Leading Post: The Power of Feminist Curiosity

Cynthia Enloe’s introductory chapter, “Being Curious about our lack of Feminist Curiosity”, emphasizes the importance of curiosity in investigating issues further, particularly the system of patriarchy which, as she articulates, pervades nearly all facets of society. She explores the many power structures which are dependent on our continuing lack of curiosity, and encourages us to pursue the questions our feminist curiosity provoke in order to gain a better understanding of how masculinity is privileged, and how that privilege depends on the controlling and/or complicity of women. Furthermore, she acknowledges energy-saving purposes that certain words we take for granted entail, such as “natural”, “traditional”, and “always; and how these words provide protection and immunity to bothersome questioning. Her analysis of the system of patriarchy and its dependence on feminized roles proved very insightful.

The following chapter, “The Surprised Feminist”, Enloe emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and admitting surprises, a feminist attribute which she contends to be highly undervalued and underutilized. She explains that we as a society are socialized to deny surprise, because acknowledging when surprises occur tends to undermine one’s credibility. However, she expresses that being open to surprise may be one of the most useful attitudes to prepare oneself for what lies in the future. As she quotes, “Whenever one is surprised, one most likely can manage to squeeze the new development into a comfortable, worn conceptual shoe.” Surprising gives us the opportunity to examine unanticipated developments through a conceptual framework, allowing us to integrate feminist theory to practical events.

I found it interesting how she acknowledged that no patriarchal system consists solely on just men or the masculine, and her analysis on the enduring and adaptive nature of patriarch helps illuminate how women are made to overlook their own marginal positions in society, providing a false sense of security, protection, and value. Patriarchal institutions need feminized constituents in order to operate; By taking women seriously and investigating these issues more thoroughly, feminists are able to see the influence of patriarchy embedded in broader social institutions and processes.

Being a Curious Feminist

Enloe's article "Being Curious about Our Lack of Feminist Curiosity" really discusses about she wants us to become aware about what is going on around us. She says that if it were a natural thing to do then it would be easy but its not. People use the words "tradition" and "always" to get out of exploring new things. It is easy to ignore the topics around us when they are traditional or they always happen. Basically, it is a way to avoid the entire situation and to do nothing about it. Its the easy way. She said that even she is complicit with her lack of curiousness. I understand because it seems like it is an easy rut to fall into and that everyone does it, including me. To seriously listen is hard to do and you will find your self being surprised at what you have missed. Enloe brings up "girlhood" and how she is curious about the "American girlhood, even that of a tomboy, which was subtly feminized" (8, Enloe). She tries to figure out if her childhood was militarized by the actions that were going on around her. I would say that there was for her because she grew up around the post war time.I would say mine was not. As for the tomboy girlhood. That is something I understand completely. My mother was always in one ear trying to get me to wear dresses but my dad was in the other trying to get me to play sports. It could be very confusing as a child but I can see how Enloe made the comment of a subtly feminized girlhood.

Enloe's second chapter on "The Surprised Feminist" discusses how as human beings we are programmed not to be surprised. We rather have the reaction of "Oh well, of course it would tun out like that" (14, Enloe). I believe this is because we are afraid to be be surprised. We don't want to be shell shocked that something happened because that is what a surprise is. It is to have our current notions thrown into confusion. Enloe says that we should be open to surprise so that we are prepared for it when it comes. She used the example of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. Each surprise has been gendered so far one way or the other. It changes and shapes our perceptions of masculinity and femininity. It is natural to be curious about the men with the guns and why they needed to prove their masculinity. She says we need to dig don deeper and be ready for surprise and to stand against it. I agree with her. I think preparing ourselves for the future and what could happen is exactly how we should go about life. Be ready for anything to happen.

Identity Poltics and Activism

Today’s readings did a successful job at illuminating the power of activism and leadership to create meaningful social change. The first article, “Navigating Identity Politics in Activism”, written by Allison Attenello, explores the political implications of racial, economic, social and cultural identities when navigating power dynamics, describing her experiences volunteering with a community group that represented the needs of Mexican immigrants in New Brunswick, NJ. Her experiences representing the needs and interests of a racial and cultural identity that she is not a part of dramatically altered her conception of identity politics, and have raised profound questions regarding activism and leadership in diverse communities, emphasizing the need to recognize one’s identity in order to promote social change and empowerment. In recognizing these differences in identity, she suggests, we are able to discern how common experiences and can form bonds and create sites for collective action for women and men of different backgrounds.

Shira Lynn Pruce’s article, “Blurring the Lines of Divide” describes her experiences developing her identity as a Jew, learning Hebrew, Jewish History, and Zionism, and how these characteristics of her identity enabled her to develop a passion for activism and pursuing social change within her community, both local and abroad. Through her experiences battling anti-Semitic violence and intimidation on college campuses in North America, she developed her leadership skills and quickly grew inspired to mobilize interest across America to promote messages of pride, progress, and support by launching her umbrella organization “Israel Inspires”. She has achieved widespread success in organizing and campaigning for women’s right inside of her campus and nationally, earning a job working for the Israeli parliament Knesset shortly after graduation. Her experiences working with other women from different backgrounds, whether Jewish or Gentile, man or woman, enabled her to search for common ground and other similarities, which she firmly believes can be used for building bridges, establishing communication and allowing open dialogue. What I found most interesting from her article was the distinction she examines between grassroots activism and formal political participation, and how the two are recognized differentially in the public sphere; society acknowledges one group as respected professionals, and dismisses the other as delinquent protestors. Overall, through her experiences with grassroots activism in college and her professional employment working abroad with the Israeli government, Pruce was able to realize the interaction and intersection of her two life passions, and is able to blur the line between formal political participation and activism, pushing the boundaries of social change to new limits.

Newsflash 3.0: Princess Culture and Damsels in Distress

Newslink:
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/26/disney-princesses-and-the-battle-for-your-daughter-s-soul.html


Constructions of masculinity and femininity widely permeate mainstream film and television, and our consumption of such media can produce considerable impacts on the development and direction of one’s life at an early age. In fact, many Disney films operate under socially constructed stereotypes for gender norms, encouraging and promoting certain behaviors and lifestyles to children based on their gender and sex, which has prompted serious concern over the content which our children are exposed to and internalize. Jessica Bennett’s Newsweek article “Disney Princesses and the battle for your Daughter’s Soul” explores the dangers of mainstream media and the messages that are conveyed to girls at early ages; messages that subtly yet profoundly inform our cultural expectations for gender performance and female behavior.

Bennett’s article focuses on the experiences of Peggy Orenstein, a renowned author of several books regarding girls and a critic for the New York Times, examining the difficulties Orenstein confronts raising a daughter of her own in the “princess” culture that pervades today’s society. This culture, she explains, encourages girls to “engulf their rooms in pink chiffon and rhinestone tiaras” through their consumption of mass media and advertisement, and these messages are conveyed at an alarmingly early age. To illuminate this point, Bennett examines several classic Disney films such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, all of which are movies that depict Princesses or female characters in a similar and contrived fashion that is consistent with patriarchal stereotypes of gender performance and behavior. Each film, all of which I have watched previously as a child and unable to recognize the element of gender at play, pit the young, feminine, and beautiful Princess against an evil ugly old woman, waiting for true love in the form of a Prince that she has never met to rescue her from misery. In The Little Mermaid, Ariel even sacrifices her voice for the chance to secure the love of a man she has never met.

While these Disney films are often considered childhood classics, the narratives convey a far more profound message to its young viewers which echoes several sentiments Susan Douglass raises in “Enlightened Sexism. The princesses in these films are unable to help or empower themselves, and are essentially rendered powerless, dependent on the love and approval of men to acquire true happiness. Moreover, each movie places an emphasis on the beauty of the Princess in order to gain the approval of men, which encourages girls at the earliest of ages to conform and adhere to patriarchal ideals of beauty and perfection. As Douglass articulates in her chapter “Lean and Mean”, the rampant objectification of women in the media has imposed significant pressure on women to be thin, and has reinforced the notion that only when women become an object of desire can they obtain true power and happiness. While young girls watch these Princesses struggle to become the Prince’s objects of desire, notions of femininity, gender performance emerge, which are then internalized and replicated in the behavior of young girls.
Furthermore, I also found it interesting how the protagonist is often depicted as a young, beautiful and feminine Princess who is pitted against an old, ugly, evil woman. Analyzing this plot through Douglass’ lens, these Disney movies pit women against each other across generational lines, and equate age with ugliness, which can impose serious consequences on the physical and mental health of women at older ages. What’s worse is that with such overwhelming societal pressures to be beautiful, women have resorted to less safe and unhealthy measures to satisfy these demands, resorting to plastic surgery or eating disorders, which can potentially lead to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

The “princess mania” that permeates our culture puts women in a compromising situation. Girls learn, from a mix of mass marketing and media, that their worth is dependent on their beauty just as much as their smarts. And while girls have excelled in sciences and math among their male counterparts, they are subtle coerced into a cultural mold, socialized to obsess about meeting Prince charming and to compete with who has the prettiest dress. Each girl learns and internalizes the notion that she is a princess of her own, which lays down the foundation for gender behavior and performance at an early age. Therefore, the more mainstream media girls consume the more conscious they are about being pretty and sexy, and at increasingly young ages. As Douglas points out in the “Sex ‘R’ Us” chapter, the over-exposure and emphasis on female body parts and sexuality has become the norm, and the sexualization of women can be seen at extremely young ages as portrayed in shows such as “Toddlers & Tiaras.” This is an alarming reality that is directly influenced by the princess culture, and shows no signs of slowing down. Open sexual publicity can also be demonstrated, encouraged, and promoted though other forms of media such as magazines (Cosmo, Maxim, etc) and commercial advertisements, serving as constant reminders for women to adhere to ideal standards of beauty whilst deflating their self-esteem. One study mentioned in Bennett’s article even found that seeing advertisements from one to three minutes can have an adverse effect on girl’s self-esteem.

One alarming reality that Orenstein brings to light is the fact that there are virtually no alternatives for girls who choose not to play with pink princess toys. In fact, Bennett’s article mentions that Disney alone has 26,000 princess items on the market today, which is part of a $4 Billion-a-year franchise that is the fastest growing brand the company has ever created. However, it’s not that the princess role model is inherently bad; it’s that it turns into something else. Girls not only need to be the fairest princess of them all, they must, as the article quotes, “be the most Paris Hilton, or Kim Kardashian of them all”; in short, the princess mold is yet a precursor to future sexual objectification and display.

After reading this article, I found it interesting to see how some of my female friends have evolved from their interaction with this princess culture and how this mold has translated into several aspects of their lives. I know of several girls who love pink, and engulf their rooms and interior in ultra feminized décor. It’s not a bad thing, and an expression of individuality and personal preference. But I understand the point Orenstein illuminates, and believe it to be a delicate balance in discerning what represents women’s acquiescence to oppressive patriarchal standards, or an expression of individuality and personal preference. Regardless, I feel it is necessary to acknowledge these concerns in order to investigate the detriments of princess culture more thoroughly, and eliminate the gender inequalities and patriarchal stereotypes that often result.

Worked Cited:
Douglas, Susan. Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism’s Work is Done. New York: Times Books, 2010. Print.

Leading Post: Leaders for Different Nations

Attenello's piece "Navigating Identity Politics in Activism" and Price's piece "Blurring the Lines That Divide" both discuss leading activist that majored in women and gendered studies. They bith felt that it was their passion to be able to take part of feminist activism in any way that they could in order to make a difference for the people around them.

Alison Attenello believed that women's roles in activism is rarely mentioned throughout communities but that it should be because it is central to social change. She believed that "the relationship between power and identity became the lens though which she evaluated political ideas and strategies as well as legitimized her own participation in social change organizations" (97, Atenello). She joined a community group that represented Mexican immigrants which she later became Vice President of. These women of Latina decent were getting raped along with women from Rutgers; the lines were traversed. But the city made it a big deal that the students were the ones getting raped and out no attention to the Latino community. They became enraged and organized a march. Even though Attenello didn't belong to the community she decided to help in any way possible because it enraged her too. Later when she told Lupe (President) her worries that she shouldn't speak out for the group because she wasn't from their background, education or class level, Lupe didn't see this as a problem. Antenello still left to pursue other activist work such as violence against women. She felt that the only way she could help the group was to leave because of their differences.

Shira Pruce's leadership incorporated what she learned growing up (Hebrew, Jewish history, and Zionism) and turned it into a lethal combination. She visited the death camps on Poland and learned also about how the homosexuals, people with disabilities, and other non white conformist were also among the Jews who were being tortured and killed. As terrorist attacks were going on during her college years she was looking on the outside and formed bias opinions. She recognized that bias and what came along with it. After her experience in Israel and coming back to the United States, she could see the bias newspapers after 9/11 blaming the whole country for the acts against the United States. Even ones in the United States attending her school, people showed hate to and their was no reaction from them. So becoming enraged, she got hard facts and found ways to tackle the Jewish/ Zionist group on campus. After taking women study courses she realized her anger came from feeling marginalized and that subordination still existed. She then organized women's rights and LGBT rights in Washington D.C.. After graduation she got a job with Knesset Israeli and eventually organized three different social projects and demanded a raise. She got it because she worked hard and deserved it. She believes that strong women are ready to fight and that we nee to step up and support them.

I believe that these two articles really show how these different women came out and found a passion that they truly believed in. They did not belong to the community essentially but they became apart of it when they joined in and supported the activist groups who were speaking out for these women. They didn't make it about culture but about women in general and how we need to stand up for all women's rights around the world. I can relate because I am not part of any group based on ethnicity or class. But i am apart of the gender role and reading these articles inspired me to want to be apart of something that supported women in a way that could help stand up for their rights.

The Impact of the Individual on Social Change: The Importance of Activism in Today’s World

I thought that all three of the readings for today did a wonderful job of promoting certain roles one can take within social justice activism. Re-reading Jessica Greenstone’s, “Learning the Meaning of One” takes me back to the beginning of the semester when we were first assigned this piece. I remember fully connecting with Greenstone’s words, especially because of our mutual identity of a white, female, Jew. However, now that I re-read Greenstone’s words I connect with them on a much deeper level. As one of the last posts of the semester, I can truly say how much this class has taught me about the realities of our society. Before taking Women’s Studies, I was a fully naïve member of our patriarchal culture. I admit that I too fell for the constant enlightened sexism that is presented in the media, and I was a believer that women’s issues were slowly becoming obsolete today. Moreover, I never attached myself to activism in any way, but now that the semester is almost is over I feel the need to promote social justice in the same sense that Greenstone does.

Greenstone states that we all have biases based on the unconscious influence of societal constructs and beliefs, and that we all need to be placed in the shoes of others to reach enlightenment. I think that education is one of the greatest modes of such enlightenment, especially in the field of activism, and thus, I agree with Greenstone in that social change only succeeds once individuals are exposed to certain disturbing truths within our society. I think that social justice classes should be required in all elementary/ high schools, and here too at Colgate. I also think that as a newly educated group of students, we all now have the responsibility to promote Women’s Studies to our peers, so that they can be enlightened as we have been.

After this class, I also now see just how much my identity affects all of my social biases and choices. I am reminded of one of the first days of class in which we wrote down adjectives that describe ourselves. At that time, I don’t think that I fully recognized the power of each of those adjectives in relation to the way that I view the world. Now I understand the importance of these qualities, especially when it comes to activism. As Allison Attenello claims in, “Navigating Identity Politics in Activism,” the importance of recognizing one’s identity politics is crucial if he or she were to become a social justice leader. Attenello acted as a leader of a Mexican women’s rights group, Unidad de New Brunswick, however, she felt that she could not fully connect to the wants and needs of this group due to her lack of understanding of the cultural identity of the group. Thus, instead of remaining as an active leader of the group, she transitioned to becoming an instructor of activism among these women, helping them with their organizing and leadership skills instead of representing them as an outsider to their identity.

Overall, the readings for today portray the power of social activism in producing real social change. Throughout the semester I have been amazed at how much such young men and women can accomplish for society, solely due to their exposure to the realities of the world. For example, in the third reading for today, Shira Pruce describes how she rallied for the rights of both women and Jews, and eventually became a part of Isreali Parliament (Knesset) almost immediately after graduating college. I find this to be extremely impressive, and it enables me to see just how influential one individual can be on social change. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to be a part of this class, and to also be enlightened about certain aspects of our culture that remain hidden to most eyes. I also hope to enlighten others through my newfound knowledge of social justice, thus passing along the significance of these hidden realities in order to aid in heightening the quality of life for all marginalized individuals today.

News Flash 3: Guidelines for Preventing Sex Crimes!!!

Campus Sex Crimes are being investigated and Vice President Biden wants to do more to prevent sexual violence. The NY Times article put out in April 4, 2011 discusses how Vice President Biden is going to New Hampshire on Monday to issue instructions on how to help prevent sexual violence on campus. Since reading Brownmiller and Crenshaw I have come to realize this is not going to be easy for Bien to accomplish. Also, since living at College I can definitely see what goes on behind closed doors and what does not get reported.

“Mans discovery that his genitalia could severe as a weapon to generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times, along with the use of fire and the first crude stone axe” (Brownmiller, 312). I believe that this statement is one of her most powerful statements she could make about men. It covers the fear that women feel about how men can have so much power over them. It also, says that the men know they can have this power and they can exploit it anyway that they want to. In the NY Times article, Dillon says sex crimes often “go un reported because victims fear that universities will not discipline the offenders” (Dillon, 1). I can see why the victims would believe this. Unless you have direct proof it is one person’s word against another person’s word. You can’t charge anyone with circumstantial evidence. Also, in Yale an investigation is going on because in 2008 a fraternity was photographed holding a sign that was sexually degrading to women and Yale did nothing about it. Fear is definitely a problem that women face, especially with acts like this because they cant even trust authority figures to do anything about it. So why would they help them with sexual violence acts towards them? Power is what the men gain in this situation. Brownmiller says that “to simply learn the word rape is to take instruction in the power relationships between males and females” (312-313). Even though this says that women are only victims and I want to say this isn’t true, well it certainly seems like it when we wont stand up for ourselves. We give all the power to the men and we don nothing to fight for it back. This power has seemed to be a problem since the beginning. Folk tales like Little Red Ridding Hood has women being the damsels in distress and the men coming to their rescue. It is not just in one folk tale, it’s in every single one. The power balance is messed up and we are being the victims here.

Creshaw’s article “Mapping the Margins” also highlights on the power relationship between men and women. She says “certain strands of feminist and racial liberation movements, for example, is the view that social power in delineating difference need not be the power of domination; it can instead be the source of political and social reconstruction” (Creshaw, 1). This is basically saying that power is a reason that men are sexually violent against women but it is not the only reason. Sometimes men are looking for political power or social power over different races and genders. For example, rape can be used as a weapon of War. It can be used to dominate a culture and gender to put fear in victims and have the dominating power over them. Why do men take over villages and rape victims or plunder the village? It all about the fear they can put into the victims and eventually the country. Dillon even quotes the secretary of education who heads the Office of Civil Rights that “there is a terrible and alarming trend in the country of sexual violence” (Dillon, 1). This basically means, that even she is fearful that the trend will continue to expand across the country and maybe even further. It is affecting everyone now, every race, gender and ethnicity. The Education Department is trying to set up new guidelines to be able to prevent sexual violence from occurring and spreading further. If all campuses are like Colgate then I don’t see how a form will be able to prevent these things.

The Colgate Campus is a hook up culture like most colleges are. We are made up of sororities and fraternities, which host the rape culture. Rape myths also go along with these college parties such as: if your drinking you deserve it, or if you dress provocatively, if you come to the environment then you should expect it, and if you dance with someone then you want to hook up with them. All these myths lead to the fact that men take advantage of certain scenarios and assume that all women want to have sex with them if they put themselves into these situations. It should be warning to women on what to expect and to be careful, but it isn’t. We willingly participate in events that put us in compromising positions. When the Educational Board says that they want new guidelines then realistically you would have to get rid of every frat as a start. For example, here at Colgate we host Derby Days which is where men put on drinking events and form teams to gain points. The more sexual favors you do for them, the more points your teams get. The drinking is just a mask to help cover up what really is going. There are also women degrading other women in these places. Women throw beer on freshmen and call them out for everything that is going on. So we can’t blame everything on the men, women are just as much as part as the problem as the men are. Another thing that the Educational Bored would have to stop is the parties in general. Places I know put zanex in certain drinks that only girls drink so that they blackout and don’t remember anything that went on the next day. This can be dangerous because men could take advantage of you and you probably wouldn’t even remember it. It is going to be hard to get rid of all these rape cultures across the country.

Overall, sexual violence seems to be a major issue that is spreading across that country. Brownmiller and Crashaw both suggests that power that we give them men or allow them to have, is the major issue. The NY Times reports that they are the Educational Bored is going to try to prevent sexual violence on campus. They are starting with investigations against Yale and how it has “ a hostile environment and the university is not responding effectively” (Dillon, 1). I don’t think that they can really see what is going on. I would say what the Board should concentrate on is getting women to stand up and report events. It allows women to gain their power back and brings forth the attention that is needed. Even is it doesn’t get taken care of, it will still be better to get the attention that is deserves rather then none at all.

References:

Crenshaw, Kimberle. Mapping the Margrins: Intersectionality, Identity, Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color. The Public Nature of Private Violence, 1994.

Dillon, Sam. NY Times: Biden to Discuss Ne Guidelines Against Sex Crimes. NY Times NewsPaper, 4, April 2011.

Brownmiller, Susan. Excerpt from Against Our Will. In: The Essential Feminist Reader. Modern Lbrary, 2007.