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.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
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.
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