We also listened to a bunch of different group presentations. One of the groups which I found to be interesting was the about Disney movies. When the women were talking about The Little Mermaid  and how her voice was taken, and she could use body language to get him, it blew my mind. I never gave much thought to the meaning behind it. I was shocked by what they women had to say. To me Disney movies are for kids, but they have a deep rooted meaning of women’s place in the world. I still like them, and I see the meaning behind them.

2)            For my group project we did our topic on pro choice/pro life. I found recent issues that have affected women’s decision and ability have an abortion. The most recent issues which I focused in was propositions 4 and how it takes young women’s right away and force them to tell their parents about having sex and even a abortion.                When I first heard about the proposition was when I was living at home, and I was talking with my parents about the prop. At first I thought it was a great idea, but after listening to what my parents had to say changed my mind. I have a very close relationship with my family and tell them everything so I figured most people have that kind of relationship with their parents.   Then I realized who I my decision could really effect a young girls life. I was placing my life and my values on some girl I don’t know, and in the end it could affect her life negatively.

                Not only does Prop 4 affect women, but Pro choice/ Pro life force women into these boxes, which they have fought for decades to get out of. I feel with as far as our society has gotten we still cannot seem to get over people controlling their lives. This issues effect people because they don’t want to see a fetus removed from a womb; this is not he issues. The issues is about women doing what it best for them and the decision the can live within the end. Why does our American society feel they have the right to force others to do things they themselves don’t believe in?

Dualisms seem to exist everywhere in society. One that is especially detrimental to women’s reproductive health is the pro-life/pro-choice dualism. It pins us against one another and creates societal control over the female body. We judge one another instead of because of having opposing views on sensitive topics such as abortion instead of banning together and empowering the female body.

Abortion is one of those topics that seem to be very hush unless it is in a political debate. But even then, it seems that political leaders have to watch what they say in regards to the topic and are usually unable to take a strong stand on the issue. The abortion issue is one that many women have to face but feel judged and or scrutinized about it. The fact is simple…a woman should have the right to her own body.  Would a man want someone or laws to tell him what to do and eradicate his options ….I don’t think so.

Many women that get abortions feel that they are doing something terribly wrong and that they are being judged by everyone around them because they have decide to abort.  They feel alone and scared of what will happen to them and what people will think if they were to ever find about the abortion. The same women who are making their own choices about what to do with their own bodies have complete control of themselves becoming empowering. It is necessary for us to make our own decisions because we are the ones who have to live with them for the rest of our lives. We are the ones that have to choose what we want and do not want to happen to us. When the law comes into play and takes control over our bodies, it is almost like our bodies do not belong to us anymore. Women make the decision to have an abortion for various reasons and are rarely used as a form of contraception. If our rights to choose were to be taken away, these women who are making the conscious decision to get an abortion will go elsewhere to get what they want.  This leads to horrible health consequences for women, where as if they were able to get their desires meet by a physician, problems such as these would not occur.

This dichotomy of pro-life/pro-choice can be uprooted by simply taking everyone else’s views out of the picture. This would allow the individual that wants the procedure decide what they want to do with their body. This gives the power back to us…not society’s patriarchal laws.

Also this week we discussed how women of different ethnic backgrounds are seen as animal like creators. Why is it women who are outside the norm are portrayed as being animal like? I find it bothersome, because women are all women. I also hate rap music because the way the use women as object for sex. It is as if women are only good for pleasing men, and cleaning. These readings ideas then make me ask “what about woman, shouldn’t men please them too?”   

2)    One thing which bugs me when I am watching tv is when a see women bodies as a selling point on tv. For example, the Carl’s Jr commercial us women as this animalistic being. Also the women who they use to sell the burger are super skinny and most likely don’t even eat foods like that. I know its outside rap video, but it also show how women are animal like.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_iRnhNsyK8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB2MDYzx5OY

Even in music by women the make themselves into animals, while being super sexualized. In the music video by lady Gaga she comes up from the water and look like some kind of sea creator, and then she crawls by some dogs. Also when she’s on the couch she is moving her body around like she is having sex.  Men are not the only ones who make women into sex objects. Women do it to themselves just as often as men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngf5Oo_XrjI&feature=fvst

I never gave much thought about fashion and how it is creative. I like going shopping and see what the new styles are for the season. To me clothing is away for people to express themselves through clothing, and make-up. In the article “Fantasies of Femininity” She talks about how women are being turned into commodities because of the way the make themselves up. It made me think about why I dress the way I do and why I put on make. Partly it is because I want to look better them other women, and also to feel pretty. I like to wear make-up to set myself apart from others. I enjoy the finished product; I feel polished.

 In the article she states “so girls are taught that concealment, ritual display and beauty are ‘essential’ aspect of being ‘woman’ and at the same time that these rituals must be kept private, a secret shared between women…” (45); when I when I was growing up my father set rule on the way I could wear my make-up. I agree with the author when she says we are taught to be “woman,” but at the same time I like being a woman. I enjoy getting dolled up and looking pretty. I don’t want my boyfriend to see me dying my hair, because I think he may judge me. At the same time I don’t care if my dad or brother would see me like dying my hair or waxing. I do think look good and feel good makes me want to following stereotypes of what a woman should look like. But at the same time our culture is changing, and I think women now have a choice in the way they want to appear. At SDSU I see women who look very feminine and others dressed masculine, and women in between. In our culture there are women who have beauty secret they only share with other women. Also men have beauty rituals now too. It really difficult to think about culture now and then, and not think about how the past create the idea of what “woman” is now. Now women have choice and there is no longer the standard super model idea of beauty. After reading this article it made me think of everything women do to stay beautiful, and when it comes down to it I hope they do it because they want too.

2.

All the reading took the idea of what a woman should be, and tried to dissect her. The idea which drives me up the wall is the super model. I think using women who only make up 3% of the population to idealize as the norm is wrong. Our society creates many of the problem teenage girl’s face in school. It really sad to me to see girls want to look and be a skin and will do anything to get there. I went online to see what the average size women is and the website states “The average American woman is 5’4″, weighs 140 lbs, and wears a size 14 dress.” Young girls have so many eating disorders because of the ideal of what women should look like based on the media.  http://www.fullandfabulous.org/articles_view.asp?articleid=17064

In class one of other students was talking about how it takes seven hours to edit a models picture. I found that statement to be extremely interesting. I did a project about the idea the media influence teens, because of the ads they create and show. A few years ago dove came out with a video clip about how they make a woman ready for any ad. It really sad to see young girl want to look perfect like models and models don’t look like their ads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U    

They also did one on all the images young girls see which effects their self-esteem h http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I&NR=1    

Why do we need to fix them? In the Book  Anne Fausto-Sterling talks about three types of fixes: Prenatal, surgical, and lastly psychological (63). I don’t think we have the right to fix children. It doesn’t matter what is in their pants and to force them into a sex is a hard discussion. When I asked the class they seem to be just as troubled as I am. Some said they would assign a gender to the child because it would make the life for the child easier.  But I think by assigning a sex to a child would only make it easier for the parent. I think our society need to learn to be more accepting to differences. I think our society has grown a lot in the last hundred years, but there is still a long way to go. This idea of intersex children has challenged me in many different ways. I now see the problems people face in different ways.

2)       

I wanted to know what the laws were when it came it intersex children. I googled intersex laws I came up with this website http://www.isna.org/legal and it has tons of information about what the current laws are. I started reading some the law about intersex children, and this website told me information about their mission statement and what they are about. I found it useful and it answered the question I had.

I also come along another website, which was about frequently asked question. http://www.ipdx.org/articles/intersex-faq.html This one just answered simple question I didn’t know about and things the reading didn’t go into. I wanted to know how common intersex conditions were and this website stated it didn’t know because there is no true definition to intersex, which makes it hard to know what the rate truly is. I found it shocking what they believe the static to be; it is one birth every day in the US. I would think they would know more about intersex children.

1)      This week we talked about gender and gender roles. I have never really given much thought to how society pressures people into a gender role. And if someone sticks out society forces them into a role. While reading My gender Workbook I found it to be frustrating, because I felt like this book was for people who were in transition. The act ivies were good but they really challenged my view and made me think about gender and see the problems within our society.   

Not only did the workbook challenge my views on gender, but the film did too. I know parents want their children to be normal (or what they think is normal), but I never thought they would send their kids to camps. I don’t understand how parents can stop loving their child, because they are gay. The film was idiotic. First there is nothing wrong with gays, but to try and cur them by teaching them gender role is ridiculous. I think people are people and they are fine they way they are. I never given much thought to gender roles and how they make people’s lives more difficult.

2)      I work at the YMCA and the other day I was signing up a couple for a membership. I knew they were a couple and you could see how much they loved each other. They were both in the system before and I asked their name and one of them got very upset. She started to tell me some of the problems she’s faced with her family. She was upset and told me that I need to change her name in the system. It was sad hearing the little bit of her life story.  

Watching the film made me understand how hard her parents made her life. She had to change her name just to get away, so she could live her life.  I never really thought of gender roles and gender playing such a huge part in people’s lives. For me my parents expect me no matter what I choose and they support my discussion. I never really thought about other people and the challenges they face. This section made me see how imperfect our society is, and how we don’t accommodate those who are apart of the norm.