I am an avid Tumblr user. I am addicted, I won't deny it. Everyday I see at least 20 posts discouraging and teaching against rape culture and victim blaming. Victim blaming is when a person or a group of people allude that the victim is partially or entirely the responsible for their victimization. This term does not only pertain to rape culture, it can also be used for things like robberies (ex. leaving a valuable possession in plain sight and unattended).
The most creative post I have seen so far shaming victim blaming is a photo set of about 12 female, well recognized (such as Jasmine from Aladin, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, etc.) characters stating that they are not "asking for it." These characters range from covered all the way, wear seashells to cover breasts and even showing their stomachs. The statement being made is that no matter how a person dresses, if consent is not given, things should not escalate.
On August 26, 2013, a Montana District Judge decided a repetitive sex offender and school teacher should only serve a 30 day sentence as well as being a registered sex offender. While 30 days, in my opinion, is an extremely low number for a sex offender, especially a former teacher, this is not the alarming part of the story. Judge Baugh said that the deceased (committed suicide) high school student was just "as much in control of the situation" and that she was "older than her chronological age." While judges do make statements to impress upon future legislation, this statement is alarming.
http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2013/08/29/victim-blaming-judge-gives-rapist-30-day-sentence/
In 2010, BBC News released results from a poll taken on rape. The survey interviewed 1,000 Londoners. "Of the women who believed some victims should take responsibility, 71% thought a person should accept responsibility when getting into bed with someone, compared with 57% of men." Some women even stated that they weren't sure that they'd notify the police if they were sexually assaulted. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8515592.stm
Why is this?
While the media seems to encourage hyper sexualization and freedom of expression, it has a way of condemning those who partake in this freedom. If you take a look at discussion boards, you often see commenters blaming the victim in some form or fashion for what happened to them. Yes, safety precautions should be taken when going out at night or alone, but we should never make a victim feel guilty for what happens to them. Instead of encouraging and teaching victim blaming, we should push the importance in consent.
A petition has been started to have Judge Baugh resign on moveon.org. Victim blaming should not be tolerated anywhere, especially on the bench.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Who Needs Feminism?
As promised in my first blog, I wanted to cover the Who Needs Feminism movement for both my readers and myself.
I first learned of this movement from a commercial I saw on television. Some of the statements seem extremely random which is the charm of the movement. Feminism means different things to different people. I will be extremely honest and say I ignored the commercial until one day I stumbled across another "I need feminism because..." poster on Tumblr.
The Who Needs Feminism movement was started by 16 women at Duke University taking a Women in the Public Sphere course. One of their goals is to debunk the myth that feminism/feminist movements are no longer needed. With thousands of people chiming in, one of their goals is already complete. Their website states that, "the goal of our project is to decrease negative associations with the word [feminism] that would keep anyone from identifying with the movement."
This movement catches my attention for various reasons. The most simplest of reasons is the raw feel of the project. Holding signs, you see people from all different walks of life. Men, women, people masked or hooded, people with piercings, tattoos, nicely dressed people, all kinds of people. Some hold signs in professionally taken photos while other take pictures on blurry camera phones. It reminds us that these people are real and these statements are real. It gives you a chance to connect with a person who you do not know through a statement that you hold in common or drastically oppose.
Another reason I find this movement to be dynamic is the use of social media to keep it fueled and reach various people in diverse areas. WNF uses Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook and accepts submissions on all three. Rather than tell the viewer what their idea of what feminism is, they allow the viewer/submitter to share their experiences in a caption. Feminism is fluid, not stagnant. I am interested in seeing how I can compare and contrast this movement from early feminist movements. I also want to keep tabs on who covers the movement and in what ways.
Lastly, the movement is submitter driven. This keeps the viewer engaged and active in what is going on rather than passively following the movement.
You can visit the movement's Tumblr blog/website at the following link: http://whoneedsfeminism.tumblr.com/
As an attempt to engage my readers, why do you need feminism? How do you feel about the movement? Would you participate and submit an entry for them to post?
I first learned of this movement from a commercial I saw on television. Some of the statements seem extremely random which is the charm of the movement. Feminism means different things to different people. I will be extremely honest and say I ignored the commercial until one day I stumbled across another "I need feminism because..." poster on Tumblr.
The Who Needs Feminism movement was started by 16 women at Duke University taking a Women in the Public Sphere course. One of their goals is to debunk the myth that feminism/feminist movements are no longer needed. With thousands of people chiming in, one of their goals is already complete. Their website states that, "the goal of our project is to decrease negative associations with the word [feminism] that would keep anyone from identifying with the movement."
This movement catches my attention for various reasons. The most simplest of reasons is the raw feel of the project. Holding signs, you see people from all different walks of life. Men, women, people masked or hooded, people with piercings, tattoos, nicely dressed people, all kinds of people. Some hold signs in professionally taken photos while other take pictures on blurry camera phones. It reminds us that these people are real and these statements are real. It gives you a chance to connect with a person who you do not know through a statement that you hold in common or drastically oppose.
Another reason I find this movement to be dynamic is the use of social media to keep it fueled and reach various people in diverse areas. WNF uses Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook and accepts submissions on all three. Rather than tell the viewer what their idea of what feminism is, they allow the viewer/submitter to share their experiences in a caption. Feminism is fluid, not stagnant. I am interested in seeing how I can compare and contrast this movement from early feminist movements. I also want to keep tabs on who covers the movement and in what ways.
Lastly, the movement is submitter driven. This keeps the viewer engaged and active in what is going on rather than passively following the movement.
You can visit the movement's Tumblr blog/website at the following link: http://whoneedsfeminism.tumblr.com/
As an attempt to engage my readers, why do you need feminism? How do you feel about the movement? Would you participate and submit an entry for them to post?
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Blurred Lines? No, They're Quite Clear...
It has been said many times over that "sex sells". Advertising companies have taken hold of this saying and ran with it... and no one seems to be stopping them. Commercials for products like Fanta show women scantily dressed in tight clothes to sell items that do not require sex appeal. This is not to say that men are not marketing in the same ways as females, but it should be noted that this marketing strategy is used at significantly lesser rate when a male model is used.
While women should feel comfortable in their skin, their comfort should not be preyed upon by advertising companies. For entertainment, which is a big sector of mass media, it seems that sex appeal is a pre-requisite for ratings, stability and popularity.
For example, Robin Thicke's new song Blurred Lines features 3 beautiful, naked ladies parading around in underwear and playing with children's toys. Along with 3 naked ladies are 3 fully clothed (in layers might I point out) men singing and rapping about how they will "liberate" this woman. Blurred Lines has a few meanings that are important to this post:
1) Robin Thicke talks about blurred lines in the sense that girls act like they don't want him but they really do.
2) The "lady in the streets, freak in the sheets" complex.
The Robin Thicke version (do note that there is nudity):
http://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines-unrated-version/USUV71300526
Feminist Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOoZgEWKBfU
Three law students from Auckland, New Zealand felt motivated to speak against the misogynistic song and made a parody video reversing the roles. It's quite awkward to watch, but is very effective. The law students aren't the only ones who found this song and video to be offensive. In the UK, Blurred Lines has been banned from 5 university bars. “The song hugely objectifies woman and excuses rape culture,” said Hollie O’Connor, president of the University of Derby Students' Union. “It is a man suggesting that there are ‘blurred lines’ when it comes to sexual consent and that is unacceptable. We felt we needed to take a stand.”
While Thicke claims it was not their intention to send misogynistic and rape approval messages, it is still his responsibility to be careful potential messages he may send. Blatantly saying "you know you want it" and having these girls parade around naked makes his message pretty clear.
While the media displays this kind of content, it also is the server that condemns the type of content. If more people were willing to stand up against what pop culture has deemed okay, videos like this would not be okay to air.
For example, Robin Thicke's new song Blurred Lines features 3 beautiful, naked ladies parading around in underwear and playing with children's toys. Along with 3 naked ladies are 3 fully clothed (in layers might I point out) men singing and rapping about how they will "liberate" this woman. Blurred Lines has a few meanings that are important to this post:
1) Robin Thicke talks about blurred lines in the sense that girls act like they don't want him but they really do.
2) The "lady in the streets, freak in the sheets" complex.
The Robin Thicke version (do note that there is nudity):
http://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines-unrated-version/USUV71300526
Feminist Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOoZgEWKBfU
Three law students from Auckland, New Zealand felt motivated to speak against the misogynistic song and made a parody video reversing the roles. It's quite awkward to watch, but is very effective. The law students aren't the only ones who found this song and video to be offensive. In the UK, Blurred Lines has been banned from 5 university bars. “The song hugely objectifies woman and excuses rape culture,” said Hollie O’Connor, president of the University of Derby Students' Union. “It is a man suggesting that there are ‘blurred lines’ when it comes to sexual consent and that is unacceptable. We felt we needed to take a stand.”
While Thicke claims it was not their intention to send misogynistic and rape approval messages, it is still his responsibility to be careful potential messages he may send. Blatantly saying "you know you want it" and having these girls parade around naked makes his message pretty clear.
While the media displays this kind of content, it also is the server that condemns the type of content. If more people were willing to stand up against what pop culture has deemed okay, videos like this would not be okay to air.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Hello World!
Greetings to the fellow members of POLS 3380 (and anyone else who decides to view)!
My blog is called The Feminist Column. The posts that will flow through my blog and my Twitter (@fbliss6speaks) will be centered around women's rights world wide, gender equality, will from time to time feature major happenings in feminist history as well as following the "I need feminism because..." movement. Many people are unfamiliar with the types and generations of feminism, so I will feature a post laying out the types and differences.
I chose the topic of feminism because I am a feminist. I believe that many other people (both men and women) are feminists as well, but don't realize it or chose not to. When topics are presented with the word "feminism" or "feminist," they are often disregarded and chalked up to be man hating without being given the slightest attention.
Some feminists want for men and women to be equal. Some feminists push for special views and treatment on the count of sex. The twists, turns, specifications and differences of people who unite themselves under the single term of feminist makes the topic endless!
To start the blog off right, let's define feminism:
“Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: 'You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.”
― Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook
Just one matter of housekeeping, a few of you all have added my personal (@fbliss6) account on Twitter. Do note that I welcome all followers, but that account isn't the one for this class.
See you all next post and on Twitter!
-Key.
My blog is called The Feminist Column. The posts that will flow through my blog and my Twitter (@fbliss6speaks) will be centered around women's rights world wide, gender equality, will from time to time feature major happenings in feminist history as well as following the "I need feminism because..." movement. Many people are unfamiliar with the types and generations of feminism, so I will feature a post laying out the types and differences.
I chose the topic of feminism because I am a feminist. I believe that many other people (both men and women) are feminists as well, but don't realize it or chose not to. When topics are presented with the word "feminism" or "feminist," they are often disregarded and chalked up to be man hating without being given the slightest attention.
Some feminists want for men and women to be equal. Some feminists push for special views and treatment on the count of sex. The twists, turns, specifications and differences of people who unite themselves under the single term of feminist makes the topic endless!
To start the blog off right, let's define feminism:
“Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: 'You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.”
― Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook
Just one matter of housekeeping, a few of you all have added my personal (@fbliss6) account on Twitter. Do note that I welcome all followers, but that account isn't the one for this class.
See you all next post and on Twitter!
-Key.
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