Body Image

This week we looked at many issues that have been on the forefront of many parts of today’s society. Everything from the negative connotations of menstruation to issues associated with weight loss and dieting and finally issues of race. Each of these topics has so much information and elicits so many strong feelings. It would be easy to write a blog on each of the three readings. Throughout all of these reading the theme that kept reappearing is how society factors into all of these so called norms and what is considered normal, where normal equates beautiful. Particularly the media gets brought up and what is shown in the media is what is considered beautiful, despite how unrealistic that may be for the average woman or man.

As Monday, demonstrated each one of us has a unique experience to these topics. They are so personal and yet are one of the strongest bonds and something that unites especially unites women. What does that say about our society, when a form of oppression unites those being oppressed? This is nothing new but this is an unquestioned oppression. Dieting is acceptable, menstartion is something to be ashamed of and white is beautiful, why are these not questioned more?

One of the other reasons I am writing this blog early is that I am working on my second research paper. After doing the readings I had a plethora of ideas on interviewing people. Gradually these ideas are shifting into what will become my paper. However, the process in which this has changed has caused me some alarm with just how much these issues affect everyone in American society. I know I want to focus on dieting and just how much emphasis is placed on being thin and skinny and how the media embodies those losing weight. I thought of doing a word association but then realized that I was not ready to ask fellow students such personal questions. (Perhaps this goes right along with the not talking about menstruation?) I can only imagine how many people I would ask who have had if not personal experience, experiences with a friend who is struggling with an eating disorder. This makes me so sad. Starving yourself should not be something that is such a common place in society. I am confident that as a whole our American society would say that starvation is a bad thing. Yet, our society continues to use size 0 models and promote clothes or styles of clothing that promotes the behavior of starving ones self to fit those standards.

These readings had a huge impact on me. These are all issues I was aware of and think about often. Yet, addressing them in class and in an academic way intensifies just how absurd our society can be. The discussion of dieting was particularly fascinating. I take after my dad and his family. While I do watch what I eat to some extent I am confident in my height and thinner build, quite content in whom I am in my body. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to say that. Growing up I watched my mom try diet after diet. She was never unhealthy but to our society was concerned “bigger” than the so called “norm”. She would go in phases trying different techniques and having somewhat of a success with different diets but always regaining weight. I never really realized that this cycle didn’t happen with other people’s moms. Dieting was just something my mom did. How was I suppose to know any different when in the media I only saw women associated with dieting. If my mom were to read this now she would first be slightly annoyed with me for writing about her diets on a blog but she would also claim that she no longer diets. I am so proud of her, in the past year she has lost fifty pounds. She is healthier than ever and more important than that she is so happy. She would say that she doesn’t diet because she has completely changed her lifestyle from when I lived at home. She exercises everyday and stays away from “junk food.” (The staying away from junk food is especially easy without me living at home because I will forever have a plethora of junk food in my vicinity.) I am not sure at what point I realized that dieting wasn’t just “what moms do” probably in middle school, when I was fully able to consider the implications and expectations of society.

Gendered Violence

I am still surprised at just how eye opening the readings are and how much they effect me as well as push me to think outside what I thought I knew. This week was no exception. Gendered violence is something our society has continued to be challenged to confront and address. Each article touched on a different aspect of gendered violence. For me the first person accounts were especially meaningful and really touched on many of the issues that need to be addressed in gendered violence. The article by Mark Blackburn entitled, "Know Thyself: An Avowed Abuser Wrestles with His Demons," pinpoints an array of societal issues. Blackburn addresses his violence comes from anger but also has many other facets. He also touches on how it is a matter of power. Blackburn is asserting his power over his partner when he hit her. He also was living up to some sort of societal norm that drives men to exert their power through physical means. The second reading written in first person that had an incredible affect for me was the article by Del Martin, "A Letter From a Battered Wife." This article just made me want to think that this doesn't really happen. This women reaches out and people give excuses for her husband. She reaches for help and is not assisted. She gives victims a voice and everyone else in society an inside look at what it is like to live in this situation. How can a so called modern society allow a power structure that would put one person in such a oppressed position?

The discussion during Wednesday's class about Peggy Sanday's research on cultures where rape doesn't exist. Wednesday we also talked about how normalized gendered violence is in the media, especially in print adds. The combination of these two things led me to think of a number of things. One of the first things I thought of was the print media in Europe. (I realize I talk about Europe in nearly every blog but I am so glad that I have these experiences factor into every part of my life.) Ads are much more explicit in regards to how sex is shown. Images of body and positions that would be extremely controversial in the United States are plastered on the sides of buildings. This has led me to think about other aspects of European society that is like the United States, definitely not a rape-free culture. Before traveling abroad we were told that the gender roles were much more prominent in England. I didn't really realize what all this meant until going out with friends at night. We were always the most conservatively dressed there, literally wearing twice the cloths as other women there. We were always on the lookout for date-rape drugs because there prominence at the bars and clubs were outrageous. This thought led me to think about the gendered roles at other times in England. The men in England are nearly all more "put together" than most American men I know. I recently pictures in my mind a Luther student next to one of the many Nottingham students. Regardless of gender the Nottingham student would be much more dressed up. This is a societal difference and it makes me wonder how it factors into some of the gendered violence in both societies. What does it say about both societies? Specifically, it makes me question the dressing to be "asking for it."

Regardless of societal norms and differences gendered violence is something that nearly all societies must address.

Inequalities

This week the readings were eye opening to say the least. While patriarchy and privilege were words that I could easily define via Webster, this week and particularly the readings and discussion on Friday truly changed both how I understand these everyday terms and how I see them implemented in nearly action I take. Allan Johnson in his article "Patriarchy, the System: An It, Not a He, a Them or an Us," defines patriarchy as an assortment of things including: a system of structuring different cultural and social levels; something that is dominated by men; creates a power hierarchy; something in which individuals participate; and finally patriarchy encourages/discourages particular examples through rewards, ideals and values. Peggy McIntosh's article, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," privilege is defined as some having tools that others lack and because of this others don't have to work hard for certain things in society. These two readings fit in the middle of other readings addresses issues of feminists not just feminism. It is important to understand this privilege and patriarchy. Different people who experience different aspects of these two particular things interact and reach out to society in different ways. It only makes sense that different people want different things from feminism and that they have their own words to express these differences. I picture this as feminism being one large circle and inside that circle are circles of Womanism, Mujeristas, Men, and other categories of feminists each defining their own specific terms based on the foundation set by feminism.

I love the visual of carrying a knapsack of privilege. Talking about this in class on Friday afternoon made me think and reflect on many things. First is the idea of privilege is something you carry like when you are traveling. I cannot help but smile thinking about taking a backpack while traveling. Throughout traveling Europe last year the 10 of us, “Notters” lovingly called our backpacks that went on both Christmas and Spring breaks with all of us packs for short. There was even the popular song sung before leaving echoing in the hallway of 67 Homefield Road (our flat), “Whatcha you going to do with all that pack up on your back?” To say we loved our packs would have been quite the understatement. However, we were always excited to not have to carry them for a few hours around an airport after checking them; only to wait nervously at our destination to see our pack on the luggage belt. Every single time there was excitement in getting pack back. Walking to one of the first leg of a journey it was always interesting that you literally carried everything you had with you in that pack. While this is a pack how is it related to McIntosh’s invisible knapsack? It’s all about perception. The invisible knapsack makes people treat you differently, yet you may never realize it. Carrying a pack in Europe has similar effects, it is clear that you are traveling. However, it isn’t until you stop carrying that pack that you realize both how you were treated because of how people perceive you and how you treat other based on both their perception and your own on them. It is only when you step back and really examine privilege that you understand how it changes everything. The invisible knapsack of privilege may seem like a burden and something you don’t want to carry but once you do carry it, it is something that you become accustom to.

Diverse Feminish Voices

This week we focused on the history of feminism. This focus broke into three distinct waves. The first wave lasted from the mid 1840s till 1920, when women’s suffrage was passed; the second wave from the 1960s till around 1980; and the third wave starting around 1990 and continuing today. There are some over arching themes in these waves that continue to affect everyone today. The first and most blatant is the fact that these social movements while can seem small and unimportant affect nearly every aspect of our lives today. These movements have come to a crest like a wave and dissipated but they have everlasting effects. This can be shown most clearly in the article by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, “A Day Without Feminism.” This writing really shows how much is impacted by these movements by imaging what life would be like without the reforms, both large and small. Throughout all the articles it becomes clear that there have been men and women who sacrificed much more than many of us can ever realize or appreciate for us to live the way we do without a second thought. This isn’t too scold the women of today but to question what we take for granted that only eighty years ago was fought with an amazing amount of passion. The other theme that was evident in the readings this week is that social movements, such as the feminist movements, morph and change over time. This again, shown in the three waves. Activists rallied around a cause and fought to achieve their goal. It could be argued that the third wave of feminism is an illusion but I can’t believe this as there are so many issues that people gather to support today. Just look around Luther, how many groups are there for different causes?

I can’t begin to think of where to even start to respond to the readings. I am starting to realize that every opportunity I have been given is thanks to an act of a feminist from the not too distant past. I am attending Luther College to start. This Saturday I will be taking the LSAT so that I can apply and hopefully attend a law school. This is nothing out of the ordinary. Until you think that only 60 years ago when my Grandmother was my age that it would not even be considered that a women could be a lawyer let alone attend a college and be the majority at that co-ed school. Yet, my entire life I have strived toward this goal of going to law school and never questioned that because I am a women that I would not or should not be considering this career. I can not begin to articulate how indebted I feel to those who paved the wave for me in so many ways.

Another way I have thought of these readings relate to my internship this summer. I worked at Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment, formally the Displaced Homemakers Association. (www.womenwork.org) This incredible organization was started by a second wave feminist in 1978. This organization works with women who are re-entering the work force after being away from some time due to any reason for raising children to being in prison to anything in between. There are basically three types of women I encountered working here for three short months. The first were the third wave feminists who were young, just out of school and really striving to make a difference especially through policy actions for the lives of women throughout our Country. The second type of women was the second wave feminist. These women typically had there own women based organization but relied on Women Work! For supplies and materials to help women the work with directly to get and keep jobs. The third and most common women that I talked to were those who called our office. They usually were just divorced and either going back to school or looking for a job. These were my favourite to talk to because over the phone I would talk them through the process of either getting financial aid for school or writing a resume and looking for a job. This is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. After this weeks readings I am gaining a new appreciation for the women that started and continue this organization and have an even better of the social setting that allowed this organization to form and thrive.