I know I'm a little late on this post, but I fell asleep last night. Anyways, here's a book review I found that looks pretty cool.
http://www.elle.com/Pop-Culture/Movies-TV-Music-Books/Book-Release-Girldrive
I just might have to buy this one...
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Can someone be more of a monogamist than someone else?
While my boyfriend and I were out to lunch today I was telling him about the Womens Studies class I'm taking and for the millionth time how much I like it. We were discussing the audio clip that we heard in class and that led to the topic of monogamy. He said I was of a monogamist than he was. I feel like because we are together in the relationship and have never strayed from each other, that we are equal. I don't understand, what could make me more monogamist than him? I don't exactly remember what we talked about after that because I was thinking 'what?' and totally tuned out. Maybe I'll take this up with him later to see what he meant.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Women's Rights in the Middle East
I may be naive, but I never knew that women in the Middle East had as many rights as they do. I know that sounds horrible.I guess before this class I never bothered to learn about their rights and probably would have never read this article if it wasn't assigned. But, honestly I'm glad I read it. It gave me a new perspective so to speak.
The first part that hit close to home was the education part; the "proof of unchastity" as a valid reason for expulsion.This is absolutely ridiculous! I'm studying to be a teacher, so anything related to education is very important to me. I cannot even begin to explain how wrong this is. I'm sure any girl who reads this understands what I mean. Even if a girl was seen walking with a guy, they were tested. Can you imagine if this was to happen now in the United States?! There would be a significant reduction of the student body in almost every middle and high school in America. Luckily in 2002, this was banned. Hopefully for good!
The second part that made me angry was the North and South Yemen part. I can't decide whether I feel worse for the Northern Yemen women or the Southern Yemen women. Southern Yemen women actually had a chance with the change in laws about marriage and divorce laws, but then they were taken away. I feel bad for them. But, on the other hand, you have the Northern Yemen women who see a glimmer of hope in what's happening in the south, but then quickly see what they could have had fade away again.
It's like that for many of the women in the Middle East; they see the one glimmer of hope and then see it taken away. But, fortunately, the increase in women's groups there and the changing of the attitude towards sexuality are changing what they have grown to know. Let's just hope it's more than a glimmer of hope this time.
The first part that hit close to home was the education part; the "proof of unchastity" as a valid reason for expulsion.This is absolutely ridiculous! I'm studying to be a teacher, so anything related to education is very important to me. I cannot even begin to explain how wrong this is. I'm sure any girl who reads this understands what I mean. Even if a girl was seen walking with a guy, they were tested. Can you imagine if this was to happen now in the United States?! There would be a significant reduction of the student body in almost every middle and high school in America. Luckily in 2002, this was banned. Hopefully for good!
The second part that made me angry was the North and South Yemen part. I can't decide whether I feel worse for the Northern Yemen women or the Southern Yemen women. Southern Yemen women actually had a chance with the change in laws about marriage and divorce laws, but then they were taken away. I feel bad for them. But, on the other hand, you have the Northern Yemen women who see a glimmer of hope in what's happening in the south, but then quickly see what they could have had fade away again.
It's like that for many of the women in the Middle East; they see the one glimmer of hope and then see it taken away. But, fortunately, the increase in women's groups there and the changing of the attitude towards sexuality are changing what they have grown to know. Let's just hope it's more than a glimmer of hope this time.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Cosmopolitan
I was thinking about what I should write my third blog about this week. I thought I'd check out my Cosmopolitan magazine to what somewhat degrading things are on the cover. I love that magazine, but I think that you should be yourself on a date instead of making sure you say 'what he's dying to hear during a date!' A recent article title... While I was flipping through the October 2009 issue I found an article called Abducted By A Monster, which was advertised as How She Outsmarted a Brutal Rapist on the cover. I read it and it scared me. So much in fact that when the phone rang I jumped. I was going to copy the link for the article on here, but I can't find it on their website. But, while searching for it I found this, http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/tips/obama-stance-on-womens-rights?click=main_sr . Not exactly what I was looking for, but I had no idea about his issues on this. I thought it would be good to post. Anyways, I have the magazine with the article if anyone wants to see it.
Gender Equality
Talking about Yahoo Answers in class the other day inspired me to check out some of the questions on the Womens Studies page. I was reading and answering questions when I came this one : what happened to the traditional gender roles. Because I've always wanted to be a housewife, you know taking all day to get ready for my husband to come home, slaving over a really nice dinner, cleaning everything, I thought I should check it out. I didn't bother to answer because I found one answer that I was more focused on. Jas B said:
Traditional gender roles treated women as second class citizens.
You can call it traditional gender roles but the reality was that this was the oppression of women.
As another person has said women realized during the second world war when the men were away fighting and they had to work in the factories, as engineers and mechanics and all the other jobs which had been traditionally men's work that they were just as capable and they liked the independence it gave them to earn their own money.
Then after the war when women were told to go back into the homes, they decided there was more to life than babies, dishes and happy husbands. They felt that their contribution to the war effort had been forgotten and realized how constricting their lives were.
Women got sick of being treated as second class citizens and demanded changes in society and to all the laws which did not treat them as equal to men.
God had nothing to do with it. it's about equality.
The last part relates to a on going conversation between the other people. Anyways, this made this about a book I got from my grandma. It's Emily Post's Pocket Book of Etiquette. It was published in 1965. I find it absolutely hilarious to read. The majority of the book it dated, but the information is helpful. Part Fourteen is the last part in the book, but the first part I read. Page 462: A Happy Marriage. The last two sentences of the third paragraph of The Wife's Part is my absolute favorite line, just because it's so bad. ' And the wife who sees her husband off to work in a dirty bathrobe, with hair uncombed and face unwashed, send him off with a thoroughly unflattering picture of her in his mind. He may find his neat, efficient, pretty secretary more appealing than his unkempt, uncaring wife!' What a horrible thing to write! If your ugly, expect your husband to be cheating on you with his secretary. Ugh.
I went on to read The Husband's Part and one paragraph stood out to me. ' The husband that keeps his wife company in the kitchen while she is finishing the dinner preparations and gives a helping hand with the dishes after dinner, rather than retiring to the TV set or his newspaper, will find himself more repaid by his appreciative wife.' This is like what we talked about in class. Are we (women) supposed to sleep with a guy because he buys us dinner? So, are we supposed to 'pay' our husbands for actually helping us out in the kitchen? I thought a relationship was a partnership, a team, not I'll help with the dishes only because you'll have sex with me for. I think if I ever had a guy say that to me, I'd drop the dish rag then and there and those dishes would never get done.
After reading certain parts of this book, it made me realize this all has come a long way. There's more to life than having babies, keeping husbands happy and doing dishes.
Traditional gender roles treated women as second class citizens.
You can call it traditional gender roles but the reality was that this was the oppression of women.
As another person has said women realized during the second world war when the men were away fighting and they had to work in the factories, as engineers and mechanics and all the other jobs which had been traditionally men's work that they were just as capable and they liked the independence it gave them to earn their own money.
Then after the war when women were told to go back into the homes, they decided there was more to life than babies, dishes and happy husbands. They felt that their contribution to the war effort had been forgotten and realized how constricting their lives were.
Women got sick of being treated as second class citizens and demanded changes in society and to all the laws which did not treat them as equal to men.
God had nothing to do with it. it's about equality.
The last part relates to a on going conversation between the other people. Anyways, this made this about a book I got from my grandma. It's Emily Post's Pocket Book of Etiquette. It was published in 1965. I find it absolutely hilarious to read. The majority of the book it dated, but the information is helpful. Part Fourteen is the last part in the book, but the first part I read. Page 462: A Happy Marriage. The last two sentences of the third paragraph of The Wife's Part is my absolute favorite line, just because it's so bad. ' And the wife who sees her husband off to work in a dirty bathrobe, with hair uncombed and face unwashed, send him off with a thoroughly unflattering picture of her in his mind. He may find his neat, efficient, pretty secretary more appealing than his unkempt, uncaring wife!' What a horrible thing to write! If your ugly, expect your husband to be cheating on you with his secretary. Ugh.
I went on to read The Husband's Part and one paragraph stood out to me. ' The husband that keeps his wife company in the kitchen while she is finishing the dinner preparations and gives a helping hand with the dishes after dinner, rather than retiring to the TV set or his newspaper, will find himself more repaid by his appreciative wife.' This is like what we talked about in class. Are we (women) supposed to sleep with a guy because he buys us dinner? So, are we supposed to 'pay' our husbands for actually helping us out in the kitchen? I thought a relationship was a partnership, a team, not I'll help with the dishes only because you'll have sex with me for. I think if I ever had a guy say that to me, I'd drop the dish rag then and there and those dishes would never get done.
After reading certain parts of this book, it made me realize this all has come a long way. There's more to life than having babies, keeping husbands happy and doing dishes.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
"Rape Schedule"
When I read this chapter of Full Frontal Feminism I was astonished. It also made me quite scared. Who do I know that would do something like that? I don't even want to think about it.
When reading about the "rape schedule" my first thought was I don't have one of those, but really the more I thought about the more I realized I do. First, I have extra locks. My doors came with just a bold, but my dad installed extra chains and a peephole on both the front and back doors. All my windows, with the exception of my bathroom one, has a lock on it. I don't want to turn out liek the woman in the hypothetical situation. My keys are dropped in my backpack when I leave my apartment, but the second we're released from class they're in my pocket. I try my best to stay out of the allies. Sometimes that's very hard though. If I have to walk I always talk on the phone. I read once that it would be better to not talk on the phone, but I just feel safer doing it. I normally call my dad or older sister, but I always tell them which ally I'm in just in case something happens. I also got the gene of being overly aware from my dad which makes me watch everyone I walk near just in case.
I don't think the rape schedule is such a bad thing. It's better to keep an eye out and make sure you get home alright. You can lock your doors and know your safe, that you've made through another day without being raped. You can take self defense classes ( the VCU police offer one for free!--> http://www.vcu.edu/police/rad.html) and you can buy pepper spray to try to ward off predators. It's up to us to protect ourselves and it's up to us to learn us much as we can to not only protect ourselves, but to help others that have either been hurt already or help educated others.
Other note: I sell Avon and before I started selling I had no idea how much they funded to help not only Breast Cancer, but Domestic Violence too. We sell a Empowerment necklace and bracelet. All the money is donated to the fund against domestic violence.
When reading about the "rape schedule" my first thought was I don't have one of those, but really the more I thought about the more I realized I do. First, I have extra locks. My doors came with just a bold, but my dad installed extra chains and a peephole on both the front and back doors. All my windows, with the exception of my bathroom one, has a lock on it. I don't want to turn out liek the woman in the hypothetical situation. My keys are dropped in my backpack when I leave my apartment, but the second we're released from class they're in my pocket. I try my best to stay out of the allies. Sometimes that's very hard though. If I have to walk I always talk on the phone. I read once that it would be better to not talk on the phone, but I just feel safer doing it. I normally call my dad or older sister, but I always tell them which ally I'm in just in case something happens. I also got the gene of being overly aware from my dad which makes me watch everyone I walk near just in case.
I don't think the rape schedule is such a bad thing. It's better to keep an eye out and make sure you get home alright. You can lock your doors and know your safe, that you've made through another day without being raped. You can take self defense classes ( the VCU police offer one for free!--> http://www.vcu.edu/police/rad.html) and you can buy pepper spray to try to ward off predators. It's up to us to protect ourselves and it's up to us to learn us much as we can to not only protect ourselves, but to help others that have either been hurt already or help educated others.
Other note: I sell Avon and before I started selling I had no idea how much they funded to help not only Breast Cancer, but Domestic Violence too. We sell a Empowerment necklace and bracelet. All the money is donated to the fund against domestic violence.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Guide for Hiring Women
I was stumbling around the internet and came across this 1943 Guide for Hiring Women.
http://i28.tinypic.com/2ih75hg.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/2ih75hg.jpg
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