S. feminism in the 1970s and 1980s coincided with the rise of Islam as the “new enemy of the Western World,” stated Darraj. After taking this class, I have learned about the long and hard struggle of Arab feminism and how many rights they actually do have. Not only do Arab feminists have to fight for their rights but they are constantly battling the stereotypes of their women across the world. Feminism is not just helping white middle to upper-class women in America, but it is about helping women all over the world of all races and classes. Women are constantly being judged on their appearances, ideas and roles. Feminism, to me, is about taking on the world and showing everyone that women are just as important, if not more, than any man on this planet. Feminism is about gaining the respect that we deserve. Feminism can be a very scary word to many people. Most people think feminists are man-haters, lesbians, crazy, butch women, but once you do the research you can find that feminism has a long history of doing many good things for women.
There are three waves to feminism, the first wave started with the birth of our nation. The very first women’s rights convention was held at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. These women were of all ages and races and were all working toward a common goal, women’s rights. The biggest fight of all was getting women the right to vote. In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted any race the right to vote, but not women. “Men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less,” was a rallying cry at the time of the first wave of feminism (Rowe-Finkbeiner, p.21). Many women who fought for their rights were fined and even jailed; other women endured in hunger strikes, marches and demonstrations. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony cast a legendary and illegal vote in New York, where after she was arrested and fined. These women stood up for women all across the world without fear. Another dominant female of the time was Alice Paul, she founded the National Women’s Party and organized a demonstration of ten thousand in the 1913 inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson to protest his opposition to women’s voting rights (Rowe-Finkbeiner, p. 22). A movie was made in 2004, called Iron Jawed Angels, that portrayed Alice Paul and the women who fought beside her for suffrage. In the movie, Alice Paul stated, “We're legitimate citizens. We're taxed without representation. We're not allowed to serve on juries so we're not tried by our peers. It's unconscionable, not to mention unconstitutional. We don't make the laws but we have to obey them like children.” There was one scene in the movie that affected me the most, and that was the force-feeding scene. Alice Paul was on a hunger strike after being thrown in a mental hospital for her actions in the women’s suffrage movement, the hospital staff soon got tired of her act and shoved a tube down her throat forcing her to eat. The scene was so disturbing but yet so empowering to watch. I can not imagine going through what those women went through, yet I reap the benefits each and every day. Finally, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed and in 1920 women voted for the first time. Not only did these women gain the right to vote but they helped change the view of women and gave women a confidence they didn’t have before. As much as women accomplished their roles were still restricted, they still weren’t in the work force or allowed to use contraception. The first wave got women’s foot in the door, and it was up to the future women to open it.
The second wave of feminism focused more on women’s independence and equality with men. Many of the women who worked in the second wave gave us rights that we can’t imagine not having today. For example, gender equality in the workplace, reproductive and sexuality information, and made discrimination of the sexes or race illegal. Women were stuck in certain stereotypical jobs such as secretaries, and they weren’t allowed to have jobs like factory workers. I can’t believe I have never thought about the rights I have now and who fought for me to have them. Not only did the second wave fight for women to get into the workforce, but also to have equal pay for equal work. However, the second wave did come with quite a few criticisms. Many argued that the second wave only focused on upper and middle class white women, and did not focus on other races of women or lower-class women. There will always people that criticize the waves of feminism, but looking back the second wave accomplished many things and once again it was up to the future women to keep it going.
The third wave, or the contemporary wave, is what we are experiencing today. The third wave is different from the past two waves because there isn’t a big movement that is happening. “What makes defining the third wave challenging is that not only is the shared label (feminism) missing, also missing is a shared movement that connects the factions of modern feminism and moves shared issues into the broad arena of popular concern” (Rowe-Finkbeiner, p. 32). There are several small issues, but nothing like gaining the right to vote, or equal pay in the workplace. Honestly, I had no idea about feminism and that there were groups fighting for things today until I took this class. I had no idea we weren’t being paid equally as a male doing the same job. I think a big problem with my generation is the laziness and impatience. A lot of people don’t like being involved in something where they can’t see direct results for all the work they have done. I think a goal of the third wave should be to reach out to these younger generations and make them understand what the men and women have done before us to give us these rights.
I think women’s studies and feminism go hand-in-hand. I had no knowledge about feminism until I took this women’s studies class. I think women’s studies is important to educate people about women’s rights and feminism is to fight for these rights. Learning about women in the past that have fought for our rights today is inspiring and should be talked about more. I am upset that I never had the option in middle school or high school to take a women’s studies class. I’m still not quite sure of the reason why it is not talked about, I guess it is too controversial to talk about women and their history? I think it is sad that if I said the name Alice Paul my friends would be clueless, but if I said Tony Romo or Wayne Gretzky they could probably tell me ten things about them. Women’s studies and feminism go hand-in-hand and should be talked about way more than they are now. I think the third wave feminists would have way more support if the issues and information were shared with girls from a young age. Women’s studies is a very important subject, and it is more important that the stereotypes that come along with feminism and women be changed.
I believe I am a feminist. Before this class I wouldn’t have known how to answer this question, but I am proud to now say that I am a feminist. Of course, having no prior knowledge I believe in standing up for women of all races to become equal with men. What angered me the most was learning that women were still only making seventy cents to the man’s dollar. I was very affected by the statement in Fresh Lipstick by Linda Scott that says, “In the end, I hope I have encouraged others who are dedicated to the equality of women, but who do not wish to give up the pleasures of self-decoration, to renew their commitment to the project of feminism. Voices from around the world report a variety of conditions and systems under which only one thing holds constant: the universal second-class of females. If there was ever a moment when the women of one culture had a responsibility toward their sisters is other nations, this is it. We should not waste time quibbling over what to wear to the conflict. Instead, I would hope that, aimed with a new perspective, a rejuvenated resolve, and yes, even a little fresh lipstick, America feminism could venture out into the world to meet the challenge.” This statement is so powerful and it makes me proud to be a woman. I feel that after looking deep into the history of feminism and what the women before me have done, I am proud to call myself a feminist. Feminists can be white, black, men, women, young or old, as long as we all want the same equality for women it doesn’t matter who you are. I have learned so much from this class and hope to pass my knowledge on to whoever I can, hopefully turning a few more into feminists.

Essay 1-Sources

Belkin, Lisa. "The Opt-Out Revolution." The New York Times 26 Oct. 2003. Nytimes.com. 26 Oct. 2003. 11 May 2009 .

Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Atria Books, January 2004.

McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack". Peace and Freedom July/August 1989.

Pipher, Mary. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994.

Valenti, Jessica. He's a Stud, She's a Slut and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know. Berkeley, California: Seal P, 2008.

Essay 1-Final

This class has opened my eyes to many issues regarding gender, sexuality, race, equality, rights, and many other things that I have rarely taken the time to think about. Being a white woman in today’s world, I thought I had little to worry about and hardly any hardships to overcome; little did I know how far women still have to go. We talked about many things throughout the semester, but a few articles really caught my attention. These articles include: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by Bell Hooks, The Opt-Out Revolution by Lisa Belkin, Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, and He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know by Jessica Valenti. Most of these articles focus on issues that come with being a woman, and since I have gone through similar experiences I was able to relate with them the most. Each one of these articles impacted me in some way, mostly they showed me new viewpoints and ideas that I would have never come across otherwise. After reading these articles, I found that society has a “social norm” for every aspect of life, and if you are white, black, male, female, young or old, a slut or stud, society tells you how you should act. Society tells us the white race is dominant, society tells us how to raise our children, society tells us if women should or should not stay at home with their children, and society tells us if a girl is being a slut.
The first article I chose to look at is White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh. Peggy focuses on the idea that the privileged people of the world, in one way or another, are oppressing the lesser privileged people. Peggy McIntosh states, “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.” I had never thought about race or gender in this aspect because society has not led me to think that way. We focus on being equal, but only if our status remains the same and the other people come to our level, we have never thought about stepping down to theirs. Many people reject this idea because who wants to be held accountable for another person’s oppression; it is a very hard concept to accept. Another point McIntosh made was, “whites are taught to think of their lives as a morally neutral, normative, and average, also idea, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow ‘them’ to be more like ‘us.’ This is what I have been taught by my parents, school, and society since I was a small child. For some reason, society has put whites as the dominant race and every other race should work to be more like “us.” This article mostly focuses on race, but this idea is the same for men and women. Women are striving to be equal to men, we are trying to get on their level but they are not trying to meet us in the middle. Who wants to give up privileges they are born with? The most important thing I have learned from this class is how many things I have been taking advantage of for the past twenty-one years of my life. McIntosh lists twenty-six everyday privileges that white people receive only because of their skin color; for example, it could be something simple enough as a flesh-tone bandage, you never see any darker bandages for darker skinned people. I never thought about the extra privileges I receive from my skin color, gender, looks, age, etc. This class, and this article, have taught me to appreciate what I have been given and use it to benefit others. I know I can’t change the world by myself, but if society starts to change then people’s views will start to change with it.
The second article that impacted me this semester is The Will to Change by Bell Hooks. I was raised with two sisters, my mother and father. My household was definitely female dominated, and all of my extended family is also female. I had never thought how difficult it might be for young boys to express emotions or for parents to be worried about masculinity. I was raised in a family where the females were all the dominant figures of the household. This article has made me aware what parents of boys and the boys themselves go through growing up. However, this issue wouldn’t be so intense if it isn’t for society and the media. Bell Hooks focuses on patriarchal masculinity being the reason that young boys choose not to share emotions and end up getting into violence. Many parents are scared of their boys being too feminine or not masculine enough, and one of the biggest fears is homosexuality. Some people believe that if they teach their boy to be emotional and expressive that they could end up homosexual. Why do they think that? This is what society tells us, society says it isn’t normal for men to be weak and vulnerable, but they should be violent and strong. “To truly protect and honor the emotional lives of boys we must challenge patriarchal culture. And until that culture changes, we must create the subcultures, the sanctuaries where boys can learn to be who they are uniquely, without being forced to conform to patriarchal masculine visions,” states Bell Hooks. Feminists push for equality and they should push for the equal treatment of boys and girls; they should be raised with the same values. However, once again society tells us otherwise and we do nothing but listen.
The third article was probably the most talked about article in the media, The Opt-Out Revolution by Lisa Belkin. This article affected many women worldwide, whether they were working or stay-at-home mothers. Belkin proposed that the reason women are not holding as many as the high up jobs men have, is because they don’t want them. She said that most of these women would rather stay at home with their children than to move up on the career ladder. If they didn’t have the option to stay-at-home then they wanted a less stressful job that would allow them to have more time at home. This article interested me because I had no prior knowledge to this subject, it was yet another thing I had never thought or heard about. I understand what Belkin is saying, but I’m not quite sure she said it in the right way. Like many arguments to Belkin, not everyone has the option of staying home with their children because of financial difficulties. I was always told to go to school, make good grades, graduate and get a job; anything beyond that seemed too far in the future. Now I am twenty-one years old and getting closer to the “real world.” After reading Belkin’s article I started thinking about what I want for my family and myself. However, I have no idea what the future holds for me. Society tells me both are acceptable, but it is expected that I will stay home with the children rather than work. Society also tells us that the man should be the breadwinner and does not have the option of staying at home with the kids. In my opinion, it shouldn’t matter what men or women do with their lives, its only affecting them. I view it as if a woman or man wants to stay at home, then that’s their choice and I have no room to judge. Women who want to be in the work force and move up the career ladder will, if not then they will choose to raise their family. Society sends mixed messages, and I’m honestly confused about what I should do, it is a good thing I have quite a while to decide.
The fourth article I chose was Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher. I related most to this article because I remember going through an awkward adolescent phase. As young girls mature, they definitely going through many phases, some better than others. Society starts to have more of an impact on young girls as they are exposed to television and magazines. I started becoming more aware of my looks in middle school, where in elementary school I wore T-shirts and shorts every day so I could play outside at recess. At middle school recess completely changed, it went from basketball and soccer to cliques and popularity. Reviving Ophelia suggests that “adolescent girls experience a similar pressure to split into true and false selves, but this time the pressure comes not from parents but from the culture.” Once again, culture tells us what is normal and how we should act.
The last article I chose was He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut by Jessica Valenti. This was my favorite reading throughout the semester because double standards are one of my biggest pet peeves. Her double standards included things such as: she’s a slut, he’s a stud, he’s a hero, she’s a damsel, he’s gonna be a success, she’s gonna be a stay-at-home mom, he’s a politician, she’s a fashion plate, he’s tough, she’s a tomboy, he’s successful, she’s a showoff, he’s a boss, she’s a bitch, he’s getting and education, she’s getting in his way, and he’s funny, she’s annoying. I’m sure everyone could think of hundreds more, but I feel that these cover a lot of ground. What I found most interesting was at the end of each segment she would have a part that says, “what to do,” and in almost each one it said do not let the media get away with this, write a letter to the editor, make sure the media is telling the truth, make sure their studies are accurate, etc. It just goes to show that once again society and the media are putting these ideas out there and we are following. Just as Valenti said, we can’t change the whole world but we can change the people around us. Start addressing friends who use these double standards or the local media who follows these. Women need to start standing up around the world to these ridiculous standards. We think we have come a long way, but we have so much further to go.
Each one of these articles was connected through the way our society has taught us to live, think and act. For example, whites are more powerful, men are better than women, young boys should be emotionless, girls lose themselves in their teenage years, women are sluts, etc. Every article basically blamed society and media for our views today, but how can you not? All of these things in the articles occur every day on the television, in magazines, on the internet and half men and women think nothing of it. Many of my friends have never even thought to be offended by women being viewed as sexual objects, and half of them would probably enjoy being those sexual objects. The things we see today and strive to be are not good role models. This class has taught me to realize what society has done to women and that I should start standing up for myself and the ones around me. I came into this class oblivious to women’s oppressions and came out of this class full of knowledge, this knowledge I can now take and teach my friends. I am still shocked at how little was taught to me about women’s studies in middle school or high school. I am glad I finally have gained the knowledge I need. This class has made me think about my future and what I should expect from it. I will be much more aware of how I will be treated in the workforce, and realize that I will have to work twice as hard as a man would. My future goal is to take it one step at a time and start with my girlfriends. I hope to pass on the knowledge I have gained through this class and make little changes in my friends lives to help women across the world.

Blog 10

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) goal is to find a cure to breast cancer. It provides funding for clinical and transitional research at many medical centers, and they also are working on increasing the public awareness about good breast health. Breast cancer has effected several people in my life and I think it is very important for women to be aware of it. Every dollar that is donated to the BCRF, eight-five cents is donated to research. Not only do they help donate money to research, but they have several support groups for survivors and their families. The thing I like the most about BCRF is that it does not concentrate on just curing cancer, but also preventing it. I don't think women are aware of how common breast cancer is and what you can do to prevent it. I would love to start donating to this foundation or help volunteer for it. I have volunteered for Make-A-Wish Foundation in the past, which also works with cancer patients, and I have never done anything so rewarding. Breast cancer is a very important issue and I think all people should support research for a cure to it.

After reading The F-Word I agree with REuss's point that women in the third wave are politically inactive. I know I take my voting rights, working rights, etc. for granted. I never even thought about what women went before me who fought for those rights before I took this class. I think a lot of people my age are focused on many other unimportant things rather than on serious issues. For example, when we had that conversation in class about the media and public focusing more on Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and Cindy McCain's looks rather than on what issues were important to them and what advocates they were. I think this third wave has a long way to go because we do take a lot of our rights now for granted.

Reading Gender

The Eternal Feminine is probably one of the most interesting plays I've ever read. One of the scenes that struck me the most was The Life of a Single Woman section. The opening of the scene starts with Lupita trying on a wig, which gives a vision of a poem about the life of a single woman and how she is ashamed for not having a man in her life. It one part of the poem it says, "Facing an opaque crystal, the single woman--extinguished star--paints onto her lips the blood she does not have." Not only is she ashamed of who she is, she is not even a human being if she does not have a man by her side.
After the poem, images are flashed across the screen at the hair salon of Lupita at several different occupations as a single woman. The occupations are shown are a teacher in an empty classroom, a secretary typing a blank note and a surgical assistant with no patient to treat. The last thing Lupita seems is a view of the empty street with no children and nothing but a pregnant woman with a shopping bag on her arm. I assumed this to mean that without men, the world would be empty; all men are the ones who go to school, have secretaries work for them and are the doctors of the world. Without men, women would have no jobs because women only work for men. Once again, the play is showing that women are nothing, and can not be anything, without men in their lives and in this world.
Lupita is horrified by the scene she had seen and wanted immediately to take of the wig that made this image. She tries on another wig called "The Soiled Flower." The next vision is of Lupita dressed as a prostitute stumbling upon a lamppost at a street corner. A man approaches her first and starts to inform her on the rules of being a prostitute. Shorty after, a second prostitute confronts Lupita and after a small confrontation, befriends her. The experienced prostitute starts giving her some advice about working and how to please the men. One of the things that stuck out the most to me was when the prostitute told Lupita that even if you are in this job by your own free will, you have to act miserable, weak and vulnerable to your customers. Men are especially pleased when they can control you, and maybe even physically harm you. After reading this scene, it made me think of the book He's a Stud, She's a Slut by Jessica Valenti. This book talks about all of the double standards women face in the world today, and especially what the term slut means. I think this fit in perfectly with the play because when Lupita was seen as a prostitute, guess who the boss was?..a male. He was the "pimp" but was looked at as powerful and the controller of his women. However, only the girls were looked at as whores, while the male pimp is respected. This play was sarcastic and humorous, but it starts to become not funny when you know this is how the real world is. I think this scene of the play portrayed that without a man, a woman's only option was to be a prostitute, where ironically all she was doing was trying to please men. Women are judged so harshly in the world today no matter what you choose to do. The woman is a whore while the man is a pimp.
This play highlights all sorts of gender issues, but in this scene it is the stereotypes a single woman faces in the world today. Without a man in front of them, women are not taken seriously or respected. I think Castellanos wanted to make it clear how outrageous the life of a single woman is portrayed in the world today. People assume if a woman is 40 and single, she must be miserable; instead of thinking she's perfectly happy without a man. I really enjoyed reading this play and how sarcastic and extreme Castellanos made gender issues.

Blog 9

"Women Thrive Worldwide is the leading non-profit organization shaping U.S. policy to help women in developing countries lift themselves out of poverty." This organization focuses on transforming U.S. policy to benefit women nation wide. Since the U.S. is a dominating world power, their policies have an affect on many countries. This organization focuses mainly on the assistant and trade policies to focus more on women and their needs. Women Thrive Worldwide get together with hundreds of other women's organizations to make sure U.S. policy addresses women's rights. Currently Women Thrive Worldwide is working on getting The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) to pass. If this act passes, it will concentrate on promoting women's economic opportunity, address violence against girls in school and work to change public attitudes. This act will force the U.S. to make violence against women a diplomatic priority. Almost everything you find on this organization says it is the leading organization shaping U.S. policy. This organization continues to work hard and fight for the rights of women all of the world. It is important the donations keep coming to this organization so they continue their hard work and their fight for women. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't want to help the poor, starving and abused women all over the world that aren't receiving the rights they deserve. This organization focuses on women because research has shown that women in poor countries give whatever small income they make to feed, cloth and school their children. The mothers are mostly malnourished and aren't keeping any food or money for themselves. This is a gender issue because it is the women who are working in the factories, for example Nike and Reebok factories. After reading the article The Globe Trotting Sneaker by Cynthia Enloe I realized how many women are suffering. I have always heard about factories crammed full of young women who are being paid less than a dollar a day, but I always chose to turn my head the other way. Americans are so spoiled and we choose to be oblivious to the issues going on across the world. I am so disgusted by American's greed, especially big coporations greed like Nike and Reebok. The other thing that bothers me is that won't even admit their wrong-doing. They purposely go to these countries that have no rights for women and build factories there to get cheap production, and when asked about it they say the women should be thankful they have a job. I will definitely be thinking about who made my shoe or whatever clothing item next time I go to buy one.

Ethnography Paper

Research Design: I was very interested in Kingsley R. Browne's essay about seuxal equality, especially in the work place. I began to read the section entitled nuturance, empathy and interest in children when I realized that there may be some truth to his view point. He states that women are the primary caretakers of young people, the sick and the old. Certain studies have shown that women exhibit more empathy for people than men. I believe in total equality, but realized this may not be the case. I decided to research how male nurses and female nurses are treated differently in the workplace. My mother has been a nurse for over ten years, and she claims that men may be treated differently, not by the employer, but by the patients themselves. I wanted to see if Browne did have some truth to his theory and how my mother felt about it.

Methodology: I decided to go to my mother's work, where I also worked for one summer, to see how the males nurses were accepted. My mother works at a cardiologist's office in Oklahoma City. I went and observed for one full work day to see how the patients and the doctors treated male and female nurses differently.

Interview: (my mother)

How do you feel the patients view male nurses versus female nurses?
The one thing I have always noticed is that the patients always refer to male nurses as doctors and female doctors as nurses. It doesn't matter what the nurses wear (whether the female doctor is in plain scrubs, or a suit and dotor's jacket, or the male nurse is wearing scrubs or a clinic jacket) the men are always refered to as doctors by the patients.

Do you feel you male and female nurses are treated differently by your employer?
We work in a big group, but I only work under one doctor. My doctor has chosen to hire all females, a registered nurse, a medical assistant and a physician's assistant. He always treats us with respect and so does our company. I have never felt unappreciated. As for the male nurses, there are only a few in our company and again, they are always thought of as doctors by the patients. The doctors they work for treat them just as the would any other registered nurse.

How do patients perceive a female doctor or male nurse?
Every time a male nurse brings back a patient and asks them the normal questions a nurse would, the patients always believe them to be doctors. Once I go in the room to follow up they always refer to the male nurse as a doctor. I have to explain to them that he is a registered nurse just like I am..they are always a little thrown back at first. I think it is the patients that treat the males differently than the females.

Do you think you would have been hired at your position if you were male?
I would like to think yes, but who knows. I have worked for my doctor for over ten years and would like to think he does not consider sex as a factor in hiring. We did have a male physician's assistant that worked with us a year or so ago, but he didn't last long. The P.A. did not last long due to the way he treated myself and the medical assistant. I felt he had no respect for nurses in general and it just ended up not working out. The doctor I work for respects my opinion and treats me how I should be treated professionally.

Field Notes: I think there is some definite truth to Browne's article. After observing the male nurses and female doctors in a hospital setting, it was clear that they were treated differently. The patients constantly assumed all males were doctors and all females were nurses. I believe it does have to do with Browne's theory of women being more nuturing. Most people don't want a male taking care of them due to the fact they don't think they will get the most appropriate care; not that the males can't do their jobs, but they might not be as compassionate as females.

Write up: I am all about gender equality, but it is inevitable that people treat males and females differently. I am glad to find that the company treats everyone equally, but it's the public that may feel differently. I understand there are differences between men and women and a certain sex may be better at a job than the other, but everyone should have the right to work in their chosen profession. I felt that this was the case at my mother's work; everyone who worked there was treated equally, however there was an overwhelming amount of female nurses over male nurses and more male doctors than female doctors. Again, I think this is society's fault more than the company itself, but it was very interesting in hearing my mother's opinion after being in the nurse's workforce for so long.

Blog 8

Belkin believes more and more women are "opting-out" of jobs and becoming stay at home mothers. These leaves room for several arguments. For example, many women feel they were pushed out of the work force. Women are lucky if they get any more than 6 weeks at home after their baby is born, and the women who want to take more are then forced to leave their jobs because their company won't hold their position. Other women argued that Belkin's statistics were unrealistic because not every woman has the choice to work or stay at home. Belkin's article focused on women that had the option to choose what they wanted to do. Not everyone has that option, women who are single mothers can't possibly stay at home and provide for their child. People were outraged with Belkin's article because Belkin said that opting-out was a revolution, a new trend. When she hadn't even done all of the correct research. I do not have children yet, but I don't think anyone should care no matter what I chose, whether it be to stay at home or work. My parents both work full time when I was younger and I went to daycare or school all day. I had two older sisters that helped out those couple of hours where school ended until my parents got home. We never had any problems with my parents working. My mom chooses to work because she loves it. All three of her children are grown up and out of the house and she still works at least 45 hours a week. I don't think there should be anything to argue over, it's your personal opinion and what works with your lifestyle and family.

Blog 7

I recently saw the movie Burn After Reading. This movie was probably the most bizarre movie I've ever seen. There were several story lines going on, but they all ended up connecting in the end. The trailer of this movie looked a lot more interesting and normal from what the movie really was. It seemed like a comedy movie with some really good actors, including Brad Pitt and George Clooney. However, once you saw the movie, it was a whole different story. The movie was about a few friends who worked at a gym together found what they thought to be a "top-secret" disc containing information from the CIA, however it was really nothing. An older lady and her friend (Brad Pitt) take this CD and try to get money by blackmailing the owner of the CD all for plastic surgery money. The older woman tries everything to get the surgeries she wants, which include liposuction, face lift, nose job, etc. She will do anything for these surgeries because she thinks it is the only way she will find a man. The other woman in this film is having an affair on her husband and is going to leave him for the other man. When in reality, the man she is having an affair with is a sex addict and is just using her. I won't spoil the ending, but women were not portrayed well in this movie at all. The older woman needed platic surgery to find a man, and the other was having an affair and being played by another man.

As for the readings, after reading the section on divorce of chapter 7 of The F Word, make me never even want to try marriage. People are definitely getting married too young and for the wrong reasons. People change so much in a 5 year span, I can't imagine what I will be like from my age now (21) until fiver years down the road when I will be 26. People need to realize marriage isn't all fun and games and that it takes a lot of work. The book said that "nearly half of recent first marriages may end in divorce, and most people remarry after divorcing from a first marriage." This is where I think maturity comes in, and people need to realize that they will be constantly changing throughout their life, and need to find a person that is changing in similar ways to their spouse.

Blog 6

In this ad, women are represented as being annoying on airplanes. This ad is for Sony Noise Canceling Headphones, and it shows the man wearing the headphones to block out the sound coming from the women, whose heads are megaphones. It is portraying women as being loud, obnoxious and annoying. I found a website that had several hundreds of advertisements categorized into females in ads, men in ads, together in ads, objectification and several other categories. It was very interesting to see women portrayed as animals, stupid, naggers, violent, etc. I thought the ad I chose tied in several categories such as women being naggers, stupid, not worth listening to, etc. I can't imagine that women are the ones behind the scenes creating such ads, I know I would never come up with an idea to make women look dumb. I am still confused on the strategy behind several of these ads, I know seeing this ad definitely does not make me want to buy these noise cancelling head phones. I don't need to block out any women in my life.

As for the readings, The Beauty Myth was very intersting to read. After talking about it in class and reading the article there are many things that once again I had never really thought about. Women are struggling with their looks the most these days, but women are allowing society to control their views. Instead of being comftorable in our bodies, people are getting cosmetic surgery and weight-loss surgery, because they want to be a part of society's "norm." If women want to change how society looks at us, then we need to stop conforming to what they want us to look like.

Blog 5- Response

This was a tough assignment for me. I never have really paid attention to gender in the songs I listen to. These songs don't necessarily represent gender for me, but I feel like they showed the major change in music from the old generations to the present. The Beatles songs I chose all had to do with love between a man and a woman, and then I chose a few songs that are popular now. The difference is huge between the different kinds of music. Now, we have Brittney Spears and Beyonce representing women across the world, I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing. However, back when The Beatles were around, they could have been representing men in the world. All of the songs now are pretty much disgusting with durrogatory terms about both men and women. I feel like women are bashing men, men are bashing women, or it's about how a couple broke up and hate the other person. It's all a little bizarre to me, this is why I don't think I could find songs that represented gender to me. As for my taste in music, it has never really changed. I will always be a fan of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Songs come and go today, but I don't see them effecting people like the music did a couple of decades ago. The Beatles will always be classic, I can't say I see the same thing for Britney Spears.

In response to Pipher's story, I can not imagine being forced to not be myself because I was scared of society's opinions. My parents have always taught me to be who I am and stand up for what I believe in. I got called a tomboy throughout my childhood because I loved sports and hated dresses. I never looked at that term as durrogatory towards me, and I'm not sure if the kid who called me a tomboy understood it either. I understand times have changed, but I think it is very important to keep teaching children to be comftorable in their skin, it doesn't matter what their gender happens to be.

Blog 5- Playlist

Blog 4

I did not know there were so many classes for women studies! I have never strayed far from the medical/science classes so it is all very new to me. All of the classes look very interesting, and I would most likely learn a lot in them since I know nothing about any of the subjects. I think almost all of these classes would be useful to me, since I am a woman and know almost nothing about the history of women and what people have gone through before me. I just applied to the OUHSC for radiation therapy and I will find out in May if I got in. If i did get in, I won't have any choices for what classes I will be taking for the next two years. So unfortunately, I found these classes a little too late in my schooling. However, gender will play a huge role in my future job. The medical field is hugely biased, men are all doctors and women are nurses. The profession I hope to hold one day, is mostly held by men. My mother has been a nurse for fifteen years, and faces the daily struggles of gender bias in her field. She is a very strong woman, and if she is ever told she can't do something, better believe she will do it ten times over. There is only one job that I can think of where gender played a role. I used to work at a veterinarian's office a few summers ago, the owner (also the veterinarian) refused to higher males. She stated "they have no attention to detail." I thought it was odd when I applied for the job, that there were no men in the office, but never thought too much about it. It wasn't until a month into my job a co-worker had told me she won't higher a man. I was a little shocked, because I had never run into a gender related problem, and then began to think if I had ever applied to a place that would refuse to higher me because I'm a girl. I soon after quit that job and moved on. Other than that, I can not recall a time when I or a co-worker has been treated unfairly at a job. Who knows though, a lot can change once I get into my profession. After reading Hull's article I realized that I have never really thought about the struggles black women face. I was raised to not look at a color of a person's skin, but I know not everyone has that same opinion. I can't imagine having to struggle with ignorant people everyday because of my skin color.

Blog 3

I was not able to get a hold of the movie, so I am going to work with what I saw in class and on youtube.com. I think the most surprising thing about the movie was the fact that I had never seriously thought about having the right to vote. When I voted in the presidential election this past year, I never stopped to think, wow, the women before me fought for this. I take a lot for granted, and I think many of us do. I mean it was not THAT long ago when Alice Paul and the NWP and NAWSA were fighting for the rights we have today. I understand that not all the women agreed with the tactics of Alice Paul and the NWP, but I feel like that had no choice. People expected the women to sit around and be polite while kindly asking for the right to vote. Alice Paul knew this wasn't working, and they had to take more drastic moves. The women were able to overcome their differences when they began to get unfairly treated in the prisons. No one deserves to be treated like that and forced fed, even if you don't agree with what they are doing. Alice Paul and the others finally defeated the President by having the support of hundreds and thousand of men and women behind them. I would like to think that I would be one of those supporters if I would have lived during that time, but who knows. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for something you truly believe in, I admire and respect all of the women involved in the movement. I can't even begin to think where we would be today without them. As for the readings, I am still working on hunting down the second book, FIFE. I plan to have it this week!

Blog 2

I interviewed my mother, who is 52 years old. My mom is one of the strongest women I have ever known. I was raised to believe that women are equal to men in every way. My sisters and I were not raised to think we should get married and have children and that's all we were good for; my mother is definitely the dominant figure in our household. She remembers the feminist movement when she was a teenager and she said she attended quite a few meetings. It made her realize that women were more than just housekeepers or cooks, but could do anything they put their minds to; she has been a strong woman ever since. I have always been conscious of gender, but never really thought much about it. I was raised to think that we are equal and I never questioned it or let my gender hold me back in anyway. In the article "Biology at Work: Rethinking Sexual Equality" states that competitiveness is stronger in males and tends to push them harder, where it might defeat girls. For example, the article states that, "competition is simply a greater part of male life, even among children." My sisters and I are probably some of the most competitive people you will ever meet. Competition has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Competition pushes me to do my best and makes me want to succeed more than ever. My mother has raised three strong women, and all of what we learned came from her.

Blog 1

My name is Robyn Bucher and I am 20 years old. I am a junior at OU but hope to be at the OU Health and Sciences Center in June for radiation therapy. I chose to take Women's Studies because I heard good things about this class from my friends. I thought it would be an interesting class during my last semester where I actually get to chose what I want to take! Five questions I hope to answer this semester are:

1) What are the current feminist movements?

2) What is feminism?

3) What can you do with a women's studies degree?

4) What are some global issues involving feminism?

5) Who are the most influential women in our history?