1. This week was the second to last little sister meeting for YWLP. We began the meeting with the usual sharing of highs and lows for the week and from there moved on to the first activity. This activity was one we had practiced at the last big sister meeting where all the sisters sat in a circle and named at least one part of their bodies that they loved and explained why. Afterward, we discussed our feelings on what was said in the circle, and then the big sisters helped their littles create a “body map” that outlined what they thought was important about the ways they used each part of their bodies. We then broke up into pairs for one-on-one time with the sisters. When we came back from that, we had the little sisters do an activity where they looked at an advertisement from a magazine featuring a female model and find one thing they did and didn’t like about it, followed by a discussion.
2. The main link I found between this week’s meeting and the material we covered for class had to do with the final activity we did. In the short film “The Story of Stuff,” there is a big emphasis on the part consumerism plays in globalization, which is the primary reason advertisements even exists. The Peterson article states, “An ideology of consumption involves relentless subjection to media images, enticements, and directives, all aimed at promoting consumption as a positive, vital, pleasurable, identity-conferring and rewarding activity” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 433). Indeed, when the younger girls were discussing their advertisements, most of them were able to name more things they found visually pleasing about the advertisements than the other way around. The reason for this seemed to be because almost all of the women featured in the advertisements appeared to be incredibly happy and represented the beauty ideal—which appealed as positives to this group of girls.
3. From a feminist perspective, I thought the first activity we did this week was one that had a definite positive impact. Women in particular are conditioned from a young age by meso- and macro-level influences to find the flaws in our bodies, and this tends to be even stronger in girls of the age group with which YWLP works. So I think that for them to be sat down and encouraged to think about what they love about themselves by a supportive group of females goes a long way.
Word Count: 415
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Weekly Service Learning Log #3
1. This week in YWLP we met with our little sisters at the middle schools. We started the meeting by going around the room and sharing our highs and lows for the week. The little sisters were then given the phonebooks that their big sisters had decorated for them in a prior meeting, and their big sisters helped them come up with a list of adults with whom them felt comfortable discussing more sensitive issues. We then played the game “Cross the Line,” which the big sisters had practiced two meetings ago. Afterward, we discussed how the game made us feel and then broke up into pairs for sister time. The meeting was concluded with the members coming up with some general rules (or “ABCs”) for conflict solving and a light-hearted staring contest.
2. Because we are not allowed to discuss topics such as sex with our little sisters, I thought that this week would be another difficult one to connect to our readings. However, during my one-on-one time with my little sister, she admitted to me that sometimes she feels pressure to have a boyfriend because most of her friends do. I was immediately reminded of the section in the article “Violence Against Women” that stated that one in five high school girls have reported being physically or sexually abused because “young women are vulnerable to abuse because they may feel that involvement in a personal relationship is necessary to fit in” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 261). At thirteen years old, my little sister is obviously not an exception to this rule. In response, I did my best to assure her that she should only ever do something—not just dating, but anything—because it is 100% what she wants to do and not because she feels like her peers won’t like her otherwise. I also reminded her that if she needed to talk in depth about her feelings on these issues that she should never hesitate to call any of the names she listed in her phonebook or any other trusted adult.
3. From a feminist perspective, this week’s meeting was very important. I think it’s good for the younger girls to see and understand that even though they think they may know somebody, it’s important to be considerate because they never know what deeper issues that person may be dealing with. The discussion with my little sister also felt like an important act. More girls that age need positive female role models in their lives to tell them that being perceived as cool is never as important as staying true to oneself.
Word Count: 434
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
2. Because we are not allowed to discuss topics such as sex with our little sisters, I thought that this week would be another difficult one to connect to our readings. However, during my one-on-one time with my little sister, she admitted to me that sometimes she feels pressure to have a boyfriend because most of her friends do. I was immediately reminded of the section in the article “Violence Against Women” that stated that one in five high school girls have reported being physically or sexually abused because “young women are vulnerable to abuse because they may feel that involvement in a personal relationship is necessary to fit in” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 261). At thirteen years old, my little sister is obviously not an exception to this rule. In response, I did my best to assure her that she should only ever do something—not just dating, but anything—because it is 100% what she wants to do and not because she feels like her peers won’t like her otherwise. I also reminded her that if she needed to talk in depth about her feelings on these issues that she should never hesitate to call any of the names she listed in her phonebook or any other trusted adult.
3. From a feminist perspective, this week’s meeting was very important. I think it’s good for the younger girls to see and understand that even though they think they may know somebody, it’s important to be considerate because they never know what deeper issues that person may be dealing with. The discussion with my little sister also felt like an important act. More girls that age need positive female role models in their lives to tell them that being perceived as cool is never as important as staying true to oneself.
Word Count: 434
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Women and the Workforce Media Analysis
For my women in the workforce analysis I chose a season one episode of The West Wing entitled “Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics.” I chose this episode in particular because it centers around the White House Press Secretary, a character named CJ Cregg, specifically the dismissive way in which her opinions are treated by her all-male coworkers as well as her reluctance to enter a relationship with a White House reporter because of her concern for her career. The focus of the episode is the president and his chief staff—again, all of who are male except for CJ—waiting for the results of a national poll about one of their new policies. While predicting the outcome of the poll, CJ makes a guess that is wildly opposing to any of the ones made by her coworkers and she is brushed off. It is revealed later that her prediction is the only one that did not warrant mentioning to the president, and when CJ speaks up about this, her opinion is again brushed off with placating remarks and amused glances between the president and coworkers.
The character of CJ Cregg is one who, in addition to dealing with the high demands of her job, struggles in almost every episode to be taken seriously in a workplace where virtually every other female character is either a secretary/assistant, wife, or love interest. This occurs despite her status as a powerful, well-educated woman. Though her coworkers respect and admire her, there are still more instances of them being reluctant to take her seriously than with any of the other chief staff members. In my opinion, this is an excellent example of a statement in the article “Making a Home, Making a Living” that reads, “[Professional women] are halted by unseen structural barriers, such as men’s negative attitudes to senior women and perceptions of their leadership abilities and styles, their motivation, training, and skills” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 311). CJ Cregg’s character is every bit as capable as her male coworkers and is often treated as such, unless she steps out of line, so to speak, and offers an opinion that differs greatly from theirs.
This episode also touches on CJ’s relationship with Danny, a White House reporter—a relationship that she spends the majority of the series dodging for no other reason than she wants to excel at her job and be taken seriously as a professional. In Ann Crittenden’s article “The Mommy Tax” she says, “For most companies, the ideal worker is ‘unencumbered,’ that is, free of all ties other than those to his job” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 337). A romantic relationship with Danny is obviously something that CJ thinks she has to sacrifice in order to continue to climb the professional ladder.
Word Count: 456
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
The character of CJ Cregg is one who, in addition to dealing with the high demands of her job, struggles in almost every episode to be taken seriously in a workplace where virtually every other female character is either a secretary/assistant, wife, or love interest. This occurs despite her status as a powerful, well-educated woman. Though her coworkers respect and admire her, there are still more instances of them being reluctant to take her seriously than with any of the other chief staff members. In my opinion, this is an excellent example of a statement in the article “Making a Home, Making a Living” that reads, “[Professional women] are halted by unseen structural barriers, such as men’s negative attitudes to senior women and perceptions of their leadership abilities and styles, their motivation, training, and skills” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 311). CJ Cregg’s character is every bit as capable as her male coworkers and is often treated as such, unless she steps out of line, so to speak, and offers an opinion that differs greatly from theirs.
This episode also touches on CJ’s relationship with Danny, a White House reporter—a relationship that she spends the majority of the series dodging for no other reason than she wants to excel at her job and be taken seriously as a professional. In Ann Crittenden’s article “The Mommy Tax” she says, “For most companies, the ideal worker is ‘unencumbered,’ that is, free of all ties other than those to his job” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 337). A romantic relationship with Danny is obviously something that CJ thinks she has to sacrifice in order to continue to climb the professional ladder.
Word Count: 456
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Weekly Service Learning Log #2
1. This week was another meeting for just the big sisters in YWLP. The meeting was opened with a few more reminders of key rules for interacting with the little sisters and the usual stating of each sister’s “highs and lows” of the week. The main focus was a discussion of body image, which will be the theme of the little sister meeting after next. The big sisters were each given an ad from a magazine featuring a female model and then told to discuss what we did and did not like about the ad. Afterward, we all sat in a circle on the floor and took turns naming our favorite parts of our bodies. Like most YWLP activities that we go on to do with little sisters, it was both fun and informative, and I could easily tell how such a lesson would make a lasting impact on the younger girls.
2. Honestly, I had a difficult time connecting this week’s activism to our readings. I can see, though, how body image and self-confidence can have influence over a woman’s standing in the workplace. Women who do not hold themselves in high regards tend to allow themselves to fade into the background, both personally and professionally. Viewing their bodies as unattractive may keep them from wanting to draw attention to themselves, maybe even especially so if their workplace is male dominated.
The diversity among the group members reminded me of our class discussion about the Veronica Chambers article and the importance behind women of color focusing more on their own well-being than working themselves to death to essentially support their community. Obviously, I don’t know all of the details of these members’ personal lives, but over the weeks, and during this exercise in particular, it has been easy to see that this is a group of women who are dedicated to carving out their own path in life and doing it on their own terms.
3. This week felt really important from a feminist perspective. A big chunk of feminism, in my opinion, is having a supportive group of people with whom one feels safe to be his or her self around. The exercise we did this week was one that was obviously more difficult for some than others, but the outpouring of encouragement and positivity made it possible for everyone to complete it. I found it inspirational.
Word Count: 399
2. Honestly, I had a difficult time connecting this week’s activism to our readings. I can see, though, how body image and self-confidence can have influence over a woman’s standing in the workplace. Women who do not hold themselves in high regards tend to allow themselves to fade into the background, both personally and professionally. Viewing their bodies as unattractive may keep them from wanting to draw attention to themselves, maybe even especially so if their workplace is male dominated.
The diversity among the group members reminded me of our class discussion about the Veronica Chambers article and the importance behind women of color focusing more on their own well-being than working themselves to death to essentially support their community. Obviously, I don’t know all of the details of these members’ personal lives, but over the weeks, and during this exercise in particular, it has been easy to see that this is a group of women who are dedicated to carving out their own path in life and doing it on their own terms.
3. This week felt really important from a feminist perspective. A big chunk of feminism, in my opinion, is having a supportive group of people with whom one feels safe to be his or her self around. The exercise we did this week was one that was obviously more difficult for some than others, but the outpouring of encouragement and positivity made it possible for everyone to complete it. I found it inspirational.
Word Count: 399
Friday, March 18, 2011
Weekly Service Learning Log #1
1. Because of the middle schools having Spring Break this week, the YWLP had another meeting on campus with just the big sisters. The main focus was a game called “cross the line” that will be played at the next little sister meeting. The rules of the game are that everybody stands in a line and remains silent while a prompter reads off a list of descriptive sentences that begin with “cross the line if…” (e.g. cross the line if your favorite color is purple), and those who find the sentence to be applicable to themselves step forward. Afterward, we discussed how we felt about this activity and the way it would be handled at the little sister meeting. We also wrote encouraging letters to our little sisters and decorated a “phonebook” for them, which they will use to list the names and numbers of adults they feel comfortable talking to about difficult issues they may be struggling with.
2. In class this week we discussed women’s sexuality, which actually ties in really well with this past YWLP meeting. While we are not allowed to discuss topics such as sex with our little sisters, we are trained to encourage them to talk to somebody with whom they feel comfortable. The facilitators also rightly reinforce that we are not to make assumptions about what gender (if any) our little sisters are physically attracted to. Then there was the cross the line game, which was surprisingly intense. Examples of some of the more triggering prompts include “cross the line if you’ve ever been sexually assaulted “ and “cross the line if you don’t think that you are attractive.” The feeling in the room after the end of the game reminded me of the Lorde article about redefining the erotic as being something that connects us as humans by forcing us to face and embrace our emotional sides. In the article, Lorde writes, “The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers, which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them and lessens the threat of their difference” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 163). It was interesting to see the different range of reactions to some of the more intense prompts—shame, pride, embarrassment, sadness, joy, etc.—because while not all of them were pleasant, every one of them was very real. Like Lorde states in the aforementioned quote, I felt less threatened by and more understanding of the women in that room after the game from nothing more than sharing in those feelings with them.
3. The YWLP is full of strong, positive women. From a feminist perspective, it is easier to feel encouraged to continue with my activism when surrounded by those who think and feel as I do about the subject of women’s rights.
Word Count: 475
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
2. In class this week we discussed women’s sexuality, which actually ties in really well with this past YWLP meeting. While we are not allowed to discuss topics such as sex with our little sisters, we are trained to encourage them to talk to somebody with whom they feel comfortable. The facilitators also rightly reinforce that we are not to make assumptions about what gender (if any) our little sisters are physically attracted to. Then there was the cross the line game, which was surprisingly intense. Examples of some of the more triggering prompts include “cross the line if you’ve ever been sexually assaulted “ and “cross the line if you don’t think that you are attractive.” The feeling in the room after the end of the game reminded me of the Lorde article about redefining the erotic as being something that connects us as humans by forcing us to face and embrace our emotional sides. In the article, Lorde writes, “The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers, which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them and lessens the threat of their difference” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 163). It was interesting to see the different range of reactions to some of the more intense prompts—shame, pride, embarrassment, sadness, joy, etc.—because while not all of them were pleasant, every one of them was very real. Like Lorde states in the aforementioned quote, I felt less threatened by and more understanding of the women in that room after the game from nothing more than sharing in those feelings with them.
3. The YWLP is full of strong, positive women. From a feminist perspective, it is easier to feel encouraged to continue with my activism when surrounded by those who think and feel as I do about the subject of women’s rights.
Word Count: 475
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Extra Credit Assignment
One of the biggest differences that struck me between the movie and the television show was the lack of intimacy and, to some degree, respect for the mother by the ones facilitating the births. What I mean by that is in The Business of Being Born the parents who chose to have a homebirth with a midwife seemed to have a higher level of respect, not only from the person delivering her baby, but from the people who were present for the birth as well. It also appeared to be a more pleasant, personal experience for the mother. The homebirth mothers had the same midwife throughout the pregnancy and the birth—a constant that I imagine made the whole ordeal slightly more comforting. In the television show, however, there are multiple instances of nurses switching shifts, occasionally without even informing the expecting family that they were doing so.
It was obvious in the television show that the women giving birth were not viewed as being terribly knowledgeable about their situation. The doctors and nurses were shown coming in and adjusting medication or running tests without always informing the mother of what they were doing or telling her after the fact. The nurses were also usually talking amongst themselves instead of spending any more time than needed with the mother. In the movie, however, the midwives all seemed to have a deep connection to and involvement with the whole process. They spent every moment of the labor with the mother and always appeared to be just as overcome with joy as the new parents once the baby was born. So I guess, for me, the most obvious contrast came from the treatment of the patients. Not to say that the hospital mothers were treated at all negatively, just that their experiences seemed to be lacking a personal touch.
One similarity that I noticed was that all of the women were viewed by at least one person—be it their doctor, nurse, midwife or partner—as strong. There were many examples in both the movie and the television show of the father of the child speaking about how strong the mother was for giving birth, especially the ones who had wives or partners who had had a difficult delivery with a previous child. Whether the mother gave birth at home or in a hospital, the baby’s father always spoke with obvious respect and pride at the woman’s strength and seemed more than willing to take a backseat and let her prove what she is capable of.
Both the movie and the show seemed to portray birth in a positive light and as something that can be a struggle and occasionally very scary and painful, but ultimately worth it in the end. The movie did more to shed light on the fact that every birthing process is unique to the mother. This was also evident in the show but to a lesser degree, in my opinion.
Word Count: 493
It was obvious in the television show that the women giving birth were not viewed as being terribly knowledgeable about their situation. The doctors and nurses were shown coming in and adjusting medication or running tests without always informing the mother of what they were doing or telling her after the fact. The nurses were also usually talking amongst themselves instead of spending any more time than needed with the mother. In the movie, however, the midwives all seemed to have a deep connection to and involvement with the whole process. They spent every moment of the labor with the mother and always appeared to be just as overcome with joy as the new parents once the baby was born. So I guess, for me, the most obvious contrast came from the treatment of the patients. Not to say that the hospital mothers were treated at all negatively, just that their experiences seemed to be lacking a personal touch.
One similarity that I noticed was that all of the women were viewed by at least one person—be it their doctor, nurse, midwife or partner—as strong. There were many examples in both the movie and the television show of the father of the child speaking about how strong the mother was for giving birth, especially the ones who had wives or partners who had had a difficult delivery with a previous child. Whether the mother gave birth at home or in a hospital, the baby’s father always spoke with obvious respect and pride at the woman’s strength and seemed more than willing to take a backseat and let her prove what she is capable of.
Both the movie and the show seemed to portray birth in a positive light and as something that can be a struggle and occasionally very scary and painful, but ultimately worth it in the end. The movie did more to shed light on the fact that every birthing process is unique to the mother. This was also evident in the show but to a lesser degree, in my opinion.
Word Count: 493
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Advertisement Analysis
I found this advertisement while browsing the website for Seventeen magazine, which, as the name suggests, targets adolescent and young adult girls. It appealed to me as a good candidate for analysis almost immediately because the woman who is being used to sell the product is an obvious example of the beauty ideal, defined in the text as “thin, lean, tall, young, white and heterosexual, with flawless skin and well-groomed hair” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 208). The mood of the ad appears to one of activeness and health. The woman is wearing casual clothing and boots while climbing a tree, suggesting that the product provided her with the energy and motivation to do so. This also ties into the implicit meaning of the ad, which to me seems to be that the girls who use this product—in this case, milk—will be active, thin and attractive for doing so. Explicitly, the ad states as much by using words such as “lowfat” and “best”, which could easily plant the idea in a young girl’s head that in order to be her best, she must also be like this woman—that is, like the beauty ideal—and in order to do that, she must use this product.
The aim of the beauty ideal, and, by extension, ads such as this that encourage it, according to the text is to “promote insecurity, self-hatred, and distorted perceptions of size, appetite and attractiveness” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 208). While I don’t think that this ad is trying to promote self-hatred (if anything, it does seem to be slightly more skewed toward the health benefits of the product), I do feel that it is a good example of the kinds of ads that make young girls feel that for them to be considered attractive and their “best” they have to live up to the standards of the woman in the picture. It also definitely has elements that could distort a girl’s perceptions of factors such as size. To me, this ad says that the only way to be healthy, active or attractive is for a woman to also be thin and conventionally pretty, which is not true.
Works Cited
http://seventeen.com Web. "Hearst Communications, Inc." 2011.
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Word Count: 360
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