Main Post 2/22

Susan Douglas starts her chapter Sex ‘R’ Us by discussing what the impact of the furthering of women’s rights has done for the sexuality of women and the implications in the world of women. She discusses how women now were free to dress in as little as they want and to be a free with themselves as they want. But she says the paradox is that women were given freedom and then went and did exactly what men wanted – sexify themselves – while feeling like they were making the decisions and were empowered. She talks about how this played out in advertising such as Calvin Klein and Abercrombie and Fitch, how this effected younger and younger women making its way into children’s beauty pageants and the tragedy of Jon-Benet Ramsey, and also how this new sexuality invaded women’s reading materials especially focusing on Cosmo. Douglas continues her discussion by focusing on the male’s version of Cosmo, Maxim. She says that Maxim was crucial to her ideas of “enlightened sexism” because in this magazine, men were able to objectify women and joke about how a woman is at times in control of a man because of how they played it off by saying that’s it was all a joke because our society was so far beyond this (24).

She continues by discussing the large role Sex and the City had on our society and how the other TV shows of the era made sex more accessible and acceptable to younger and younger audiences. She goes on to talk about the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal and how this allowed America to discuss sex at all times in all places and how this played into the popularity and acceptance of Sex and the City. She discusses the irony at times of Sex and the City and how this show paved the way for others shows that would have been unacceptable a generation before.

This leads Douglas into a discussion of Janet Jackson at the Superbowl and the following ways the black women were portrayed and portrayed themselves in things like rap videos. She goes onto show how these black women were made out to be sexual and harsh and how this had(has) an adverse effect on the young black women that see their works such as music videos.

Douglas concludes by talking about how all of these factors have come together to have an adverse effect on all women and how while the increased sexuality of women could have been a good thing, the way that things have played out have left women in a tough position where nothing they do is quite right or good enough.

Collins talks about Black women and how they have been seen throughout history and how this has shifted in some ways throughout history and in some ways remained the same. The two biggest characteristics she feels black women are given in the collective minds of the world are animal-like and sexual. She talks about how this has been embraced by women over time and discusses how a woman like Jennifer Lopez – a Latina – can flit back and forth between both groups. She talks about how this image is not restricted to women and the fact that it goes to men as well is part of a racism that is influenced by white people having a majority of the media that the world sees. She then connects the struggle of black people to escape these stereotypes to the struggle of many types of people who want sexual freedom and to live in a nonjudgmental world. She continues by telling us how these sexual behaviors that some view as not right are showcased to the extreme on shows such as Jerry Springer. She concludes by discussing how these factors all play into the ways that blacks and other minorities are repressed.

Follow Up to Jocelyn 2/22

I found Collins’ first chapter titled “Why Black Sexual Politics?” to be very unique.  I felt as if I could relate to a lot of what she was saying in the chapter and that makes the topic all the more interesting to me.  The one part that really caught my eye and made me reflect on our society and how I have been unintentionally perpetuating all of it was when she spoke of contradictions in our society: “For example, well-off White teenagers can drive expensive cars to…college campuses that admit only a few handpicks African Americans, all the while booming the latest sexually explicit lyrics of their favorite Black hip-hop artist” (43).  This is Colgate.  This is what we do.  Whether or not we like it, I feel as if this quote can be applied to the majority of our school population and this is an issue.  We do not realize we are participating in a form of new racism because it doesn’t fit the definition of racism that we learned in elementary school, but we are.  I do not believe there is a way to change what we listen to necessarily since so many of the famous music artists are black, but the way to change our society is to change our actions and thoughts.  However, at this moment I do not know what actions could be taken to improve this since we so unknowingly participate in it and it is so embedded in our society.  Many people, including me until I read this chapter and reflected on it, do not realize it is even an issue and I would guess that is where we should start.  I would be curious to hear if anybody has any ideas as to how we can bring this issue to light and begin to deal with it.

News Flash 1 - Helping or Hurting?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/02/14/hymowitz.valentine.proposals/index.html?hpt=C2

On this previous Valentine’s Day, Kay S. Hymowitz wrote for CNN a piece discussing marriage proposals and the outdated traditions that linger in the process of a man asking a woman to marry him. She joked about the stereotypical man and woman in today’s world and spoke on how the process of the marriage proposal is inflated today. Hymowitz’s article is meant to be a funny social commentary that would interest many people because of its insightful thoughts on the state of women’s rights is actually an example of Susan Douglas’ “enlightened sexism” ideas and serves to allow people to fall into the trap of thinking that our society is more progressive than it is (24).

The first thing about this article that struck me was how Hymowitz referred to our lives in “the post-feminist world” (Hymowitz). As we discussed in class, there are conflicting views on whether or not all of the goals of feminism have been achieved. For an opinion piece to truly reflect the current state of affairs in this country and the world it would need to show conflicting ideas on the issue. As we saw in the works Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richard, and Becoming the Third Wave by Rebecca Walker, these women do not feel that complete equality for women has been achieved and that feminism still has much work to do. Their ideas of how much work is still to be accomplished directly conflicts with Hymowitz’s implication that women’s largest problem is not being able to propose to a man. In her statements she inadvertently belittles the work of current women’s activists.

Susan Douglas might say that Hymowitz is perpetuating the idea that feminism is no longer an issue that needs to be considered except for in minor instances. Hymowitz is displaying Douglas’ idea of “enlightened sexism” by making it seem that our society is so far removed from the issues of the previous feminist movements that it is laughable that this still exists (24). She says “The proposal temporarily reasserts instinctive sex roles in our egalitarian, hyper-civilized age” (Hymowitz). In reality, this tradition is symptomatic of the way that our lives as women really are. It is only socially acceptable for men to ask a woman to marry him not vice versa and there are many things that in our society are still something that only men do. This idea is echoed in Frye’s ideas in Oppression of many social constructs compounding on each other to form a “birdcage” that women face (3). The inequality in the expectations in marriage proposals that Hymowitz’s discusses seems to me to just be another example of discrimination of women by others (male and female) to add to many others. Both women and men would find it forward of a woman to propose to a man, but why should she not if she is an equal partner in the relationship. Douglas may see this article as either evidence of our society and Hymowitz being lulled into the façade that women have gotten to a place of equality with men or evidence of the media’s attempt to make us feel that sexism is no longer and issue and therefore we can joke about it.

Hymowitz continues in her opinion piece to say “young dudes will…gaze up adoringly at the treadmill-enhanced lawyers or surgeons or account executives” (Hymowitz). In this statement she is telling people that it is the norm for a woman to be both successful in her career and also be in excellent shape. This kind of idea is reminiscent of Douglas’ discussion of characters such as Xena and how this type of character gives the impression that women should be able to kick butt while being gorgeous. Hymowitz adds to this Xena complex by insinuating that these normal women also have a stable relationship in which they are the dominant partner except for in one antiquated way. The fact then men still principally propose is so out of touch with the rest of the ways the world works it is laughable according to Hymowitz. But this is not the case.

As we have discussed in class, women do not have the significant role in companies as Hymowitz suggests and there is a large gap in the salaries of men and women. The statistics show that women do not have these high-powered jobs that the television, popular culture, and this article espouse. Instead women are suffering along with other minority groups from the lack of equality with white males in many aspects of their lives.

Hymowitz’s article also showcases another one of Douglas’s ideas in that she shows how a crazy and violent woman is newsworthy. Hymowitz describes “a Chicago woman threatening her boyfriend that if he didn't propose, she would call 911 to say he was attacking her” (Hymowitz). Douglas touches on this issue when she talks about Amy Fisher and Lorena Bobbitt, both violent and unstable women. What is ironic in this situation is the lack of press that men who resort to coercion and violence receive especially when there are alarming rates of assault (sexual or other) against women even on Colgate’s own campus.

The article ends with Hymowitz’s cheeky comment that “The proposal provides a ritual forcing him to show that he is thoughtful, capable, loving and sincere. In other words, that he will be a good husband and father. And willing to accept his wife's proposal that he fold the laundry” (Hymowitz). While she discusses the fact that the simple act of a marriage proposal has been blown up over the years, she does not once suggest that this issue is a sign that perhaps the goals of feminism have not been achieved and our society is not in the place that our popular culture makes us believe. Even in her last comment she is glossing over the fact that women not only now work outside of the house for less wages than men, but then come home and do the majority of the housework. She is maintaining the false ideals that men and women would in general share the work of the household just as she earlier makes it seem as though men and women enjoy equal power and compensation in the workplace.

Although Hymowitz points out a social construct that is antiquated in its sexist underpinnings, she does not acknowledge that this is merely symptomatic of the way the world is still run today and because of this lack of recognition, she perpetuates the idea that women have no more battles to fight except to overcome one last traditional aspect of life: the proposal. Her position as a successful woman writer gives her an opportunity to speak out about what she should see as a sign of the many ways that women and men do not have equality and could offer a suggestion that we change some of the ways we collectively think about the roles of men and women. Her paper’s comments do not reflect the actual statistical evidence of the state of women’s power in the work place and does not acknowledge other conflicting opinion on these issues. While her paper does appeal to many people because it is easily related to our lives, it lessens the power of the fight for women’s issues by perpetuating ideas of what Susan Douglas calls “enlightened sexism” in which popular culture gives the impression that feminism has been achieved (24).

Hymowitz, Kay S. "Why Men Pop the Question - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. .

News Flash 1: Invest in Girls!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2046045,00.html

As I was perusing the Time website, I was instantly drawn to an article titled “To Fight Poverty, Invest in Girls” published on February 14, 2011.  Nancy Gibbs began by talking about how girls are the way our world can be changed and how, despite the fact that more aid than ever is being sent to women, the women that are receiving it are not the ones that need it.  In talking about the developing world, Gibbs states that it is frighteningly common for a girl to be married and tending to the house by the age of 12.  Many cultures across the world are not conducive to a girl’s education because men see it as a waste of time and money.  Gibbs continues on to state that not only is “rescuing girls” the “right thing to do”, but it is also the “smart thing to do”  (Gibbs).  There are proven statistics showing that the longer a girl stays in school, the less likely they are to get married young and the fewer children they will have.  Additionally, she claims that, “Fewer dependents per worker allows for greater economic growth” (Gibbs).  Gibbs also quotes Larry Summer, a former chief economist at the World Bank: “‘Investment in girls’ education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world” (Gibbs).  The article continues on saying that we, as in the world, need to learn how to listen to women, regardless of how difficult it might be for some cultures.  Her last major claim is that success is contingent on the entire community.  Success will not happen without enlisting men, women, teachers, religious leaders to aid the women in seeing their potential and ensuring they do not see themselves as “prey” (Gibbs).  Her last two paragraphs describe a group of twelve to eighteen year old girls whose goal is to raise awareness, and money, to help fight a myriad of prevalent issues.  This group is called Girl Up.  The goal of this group of American teenagers is to show other kids how hard it is to carry a jerrican of water across a village, or how donating a mere $5 will help a health-clinic in places like Malawi stock feminine supplies.

While reading this and pondering the impact that this movement could have, I began to realize the connections between our country’s struggle for women’s rights and a developing country’s fight.  Our history is their future.  It is our responsibility to educate ourselves on not only their current conditions but also our history so we can help them to make the same progress.

In the fourth paragraph of Gibbs’ article she notes that if a girl were to stay in primary school for only one year longer, her eventual wages would be between 10 to 20% higher.  Similarly, if a girl were to stay in secondary school just one more year, her wages would be between 15 to 25% higher.  If a girl were to stay in school a total of seven years she will typically get married four years later and have two fewer children than girls who do not make it through primary school.  Additionally, she claims, “Fewer dependents per worker allows for greater economic growth” (Gibbs).  While reading this I could not help but think back to Sojourner Truth’s Two Speeches.  Truth was able to use a stereotype to make it appear as if women aren’t a threat to men with her pint and quart example (64).  If it is indeed true that the less dependent a woman is the greater the economy will grow, why can we not use Truth’s claim that a woman’s pint will never match up to a man’s quart to convince men to educate the women?  While it would obviously be more beneficial to convince a man of a woman’s true value and that they are capable of the same things, this could be a start.  Truth’s era and the era we are in now are clearly very different but a similar rhetoric might work to convince men to educate women to allow for greater economic growth, if nothing else.  If we can accomplish that, we can build off that to help accomplish “full” equality in due time.

An additional point Gibbs makes in her piece is that in order to successfully fight poverty it is not only important to raise money directly for the women.  Restructuring the core infrastructure and enlisting the help of the whole community is also critical in this process.  I took this as it is not only the responsibility of the entire community to fight poverty, but the entire world.  As Baumgardner and Richards remark, it is crucial to “see activism not as a choice between self and community but as a link between them that creates balance” (425).  From these we can see that it is every individual’s responsibility to help join in this fight for women’s equality, regardless of whether it is in our country or in a developing country elsewhere in the world.  Baumgardner and Richards further this argument because it is important for all developing countries to realize that this fight to end poverty and women’s inequality is not an attempt to destroy their preexisting culture and replace it with our “better” culture, but an attempt to improve it.  Helping a country in their fight for women’s equality is not an attempt to push our own ideals upon them, but it is an attempt to create a link between us to share information.

If Girl Up, and organizations similar to it, are able to raise awareness and money to “make the difference in a girl not being married when she’s 10” (Gibbs), we need to support these organizations.  From our own struggle as a country we realize how little can be done without enlisting the help of everyone, and we were a developed country at the time.  The struggle of these developing countries will be even greater and I believe it is our responsibility to help.

Gibbs claims that if we want to “change the world [we need to] invest in girls”.  After reading this article and comparing it to our class readings and notes, I would agree with this claim.  In order to fight poverty, we (as the population of the Earth) need to invest time and money into helping the girls.  We need to help the girls that are married off at the age of ten to become more educated, which will in turn not only help their own well-being but the well-being of the entire country and economy.  Therefore, it is true that in order to fight poverty we need to invest in girls.

Follow up Post 2/17

In the third and fourth chapters of Sexing the Body, Fausto-Sterling discusses the topic I brought up in my last blog post about the way parents should respond after giving birth to a child who is intersex. Fausto-Sterling also discusses this in context of how doctors, psychologists, and the law should respond. After reading her thoughts I found myself agreeing with her that the correct way to respond to children like this is to not make rash decisions and to wait for the child to be able to decide for themselves. This seems to me to be the most apropos way to handle a situation like this and judging from the evidence that Fausto-Sterling gives it seems like this gives the child the biggest chance to feel like themselves. I do also agree with Fausto-Sterling that in order for this to be an good option for children there must be a change in the acceptance level of people in general especially people who do not fit into sexual “norms.” It is hard to consider how the world would go about changing their collective mindset because of the diversity of people and the preconceived notions people have. Also, many people are not educated on people other than themselves and therefore cannot put themselves in another’s shoes and do not want to make the effort to do so. It seems as though if/when people are able to try to not put their thoughts and notions onto others that we will be able to be a more accepting society and many problems that stem from issues of not liking the way someone else behaves or not liking the fact that someone is different from you will be able to be put aside for a more peaceful world. It is an interesting to think about how this issue fits into other issues of persecutions such as religious ad how many people on this earth have been touched by some sort of feeling of not fitting in. If people could realize that changing their attitudes toward others would help them as well, maybe some change would happen.

Follow Up to Lisa 2/17

Fausto-Sterling’s third chapter was very detailed, to say the least.  When I took Modernity sophomore year and had to read Dude You’re a Fag I felt very uncomfortable reading it in the library, and found this chapter to be the same.  While I know it is something that we should not feel uncomfortable about, a lot of the drawings and pictures in this chapter made reading it in the library slightly awkward at times.  Having said that, I did find this chapter to be interesting and I learned a lot about intersex individuals.  Prior to reading this chapter I had always heard about “hermaphrodites” but never knew what classified one as a hermaphrodite or the differences between a pseudo and a true hermaphrodite.

I do not personally know anybody who was born intersex, or know if somebody was, but one example I kept thinking about was an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy”.  I know Grey’s is not real life, and they exaggerate many of the cases a great deal, but one of the episodes included a teenage girl who came in with what she thought was a tumor.  After running some tests the doctors concluded her ovary was a testis. (At least I think I’m remembering this correctly….)  This particular teenage girl had always felt different than the other girls and wondered why she never fit in.  The doctors first told the parents of the test results and the parents requested they not tell the girl.  In this case, and something that is opposite of what Fausto-Sterling describes in her book, the doctors felt uncomfortable with this decision and felt they should tell the girl.  Eventually it came out that it was a testis and the girl felt nothing but relieved that she was actually a boy.  (The accuracy of this statement that she is a boy depends on my memory and on the overall accuracy of the TV show, of course.)  This episode was several seasons ago and I did not know what I know now about intersex individuals, but found it interesting that something like this was on national TV.  I think that if we have more media outlets that included issues such as these the discussions will not be thought of as taboo and the lives of these intersex individuals will improve.

Follow up to Lisa 2/15

For some reason I did not find Anne Fausto-Sterling’s first two chapters to be as interesting or compelling as other works we have read.  It might be because I am not as interested in science as other aspects of our world, but it did not grasp my attention as other readings have.  She might, later in the book, dive into some deeper issues but the speed at which she went through many different topics did not help either.  I think it will benefit our discussions overall to have a science behind the issues we are debating, but I would like Fausto-Sterling to first narrow down some of her arguments.  One point at which I noticed her seeming vagueness to topics was on page 5 when she begins the “Real or Constructed?” section of the chapter.  She describes how she identifies with three different groups (biologists, scientists, and feminists), but I would like to hear more about these different groups and their thoughts and how they all relate together to prove something to us.

A part of chapter two that I found particularly interesting started on page 36, “The Making of the Modern Intersexual”.  One of my roommates is taking a class where they are learning about intersex individuals and hearing about their discussions has intrigued me.  I hope that we have a chance to continue to discuss this and read more about it as well.