Activism log 2

Janet Audette

Prof. Nina Perez

WST 3015

2/19

Activism Log 2

Activism: For the second week of our service learning we spent a little more hands on time. I spent a few hours completing the flyers which turned out to be somewhat frustrating in the formatting department. I feel that it was worth it however since this will be the main information piece that people have regarding our community partner project.

Reflection: Although it was sort of a headache to get all the flyers formatted, situated and essentially put together it was refreshing to accomplish it. I feel that by putting the effort into the information and publications of our project it will hopefully bring in more people. Just like the many readings in our text, activism is all about awareness and flyers are the perfect way to bring that about. This especially reminded me of the essay by Joy Harjo. In it she states that it was nearly impossible for her to learn about her body and reproductive rights since she was kept so far in the dark about things. I feel this is relate-able to our activism because we are shining a light on people who need help to escape from domestic violence.

Reciprocity: I recently visited my parents who have two shelter animals that came from pretty rough situations. They are now happy, healthy and loving animals. Being able to experience firsthand all the difference a kind person can make to the life of an animal gives me even more inspiration to get our voice heard in this activism project.

Kirk, Gwyn and Okazawa-Rey, Margo. "Three generations of Native American Women's Birth Experience." Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 239-242.

The Pride and Prejudice of Woman Sexuality

Janet Audette

Perez

02/17/10

WST 3015

In this weeks’ blog we were asked to analyze the role that woman play in a particular movie. For the movie I chose Pride and Prejudice. During this time period women were generally looked down upon in every aspect of life. They were simply expected to get married and then take care of the husband and his wishes. The most interesting part of this movie is the character Elizabeth. Although a product of the time era, she refuses to settle for anything less than what she thinks she deserves. Even though I find her to be the most interesting character of the movie, for the purposes of this posting I will be focusing on the role of the Mother throughout various parts of the film.

Right away the viewer understands that the only concern of the mother is to marry off her five daughters. Their happiness and compatibility with their suitors is not something that is readily considered. The mothers’ primary focus is to find them a husband so that they can be respectable women and begin their families.

The father although present, plays little role in the hunt for the daughters mate. The mother essentially takes charge of all situations that involve matchmaking. She constantly warns the girls that they should behave in a lady like manner or else they will be ruined and no man would want them. As pointed out by Kirk and Okazawa-Rey in our text women are expected to be modest and virtuous, look beautiful and remain a virgin until marriage (150).

There is a point in the film when one of the girls runs off to be with a man and the mother essentially loses all grips on life because she feels that the daughter will be viewed as a ruined woman and now all men will want nothing to do with any of the daughters. She feels that because of this her whole life is over since all she lives for is to find suitable spouses for her children.

Throughout the film the mother displays that her only identity is accomplished through the successful courting of her children. She fails to have a secure sense of self and therefore often times push her children away from her overly intense mothering and dramatic outbursts when things do not go according to plan.

When it becomes clear that two of her daughters are to marry some of the wealthiest men in the country she becomes overwhelmed with emotion. The idea that her daughters are now able to move up in class and are now wealth has essentially completed her life. By her daughters acquiring a new class she is basically elevating herself to a new social location or as explained by Kirk and Okazawa-Rey in our text she is expressing the core of her existence in the social and political world (100). Time and time again the mother of this film confirmed the ideals of the time era in that woman were not whole or accepted in the community unless they were betrothed to a man and by helping her daughters complete this stage in their lives she recognizes herself as a successful mother.

Works Cited

"Woman's Sexuality." Woman's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 149-60.

"Identities and Social Locations: Who am I? Who are my people?" Woman's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 91-103

Pride and Prejudice. Dir. Joe Wright. Perf. Simon Woods, Keira Knightly. 2005. DVD

Discussion Leading

Janet Audette

WST 3015

Perez

02/16/2010

Discussion leading

This reading discussed the sexual orientation of a woman, Surina A. Khan, from Pakistan. She narrated the experiences of her life from the view point of a lesbian South Asian. She explained the hardships of being someone who was viewed as different when she moved to America at the age of seven. Khan was made fun of because of her darker skin color, different clothes, and even the smell of her mothers’ cooking. Due to the constant ridicule of her classmates she assimilated to the American culture very quickly and drew further away from her own.

As Khan grew up she noticed that when her sisters would act out or rebel her parents would “fix” them by sending them back to Pakistan or the “mother land” as she called it to help the children readopt their native culture. Noticing this, she decided to wait until she was financially independent to tell her parents that she was a lesbian. By this time she had completely distanced herself from her family and their faith and only identified herself as an American lesbian. The country and the culture that she was from equated homosexuals to something that should be feared and punished with physical and emotion abuse. Not wanting to subject herself to the harsh prosecutions of the Middle Eastern ways Khan refused to visit Pakistan or associate herself with any of the people who still identified with it. Also, the culture she rejected that so harshly prosecutes homosexuals had temples displaying carvings and images of homosexuals including several pictures of woman caressing each other. However, homosexual woman are still expected to suppress their true sexuality to fit into the culture which in turn causes many South Asian woman to reject that culture.

As her life continued on, she was beginning to acknowledge that she was feeling an immense void from not being able to fully identify with the American culture and also not being able to identify with the Pakistani culture because of her sexual orientation. By accepting this she became determined to find other homosexual South Asians and form an alliance to make bonds within her own life. In creating this network of homosexual South Asians she has enable herself and others to reconnect to the culture in a way that they haven’t be able to do before. Khan hopes that some day she will be able to return to Pakistan and not feel uncomfortable because of who she is.

The question I have for the class pertaining to the reading is to find out what some of the challenges are for homosexuals acknowledging their sexuality in different cultures.

Works Cited:

Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives Multicultural Perspectives 5^th ed. New York, McGraw-Hill, 2010

Activism log 1

Janet Audette

Prof. Nina Perez

WST 3015

3/15/10

Activism Log 1

Activism: This was the first week of our service learning project. Although activism was limited we did have a great deal of contact with our community partner. We discussed what need to be done in terms of awareness and publicity. We assigned projects to the group members and Krysten and I began to work on the design of the flyers that we will be passing out at future group events.

Reflection: This week was all about organization and communication with one another. The communication part of it could reflect on the article we read about the Native American birth rights and the sterilization forms (WLMP 239). It just shows that regardless of the situation communication is vital. From a feminist perspective our actions this week of organizing projects and undertaking tasks reflects the leaps and bounds we have made as a sex to take control of something, set forth and accomplish goals.

Reciprocity: Working directly with this organization has shown me that it takes a lot of work to even begin to make a difference. It requires a huge network of support and countless individuals to make a difference. Understanding the work that goes into raising awareness for animals in need gives me profound appreciation for the effort that goes into the feminist movement. So far this project has taught me that activism isn’t just something that you do and then forget, it’s something that you have to work on and incorporate in your everyday life if you wish to make a difference.

Service Learning Proposal

Service Learning Proposal

For Animal Safehouse of Brevard

Janet Audette

Michael Farmer

Andrea Ondina

Krysten Sanders

Seabury Stoneburner

Katelyn Temple

February 2, 2010

Jeannina Perez

WST 3015

Community Partner: Animal Safe House of Brevard

Address: animalsafehouse@gmail.com

Contact: Arielle Schwartz

954-401-4901

Community Partner Profile:

Animal Safehouse of Brevard was formed in summer 2008 as a network of individuals committed to helping both women and pets who are victims of domestic violence. Animal Safehouse recently became a registered Florida non-profit agency which relies heavily on donations and volunteers and is in need of assistance to help as many women and pets possible.

Community Partner Mission Statement:

Animal Safehouse of Brevard is a not-for-profit effort geared towards providing temporary safe placement of pets that, like their owners, need to flee from domestic violence situations. The mission of Animal Safehouse Campus Action Network is a commitment to encouraging women to escape domestic violence by fostering and providing for their pets while they are in shelters; to raise community awareness about domestic violence and about the links between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Political and/or Social Basis for Organization:

Animal Safehouse of Brevard appeals to the desperate need for a safe place for pets who are subjected to abuse while their owners seek shelter and rehabilitation. Domestic violence can sometimes also involve animal abuse; both of these violate women’s rights and animal rights.

Community Partner Needs:

In order to be productive and to continue helping animals, this organization needs constant help from the community. Transporters, foster parents, volunteers, and vets are needed. Animal Safehouse of Brevard relies heavily on donations to keep our program running. Items needed are unopened food, collars, leashes, bowls, flea treatment, heartworm treatment, veterinary care, crates, pillows, toys, and blankets.

Memorandum

TO: Jeannina Perez

FROM:J. Audette, M. Farmer, A. Ondina, K. Sanders, S. Stoneburner, K. Temple

DATE: February 2, 2010

RE: Proposal to Write a Feasibility Report for a Service Learning Project

This is a proposal for the services needed for the benefit of the Animal Safehouse of Brevard County. We outline the services we plan to provide to the benefit of this community partner in this proposal. We will also include the connection between the goals of the Animal Safehouse and Women’s Studies.

Need for materials, time and volunteers to assist in raising money, awareness and donations to assist Animal Safe House of Brevard

The mission of the Animal Safehouse is to provide foster care to pets of women who need to leave abusive situations. Many women will not leave because they either have children or pets at home that they do not wish to abandon. By providing the foster care, the pets will be taken care of and the women can feel more confident in leaving.

Plan Proposal

We plan to provide services for our partner by partaking in the activities of the Animal Safehouse. It will benefit their cause and also provide them with extra help. We also are aiming to raise awareness. As a group, we will make flyers, table at local businesses and plan a “signing day” where interested persons will be able to sign up to foster an animal in need. We plan to table with a constant schedule with the hopes that we will also be able to collect donations.

Rationale for women’s studies

This project is relevant to women’s studies because it presents the problem with domestic violence toward women and animals.

Action

We plan to get as much information from the Animal Safehouse as possible before planning any action. We will need to record information of known families and pets in need of the Animal Safehouse’s services. Then we will take this information and use it to create flyers and any other means of spreading the word to people. We also plan to organize a “signing party”.

Timeline

Below is a schedule of events, activities and/or deadlines for our project:

1. Research/interviews – through February 13

2. Begin creating materials to use for spreading the word–through February 20

3. Organize “signing party” for Animal Safehouse – through March 6

4. Flyer – through March 13

5. Finalize “signing day” (event will also be around this date) – through March 25

6. Send thank you letters– April 2

Works cited

Animal Safehouse of Brevard. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .

Janet Audette

Sexist Ad

02/08/2010

Sexism is something that is evident in every aspect of life. Much like racism and homophobia it is overlook by those who are perpetrating the act. Sexism as defined by the text is rooted in social institutions, such as the family, education, religion, government, law and the media (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 15). When something is this rooted within our system it becomes very difficult to not participate in it throughout a daily basis. Although most of this is unconscious and meant with no outward harm, there are those who delve into sexism as a means to be remembered, get noticed, or simply to pry on emotions to sell a product. This tactic is exemplified time and time again through the media.

This ad supplied by the Imedeen skin care line is knowingly using a sexist image and text as a means to be remembered for their product line. “My secret to beautiful skin? I swallow.” This is quite obviously a reference to oral sex. Not only is this just unnecessarily disgusting, it’s belittling. According to Imedeen’s home page their product is a pill that is taken orally. However, the word choice and ad image leaves very little room for it to be interpreted any other way. Only the top fourth of the model is shown in this ad and the focal point is the words that are conveniently situated next to the models breasts not her face. The girl is passively lying on a bed with her eyes looking away from the camera, in a flesh colored night gown, with her mouth slightly open. The skin care products Imedeen is selling has nothing to do with beds or sleeping for that matter so there is no apparent valid reason for the location of this ad, not to mention the woman’s rather passive stance. She is lying on the bed with her eyes away from the camera suggesting that she is not powerful enough to make eye contact with the viewers. Her slightly open mouth and open arms suggest to the viewer that she is lying in wait of something, something to swallow perhaps? Also, the act of swallowing (in this interpretation) shows that she is not capable of perceiving herself as beautiful unless she receives something from a man. As she lies in wait for her all powerful skin renewing man liquid the ad implies that she is venerable, unbeautiful and incapable of changing her circumstances on her own.

Women are constantly subjectified to beauty norms and ideals that are supplied by the western view point. Essentially every aspect of the female mind and body is critiqued to mesh with the assumed social standards of the time period, as Kirk and Okazawa-Rey point out women are often reduced to nothing but bodies used for selling products or bearing children (208). There are many companies that have made the effort to use ‘real’ women in their marketing but the effort has almost gone unnoticed. The majority of firms use airbrushed, surgically altered females that appear to be incomplete without their male counterpart as the advertisement above so clearly demonstrates.

Works cited

Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives Multicultural Perspectives 5^th ed. New York, McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Imedeen. 5 Feb. 2010. < http://www.imedeen.us/>.

“Imedeen ad”. 5 Feb, 2010 .

Poppins vs Iron

The purpose of this blog is to compare and contrast the use of suffragists in the movies Marry Poppins and Iron Jawed Angles. Although these movies are entirely different in reference to their audience they both address the women’s movement of the early 1900’s. Albeit Marry Poppins is rather more subtle with its usage, they both share viewpoints that were prevalent at that time.

The actual word suffrage was used rather differently between the two films. The meaning of the word varies in each film depending on the people who are speaking it. In Iron Jawed angles the women activists use it as a word of passion, strength and awareness. Whereas the men in this movie use it as almost a vulgar, insulting term as if to describe to woman to identify to the word as something undesirable and impure. In the movie Marry Poppins, the term as used as an empowerment word by the women. However, the men of the movie use it in almost a mocking manner, as if to view the movement as something akin to gardening clubs that women attend in their free time.

The activeness of the women in each movie also varied. In the movie Marry Poppins the only woman portrayed as directly active in the movement is the mother. She commonly attends rallies and meetings while the house keepers (women) and nanny (woman) take care of the household and watch the children. This part of the film somewhat bends from reality, in that the mother is active in the movement, yet she still expects other women to behave in a manner of non-complaint and actively take care of “womanly” duties to appease her husband while she is off supposedly fighting for the rights of woman. The women directly showed in the movie Iron Jawed Angles are all active for the most part, although, some were more voiced and flamboyant in their actions (Paul compared to the senators’ wife) all helped the cause in some way or another.

The biggest difference that was reflected in the films was the roles of the men. In Iron Jawed Angles men showed typically an overall hatred towards the women who were fighting for the suffragist cause, whereas Marry Poppins men essentially tolerated the women’s activity in the movement. In essence the film Iron Jawed Angles captured the true nature of the Feminist movement. Looking at it simply from the Marry Poppins perspective woman were expected to fight for the cause after their husbands went to work, then rely on female house keepers to care for their children as you went running through the streets happily cheering for the rights of women. As long as you were home before your husband was to greet him when he walked through the door. Iron Jawed Angles showed that the fight for women rights goes beyond vocal protest; it shows that feminism is not only about equality but according to Megan Seely it is also about empowerment, strength, self-determination, and self-definition. It is an assertion that all women and girls can have not just equality in their lives but also quality of life (Seely 2)”. Although both films indicate the importance of activism in that time, Iron Jawed Angles more accurately depicts the hardships and struggle that women endured to make our voices heard.