for 12/9 Realistic and fair wages

Here's Ledbetter's story.

If you liked Business of Being Born, you'll like:
Motherhood Manifesto.

What did you learn new from either of these videos?

for 12/9--how we stack up with maternity/paternity leave

Read:
http://www.momsrising.org/maternity
What effect does paid maternity/paternity leave have on infant mortality?

YouTube - Janelle Monae: The Meaning Of 'Tightrope'

YouTube - Janelle Monae: The Meaning Of 'Tightrope'

Going Androidgenous With Janelle Monáe | Mother Jones

Going Androidgenous With Janelle Monáe | Mother Jones

Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl - TEDWomen.aol.com

Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl - TEDWomen.aol.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

For 12/6: Amplify Your Voice launches video series on abstinence-only programs

What message is this video (Amplify Your Voice launches video series on abstinence-only programs) giving?

for 12/6: “Miss TSA” calendar reminds us just how unsexy some “sexy” poses are

“Miss TSA” calendar reminds us just how unsexy some “sexy” poses are

Chloe at Feministing says, "The photos were originally taken for another calendar that was designed to convince doctors to buy x-ray monitors. I appreciate these photos because they’re a reminder that, when you look at conventional definitions of “sexy” from a slightly different angle – in this case, from an angle that removes facial expression, hair, makeup, surrounding requisite beach or fur rug and leaves nothing but the body – those definitions start to look really ridiculous. These poses are totally absurd, so unlikely to be struck during actual real-life sex, and this particular form of photography throws that into sharp relief. It can be easy to forget, when you’re looking at a photo that includes all the images that serve as code for “sexy” – the hair, the pout, the lighting, the flesh – that it’s all a carefully orchestrated performance. These x-rays take that performance and remind us that it’s all a show, and not a very sexy one at that."

What do you say about them?

for 11/30: Slowpoke Comics by Jen Sorensen :: Alternative Political Cartoons and Illustration

Slowpoke Comics by Jen Sorensen :: Alternative Political Cartoons and Illustration
What is Cartoonist Jen Sorensen saying with this cartoon?

for 11/29: Enough talk on body image. Let’s take action.

Students often ask what can be done about the media's depiction of women's bodies. According to the article linked below, what can be done?

Enough talk on body image. Let’s take action.

YouTube - "Daddy I Do" Trailer

YouTube - "Daddy I Do" Trailer
According to what you can pick up in this trailer, why does the religious right believe it's sinful to use a condom? How do you think the filmmaker, Cassie Jaye, might respond?

For 11/29: Breaking: Paycheck Fairness Act Fails to Pass in the Senate

Breaking: Paycheck Fairness Act Fails to Pass in the Senate

This act would have required employers to give women equal pay for equal work.
Who stood in the way of act's passage? Who benefits from unfair pay?

For 11/29: Declutter your wardrobe: wear more of less - videos - *faircompanies

This is a great video, sent by a student, about having just enough clothes--not to many.

Declutter your wardrobe: wear more of less - videos - *faircompanies:

for 11/15: Student sues after being cut by coach over pink cleats - USATODAY.com

Student sues after being cut by coach over pink cleats - USATODAY.com:
Can you apply a feminist analysis to this? (Jos does at Feministing.)

Link to required film viewing: YouTube - the business of being born 1/10

YouTube - the business of being born 1/10: Make sure to watch any parts of the film you miss in class.

Feminist Perspectives on Rape (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Rape lecture is taken from this article from SEP:
Feminist Perspectives on Rape (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

For 9/15: File under “heartbreaking” and “you can help”

This post, File under “heartbreaking” and “you can help”,
is about Sofia, a woman with severe anorexia who's insurance company stopped covering her treatment.

She will die without the treatment.

Is this a concern for feminists and/or Women's Studies? Consider what the The Fat Nutritionist says:

"Eating disorders prey on some of the most marginalized members of society: girls, women, gay men, as well as people who suffer from depression, OCD, or illnesses that make eating a pain in the ass to begin with. They prey on people of all skin colours and ethnicities. They prey on people who’ve been tormented into believing that fat is a fate worse than death. And they kill people who don’t have the money to get better."

Here is the link to her fund raising page, where she tells her story.

Love Yourself: Beautiful scene from Luc Besson's movie "Angel-A". [VIDEO]

Student Angela Peterson sent this:
Love Yourself: Beautiful scene from Luc Besson's movie "Angel-A". [VIDEO] and says about it:
"I thought the video was a nice contrast to the NYT article about the lengths women will go to in order to look good, regardless of the consequences, i.e. letting formaldehyde seep into your skin for straight hair. I thought the woman in the video represented what the stereotypical ideal is, and using a minority male was (depending on the country, but I assume it was France) was a refreshing change in who we usually see as suffering from low self-esteem, women. It broke those stereotypes in four minutes. The message was clear, love yourself, even if there is no one else there to tell you they love you."

Required for last exam: Stories and analysis on Campus rape from NPR

How is rape handled on campus? Listen to these 3 reports:

Campus rape victims struggle for justice: colleges almost never expel men found responsible for rape.

Failed Justice Leaves Rape Victim Nowhere To Turn

Myths about rapists that make it hard to stop campus rape: it's not committed by drunk men making one-time mistakes or by psychos.

According to these reports, what is the basic weapon on a college campus?

What do victims of rape experience when they report a campus rape or file charges? How do universities handle rape reports?

How should campuses treat rapists?

for 9/15: Research shows sex is more fun when you do it for its own sake.

I think this is great news: People, especially men, who have sex to express affection, report experiencing more pleasure than those who do it just for status.


Research shows sex is more fun when you do it for its own sake.

What stereotypes does this research defy?

for 9/15: Burning Desperation - Video Library - The New York Times

The video linked here is very sad and contains disturbing images.

Burning Desperation - Video Library - The New York Times

According to the doctor interviewed, why do these women attempt suicide?
Why might only women be trying to kill themselves this way?

What happens to them if they survive?

for 9/15: New study confirms that women give more money than men

I keep thinking about this news:
New study confirms that women give more money than men

They mean percentage-wise, of course.

If we take the study's conclusion at face-value, what theories do you have that would explain women giving a higher percentage of their income than men?

for 9/15: Covered up: More than 1/3 of American woman soldiers raped

What do you think about these leaks? Read the link--could more than a third of U.S. women soldiers suffer rape while on the job? If so, how do you explain it? Why would the military want to cover it up?

Covered up: More than 1/3 of American woman soldiers raped « Stool & Dunce Cap

for 11/15: Blog post from student Paige Walsh on women in the music industry

(I cut and pasted this word-for-word from an email from Paige Walsh! Thanks, Paige)

The comparison of women in the music industry
Comparing the songs...

Hey Good Lookin - By Hank Williams Sr. released in 1951
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxB1t2EEK0M - Video
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/williams-hank-jr/hey-good-lookin-993.html - Lyrics

and

Wait (The Whisper Song) - By The Ying Yang Twins released in 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDOC7JRDzYI - video
http://www.metrolyrics.com/wait-the-whisper-song-lyrics-ying-yang-twins.html - Lyrics

How has the treatment of women in the music industry changed in those 54 years? Does it upset you at all? Which way would you prefer to be treated?

for 11/8: A Safety Kink in Hair Relaxing? - Skin Deep - NYTimes.com

Are we willing to put ourselves in a dangerous situation for "beauty?"
A Safety Kink in Hair Relaxing? - Skin Deep - NYTimes.com
Also, is it okay to have take the dangerous chemical treatments on your hair if you know the stylist's health could suffer?

For 11/8: Pyramid of Egregiousness | Name It. Change It.

This is quick, but be sure to put cursor on each section to see what's underneath. What's the point of this interactive graphic? What is it saying?
Pyramid of Egregiousness | Name It. Change It.

for 11/8: Birth control not really causing gender dysphoria in fish

A group called the American Life League is spreading false rumors that Birth Control pills are bad for the environment:

Birth control not really causing gender dysphoria in fish


Why would anyone slander the Pill?

An Event to End Violence Against Women | The White House

An Event to End Violence Against Women | The White House
Sent by a student!

Tina Fey set for a special 'SNL' women's reunion - USATODAY.com

I want to watch this:

Tina Fey set for a special 'SNL' women's reunion - USATODAY.com

Arkansas School Board Member Says Gay Students Should "Get AIDS and Die" | Gay Rights | Change.org

Arkansas School Board Member Says Gay Students Should "Get AIDS and Die" | Gay Rights | Change.org
You can sign a petition demanding this homophobic school board member resign.

PeaceCorpsInformationFall2010.pdf (application/pdf Object)

PeaceCorpsInformationFall2010.pdf (application/pdf Object)

for 11/1: More magazine features “The New Feminists”

More magazine features “The New Feminists”

WIU Disability Awareness Day

Check out the schedule.

For 11/1: More Bad News on the Motherhood Penalty

It has long been recognized that women pay an economic penalty for motherhood in a way fathers do NOT. But according to the link below, which women bear the brunt of this penalty most?

Read at least the first few paragraphs in this link:
More Bad News on the Motherhood Penalty

for 11/1: “Careless talk costs lives”: On Fat Talk Free Week

Can you go a week without Fat Talk?

“Careless talk costs lives”: On Fat Talk Free Week

According to Chloe on Feministing.com, "

This week is Fat Talk Free Week, an initiative of Tri Delta sorority that in the last few years has become a national campaign. FTFW challenges participants to pledge to go one week without criticizing their, or anyone else’s body:

Fat Talk describes all of the statements made in everyday conversation that reinforce the thin ideal and contribute to women’s dissatisfaction with their bodies. Examples of fat talk may include: “I’m so fat,” “Do I look fat in this?” “I need to lose 10 pounds” and “She’s too fat to be wearing that swimsuit.” Statements that are considered fat talk don’t necessarily have to be negative; they can seem positive yet also reinforce the need to be thin – “You look great! Have you lost weight?

The idea behind FTFW is to make participants aware of how often they engage in fat talk, reinforcing, whether they mean to or not, the impossibly high beauty standards that to which women are subject, and reaffirming the disgust and discrimination that are so often directed at overweight people."

Hillary Clinton’s ‘It Gets Better’ video

Hillary Clinton’s ‘It Gets Better’ video:
The blond-haired one in purple is Hillary Clinton, supporting LGBTQ issues.

10/25: High School Cheerleader Kicked Off Squad for Refusal to Cheer for Her Rapist | Women's Rights | Change.org

High School Cheerleader Kicked Off Squad for Refusal to Cheer for Her Rapist | Women's Rights | Change.org:

Miriam, at Feministing.com says, "A high school cheerleader was kicked off her squad for refusing to shout the name of her accused rapist and basketball player. A court has defended the decision, calling her a “mouthpiece” for a school to use to “disseminate speech — namely, support for its athletic teams.” Disgusting."

By clicking the link and scrolling down, you can also sign a petition telling "Silsbee (high school) officials that this is no way to treat rape victims, and insist that they publicly issue an apology to H.S. (the cheerleader and victim of sexual assault) immediately. Furthermore, tell them to instate a policy outlining appropriate treatment of sexual assault survivors, which does not put the onus on the victim to ensure smooth interactions at the school.

for 10/25: Competitive Cheerleading Fights For Official Status : NPR

Why do you think competitive cheerleading, which often requires 12 hours of practice a week, is not considered an official sport?

Competitive Cheerleading Fights For Official Status : NPR

NPR says, "But soccer, hockey and volleyball are all approved by the NCAA, which means they also get funding under Title IX, a federal law that requires universities to distribute their money equally between the sexes. Competitive cheer is not even on the NCAA's list of "emerging sports." But it's trying to be."

U.S. Ranks Low in Female Representation

U.S. Ranks Low in Female Representation
Recommended by student Angela Peterson who says "this is embarrassing."

for 10/24: 5-Hour Energy Commercials

5-Hour Energy Commercials:
Click on this link, and then on the second commercial, the one with the woman holding a lot of groceries. What else could happen, besides only her working so hard that she needs an energy drink?

for 10/24: Privileged boys, impoverished ethics

More analysis on frat. behavior at Yale from Feministing.com and masculinity studies specialist Michael Kimmel:

Privileged boys, impoverished ethics

Quoting Michael Kimmel from the link above, "We can see the men of DKE at Yale not as a bunch of angry predators, asserting their dominance, but as a more pathetic bunch of guys who see themselves as powerless losers, trying to re-establish a sexual landscape which they feel has been thrown terribly off its axis. This is especially ironic, of course, because these straight, white, upper-class Yalie DKEs are among the most privileged 20-year-olds on the planet. And yet now they feel one-down, defensive, reduced to impotent screaming–and all because of women’s equality."

For 10/24: "Sex Talk"

In this linked comic, "Sex Talk", what does the creator, Maisha, mean by the word, "consent?"

What does the line "Can we roleplay abstinent vampires?" mean?

For 10/25: Yale Fraternity stoops to new low

Yale Fraternity stoops to new low: they marched around the Women's Freshman dorms saying, "“No means yes, yes means anal” and “My name is Jack, I’m a necrophil­iac, I f—-- dead women, and fill them with my semen.”

Appalling, but I was impressed with their apology. What I want to know from you is did they really not understand that rape is serious beforehand?

For 10/18: Essence displays photo of lesbian couple in wedding section for first time

Feministing | Young Feminists Blogging, Organizing, Kicking Ass

For 10/18: Best Country For Women? Iceland : The Two-Way : NPR

Here's the Most recent Gender Gap report. The US came in at 19--the first time it's cracked the top 20.
Best Country For Women? Iceland : The Two-Way : NPR

for 10/18 13 Halloween Costumes That Have No Business Being 'Sexy' (PHOTOS)

Look at the slides linked here:
13 Halloween Costumes That Have No Business Being 'Sexy' (PHOTOS)

Why does the title say these costumes should not be "sexy?"

For 10/18: Laney Boggs and Mrs. Landingham want you to watch what you watch

Laney Boggs and Mrs. Landingham want you to watch what you watch
Watch the video linked here. What are they trying to say?

For 10/17: POLL: Do You Miss the Old Shakira? | Latina

POLL: Do You Miss the Old Shakira? | Latina
What is the difference between the "old" Shakira and the new one?

for 10/17: Google Bans “Latina” from Search Results | Latina

Google Bans “Latina” from Search Results | Latina
What do you make of this?

for 10/17: Google Bans “Latina” from Search Results | Latina

Google Bans “Latina” from Search Results | Latina

For 10/17: Birth Control Pills Change Women's Brain Structure - The Consumerist

Birth Control Pills Change Women's Brain Structure - The Consumerist

Why Did She Wait So Long? Later Abortions and the Implications of the New Nebraska Ban | RHRealityCheck.org

Why Did She Wait So Long? Later Abortions and the Implications of the New Nebraska Ban | RHRealityCheck.org:

YouTube - Advice for Young Girls from The Little Mermaid

YouTube - Advice for Young Girls from The Little Mermaid:

What is this cartoon satire saying about Disney?

Facing Social Pressures, Families Disguise Girls as Boys in Afghanistan - NYTimes.com

Facing Social Pressures, Families Disguise Girls as Boys in Afghanistan - NYTimes.com:

My new normal | Jessica Valenti

Here, My new normal | Jessica Valenti, you can read Valenti's story of her daughter's premature birth 8 weeks ago.

Reconsider Columbus Day

Home

A student sent this link because it relates to A Mercy.

You can also watch the video here.

While I don't believe we need an official holiday to celebrate the person who represents an escalation in slave trade and the genocide of Native Americans, Christopher Columbus himself was really not a bad guy. Columbus wasn't trying to colonize or enslave anyone; rather, he wanted to prove the earth was round. People thought he was crazy and his own crew often threatened to throw him overboard.

For 10/11 PAPERMAG: Arts and Style - She's Got Balls: 12 Creative Women Get in Touch With Their Masculine Side

PAPERMAG: Arts and Style - She's Got Balls: 12 Creative Women Get in Touch With Their Masculine Side

Cheerleaders Say Their Uniforms are Too Skimpy | NBC Connecticut

Cheerleaders Say Their Uniforms are Too Skimpy | NBC Connecticut

10/11: Fighting back against the early sexualization of girls

Watch this video:
Fighting back against the early sexualization of girls

What problem does student Yanique Richards have with the Media?

For 10/12: New sex study has good news for youth and people of color but gender gap in sexual satisfaction persists

New sex study has good news for youth and people of color but gender gap in sexual satisfaction persists

Read the post linked above. What is the gender gap in sexual satisfaction?

For 10/12: Sports, sex, and the runner Caster Semenya : The New Yorker

Sports, sex, and the runner Caster Semenya : The New Yorker
Caster Semenya: What is the ultimate difference between a man and a woman?

for 10/11: Notes from a bitch…pondering the ramifications…

Sharkfu, who hails from St. Louis, has a blog that she calls "Angry BlackBitch: Practicing the Fine Art of Bitchitude." Why does she call her self "Angry Black Bitch?"

She also writes for Feministing.com. Her most recent post on Feministing is Notes from a bitch…pondering the ramifications… , which is about some Black Women's mistrust of doctors and WHY they have been raised to not trust doctors.

Consider this quote from Sharkfu in her recent Feministing post: "My beloved maternal Grandmother did not trust doctors, hospitals or The Man. She had good reason – she came of age in pre World War II Mississippi, where black women entered the hospital for medical care and left having been given a Mississippi Appendectomy…a hysterectomy that was neither medically necessary, legal or ethical. " In other words, they were sterilized by force and without consent.

Sharkfu continues: "No one ever came right out and said that we shouldn’t go to a gynecologist for a Pap smear or birth control. But, through stories and tone, the message was clear – don’t trust medical care and you sure as shit shouldn’t trust government medical care," The implication being that the government wanted to sterilize women of color or perform some medical experiment on them.

What Does Meryl Streep have in common with the Tea Party?

Meryl Streep wants to help fund a Women's History museum in D.C. What do you think about that?

Read this link-- What Does Meryl Streep have in common with the Tea Party?
to find out who's opposed to a Women's History Museum.

for 10/4: Teacher Unjustly Punished For Revealing Her Sex-Work Past

If one has been a sex worker, is it possible for her or him to move on to do something else? Will society accept her/him?
Before you answer, read this link:

Teacher Unjustly Punished For Revealing Her Sex-Work Past

Once you've been a sex worker, are you a sex worker for life, or can you have other skills and talents and do other things?

for 10/4: Vital Signs - Obesity Costs Women More, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

Read the following link about the ways obese women are discriminated against more than obese men:

Vital Signs - Obesity Costs Women More, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

Why is obesity more socially accepted in men than in women?