comment on Marie's double standard

In Persepolis 2, Satrapi spoke out against that very thing. At her college, the girls were told that they needed to wear longer chadors because they were distracting the boys, but remember in the movie how the guys were wearing skin-tight pants and their junk was showing? tsk-tsk on the double standard!

Boob implants?

So Miss California was offered a boob job by the Miss California pageant and she took it. If she was beautiful enough to win Miss California, then why are they trying to alter (or improve in their case) her body? This really bothers me, I do not know if she already wanted surgery or if they offered it to her. Either way it was obviously done in order to increase her chances of winning Miss USA because it was completed six weeks before the competition. This ties into our essay question with whether or no women should be able to alter their bodies. I see no issue with this alteration, but the reason behind doing it is a bit questionable. Was she doing it for self-satisfaction, to further her career, or some other reason? I see nothing wrong with the implants, but if she did it just for the competition, I think that is a bit shallow.

Civil Rights

When a male has a sex change to become a female, can he then legally marry a man? I was reading about how the majority of Americans are supporting civil rights for all. According to New York Times and CBS news, 42% (that is an increase from 33% just a month before) say same sex couples should be allowed to be legally married. I know that there are a few states now that support gay marriage, but how does a person who had a sex change fit into the laws? Is it still considered gay marriage then?

COMM lab

The other day in class my T.A. for my Comm lab was discussing how we needed to prepare for our persuasive speeches. While he was going over the guidelines, he mentioned that “girls need to watch what they wear as to not to distract the boys.” I was like, wow, I cannot believe you just said that. When he said that, I wanted to ask him, well I hope the boys don’t wear short sleeve shirts because their arms might distract me. He could have said something else; he did not have to say it like that. I did find it amusing though that a teacher actually said that. Why should girls have to watch what they wear when guys don’t have to be conscious? I mean, there are things that a guy can wear that would distract women, so why not point out to the boys that they should watch what they wear as to not distract the girls? Way to have a double standard against women.

Maybelline dream liquid foundation

Now you can get the airbrushed look too right in your own home! Yea, so Maybelline has this new foundation out that supposedly makes you look airbrushed. This is crazy, every year it seems like some major product is introduced to help women look flawless. What is wrong with having flaws? I think it was a dove ad maybe that showed how company’s airbrush their clients and photoshop them to achieve perfection, but if you look at the woman that they started off with she was a completely different person than the finished product. This new airbrushed look is nice, but why have it? Now when you meet someone all they are going to see is the airbrushed you. Personally, I would be kind of afraid to take off my makeup in front of people if they are used to seeing me airbrushed. I can only imagine how that transforms the complexion of one’s face. But still, why are we trying to improve our external beauty? At the end of the day, we’re still the same whether we are airbrushed or not. Maybe the airbrushing of a person is similar to the online identity of someone. You are presenting yourself as how you want to look, not as how you truly look. You are masking those flaws and presenting only what you want to be seen. Why do women try so hard to achieve perfection? All they can do is try, so why waste time and money trying to be someone you are not?

Plan B soon available to 17 year olds

The makers of Plan B have been trying to lower the age of those who can purchase the Plan B pill. They have tried from all ages, to 16 and older, and now 17 and older. It was passed that those 17 and older could purchase this product. I think this is a good idea, however, I think it should be available to all ages. Whether we like it or not, there are children having unprotected sex at very young ages, the least we can do is help prevent them from becoming pregnant. Most 17 and 18 year olds are not prepared to have children, yet still engage in sexual activities. By lowering this age I think it would help decrease the number of unintended pregnancies among our youth. We can’t limit the age of those who has sex, so why should there be an age limit on who can purchase the Plan B pill? It would save a lot of families’ heartache when the child comes home and says they are pregnant if they had the option of taking a pill the morning after to prevent the pregnancy. I know there are a lot of ethical issues with this pill because it is preventing pregnancy which is a natural process in life. But having a 17 year old raise a child is also an ethical issue also. A scientific review staff said the pill could be used by women of all ages, so it does not really make since for the FDA to put an age limit on those who can purchase it. In fact, in many other industrialized nations, Plan B as well as other contraceptive drugs have been available to women of all ages, so why are they limited in the US? Is it because women don’t have the right to have it available to them? What is the reasoning behind the FDAs decision on only those 17 and older can purchase it? There is no age limit on purchasing condoms is there? Yea, didn’t think so.

Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill Passes House of Representative

It is horrible that we live somewhere where these things happen. In this bill it states that the feds will step in the investigation if local agencies refuse to look into them. I didn’t know that these agencies had an option of refusing to follow a case. Hate crimes can occur cased on someone’s race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and more. It is about time that we have someone working to protect minorities. Hate crimes are so brutal, especially the whole case involving Mathew Shepard. It is amazing how police can say that it occurred during the process of the robbery when he was solely picked out and beaten to death. How does a robbery involve someone being beaten to death, I though robberies involved guns and money. I know here where I am from; hate crimes are more common than we know. They even occur at school, which is really sad. Bullying is just a milder, well not always, form of a hate crime. Just because someone believes that they are superior to another person does not give them a reason to harm or kill someone. If you do not like gay people then just ignore them, do nt go out of your way to kill them, seriously, what good could come of that, one less gay person? Really, what good is that going to do, you’ll either go to jail or be punished or have a all the gay people wanting to hunt you down? Some people just need to suck it up and get used to the new times. There are gay people, hell it was even rumored that President Lincoln was gay. As far as I know, there have always been gay people, and there probably will always be gay people, so accept it. Killing one gay person really isn’t going to do a thing. Hate crimes are ridiculous; all you are doing is eliminating one person out of a plethora of people, why would someone risk their freedom for that?

Disability or not?

Have you seen the show George Lopez? I just started watching this show recently and I saw an episode where George’s son Max is diagnosed with dyslexia. George is also dyslexic but I am more concerned about Max’s situation. The teacher talks to George about the situation and suggests that he is put in special education classes. This really bothers me. Special education classes, from my experience, are for those students who have a serious learning and/or behavioral problems. In this situation, Max is a fairly decent student who has never had any behavioral at home or in school. What my issue is, is that yes he has dyslexia but he is all of a sudden being treated as if he has a serious disability. What is the definition of disability? According to dictionary.com a disability is ‘a physical or mental handicap, esp. one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job.” As far as I know, dyslexia does not hold a person back. My nephew is dyslexic and for years he had trouble in school and depending on what school he attended he could take regular or special needs classes. It was not until he was about eight that he was diagnosed with dyslexia. He never had any behavioral problems but he did slightly fall behind academically. However, after they realized this was his problems, they simply reworded his work. He did the same material as the rest of the class, but on assignments his questions would be worded in a way that might be confusing to someone without dyslexia. Once they figured this out, he caught up to his level very quickly. So what I am getting at, is if something as simple as rephrasing assignments could help, why are certain school systems sending these children to special education classes. I understand that this condition calls for some extra help, but I do not think that it should be considered a disability, at least not to the extreme in which many school systems consider it.

Sexy m&m's

Why are M&M commercials becoming sexual? Seriously, what good comes out of a green M&M acting in a provocative way and have all the other M&Ms melting? M&M’s are supposed to be tasty chocolate candies. I’m not sure what audience they are trying to aim at by making M&M’s sexual but it’s definitely not mine, or children’s. If M&Ms have to be sexual in order to advertise, there is no telling what crazy item will become “sexified” next.

The Other Version of My Video

Ok yall. This video has a song in the background.

My video

Defining Women

It finally worked. Here are the quotes that are supposed to be read in conjunction with the pictures. I wish this would have worked in class.

“For women…bras, panties, bathing suits, and other stereotypical gear are visual reminders of commercial, idealized feminine images that our real and diverse female bodies can’t possibly fit. Without these visual references, each individual woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms. We stop being comparatives. We begin to be unique.”
-Gloria Steinem
“Curve: The loveliest distance between two points.”
-Mae West
“One is not born a woman, one becomes one.”
-Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex
“I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament.”
-Alanis Morissette
“The basic Female body comes with the following accessories: garter belt, panti-girdle, crinoline, camisole, bustle, brassiere, stomacher, chemise, virgin zone, spike heels, nose ring, veil, kid gloves, fishnet stockings, fichu, bandeau, Merry Widow, weepers, chokers, barrettes, bangles, beads, lorgnette, feather boa, basic black, compact, Lycra stretch one-piece with modesty panel, designer peignoir, flannel nightie, lace teddy, bed, head.”
-Margaret Atwood
“Taught from infancy that beauty is woman’s scepter, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.”
-Mary Wollstonecraft
“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says ‘It’s a girl.’”
-Shirley Chisholm

Altering the body

I was thinking of the phrase "altering the body", I usually think of extremes like plastic surgery, or "The Body" exhibit.  But when you really break it down altering the body could include things that most of us hear about everyday, such as diet and exercise, pregnancy, and tanning.  Don't these things count at altering the body too?

The Duggars- We Are Family

I think it worked! Hooray!

Comment on Julianne's House episode

My computer won't let me post comments. I've missed several over the course of the semester and just noticed it, so I'm posting this comment as a blog.
How old was the kid that the mother 'makes all the decisions'? I can sympathize with the hearing mother; I am grateful everyday that my son doesn't have a disability. It would be difficult to embrace that sort of thing, as a parent, likely more difficult than a child who has never heard before.

House

I watched an episode of House last night and it tied together a lot of things that we have discussed in class dealing with disability and parents span of control over making decisions for their children.

In the episode a deaf teenager experiences explosions in his head so he is taking into the hospital. They test him for many different diseases and one of the procedures involves brain surgery. While the teen is under the knife House calls for the doctor to put in a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant is a device that allows a deaf person to hear. When he wakes up he is shocked and extremely upset that he can hear. He doesn't want to hear because he has embraced being deaf and the lifestyle that goes along with it. He even attends an all deaf school and has a girl that attends the same school. The mother is also upset because she did not consent of the surgery, but she asks her son to give it a try. Well the boy is so upset that he rips the implant out of his own head, very gross. After this they end up curing whatever the boy had and the last scene is the mom telling her son that she is going to have the cochlear implant put back in. She wants her son to really give it a try, it takes awhile to really get comfortable with the implant and integrate into a hearing society. When the son asks her "why?" she responds by saying something along the lines of "because I am your mother and I am in charge of making those decisions.

Anyway it was a good episode, and as you can see from my synopsis, really deals with issues we have been discussing. Something else that is a topic in the episode is electing to be disable, which is what the son was trying to do to himself.

Joel Madden's Tattoos

Here is a picture of Joel Madden and his tattoos.

Joel Madden recently went to board a British Airways plane and was refused entry because of his tattoos. The staff told him that until he covered up his tattoos he wouldn't be allowed to board the plan. They claimed that his tattoos were offensive. Joel Madden says that all his tattoos are either of religious or family nature, in now way offensive at all.

I think that this story goes along with our final question regarding being able to do whatever one pleases with his/her body. Is it really fair to say that someones tattoos are offensive? What if Joel had tattoos on his face, would he be expected to cover them up or just refused access to the plane? After all we learned in this class tattoos seem to be one of the less severe things that one can do to their body, so I was surprised at this story.

Man or Woman?

So apparently one of the Matrix directors, Larry Wachowski, has completed his change into becoming a women. Larry, who now goes by Lana hasn't been seen for two years but is now out and about, this picture was taken at the Los Angeles Airport.
I looked at the picture before I read the story that accompanied it and was surprised to find out that she had once been a he. I honestly thought it was the actress Diane Lane. But anyway here is the photo of Larry now and next to it is a photo of Diane Lane.

Sheela na Gig

A Celtic goddess, I posted a picture as a comment to the Annie Sprinkle/speculum photo since it reminded me of depictions of this creation goddess. Since the images are often so old, most of what I could find is speculation and conjecture, but it's an interesting goddess since I was raised Catholic and we hide stuff like that in my religion.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.celticsymbols.net/SheelaL.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.celticsymbols.net/sheela-na-gig.html&usg=__kjqnU_hNnRTG_OTrRhg57pGDHcA=&h=613&w=419&sz=63&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=l9uOXSHU06nq-M:&tbnh=136&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsheela%2Bna%2Bgig%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Sexy Burqas

It seems that women are finding ways out of the confines of their burqas and sending textmessages with a digital layer of the cloth. Nearby cellphones with text and picture capabilities can pick up an image that the wearer of the burqa wishes to identify herself. It seems that interpreters of Sharia laws have never been faced with such a blatant defiance of tradition while still covered completely that it is not outlawed in many countries yet. Sexy Burqas

Gender Toys

My teacher told us a story that I thought I should shared...

It was Christmas time and she was shopping for her son's gifts. She asked him what he wanted and he said I want an easy bake oven. She replied, no no hunnie that is for girls lets get the bob the builder grill...its more of a boy toy and you will like that better.

I really do not understand why she could not get the easy bake even my dad bakes all the time and it does not make him any the less manly or a great husband and father.

What is the defintion of beauty?

I always wonder why women have to do so much to be considered beautiful...have cosmetic surgery, wear make up, add enhancements such as extensions, gloss that makes your lips look pleasantly plump and etc...

Why don't men have to go that extra mile in the morning in order for someone not to look at them in curiosity?

I just had to post it

So I was doing more research on my topic of sex trafficking and I ran across this photo...If its not girl its of a little girl holding a gun with the word feministe behind her. What do you think of this picture?

Embroideries & Chicken with Plums

I just found two more books by Marjane Satrapi. Embroideries is all about the sex lives of woman in Iran and an embroidery is when a woman gets 're-virgin-ized' before she gets married. Her stuff gets sewn together to make sure she bleeds and does not get honor killed. Included are the sexually frustrated wife, the wise grandmother with a checkered past and the artist that feels the strain of breaking convention tug at her soul.
Chicken with Plums is about her uncle and is set over nine dys in 1958 with flashbacks to events leading up to the event.

Windows Movie Maker

Hey guys! Since so many people are using this program for their project, I thought I would post a few troubleshooting things I ran into. I don't know if any of you have been or will be having these same issues, but I thought I'd save you some time by telling you what I found about them.

I wanted to load a music file from a CD I burned on Mediaplayer on my home computer. This same file is in my itunes. For some reason, the file was formated in .dca which is not supported by moviemaker. The file has to be converted to one of the supported files. My ex found a program online to convert the file and he converted it to an mp3 for me. When you go to "import audio" you may need to select from the "all files" section to find an mp3 file.

When you put your image files in your storyboard, you can edit the timeline by clicking and dragging. My problem was that I couldn't shrink the timeline as short as I needed it to be. If you are having this problem, you may need to maximize the storyboard to shrink the time for the frame to a shorter period. The maximize icon is the third from the left on the storyboard pane. You can also increase or decrease the time for the frame by going into video effects and scrolling down until you see the icon "speed up double" or "slow down half." Drag the icon onto your frame. You can do this multiple times to keep reducing or increasing the timeline for the frame. If you want to remove an effect (either a video effect or a transition effect), you can click on your frame and then on "video effects" in the menu. You can add or remove effects from this window. You can also remove a transition effect by clicking on the effect and selecting "delete."

Also - this may be common knowledge, but it was new to me and it made life MUCH simpler when I figured it out. If you drag all your images into a powerpoint file and edit them, you can go to "save as" and choose "other formats." Then at the bottom box under the file's name you can scroll down and select "JPEG something or another" and save every slide as a JPEG. Then, when you go to import pictures, you have all of your slides in picture format and you can select which slides to use from here. This was particularly useful because I could put my slides in the order I wanted them to appear in the storyboard in powerpoint, then save the slides as a JPEG, and then have them in order to drag into my video. If you make changes to the file, be sure to go back and save every file again as JPEG to do updates. I keep saving mine to my desktop for easy access, but I have to be sure to select "desktop" every time because it defaults to my documents and I keep opening it three or four times wondering "what the heck is wrong with this? Why didn't it save my stuff?" before I realize what I did wrong.

Now, I have a question for all of you if anyone knows. My video is coming along great except for one issue. I am doing a rapid succession of images and they are stuttering sometimes. I think this may just be because of the memory on my computer or because I have so many other programs open at the same time, but I'm not sure. Sometimes it works just right and sometimes it doesn't. Does anyone know if this problem will go away once the video is published?

I'm really getting the hang of this, so if you have any questions I might can help (or at least empathize if I can't!) I'm going to be hanging out in my office some this weekend so you can email me at my work email (you should all have it in the last email AKB sent) or I can give you my phone number if you want it. You know I'm all worried about displaying that kind of personal info online so feel free to email me today before 4:30 and I will send it to you via email (or send me your number and I'll send it to you via text!)

I'm loving this project thing. It's the coolest thing I've ever done and I'm feeling a real sense of accomplishment from it. I hope you guys are enjoying it, too!!

Medical Decisions for a Child

I was thinking about the My Sister's Keeper post and I wanted to pose a question.

THe parents in the story have conflicting feelings about what is best for Anna and Kate and the kidney transplant. What happens when parents don't agree? Who gets to make medical decisions for a child? Should one parent have a greater say than the other?

Going back to my son's kidney thing - when the doctor first told us about it, he said that if it becomes a chronic problem, they will do surgery. My ex-husband's first response is, let's do surgery anyway and then it won't be a problem. My response is let's do whatever is the least invasive, least intense protocol. Let's only do surgery as a last resort.

The mama bear part of me flared at my ex-husband and I realized that even though we have joint custody and generally agree on all aspects of our children's care, I feel an intense sense of possession when it comes to these medical decisions. How far would I take it to make sure what I wanted done was done?

Do you think that one parent should be given priority over the other when it comes to these decisions?

Cyborg???

So I know we discussed this in class. However, I am still confused on what actually is it. I tried to research the true meaning but its still a little unclear.

Any suggestions on where I can find out about this or can you explain this concept to me?

sex trafficking

I read another book called Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey and it is a historical fiction that centers around one woman who works in the Court of the Night-blooming Flowers (she's a very highly trained, well-paid and much respected whore). Their society sort of revolves around the 'teachings' of Kushiel, an angelic disciple of Christ who I think fell to earth after Christ died. I did a little research and I believe Kushiel is the name of a seraphim in Jewish lore, a very sex-oriented seraphim. The children sold into the Court are able to earn their 'marque' which is a full-back tattoo. When they earn enough to complete their 'marque', they are free to work for themselves or retire. It was a very interesting story and it sort of glorifies the sex trade in a historical context.

Sex Slaves

So I know that I was talking about the frontline video in class today on sex trafficking. I just find it to be really interesting so here's the preview.

The whole frontline page is pretty interesting. I went to the section called join the discussion and read a few comments, some of which were not helpful at all but some of which discussed how factors like poverty levels lead women to become trapped in theses situations. I just thought I'd share! I think what's interesting here to me is that one of the traffickers is female (Olga) which is something that I had previously not considered before we viewed this video in class. I suppose I just assumed that all sex traffickers were male but that is certainly not the case!

Sex Slaves Frontline Page

I just re-googled it and it actually looks like you can watch the whole video. But if you don't have time at least watch the excerpt!

Cyborg Theory

I came up with this idea regarding cyborgs, it may be crazy or not even make sense but Ill share it regardless.
I think that we are moving swiftly toward a society that is made up completely of cyborgs, because of our reliance on internet. So many people have the internet, their cell phones, and/or laptops that they are never not connected to the world wide web. So in a way I think that cyborgs are all around us, just not in the classical sense of say The Terminator. We have become so dependent on the internet that it has become a part of who we are.
Also, I think that this could tie into Marie's presentation on online identities. So many people have some form of identity on the internet, this personality is part of who they are.
On Wikipedia it says that "the cyborg is often seen today merely as an organism that has enhanced abilities due to technology." Couldn't this explanation apply to many of us?
I'm not sure if this makes sense or not but just something I have been thinking about, I would like to think of it as my own condensed cyborg manifesto :)

the dog ate my homework

Max's puppy is just over two months old and as I was sitting at the computer this morning searching for a topic for yet another blog posting, the puppy devoured Monday's issue of the New York Times. I got up to clean up the mess and noticed she left a page open for me with a large drawing of a covered woman reading a book. The title was Afghan Women March, America Turns
Away. How fortuitous that Sofi left me the page devoted to women's issues in Afghanistan!
Democracy is hard to come by in some of the Middle East and the article addresses America's involvement, deploring our 'lack of attention' to the matter of their democracy. The author states that almost 65% of Afghans are under the age of 25 and came of age not under the traditional tribal culture that many Americans associate with Afghanistan. The article addresses the issue of America's economic difficulties, stating that perhaps helping Afghanistan democratize is a luxury American taxpayers cannot afford or a charitable cause they can delay, and asserts that without the help fro the United States, they may not achieve their goal. The radical regime takes the lack of aid as a weakness in their governmental structure and the Taliban remains strong. To prove the strength of Afghan determination to over rule the current circumstances, the article begins with an event that ended with several young women attacked for attending school. Even though they were severely burned and some disfigured, they returned to school as soon as they were able. The girl's determination seems to fit the typical opinion of Afghans as "'fierce independent fighters' who mercilessly defy external influence" since I'm not sure I'd be bold enough to return to school if I had acid poured on me just for attending; that's an external influence I'm glad I don't have to worry about.

what is a feminist?

LC declared her feminism a few posts ago, and opened a discussion of how we define this term. As we approach our last day of class for this course, this might be the perfect end note. So, my dear students and other blog readers, please respond and give your definition of this word -- what does it mean to you to be a feminist? Or, and perhaps more interestingly, why do you not identify as a feminist?

At the risk of pushing all other posts off this page, I'm going to paste a bunch of quotes that answer this question for me:

Feminism as bumper sticker:

"Feminism is the radical notion that women are people"

Women's Rights Manifesto

Because woman's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious and we're the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our fault and if we get beaten we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if we love women it's because we can't get a "real" man and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and "unfeminine" and if we don't we're typical weak females and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're unnatural and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion and ...for lots and lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement.

"Well-behaved women seldom make history."
-Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

"There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
-Madeleine K. Albright

"Considering how dangerous everything is nothing is frightening."
-Gertrude Stein

"It is not possible to address society's needs at any level while ignoring the perspectives, priorities, and knowledge of more than half of the world's population."
-Rosina Wilshire of UNDP

"Women give life. We have the capacity to give life and light. We can take up our brooms and sweep the earth."
-Isabelle Letelier

"Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender."
-Alice Walker

"Violence against women will end when legal, philanthropic, governmental and non-governmental organizations and impassioned individuals unite and stand up to say it is a priority, to say that the time for ending violence is now."
-Eve Ensler

"And ain't I a woman?"
-Sojourner Truth

"Also we've found that when we discuss women's problems, we need the men to be present, so that they can contribute by giving their opinions of what to do about the problem. And so that they can learn as well. If they don't learn, they don't progress."
-Rigoberta Menchu (222)

Blackbird

By Jennifer Lauck
Has anybody read this book? The subtitle is A Childhood Lost and Found
It's about a little girl growing up amid a lot of trouble. Her mother is very sick, but she never knows why. She starts out as a very little girl and describes her mother: Mama is coffee and cigarettes and Big Red chewing gum. There are a lot of very tangible descriptions that bring you into her story as if you are there. Her wicked step mother makes her move her own furniture from one house to another and she describes it: I dragged my princess bed up eleven blocks, through seven traffic lights, up the steps, etc. And then she had to go back for the rest of her special princess furniture.
The story is all tangible, how she moves in the circles she's thrown into. She doesn't seem to relate to anybody else except that they are in close proximity to her physically and it was interesting, after this class, to recognize how detached she really was from the physical world throughout the story.

one more thing for tonight...Identity!

ok I'm really sorry because I don't even really need more posts but I found something else

Ok so this video is a clip with the bodies world director. In one part the reporter asks who will benefit and the director says "all of humankind." I think that in lieu of the story about the French court that is an interesting perspective. I promise that this is the last I'll post on it!

more bodies exhibit!...

Hey guys, I know I've posted a ton on this already but I just thought that this article was very interesting. I've been looking at different articles on bodies exhibits for a different class this semester but I came across this one. It's about how they're shutting down a bodies show in France because it was declared indecent. In fact, the decision could apparently make all French museams to remove bodies and skeletons from display. I just think that it's such an interesting contrast compared to how the body exhibit is viewed here. Although the French still flock to view the visit (I'm fairly certain that the article says that they have had a steady stream of visitors), their law is actually trying to stop it. This is the first article that I've come across showing a country or region with this kind of reaction. I think that there's something to be said for both sides the more that I look at the issue but I just thought that I would share since I've posted so many other things about the bodies exhibit.

Article about French and Bodies

Fun time: What body shape are you?

So the semester is rounding up not so smoothly and I am trying to catch up with my blogs...slacker I know but here is a quiz to inform you on your body shape. After you take the quiz reflect on your results...please and thank you =-)

http://quiz.myyearbook.com/myspace/HealthBody/252394/Which_body_shape_are_you.html

BEWARE: FACEBOOK

Since we were talking about it today I decided to blog on it ;-)

I personally think that facebook should be used to hire because the internet is a public sphere and facebook is a website so you should be cautious on what you put on a public sphere such as the internet.

http://campusprogress.org/features/769/what-you-dont-know-about-facebook

CRASH

I saw this movie for the first time last year and I fell in love with it and the meaning behind it and I thought I should share the trailer with you all. It is dealing with race, class, and gender issues, it is intertwine with several stories within two days in LA.

If you have a chance to watch this movie please do =-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es7UbHPeOhs&feature=related

Trade

I think I mentioned this movie back when we were first exploring our paper topics, so I'm sorry I waited so long to talk about it again.
This movie gives a really frightening journey of being kidnapped and forced into being a sex slave, and how family members are affected. I don't want to give anything away, but this movie is great and definitely worth watching. It begins with two girls who travel to Brazil and once they arrive are kidnapped by the "travel agency" and taken into the sex trade. It follows the story of these two girls but then there is another storyline going on, which I won't reveal!
Here is the trailer for the movie, if you are interested I own the movie so anyone can borrow it but I will need it back. Just a disclaimer: it is a very intense/sad/shocking movie.


On another note, I wonder if there is a market for sex trafficking of men? It seems that when we hear about sex trafficking it is always about women.
I also wonder how the numbers compare between men and women being sex trafficked or if data is even available for men in the sex trade?
Finally, as far as running these trades I wonder the percentage of women being in charge VS. men being in charge? I think it would be surprising to see how often women run these sex trades and just use men as the muscle to control the girls.

Sex Trafficking

Since I am doing my presentation Thursday I did not want to spoil my other video but here is another video from a news documentary on sex trafficking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2MOgi0uCPs

I was just wondering...

So I was reading the logic of LC....I am a maniac!!

I have a mind boggling question...

What is the meaning of a feminist?

I'm a Maniac

So I  just have to post this one thing and I won't anymore for a few days!

My experience in college has been quite the roller coaster ride...one of those ones where you have to sit backwards so every surprise has an extra kick!  I've learned so much about myself and other people.  I can't believe that I am the person that I am today.  I'm not perfect but I am content where I am.  

One of the things that I've really learned about myself is that I am a feminist.  I never wanted to admit that before because I wasn't sure how to define it but I think I finally got it!  Last Thursday in class we talked about Haraway article and how she's an anti-essentialist feminist.  I remember rolling my eyes at the idea that women should fall into categories and be happy there.  Instead I have decided that I am an essentialist feminist and women can fall into any category they please and society should accept the two genders, and all those in between, as equals.  Someone fought for my equality and I'm going to be gracious and accept it.

Whew~ that was really opinionated of my but I just wanted to get that off my chest.  No pun intended.  See you all in class!

Too Much TV

Khloe Kardashian

So I watch a lot of TV and one of favorite shows is Keeping Up with the Kardashians.  One of the more recent episodes Khloe was asked to pose for PETA, nude of course, as a part of their anti-fur campaign.  The episode was a little sad but also eye opening because poor Khloe isn't 5'3", 120 lbs on a heavy day like her sisters.  Instead I think she's about 5'7" weight unknown but fly nonetheless.  I was proud of her for eventually standing up and posing for the campaign because it really showed that she cared about the issue and she finally gained enough courage to show off her body.  I posted a link to the picture above.  Don't worry, it's know graphic.  

What pissed me off though was the way her step-father Bruce suggested that she lose a few pounds!!  Ugh!  When you see the pictures you can see that the girl doesn't need to lose anything...I mean really Bruce?  Ugh makes me sick.

Miss North Dakota 1997

Was recently arrested in Iran for "spying" for American interest. Her charges were vague, however, according to her father, and he had never seen what the actual charges were. She was writing a book about the culture in Iran.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_us_journalist

Ya Ya

I read the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood over spring break and was really moved by how very traumatic relationships between mothers and daughters are so commonplace. The characters were very close friends and, growing up in the deep south, comfortable with their bodies enough to sleep nearly nude on their front porch during the summer! A far cry from the books on Muslim women, who are taught to deny their earthly bodies, it was so refreshing to read the story of women who are so deeply in tune with their bodies. I'd never even seen the movie, so I had no idea what to expect from the book, but it was a great read.

just for fun...but it's about prostitutes!

So perhaps this is not 100% relevant but it's kind of funny. Today I was sitting in Dr. Brainerd's class (Systems and Theories...it's super exciting, let me tell you). And we were talking about Freud (which we have talked about in class so this is semi-relevant) and his defense mechanisms. Specifically we began talking about reaction formation (deny the unacceptable emotion but you substitute the exact opposite emotion in your mind) and he just likes to give lively examples. So he's in the middle of giving a very loud rendition of a televangelist yelling about prositutes and wanting to put them all in the grand canyon, fill it with gasoline, and burn them all ALIVE. He was yelling and going on and on about it and the room that we meet in is one of the rooms that is right off of the main entrance to Brackett so it is, of course, at this very moment that a tour group walks by. Everyone is peering into the window and looking alarmed while he's yelling about prostitute and burning them alive. I'm quite curious as to how many were scared away from Clemson (or at least their parents)!

Anywho, the televangelist was caught with a prositute showing that while he hated them and truly believed that he hated them, some despicable part of him loved them (at least according to Freud). It was kind of funny and made me think of this class since we were talking about prositution on Tuesday.

gender and experimentation

Two interesting articles in the NYTimes today -- one on how Disney is doing market research to gain more young boy viewers and consumers, another on "postnature" and Stelarc (who we mentioned in relation to Orlan), and Stelarc's extra ear (the one implanted on his forearm). Take a look!

Toddlers and Tiaras

I just saw this commercial on TV for a new show that just came out, and I thought I'd share it with you all.  The new show called "Toddlers and Tiaras" focuses on young girls (ages 18mo- 13 years old) who compete in pageants.  Being that we are living in the south I never thought twice about the girls that compete in these pageants.  After watching this opening though, I began to think from the other side of this argument.  Are we exploiting these girls? Is it right to have them wear fake hair, fake teeth, fake eyelashes, and get fake tans, so they can look beautiful? I think this sets these girls up for unrealistic expectations on what their bodies should look like.  I also wonder what are these girls going to think of their bodies as they get older, if this is what they are exposed to at such an early age?! Take a look and tell me your thoughts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxHHBUgDGq4

Random Post

So the other day in class we were talking about face transplant stuff.  I am obsessed with AOL.com and their news so today I was shocked to look online and see something about face transplants becoming more popular.  I posted the link so you all could take a look.

Face Transplants

Sprinkle and Stuff

Today's discussion was pretty intense!  LOL As I said in class, I wish Williams was more direct in her thinking.  I really enjoyed the article but she was very ambiguous about her stance on things.  And I thought I was really weirded out by waht Williams was saying about Sprinkle but then I goggled her name to see what would happen and below is one of the images I found.  It's really graphic so look at your own discretion.  I think in showing this image, it reinforces the idea of comfort and what I would associate with feminism.  In this picture, we can see how truly free Sprinkle is, not only in her sexuality but also with her body.  I wonder if this is the same freedom that Olan has with her body.  She must feel some sort of freedom is she chooses to do whatever she wants to her face and body and come under the gaze as she does.  Even though I didn't understand why she was showing her body, it must have also been to make a statement.  Anywho...click the ling to see the Sprinkle image...which I found on the broolynmuseum.org website...how sheltered could she have been!?

Sprinkle and Her Cervix

Also, if it's here then it must be art...or at least someone thinks so.

Isabelle Dinoire

Hey guys! Here's some of the news stories on Isabelle Dinoire in case you're interested. I think that there are some interesting comments about Dinoire being "satisfied" with her new face. Particularly in the Washington Post story, there is a part that talks about how she has not had a formal psychological evaluation and alludes to the potential problems that she may be experiencing. I think that it's an interesting link to some of what we were discussing in class this afternoon about how a facial transplant affects the sense of the body and sense of self or lack thereof that a person might potentially experience in this situation. I'm curious as to how she does feel about all of this!

CBS News Story on Isabelle Dinoire

Washington Post Story

My Sister's Keeper

So I just finished reading My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult and I seriously reccomend it to all of you, if you haven't read it. It deals with issues regarding the body. Specifically, the story follows a family whose eldest daughter suffers from cancer. The parents conceived another child (Anna) as a perfect match for donating to her sister (Kate). After 13 years and when Kate is needing a kidney donating Anna seeks medical emancipation from her parents. That is the basic plot without giving anything away.
The book deals with some pretty heavy issues dealing with the body and organ donation. It asks how much say does a minor have over there body? When can a parent's intentions for their children cross the line? It also examines the relationships in families.
So I really think you all should read the book because it is amazing!!!!

Body Farm

I was reading the post about the body display in Atlanta and remembered an even more disturbing display of bodies: a body farm where forensic students get to study human decomposition.
There is one in Cullowhee, NC for Western Carolina University students and is only the second one of it's kind in the nation (according to the website). I saw it on the news, way before this class, and just checked out the site. I'm just glad I'm not a forensic student. I can't imagine how it must smell on that farm.

My Angry Vagina

Hey guys! I know that this is a little delayed because we were talking about the Vagina Monologues last week BUT I told one of my friends about the project that we're doing for our class and she told me that she had seen this video on youtube when she was looking for a rendition of My Angry Vagina. It says that it's a project for a Women's Studies class. I think that this is my favorite from the vagina monologues (although that depends on the day). I just love it! But I thought that it was a pretty interesting project (perhaps an idea? it totally relates to the class!) I think that I like this monolgue so much because it addresses a lot of the complaints that women are constantly making in jest...except that it's not totally in jest. I think that this is a really good version too!

more bodies exhibit and the black market

Hey guys! The link that I posted was just to see the link to the Atlanta tickets so I thought that if any of you were interested I would post the link to the exhibit. You can read about the systems they're preserving and the process that they go through to preserve the bodies and organs.

This is the real bodies exhibit link...that was just for tickets!

I read the home page and came across the bottom:

Countless visitors have remarked that the knowledge gained from the experience has provided them with a new connection to their own bodies. Others claim a new reverence for life and a desire to take a more preventative approach to their health care. To quote writer and philosopher John Conger whose words are displayed in the exhibition, “Without the body, the wisdom of the larger self cannot be known.”

I think that this was an interesting way to look at it. Instead of detracting from the body and how people view it, perhaps it puts them more in touch with their body and will take better care of it.

I also found this article on the bodies exhibit: Exclusive: Secret Trade in Chinese Bodies
It's a really interesting article about the exhibit and about how perhaps some of the bodies were executed Chinese prisoners.
There is also an article about the black market in bodies: N.Y., China Investigating Black Market in Bodies

Now this DOES mess with the sanctity of the body. I'm just saying.

making movies!

My loaner computer does not have movie maker so I made one with Marie and took notes. Anyone who was in class, if you have anything to add to my disjointed notes, please feel free to add to them!

making a movie with moviemaker
go to helmstreet.com/sample.wav and download to save file. Save somewhere that is easily accessible to use for this assignment. This is the audio track.
Assignment instructions under Course documents in bb
open Windows Movie Maker. Use Timeline mode, not storyboard. Open audio, import the sample.
Add title for the audio track under Edit Movie. Now we match the video with audio. To begin, there are 10 seconds before the track begins so drag the track back to the beginning.
In class, we titled it "who am I?" and added Spiderman pics. You can import pics from anywhere (when we each made our own, we used images from google, facebook, and myspace as well as just on the computer). To stop an image after the audio, for example the image with the title, just move the end of the image to line up with the green line that signals where the dialog I chose to illuminate ends so that the square with the writing has a common edge with the green line. It is quite simple to drag the image down to just above the audio track. After you've imported a picture into moviemaker, just drag down to the track. If you stop the audio just after he finishes the question "Who am I?" there will be a green line where you stopped it. Make sure the image is before the line so it will not show after the question is heard.
On the left side task pane, 2.Edit movie has transitions and effects. Insert transition effects between the images (by dragging) so they flow smoothly. Add effects by layering on top of the picture (also drag and drop).
Save project frequently while working!!! File>>>save movie file>>>mycomputer>>>my videos Make sure to publish and then upload to youtube. If you don't have a youtube account, you may need to create one. I'll add the movie when it has processed.

This weekend my boyfriend and I were looking to rent a movie and we came across Repo: The Genetic Opera. (Unfortuantly, my boyfriend refused to rent it, but I still plan to see it.)
The movie takes place in the future after an epidemic which caused widespread organ failure. As a result, a company starts a business of selling organs to the many that need them. But if you default on your debt, they send the repo man after you!
http://

I thought that this was an interesting premise for a movie. Imagine if a legitimate fear was that your organs could be taken away from you. I wonder how would this change the view of bodies in society? Even though this movie is abstract I think it brings up a lot of the issues that we have talked about dealing with organ transplants.
PS. Paris Hilton is in the movie.

Bodies Exhibit

Hey y'all! I don't know if any of you have ever checked this out or not but it's SO WEIRD (or cool...but I don't know). The bodies exhibit is full of bodies that have been "meticulously dissected and preserved" as they put it. I did not actually go the first time but I have a good friend who is hoping to go into medicine in some form who loved it. We were just talking about it and she said that nothing really "got" her in the exhibit until she came to the body of a pregnant woman. It was the first body that made it connect in her mind that these were human bodies. I just don't know how I feel about this exhibit; it seems to be detracting from the sanctity of the body. I don't know why this is so extreme in my mind though; I mean, we put our bodies on display when they are alive and medical students use them (some of them, anyways) when we have passed on to learn more about the body. But to be put on display for all of the public to come and view? That just struck me as being quite strange. Just thought I'd share the link though because I've heard that it's an interesting exhibit!

Bodies Exhibit in Atlanta Info

Science Fiction? No, this is REAL life, baby!

So, I think I made mention in class before that my ex-husband is in the Army. I don't know if I've ever mentioned how long we were married, but it was just shy of ten years (yep, I got married before you all were in middle school. Now you see why I feel so old? LOL), so I had a lot of experience as an Army wife, which is truly a subculture of it's own. I got to play a unique role as a liaison between Army families and military units, which I truly loved. I got to see some unique perspectives between how families view circumstances and how the Army views them. I say all this to premise this interesting article I just read.

The Pentagon is actually funding research to investigate regrowth of human tissue for Soldiers who lose a limb in combat. At first, I was a little taken aback with "okay, sure, let's spend money in this economy on some science fiction . . . why don't we create the Incredible Hulk while we're at it . . ." but then as I read further, it sounds really cool and not too far outside of current scientific capabilities.

The unit I volunteered for was an Engineer unit. Now, for normal human beings, we would think this means they design and construct things (which they do), but for the Army, Engineers not only build things, they blow them up. (The unit motto for 391st Engineers is actually "Build and Destroy") When this unit was sent to Afghanistan, their mission was to build roads, but in order to build roads, they had to clear mine fields and be on constant alert of IEDs (roadside bombs). These two tasks made their mission very dangerous, and we actually lost 5 Soldiers during the deployment (one to gunfire, four to an IED). No Soldiers lost any limbs, but the threat is ever present.

I don't know if you are aware, but the body armor Soldiers are provided covers their head (Kevlar helmet), neck (there is a flap on the IBA, Interceptor Body Armor that flips up), and trunk (Ceremaic plates that cover the chest and stomache, a flap that covers the genitalia and plates which cover the back and kidneys). Because the armor is so heavy, it is would not be functional to cover limbs as well. Therefore, although life may be protected in an attack, limbs are extremely vulnerable to loss.

In addition to the grief that comes simply with the loss of a limb, losing a limb could end the career of a Soldier. This can be doubly devestating to someone who has dedicated his whole life to a career he loves. He not only loses his job, he is expelled from the community and culture he is accostomed to. There are many factors that compound the devestation a Soldier feels.

Regenerated limbs sounds a little freaky to me, but it would be an ideal resolution for military personnel. I think it's a really cool idea in this context, but how would it play out in regular society?

Referring back to our conversation on Tuesday about genetics and the impact of genetic knowledge on our understanding of disability, how would this capability redefine disability in terms of amputation? Would it change the way we view someone missing a limb? Would we form negative opinions about the person with the amputation who makes the choice not to, has a medical obstruction that prevents him, or is unable to afford this procedure? Would Soldiers feel pressured to undergo this process and continue their enlistments? Is this a way for the military to increase the quality of life for an injured servicemember or is it a manipulative way to obligate Soldiers to more service? I would hate to think this about an entity I have so much respect for, but I would hope that there would not be a "we'll only provide this for you if" clause attached.

Anyway - what are your thoughts? I'll include the link to the article below.


http://www.agi.it/world/news/200903262107-cro-ren0099-art.html

Women's Studies Graduate Forum

If anyone is so inclined, here's the schedule for the research forum this afternoon:

Women's Studies Graduate Research Forum

Friday, 27 March 2009

1:30p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Daniel Studio (Daniel Hall)

1:30-2:00  Amanda Booher (RCID) Docile Bodies, Supercrips, and the Plays of Prosthetics

2:00-2:30  Lori Dickes (Policy Studies) Policy Effectiveness of Female Governors in the United States

2:30-3:00  Carrie DuPre (Higher Education Leadership) Leaving the Chilly Classroom Behind

3:00-3:30  Marisa K. Orr (Mechanical Engineering) Career Motivations of Freshman Engineering and Non-Engineering Students: A Gender Study

Complicated

What we talked about on Tuesday was really confusing.  It was really interesting the way the text focused on the different issues associated with bodies.  I feel like the terms were very complicated and hard to get through.  What I thought about when we were discussing the reading was the way the terms apply so much to the political issues that face our government.  I did feel like some of the other issues turned away from that though becuase they dealt with issues that faced adult bodies rather than pre-birth bodies.  Hm.  I was a litte confused about exactly what a cyborg is.  Is this one?

Cyborg??

Woman in Burqa condemns woman in chador

This is an article about a woman who completely covers herself for her religious ideology, and claims that a woman who only wears a chador is not following religion as seriously. I just finished reading the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood over the break and it's steeped in Catholic mysticism. I remember the condemnation in the church when girls didn't behave appropriately, but no one criticized the boys if they acted out. It seems rather universal that women bare the burden for the world's shame. In the Ya Ya book, a very pious mother had a daughter who was a cheerleader. The cheerleader daughter indulged in the sin of vanity because she was pretty and popular, which was simply too much for her mother to understand. Her mother sent her to a very strict Catholic boarding school for bad girls and girls who wanted to become nuns.
I remember rebelling against the church's doctrine when I was told, after four years of service as an altar server, that girls were not supposed to be servers. The priest at our church had "made a mistake" and it would now be corrected by expelling all the girls. I cried, and lost faith in the rediculous doctrine that said I wasn't good enough for God because I had the wrong parts.
My views on religion at the time were just forming, as the little cheerleader in the book, and forming around someone else's views of how girls should act.
I think the woman in the chador is very brave for standing up for her views in the face of such hostility simply because a man might see the color of her eyes. In her country, her actions are quite risque although here she may still be viewed as very concervative even with her whole face showing.


http://www.theonion.com/content/news/woman_in_burqa_condemns_woman_in

how young is too young to decide?

Hey guys! My project is on gender identity disorder, specifically in children. So of course I've been doing a lot of research and decided to get out of the journal articles and look up some actual cases and this is one that I've found. It's about Jazz, a little boy who truly believes that he is a girl. Jazz's parents are very supportive of Jazz's gender identity and though they say that they just support it and do not encourage it, it would appear as though they are actually encouraging it (at least a little bit) whether they mean to or not. Regardless, here's the question I've been pondering...how young is too young for a child to decide their gender? Do you think that a child can inherently know at age 6 that for the rest of their life they would prefer to be a member of the opposite sex and will take step necessary to become a member of the opposite sex? I think it's a really interesting topic and I was just curious to know what y'all think!

Jazz's Story from ABC and 20/20

Everyone Matters

To continue our discussion/thoughts about transgender issues, check out this excellent video:

The Apprentice

I realize I may be the only person posting this week because I happen to be here, but . . . LOL

Do any of you watch The Apprentice? The show is so completely sexist, I'm amazed that no one has said anything. The tasks so far have been 1) baking cupcakes 2) creating an ad for a website that caters to the "everday woman" and 3) selling wedding gowns. The groups are, of course, segregated by gender.

On the first episode, I feel like the men had a much stronger ad campaign. They had a good location, they generated a lot of attention, and they sold a lot of cupcakes. However, they lost. Do you know where the women set up camp? In front of the Playboy offices and a former Playboy model called in favors and sold extraordinarily pricey cupcakes to a lot of men (in her defense, some women, too). Seriously - I was thinking are these cupcakes purchased in exchange for sexual favors? I'm sure that's not the case, but that was clearly the implication. Can they not just be good business women? Do they have to involve sex appeal? I'll not even go into all the crude remarks made by Andrew Dice Clay that were poitedly ignored by everyone on set. Seriously - "reality" TV? Either way you look at it, this is a sorry example of reality. Either women are routinely treated as unintelligent bimbos or we live in a society that never speaks up when such comments are made. I don't like either of those choices.

I didn't catch all of the second episode, but I did see the end product each group created. The website they were creating an ad for was www.zappos.com. From what I can see on the site, it caters to both men and women in apparel, but the comic book character both groups designed was a "superwoman" who saved the "everyday" woman from portraying a poor physical appearance. Why was a woman chosen to be the comic book character and why was a woman chosen as the victim who needed saving? And seriously - what did she need to be saved from? From not complying the the sociocultural standards for appearance demanded by men in a sex-for-consumption environment? Maybe I've been reading too many articles for my paper, but I just couldn't see past this issue in this episode. In addition to that, Trump goes so far as to mention how he tried to hook up with one of the apprentice candidates (the Playboy bunny) back before he became THE Trump and asks her why she didn't wear the supergirl outfit. Oh, so now "reality" TV includes sexual harrassment of women in major corporations?

I haven't yet watched the third episode, but the commercial implied that the women have an unfair advantage because they are females. Because all females inherently understand weddings and wedding dresses?

Part of me cannot believe I am reading so much into all of this, but the other part of me cannot believe that this goes unchallenged on TV! Really - what message does my daughter grasp from this show? That to be a successful business woman she must comply with the social dictates that oppress women? Although the women have won every task so far, I can't help but wonder if they're wins are the result of skill and talent in the job or skill at utilizing her beauty currency/feminity to manipulate men?

Bathroom Humor

I meant to post on this a couple of weeks ago but forgot until now when I just posted the video. This is the sign that we have in our bathroom (a really bad picture of it too...I took it with my cell phone!) My mom got it for us to hang up in there as a joke because I'm always complaining about how dirty the bathroom gets around here (not that people are peeing everywhere thank goodness). Anyways, it has made me think of our class a lot because of the reactions that it gets. When the guys use our bathroom, they usually come out looking disgruntled and now having had the sign up in there for quite sometime, we know the typical reaction. So, we usually inquire about their feelings about the sign which are usually quite unfavorable. In very rare instances, (meaning I think 2 or 3 times now out of the many many men who have used our bathroom), we hear very loud laughter when they enter the bathroom and they come out and tell us about our great sign. This has left us wondering about some of our male friends on multiple occasions. None of the women come out of the bathroom offended, only the men. But recently (meaning a couple of weeks ago when I meant to post this), one of our male friends informed us that it was because our sign was not attacking the female body, only the female habits in the bathroom. Not only was the sign attacking the male habits in the bathroom, it was attacking their bodies as well and a part of the body that is not acceptable to joke about. I inquired why it is not acceptable to joke about a man's when they can (and do) joke about my body parts. This does not seem like much of a fair trade to me. Anyways, it just made me think about our class on bodies and I find it kind of funny so I just thought that I would share! (it's kind of fun to insult the boys sometimes :)

Propaganda BBC news report - Should we have a one child policy ?

Hey guys! Here's a video entitled Propaganda BBC news report-Should we have a one child policy? It's a pretty short video and it relates having larger families to global warming issues. In the opening there's a lady who is talking about how she teaches her children to recycle and take care of the environment. The announcer talks about China's one child policy and states that advocates aren't looking to implement the same policy but rather to implement incentives. I think that this is still placing great restrictions on the family. Seeing this video made me think of the question that posed in class as to whether the one child policy was taking away the rights of women or whether it was just an economic policy. In this video it appears that they are trying to set it up as merely an economic policy to solve a social issue and not as anything actually limiting. I certainly find it a bit limiting, however. I just find it strange that the government would offer incentives to not have children and thus control the population. I realize that this has been in practice for a while but still, I thought about what it would be like to be offered an incentive here in the US to keep my family small. (Especially in light of the current state of the economy...I think that perhaps we'd see a larger drop in birthrate than we would have in previous years). But that's about the extent of my thought processes on the matter so far. What do you all think?
side note-the girls in the family of 5 are wearing head scarves!

men's skirts

We spend so much time discussing women's attire in class but even though we've earned the right to wear pants like men, men have lost the right to wear skirts. Today's Dear Abby addresses the issue of men wearing kilts. There's even an online store called Utilikilts that offers a variety of styles for even the most fashion-conscious. It's not everyday that we see a man in a skirt or even a kilt here at Clemson! It's more common to see a veiled woman.

When I was in kindergarten, I got to wear whatever I wanted even though it was at a Catholic school. I remember talking on the playground, how badly we wanted to be in those uniforms so we would look like the graders! As luck would have it, we got to wear them the very next year when we entered first grade. It was awesome to look just like everyone else. For about two weeks. Then it was tedious and dull. I can sympathize with the early veil wearers because it was a little disorienting once finally sunk in that I couldn't go back to wearing whatever I wanted at school.
What had been so coveted in June was repressive by August. I hated not being able to swing from the monkey bars on the playground because it was "indecent." If I hadn't been forced to wear the stupid uniform, I could wear pants and hang upside down like I did in kindergarten!

How American Tradations strain other tradations

This women who had on a veil wanted to get her CU ID but it was part of "Clemson's policy" that no head garmets...veils, hats, shades should be worn in the picture. If it was me I would have taking her picture no problem becasue that was a part of her religion, but because some Americans are so use to our culture or tradation that she was forced to take off her veil, with tears streaming from her face. She eventually just could not bring herself to do it.

My question is: who are we to tell her that she cannot illustrate her religion?

Embryonic Research

Embryonic Research Article

I found this article today on the front page of the Washington Post.  I was surprised to learn that this research is still getting funding from the government, even with all budget cuts around the nation.  I have very mixed feelings on embryonic research. The one part of me thinks this is great that we can map and plan for disease's and potentially grow new organs that are a perfect match to replace the bad ones.   I have a hard time with it, because people are now able to choose the characteristics they want for their children (in select clinics).  I think that people should let the body be what it is supposed to be, regardless of what science can do.  

As far as growing organs for people, this could definitely relive the endless lists of patients on the organ donation lists, and maybe even reduce the number or organs that are taken illegally. What are your thoughts on this issue?

happy international women's day!

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Did You Know?

Here is the video that I played during my presentation on Thursday.

I think this video teaches us about our world and the new innovations that are being made. Even though I am aware of the advancements of technology (seeing new computers, cell phones, ipods, etc...) seeing the magnitude of these advancements really blows my mind! I think it is very important to have an idea about the world and events taking place, and this video is a good starting point!

The two most interesting facts of this video I think are:
1. 1 out of 8 couples who marry met online
2. If Myspace was a country if would be the 5th largest
Really I can't believe how much time people spend on the internet nowadays!

Muslim Women

Muslim Woman in Olympics

So this is a picture of the Muslim woman who ran in last year's olympics.  As you can see, she represents a woman who accepts her religion and the things we may see as restricting.  Rather than choosing to hide her talent, she accepts it shows it off, while still remaining covered in the traditional way.  This reminds me of today's presentation/discussion as we discussed the different perspectives on the veil.

Standpoint Theory

I was just thinking about how we were talking about the Garland Thomson reading in class and standpoint theory earlier when I was talking to one of my best friends. She has Interstitial Cystitis. She's been extremely frustrated lately with the doctors here because her doctor where we're from in Columbia has seen and dealt with IC before but none of the doctors here seem to know what she's talking about and even when they get her medical records they are pretty much unable to help at all. She just said something that made me think of standpoint theory when we were talking about all of this because she said, "I know that it's not all that common, but I just forget that a lot because my mom has it, and my sister has it, and one of her friends has it." I just know we were talking about how when you're not in the majority you see things in a different light. It's not like it's an incredibly common problem and yet it's harder for her to see the problem with diagnosing and treating this because she feels like it is much more common than it really is.

Man with suicide victims heart take his own life

"Man with suicide victims heart takes his own life"
I found this article awhile ago, it is from April 2008, but it is an interesting aspect of organ donating that we didn't get a chance to discuss.
In the article a man receives a heart transplant and ends up dying the same way that the donor did, as well as marrying the wife of the donor. The cause of death was a self inflicted gunshot wound.
This article is an example of something we see in movies and television and sometimes hear about in the news, when the organ recipient begins to take on traits of the donor.
I wonder if there is any medical truth behind this phenomenon or if it is something that is thought up in the mind. Can an organ of one body really transfer the thoughts and feelings into the new body?
To me this really just seems like a coincidence, not a medical miracle. Also if the donor had killed himself then I believe it is safe to assume that he suffered from some sort of mental disorder or disease. Then the recipient dies the same exact way, is it possible for mental disease to cross over even when the source of the disease was not located in the transplanted organ? I really can not believe that this is possible.
These types of stories begin to blur the line between mind and body. There's the idea of qualities associated with the mind being associated with the body, and maybe proving that there is an even greater connection between mind and body that was previously thought.

Research Project

The Bad Girls Club

Above is the link that takes you to the home page for the Oxygen show "The Bad Girls Club" that I have chosen to do my project on.  I'm really excited about it because I often find myself either loving the show or hating the women because they continually perpetuate crazy stereotypes about women.  On the one hand, they show bodies as being tools of destruction, while some of the girls seem to use their bodies as tools of empowerment.  I'm a little confused about how I'm going to tie everything together.  Any thoughts??

12-16: small, average, or large?

Yesterday, I was in Greenville with my roommate because she needed new shoes for something or another. While we were there, we stopped by a Circuit City because she wanted to see what deals she could find. When we pulled into the parking lot, I noticed the buildings next to it: Sizes 12-16, Weight Watchers, and a fitness store similar to weight watchers. When my roommate saw it, she said “isn’t it kind of funny seeing a plus size store next to all these other stores geared towards fitness?” It was funny seeing these three stores side by side and hearing her comment. It made me think of in class how we talked about how back in the day, Marilyn Monroe was a size 12 and that was perfectly acceptable. It wasn’t considered as being big. I think it’s funny how things change. A size 12-16 is not large, but more average. However, it was portrayed as being large sizes because of where it was located. Put it next to a Cato’s with real plus sizes then it would be considered a store for smaller people. Funny how people think these days.

House

I don't usually watch TV because I don't have cable (I found that when I do have cable, my homework suffers even more than it does without the distraction) but since Santa brought me a digital converter, I get more channels than I did with just my rabbit ears. Hurray for modern science! So I've watched House (link to the episode) a couple of times because he's a jerk but he's always right so he gets away with his attitude and accompanying problems. Tonight, they got a little boy who had an extra y chromosome but they couldn't find 'his' uterus. Since he had passed out after basketball practice, his parents brought their beloved little freak of nature to the hospital for testing, certain it was because he was...different. He preferred dancing to basketball but the mother couldn't handle it so she forced him into more masculine sports and insisted her son wasn't ready to know the truth. In the end, he was sick because the mother was so over-protective. It was nicely done; House's closing words were that the boy was fine, just dehydrated. All the testing messed him up. "Just because you gave birth to a freak of nature doesn't mean you have to treat him like a freak of nature". Harsh, but so true. I blame myself when certain things happen to my son (he got into his first playground fight at school last week; I'm still traumatized). Parenting is difficult even in the most normal, conventional times with Perfectly Normal Kids (and Perfectly Normal Parents, of course) so how would I compensate for a genetic defect? Even if it isn't a defect so much as an abnormality, a diferent-ness, in your first or only child when you have no idea what you're doing? Bill Cosby says parents with only one child aren't really parents; if something is broken, you know who did it. It's not challenging enough. With a Perfectly Normal Child, that is. You don't notice the abnormalities as much when there are more children since every child is unique in different ways, each abnormality makes each child special in a different way. When there are more, it's easier to overlook the individual difficulties and see the bigger picture. Or maybe I just enjoy short bursts of chaos. I find it easier to deal with the big picture when there are several kids visiting rather than just my one needing entertainment; that's when I look for things to worry about.

Fragmentation of the body, continued

So, I started posting this as a response to the Will Smith post and Juliane's response about the fragmentation of the body of both an organ donor and recipient, but my response got too long :)

I found Juliane's comment about the fragmentation of the body an interesting viewpoint that got me thinking . . .


We place such a sanctity on the "body" that even after death, the body is still treated with care and consideration. It is dressed in its best clothes and placed in a beautiful box. People gaze at it and cry and say goodbye to the person who had lived in the body. We expect funeral directors to treat the body with dignity. We expect pall bearers to carefully carry the body from place to place. We bury it in the ground and we place a marker on top so that for all of eternity, the body can be located.

Why is the body as a whole sacred? What happens to a limb or organ that is removed? Is it simply discarded in a biologically safe way? It must be, right? Otherwise, we would be attending funerals for body parts? How many of those kinds of funerals have you seen? I can recall one, on the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, when the little boy's arm is buried.

My father-in-law passed away this month and I went to his funeral. He had been embalmed with his wedding band on and the funeral home was having a terrible time getting the ring off of his finger. My ex-husband was livid because they were in danger of damaging his finger in their attempts. I use this to illustrate that a limb, when attached to the whole, is just as sacred as any other portion of the body. So, why don't we have funerals/burials/rituals when just a limb is gone?

Is the body sacred so long as it contains the "life" of the person? Is my hand not as much me as my face? My heart? My brain? Because I can still exist without my hand, my hand is less valuable than my brain, right? But according to one of our writers in the last section (I don't have my book, sorry!), it is the sum of all the parts that make the whole have value. All cannot function without the service of the one.

I just thought this was interesting to ponder.

The Thinker or Hercules . . .

I really don't like how myspace bulletins have invaded facebook, but I can't help but read them. It's like a car accident. It's horrible, but I just can't look away . . .

I was reading a post today and one of the questions was "strong in mind or strong in body?" I thought this was an interesting question because it brought me back to the first days of this class when we were discussing what is a mind and what is a body and which has dominion over the other. The answer to the post was "strong in mind" and my first implusive answer was also "strong in mind." Why do we value this so much?

When I think of the kind of men I'm attracted to, they are always strong in body. I'm totally into the "hero" type (whatever THAT might be!). My ex-husband is a Soldier. Although he's skinny as a rail and probably only weighs 130 pounds soaking wet, he's stronger than a mule and could easily pick me up and carry me around and I outweigh him by . . . well, let's just say I outweigh him :). My most recent boyfriend is a former marine. He's also really into weight lifting. He dead lifts 405 pounds. He amazed my brother by pretty much carrying a dryer upstairs by himself. Why do I tell you these things? Because I say I would rather have someone "strong in mind" when in reality, strong in body is significantly important in my attraction to someone, but even with that reality, I would not say that this is the more important that strength in mind. Why, you ask?

Because these men are also strong in mind. Perhaps these men are even stronger in mind than the majority of the men I encounter and that is why I find them more attractive.

Perhaps "strong in body" is a manifestation of "strong in mind." It is a tangible, extrinsic value we can see and touch. It is evidence that substantiates our initial belief. A person who is strong in body is rarely of natural strength. A strong body implies self-discipline, the ability to sacrifice the hedonist calling of humanity, the ability to put "other" before "self", which, let's face it girls, is a rare commodity in a man. To me, a "strong mind" is one that can exert control over one's actions. A "strong mind" can check impulses, can exercise restraint. A "strong mind" does not act without rationale.

What would your answer to this question be? What do you think "strong in mind" means?