The Politics of Housework

Housework is a widely disputed topic amongst men and women. Some people feel that men should do no housework and women should do all of it and stay home with the kids. That is a very misogynistic view that really was overruled during the 50s. Personally I feel that men should do housework, because most likely it is your house as well. There is no such thing as a feminine chore, however the only chore that I could see men doing instead of women would be to cut the grass but I know plenty of women who cut the grass for themselves. Everything that needs to be done has to be done. When I was growing up, I had chores daily. I pretty much did everything you could think of around the house. It was my responsibility. If I didn't do it, I got a whipping. My mom and dad really instilled in me from an early age that I had to clean the house before I could go anywhere. Any man that doesn't clean around the house has had poor home-training.

fguy

dhtg

Facebook Hate Group

Face book has let a group of young individuals with Face book profiles start a derogatory group page. While the page reveals a group of individuals who are pro-rape. They see fun and humor in publishing jokes on the page about raping women. The page name is “Roses are red, Violets are blue, I’ve got a knife, get in the van. This is a very life threatening page being publicized on the internet for women to see. This is against face book policy listed on the internet site. Face book’s statement of rights and responsibilities states “You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, and pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence. When Face book was initially contacted about the issue the page was arousing they blew it off. There first comment on the issue was that the individuals that posted the group were playing and that it was like telling a joke in a local pub. They also stated that actions like this will not get you thrown off Face book. If you were to try this as a joke in a local pub and tell the person you’re talking to that you’re going to rape his daughter, wife, or mother he would probably seriously injure you. While this issue has even gone on a national level, the United Kingdom has already had 4,000 citizens sign a petition to take them down. The United States has also joined in on signing a petition to ban the pages with 176,000 citizens John Hancock. Face book doesn’t realize that a rapist can be anyone around you but you will never know because rapist only rape because they can. I think the government should get involved in the issue to settle it.

Joshua Thomas

Media

It's hard to believe most things that are on television today or any form of media at that. People are portrayed as the ideal image of beauty and situations are played up to unrealistic levels.

After watching the Dove Beauty video clips in class, the many different ways to alter the way a person looks is shocking. They change "imperfections" from removing blemishes to widening a male's shoulders or whittling a woman's waist. Why? All to make their products fool people into thinking that it'll make them just as beautiful. I'm still waiting for the day Victoria Secret has a 5'4" model at a healthy weight - I think that would be even more attractive and sexy to women and men.

Reality shows that are suppose to be real are far from it. There are not many shows that has a goal of displaying morals or anything similar to how real life plays out. I know shows like Teen Mom and The Secret Life are suppose to show the consequences of getting pregnant at a young age, but it is still played up and glamorized.

As far as people of color - my observation is that there are not many shows including them. Most shows are about white, middle to upper class people. I personally do not have cable now that I'm in college and paying for my own bills, and it's liberating to not have to be pulled in and hook on the shows that waste our time.


Haley Daniel

WS 200-007: Representation in the Media

Our society as a whole is definitely based fixed from ideas of the media. The way we dress, things we do, and what we look like are all influenced by the media. There is a fixed way that a family should be like, as well as how people are supposed to look.
In television, actors are the key in forming a perfect picture. As we've all noticed they are virtually perfect. families all have the same setup: a working father with pretty mother who stays at home to watch the children. This stereotype has been going on for many years now, as far back as the late 60's when the Brady Bunch aired.On people of color, as in blacks, I feel are most often seen as the stereotypical "black people". But this stereotype has been going on for a long time. However this is not in all cases. I have seen many commercials with people of color who do not show the fixed stereotype such as All-State and many McDonald's commercials.
Also, there is the model industry, which i feel is the most dangerous to younger teens. tall, skinny women are the set norm for models, which is often photo-shopped. This is very wrong because it presents a false image of a regular person.

Media Representation

The media is deceitful.

The media tries to present to society this dream of the way society really is in the world today when it could not be more of the opposite. All women do not look like they just stepped out of a Victoria's Secret catalog and all men do not look like they just stepped out of a GQ shoot. The media further promotes this in their reality shows. You never really see a regular looking person on reality T.V unless it's in shows like those MTV True Life episodes or 16 and pregnant. This is the only time you are going to see a regular American doing reality T.V. Never in the ads or on the commercials that promote products will you see a person with a couple of acne marks or a little baby fat on their waist or face.

The media only makes their deceit even worse when they promote some of these reality shows. I mean like seriously, how is it in one town you see so many beautiful and rich people that just so happen to hang out together? Then there's the fact that they all don't even much like each other but just tolerate one another! I never use to put much thought into it until I saw this show Laguna Beach which first premiered on MTV. At first I wondered, out of all the cities here in the U.S how did this particular area get chosen for a reality T.V show. It hit me when I saw the first episode. They were all beautiful and came from very well off families. This isn't reality for me, this is reality for rich people. It only got worse on other networks over the years. Why? Because we kept watching it. We soak it all up. Do we not realize that the media is promoting this as the accepted norm of society and anything other than that is unacceptable. I think we do and we just chose to ignore it. It's entertainment and we shouldn't take it personally right? Wrong.

The only good part about all of this is that slowly people are starting to get tired of it all. It's the only thing you see on T.V now a days and it's really become over done. When is the media ever going to the reveal the “real” side of reality besides in those sad commercials where someone's life is taken so suddenly and they ask you to call the number at the bottom of the screen to stop it from ever happening again. When it changes let me know, in the mean time I'm still flipping through channels looking for something “real” to watch instead of ESPN.

Misrepesentation

         I believe there are three different groups of people that are misrepresented in the media. Those people are families, people of color, and women. While families are represented in an unrealistic way, people of color and women are represented by a standard or idea that everyone is expected to live up to. As people in our society try to live up to these standards they forget about their morals and end up unhappy with life.
      
        Families that are seen on television go about their lives in an unrealistic way because they try to make up this picture perfect family. Although these families still come across problems, they take care of these problems in a way that an average family would not. For example, the television show "Kardashians". When Kourtney and her mother disagree on something they curse at each other. Not saying that mothers are not aloud to curse at their children when they become adults, but for a daughter to curse at her mother is out of hand.
    
       The way that people of color are misrepresented in the media challenges other African Americans to be just like the people they say on television. African Americans are judged by other African Americans according to skin color. Even in music you hear of rappers talk about a light skin woman and vice versa. If you were to ask a few African Americans who they would prefer to date, light skinned people will definitely be the majority. The opinion of having a light skinned woman because she is better looking, was advertised by the media. I am pretty sure if rappers like Lil Wayne started rapping about chocolate women instead of red bones, those would be the ones that African Americans would be after.
    
      Women in general are misrepresented by the media in way a scary way. Women are expected to wear make-up, heels, and have a body that contains a big butt, decent sized boobs and a flat stomach. As the twelve year olds in our society that haven't hit puberty yet look in the mirror, they think they are suppose to look like actresses such as Megan Fox. They do not realize the true definition of beauty comes from the inside. Boys that see these women on television are made to believe that they have to find the girl that looks closest to the the woman seen on television. This causes girls to think that they are not good enough at a young age and are not able to identify their self-worth. Misrepresentation causes a lot of problems in our society and it just gets worse. Kids thinking that they are not good enough, ruin something great that they could be in the future.
    
      

    
    

Media

Through the media, people are represented in many ways and society conforms to what it sees. In most cases, the people that you see in commercials are usually slim and attractive. What makes them attractive? Although some are beautiful people, what makes us think that slim looks better that overweight. Different types of people are chosen to play certain roles in commercials as well as movies. For instance, anytime there is a movie about urban life, the whole cast is usually African-American. Although there are some African-Americans that live in urban areas, all do not.
Yet, plots that consist of a wealthy family consists of Caucasians. As a society, we've seen this in the media so many times, it doesn't seem as wrong as it should. We see so many stereotypes daily on television that we probably don't even notice them as much as we should. When a convenience store is incorporated into a plot, an Arabian individual is cast, but it doesn't seem to bother many people.
The media shows society what they think is good,bad, beautiful, or ugly, but it's our choice on whether or not we believe it. Just because something is in a magazine or on television doesn't mean that it's true or relevant to life. It is up to society to look and discern for themselves and decide what they chose to believe and apply to life.

WS 200-007: 10/14/2011

Media plays a huge part in conditioning what we believe to be societal norms. Almost all television families are seen as a working middle-class family with married, heterosexual parents, at least two to three children, and living in a nice home. Shows that try to depict the lives of people of color, portray many negative images. The children come from broken homes, their families are living in poverty, and they are very physically aggressive. In addition in television shows that do not depict African Americans in this light, it is still made obvious that it is rare for a black person to be “doing well.” For example, television shows and movies like Clueless, Beverly Hill 90210, various soap operas, etc. show one to two blacks amongst a sea of white characters who are doing well for themselves. Furthermore, many shows like to make themselves seem “diverse” by casting one “token” black person in the series. Boy Meets World, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and High School Musical, are a few among hundreds of programs who are guilty of doing exactly this.
Also, the media and society choose to portray what they believe it means to be male or female. Women are expected to be ultra feminine and men are expected to be deeply and undeniably masculine. Feminine women and masculine men are also expected to be sexually attracted to each other, get married, have “vanilla” sex, and have babies. The man is usually expected to “bring home the bacon” and the woman is expected to take care of the cooking, cleaning, and children. Anything that falls outside of these categories is considered queer and not a part of the normalizing factor. For example a woman not wanting kids, a couple deciding marriage isn’t for them, a gay couple living together, and a person who is gender-queer would be people who do not fit into normal factors
It seems as though people do not even attempt to understand people who are different from them. For example, if a person is openly gay, many people shy away from them. It is even worse in certain communities and cultures. In the black community, an openly gay woman is accepted before an openly gay man is. This is because men in our community are seen as the epitome of masculinity and to see one who is acting femininely is a huge turn off. The media plays a huge role in how we perceive people of different races and social norms to be which is very unfortunate. A change needs to be made in how things are depicted, but we have to speak up first..

Media Representation

In todays society, the media has its way of brainwashing people. Rather its something to wear or the new hairstyle or even how to live your own life. Men and women on commercials are "perfect" in the media's eyes and they try to get us to believe that if we don't look like them then we are not perfect. If women aren't a size zero with big boobs then they are not perfect and if men aren't buff and tan then they are not perfect either. Everything on t.v. seems to be perfect and we get in our heads that if we don't live that certain way and wear that certain shirt then we aren't perfect. Thats not how live goes and its not the way its supposed to be.It makes me sick to see such fake lifestyles being lived just for the camera.

My thoughts is that no one is perfect no matter how much money they have or even how much money they spend on themselves to make then looks a certain way. Behind the lens of the camera most of the richest people are living miserably. They have everything in life they want and still aren't satisfied. I'm happy and just fine with being a normal college kid that has to work to pay bills or for whatever i need. I'd rather work for it then to have it given to me. It just makes me more appreciative of things in life.

I do not feel perfect, but i am happy with the way i am. I've excepted the fact that i will never be a size zero and i'm fine with that. I do go to the gym everyday and that is what makes me feel good about myself. I don't care what others think of me and I don't try to be like anyone else. I think what we can do to try to change people in today's society is share the word that it is okay to be oversized and not wear makeup everyday. If your happy with yourself then who cares what others think. God made you the way you are and you don't have to try to live like the people in the media to be pretty or handsome.

10/14/2011

People are represented multiple ways in the media. Every time you turn on the TV there's something new. People of all races, sizes, and sexualities are represented. However, they are all represented in different lights, with different judgements.

Take things such as diet pill commercials, we see those ALL the time. The heavier population is represented in these commercials. However, they are represented with a negative connotation.. kind of like "See how bad I looked, now that I'm 50 pounds lighter, look at me (walks around in bikini) I look amazing. If you are overweight you too can look as great as me!" So both populations are represented, one is just glorified while the other is put down. It's not fair. Also, the whole dancing with the stars controversy... both transgendered people, and "appropriately" gendered people are represented. However, people fought tooth and nail to try to get the transgender kicked off the show, but the "normal" people (no matter what they do off camera or how well they dance) are praised for their effort and gain popularity from being on the show. Again, both represented, one glorified and one shamed. In magazines, the latest trends in clothing are shown, and we are taught that this is what we must wear if we want to fit in. People with "style" are shown throughout the magazine, and in the back there's always the "what not to wear section" It makes a person feel ugly if they dress like that.

Media is all around us, everywhere we look, and that media in some way is always conveying a message. That message usually tells us how we should act, what we should wear, who we should love, how we should show that love, what drinks belong with what person (Dr.Pepper), anything you question you can think of, you can bet media has an answer.

Today people are represented in the media according to their beauty, age, hair, make up, race, size, gender, and so on. From infants to the elderly media socially constructs how people are suppose to look. Media basically has people believing they're living the perfect fairytale life style. Men are suppose to be really muscular, handsome nice hair, tall. Women are looked at to be the perfect shape below size 2, long hair, breasts, and A LOT more. Families are seen as man and woman happily married, kids, pets, the kids get everything they want cause their parents have the better paying jobs, and they pretend to be happy all the time. We all know no one is happy all the time. And life really is not as perfect as the media portrays it to be.

You can say people of color are misrepresented in the media, but there are few other races misrepresented too. For instance, there's the "Fresh Prince" and the "Kardashian" show where families are wealthy and have the big houses, maids or butlers, and live the "perfect" lifestyle. There are shows such as "Roseanne" and the "Tyler Perry Shows" that show how some families struggle and go through series of daily troubles, but real love and bonding is there. But media does misrepresent race cause you rarely see different varieties of race in a sitcom. All of these show above have just one race in each show.

Why cant we believe the way we look is the way we are suppose to look? We should be happy with our appearance. Many people would love to still be alive no matter how they look. People now a days breath everyday and would rather complain about satisfying other human beings who will never feel perfect about themselves. Why cant we accept the fact that no one lives the fairytale lifestyle? no family, individual, superstar, or not will ever be completely happy with the way their life is. People of different race should come together more often. Afterall, our ancestors did fight for segregation to end many years ago. However, people seem as if segregation is how they like it.

Media Representation

Media has a huge role in telling people how they "should look". Today's media targets everyone from toddlers to the elderly. Many people's ideas of what is attractive, beautiful, good, bad, etc. are formed by what they see in the media.

In the media everyone fits a criteria that is not necessarily the norm for everyone else. For example, many people aspire to look like the people they see in magazines or on television. They feel like they are obligated to lose weight, dye their hair, or buy certain clothes to fit in with the rest of the world. They are misled to believe it is normal to look like those models, yet don't realize that the models they aspire to be only represent a small fraction of the population. There are too many models, actors, or any other social icons that fit the same body type. Not everyone in the world is tall, skinny, with flowing hair.

I also feel that minorities aren't represented enough in these ads. It goes back to the point I made in the previous paragraph. The media should do a better job at representing people from all cultures, races, etc. Families portrayed by the media are misleading as well. Each family includes one father, one mother, and usually two or three children. The media almost doesn't represent any families that don't fit this mold. Single parent homes, families that don't have children, step-parents, homosexual couples, etc. seem to be looked upon by the media as less appealing.

Media Representation

People are represented in the media through the outlets of television, the Internet, and print media. In print media, male and female models are advertised as being a symbol of perfection. Female models are stereotypically taller than the average woman and skinner than the average woman. The female models are hidden under pounds of makeup and an elaborate hairstyle. On top of all this, in print ads, female models are often photo shopped and cropped by the computer to look even more "perfect." Male models are stereotypically taller than the average man and way more muscular and tone than the average man. Even male models are hidden under makeup and spray tans. Male and female models do not depict the average person; models are unrealistic representations of the general public. Plus-size models are hardly ever used or seen anywhere.

Families are often represented on television. In today's progressive, liberal society, the typical family does not really exist. Television today is pushing the limits of what a family is. For example, on "F.R.I.E.N.D.S.," a character, Ross, gets a divorce from his wife after she reveals that she is a lesbian; however, she is pregnant with his child. Ross, his ex-wife, her lover, and the child create a modern, abnormal family. Another example would be the television show "Gilmore Girls." In this show, a single mom raises her only daughter. This is not a typical family either. There are abnormal families represented in the media today.

People of color are often represented in the media with other people of color. Even it today's society I feel that it is rare to see black and white people together on television or in movies. For example, in the "Tyler Perry Presents..." movies, there are only people of color in those movies. On the show. "F.R.I.E.N.D.S.," it seems as if a character of color never appears. However, I feel that everyone is intermixed in print media and online.

-Kristi Bardosi

People in the Media

We all know that the media is a huge part of our society. It's all around us - television, movies, magazines, newspapers, ads on the street, etc. Media tends to focus on people, it sets today's trends, and we tend to live our lives through them by shaping ourselves to look or be that way. These people are represented as icons;Things that we should be living up to. Actors and actresses are constantly scrutinized by how they look physically, what they wear, and what they're doing from day to day. The ideal beautiful person in the media is tall, thin but fit, wrinkle-less, and well endowed (usually from plastic surgery).

These characteristics shape our society to idolize what we could potentially have. We want to have bodies just like the stars because they are praised. This ultimately forces us to become obsessed with our looks, and sometimes people go as far as plastic surgery or injections to look better and/or younger. Without the media, most of our society wouldn't go to these extremes just to make ourselves look better, but because we idolize these people, we want people to idolize us, too.

While the media usually praises these people for the way they look, they also spend a lot of time scrutinizing the stars and models. As soon as someone gains a little bit of weight, they're all on them with negative things to say. This is the same for when they don't wear makeup or wear comfy clothes in public. This, again, comes back to us, and makes us self conscious about how we look in public or if we aren't rail-thin.

Modeling is a big part of the media in magazines and in other ads. Women models have to be tall and very skinny, which usually is a size 0 or smaller. If you aren't near that size, you're considered a plus size model, which isn't even that large! Male models have to be built, with six-pack abs and great arms. This just shows what the media views as perfect, and many women, again, try to be this perfect. Naturally, this causes eating disorders and low self-esteem if you don't possess these qualities.

Unfortunately, the media is really hurting our society when it comes to how we should look. Rather than being individualistic, we naturally look to the stars to see how we should act and how we should look. With the increase in media through the increase in technology, this idolization will probably only increase.

Media Representation

The media has corrupted our society. Everytime you turn around there is a commercial about losing weight or having perfect skin. Everyone is not made out to be skinny or with perfect skin. I believe that the media pressures society to look that way and it honestly takes a toll on those with low confidence or self esteem. There's always that one commercial that starts off by asking "Want to lose weight?" or "Tired of how you look?". It is a proven fact that America is overweight, but that does not mean that everyone should wear a size 2. To be completely honest, it seems as if some models practically starve themselves because they look super skinny all the time. As for men, they are represented to have abs of steal, muscles and clean shaven. Sad to say, but all men are not made out to look like Hulk Hogan! As for women of color, they are more so promoting weight loss or diet plans instead of speaking on something positive. In my opinion, I rarely see a woman of color advertised as a model.

People are not set out to be perfect. There are commercials that advertise women who are 65 to look like they are 30. I mean there is nothing wrong with that because if someone feels comfortable that way, that's them. But i mean i find it quite ridiculous when i see anti-aging creams in the store. Do these products actually work? I remember watching Keeping up with the Kardashians and Kris (the mother) was all stressed out about the way she looked. Kris practically convinced Kim to postpone her wedding so she would be able to get a face lift. Kris Kardashian is gorgeous! So i do not see why a face lift was even necessary.

It seems as if everyone just wants to perfect. The media is making the majority of the society feel uncomfortable in their bodies, when in actuality you should appreciate how you look. There is a difference in being healthy and practically wearing yourself out to be skinny, or as society makes it seem, "the perfect size". As far as the family sitcoms, you rarely see a "regular" family. By that i mean, family sitcoms portray families as being perfect, where everyone gets along with each other and the wife and husband are chipper all the time. I know that's just for ratings though. I believe it's just difficult for the media to be realistic.

-Bianca Jones MWF 9-9:50am

Media Representation

The media has brainwashed society of what perfect is. A man with big muscles, tan, waxed chest, white smile, tall, and dressed nicely, or a woman with a great body, skinny legs, small arms, big boobs, long hair, no acne, and more and more "perfect" things. Women who are supposed to be fifty look like their thirty. A perfect family is always smiling and sweet to one another. Everyone is happy and getting what they want. It makes me want to throw up, life is not like this.

Honestly, I will never be skinny, my body is not built that way and all I can work on is being fit. I have acne. I have big quads. My fingers are really fat. I have terrible tennis tan lines on my feet and my back. My teeth are not perfectly white. One of my eyes is smaller when I smile. I do not always dress up and my makeup and nails are not always done. Yes, I do not feel perfect but I am confident in who I am. I am healthy and I am fit and I am blessed to have a body that works perfectly fine. But not everyone feels this way, why? Why can't we all be happy with the body God has given us? It is because of the media. It is because we see ads on looking better, appearance wise, forty times a day. This is not right.

So what can we do about? We can show society that we love ourselves. That we do push ourselves to be healthy, not perfect, and we push ourselves to be happy with how we feel. Women are beautiful no matter what shape, size, race, or age they are. We are all built beautiful by God and we need to embrace that. The media will always try to market something new to make us think we need to buy it to look better. So ignore it and fight for all the beautiful and healthy women in the world.

Representation in the Media

Since we are going to be looking at representation over the next few weeks, talk about how you think people are represented in the media. This could be TV, Online, and/or Print Media. Think about what families are advertised and what popular models (male AND female  look like.  How are people of color represented? Just give me your initial thoghts on this subject. Remember these blogs are supposed to be THREE paragraphs!

WS 200-007: The Politics of Housework

I agree when you say that women and men should not stick to your In my opinion, men and women should not have

WS 200-007: Facebook Page

i totally agree with his statement. Although i'm almost certain people just post a bunch of nonsense for no reason, some people may actually get the wrong idea. Facebook should definitely delete this page, for the sake of people who are easily influenced.

The Politics of Housework

     In the past women were expected to do the house work, but now women are usually more busy then men and do not have time to take care of things around the house. Woman have jobs now and they have roles they play in society. Woman do not have time to sit around the house and do things like cooking. Today we have maids to clean the house but not everyone has the money to hire a maid.
     I do not think house work is trivial, but very important while living with the opposite sex. Not completing housework can cause arguments and complications dealing with your partner. Things like cutting the grass, pressure washing the house, taking out the trash, and cleaning oil stains off of the drive way I believe are a man's job. On the other hand something like cleaning dishes, mopping the floor, and doing laundry are a woman's job.
     As husband and wife I think that the wife should learn the husband's duties and the husband should learn the wive's duties in the event that one of them are away for a business trip or one of them just need assist. Yes, certain jobs were made for men and women, but I do not think there is anything wrong in learning how to do the job of your spouse. I think men and women should role switch or do the jobs equally.

Politics of Housework Reading

I believe that housework is trivial, according to our normalized society. Our society has been molded into believing AND practicing the ability a woman has when it comes to "housework". It is not normal for a man to clean up a house, although that would be helpful. Society makes it seem as if it is a woman's job to perform house duties, while the man or husband do other things, as in watch television. Anything other than cleaning. I guess men feel as if women do a better job at cleaning, which i feel is an excuse for being lazy, as reiterated in "The Politics of Housework".

Since my father was never around, housework was just divided between my mother and myself. I am also the only child. Housework was not difficult at all, my mother and I usually REALLY cleaned up the house on Saturday mornings. It is easier to keep a clean household if an individual just cleans as they go. Not saying that it is okay for a household that includes a dad needs to have a woman to clean up after herself and her husband too though.

As for a conversation between my roommate or a partner, I do not believe rules or anything would be different. I experience somewhat of a problem with that now, if we all took turns cleaning up after ourselves, there would not be a set person that has to trail behind others to clean up everything. I just honestly believe that men have it easy when it comes to anything and everything. i must say though, we as women do know how to clean. As for me or any other woman, i would not have a problem cleaning the house, as long as my partner or roommate helped out as much as they could. I think it is a great idea for a roommate or partner to have specific weeks or even days where they can clean up, as in taking turns. Or for everything to go by much smoother, just clean up after yourself. As in the story, I completely agree that men always seek help from a women, some are not as independent as they may seem.

--Bianca Jones, WS 200 9-9:50AM, MWF

Indiana School Imposes Extreme Sex-Segregation

In class on Wednesday, the group I was apart of had to critically think about the possible outcomes and effects of how a high school in Indiana is separating males and females in hope that being unsocial with the opposite sex will increase the students performance. It is understandable that the Indiana school board would want to try to boost the students grades, but this seems a little over-the-top.

My group and I came up with a few points to embrace our standpoint that this rule that girls could not interact with boys and vise versa on school grounds. One of the first ideas over this situation we came up with is that if boys and girls do not learn how to interact with one another at an early age, then they would more likely have a hard time interacting and socializing with each other after graduating from high school. The idea for girls and boys not having the ability to talk to each other without feeling discomfort could really hurt then in the long run with dating and jobs.

Another point we had was that we felt that this should be more of a parents choice. If the parents of these students preferred their child to be surrounded by only the same gender, then they would be more likely to place their child in an all boys or all girls school. In my opinion, public school is a co-ed school and therefore it should not be split between genders.

I realize that the school board is trying to help their students develop better grades, but there seem to be more bad effects of this circumstance than there are good. I think the school board needs to realize learning school material has a lot more to do with how they are taught and how hard they try rather than who they are around.

Online Day 4

In class on Wednesday, my group read the article called “Campus Men’s Rights: Group Kicks, Screams.” This article talks about an organization at Arizona State University in which men are feeling oppressed. It only consists of four members at the moment but states that throughout past generations women have not been oppressed at all, but instead men have. The author states that men in his past generations have put women on a pedestal and have been perfectly chivalrous to them. They believe that men are oppressed because they work through plagues and hard times and protect the family. They sacrifice for everyone.

The group at ASU has made a list of rights women can have. They are very stereotypical generalizations that give women the right to reproduction, make a man pay on a date, women are allowed to be sympathetic, etc. The author states that women stay in and make biscuits as well as sit by the fire while men handle everything else that is important. The author also accuses the women studies' classes that they are all feminists and are feeling corrupted by men. This is not true, they are just trying to become equal.

I think these men in this organization are blindly missing some things. Do they not realize how capable women are and how much they have gone through to work to be equal to men? Men are protective towards there family and so are women. Men work to support their family and so do women. The article makes some points by the fact that society never looks at the oppression of men, but the generalizations the author makes very closed minded. I believe that the members of this organization need to do some research first on the oppression of women or what women are doing in society today. I don't want to only make biscuits in life, I will not be oppressed.

Facebook Page

In my opinion, even the thought of Facbook allowing people to make a page consisting solely on them talking about raping women is completely unethical. Even though most people may be just joking when they post stuff on this page, there are without a doubt some people on this page that are either not kidding or are getting the wrong idea by reading other people's comments. I also believe that there are no funny jokes that consist of people talking about rape in them. By telling these jokes and posting them on one of the most popular web sites in the country, it allows the people that read this think that rape is not that big of a deal and that it is humorous to many people, when in reality that is the furthest thing from the truth.
I think that Facebook should without a doubt delete this page and not allow any similar pages like this one to ever be brought up again. If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before many more pages similar to this one are created just to get a good laugh out of people, and these are the kind of things that our society never needs.

Housework

With housework being a necessity, I do not think the act itself is trivial. However, I think that the gender that does a particular is trivial. To me it's not important who takes out the trash or washes the dishes. In my home, in most cases, work outside such as cleaning the gutters and cutting the grass is left up to my dad and brother, this doesn't mean that occasionally, they don't wash dishes. The majority of the time, my mom and I handle the work inside, that's how I've always remembered it to be. Does this mean that we're doing women's work and my dad and brother are doing men's work? I don't think so, they are just chores set aside for different people.
I do think it's a problem when men think that they aren't supposed to help around the house with chores because they've been at work all day. It all goes back to how you were raised and what kind of household you grew up in. Growing up, I always observed my father cutting the grass and not my mom, so if I were asked by my husband to cut the grass, I'd be confused on why he'd want me to do something like that. I may be contradicting myself, but I do think that kind of chore should be left to a man if he's available. That leads me to my next point, for people who specify what women's and men's work is, what if there is only one gender in the home. Do other chores get neglected or are they done?
Since early times, there have chores that were portrayed to be women's work and men's work, especially on early television shows and from older members of the family. Even in earlier days, such as stories in the Bible, men have done dirty work and done heavy lifting, while women did work around the house. Housework isn't that important to me, I think that if it needs to be done, someone needs to do it.

Facebook

During our last class we were assigned a topic and than discussed the topic with our group. My group was assigned an article about facebook slander directed towards woman, that is not taken seriously. Each and every day there are threatening comments about woman posted on the social network. These posts consist of threats and degrading comments, some even make fun of rape.

It was astounding to me to see how even when 176,000 people petition against this crime, nothing is resolved. Instead it is twisted in the males favor because they are just merely doing it for kicks and giggles. The most controversial question that our group discussed was that what if woman wrote this about men? Of course men are not as sensitive but in reality they would not be pleased with the web site either. Than we asked the question, what if the owner of facebook was a female? Would she immediately take care of the situation or not.

It was very funny to see face books consent forms and all of their regulations. In the terms it says not to bully or harass anyone. It is extremely easy for the facebook team to delete these nasty posts, the question is why aren't they doing it? Hopefully this issue will soon be resolved and taken more seriously. No woman should feel degraded or looked upon as a joke. The facebook team needs to realize this and be more sensitive about this matter.

Facebook Is Fine With Hate Speeches..

In class on Wednesday, my group and I were given an article entitled 'Facebook is fine with hate speech, as long as it's directed at women'. This article was about the pages located on Facebook that we're pro-rape and Facebook's reaction toward these crude sites. In which Facebook's reaction turned out to be: "Groups that express an opinion on a state, institution, or set of beliefs - even if that opinion is outrageous or offensive to some - do not by themselves violate our policies."

Yet, it actually does violate their policies according to facebook's statements of rights and responsibilies.

It says, "You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence."

I don't know what facebook's idea of threatening is but I know when I see a page entitled "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I've got a knife, get in the van" it's a bit disturbing in my point of view and not a joke to be handled lightly. In agreement with me are over 176,000 people from the U.S who have signed a U.S. based petition and nearly 4,000 people who have signed a U.K. based petition to have Facebook take down these pages. I know possibly that these numbers mostly include women, but men need to understand that this can happen to them too. Yes, no matter how masculine you think you are it's possible for you to get raped. All it takes is for a man to be weaken to have him physically unable to fight back. We all have our weaknesses, men included.

I know more would sign these petitions if only they knew about them. I know I have a Facebook page but I don't go surfing around the site for pages like that. I'm sure if a lot of people were well aware of these pages that they would say something about them, but I'm sure a lot of people don't know about these pages. So what does this say about our society? I don't believe that we don't care about any of the things that are going on Facebook, but it usually takes something bad to happen for us to learn from it. As sad as that sounds that should not have to happen if Facebook were following their guidelines. I do have a feeling through that something bad is going to have to happen through for Facebook to realize that they need to start cracking down on these pages.

Online Posting 4

In class my group discussed the fact that facebook users were able to create a group that glorified raping women without any consequences. After 200,000 people signed a petition, the people over facebook still declined the request, saying that it was only a joke and that the page isn't doing any real harm. They said the things being posted from the group are just like jokes you'd hear in a bar. Even if the words are only a joke, many people are bothered by the posts that they are making. Issues concerning rape can be very traumatizing to women, especially if they've experienced being raped before. Even if they don't mean harm by saying these things, dirty jokes still can be very harmful. For example, race jokes. I'm pretty sure everyone has heard one, and probably even told a few. Just because they get a few chuckles doesn't mean they're acceptable.

The Politics of Housework

For this blog you have two choices:

A) You may write about a topic we discussed in class on Friday. What do these articles say about our society? What are the repercussions of these issues? This is an option for closing remarks on these topics.

OR

B) You can write on "The Politics of Housework."  Do you think housework is trivial? How was housework divided in your home growing up? How is housework divided in your home now? Would this be a different conversation with a roomate rather than a partner?

Happy Blogging!

Facebook Hate Speech

On Facebook, the main topic that stuck out to me was how crude remarks are not recognized as how they could lead to rape. Women do hear and deal with crude remarks by men daily, but some things actually do happen. One remark can lead to a dude taking a girl home and forcibly taking sex from her in a sense.Not only is it downplayed, but it is rarely seen as a problem. It happens daily.

Roophies. Ever heard of them? Most men don't consider slipping the "date-rape" drug in a girl's drink as rape but is truly RAPE. Those crude comments I referred to usually end in these acts. Taking a girl and giving her this to take what is not consensual, is rape and a crime. The girl has no idea about what is going on and some of these dudes simply wave it off as being a good night. The girls privacy, security, and piece of mind is completely shattered and even becomes commonplace so some girl's just accept it for what it is. Terrible. If the CEO of Facebook had an open mind, he would see the speeches posted differently. They are an eye-opener to the real-world that we live in.

Online Day 4

My group read the article called “Campus Men’s Rights: Group Kicks, Screams.” This article tells of a new organization at Arizona State University called the Men's Rights Movement Group. This group argues that women have never been systematically oppressed and that men are really the ones who were oppressed. The organization (MRMG) makes several arguments about how women have more rights than men and how women victimize themselves. They argue that men are the only ones that sacrifice for women who are, in return, ungrateful and hateful towards men. The story interviews the president of MRMG as well as the president of the Women’s Studies program at ASU.

A list of rights that only women have was created by the MRMG and although there are a few valid points made, the extremity of the accusations and accounts make the arguments seem ignorant and pretentious. The president of the MRMG club, Zachary Morris makes himself out to be a sexist pig as well as a self-pitying cry baby. His deep-rooted negative remarks about women being only useful as homemakers and making biscuits are extremely stereotypical and false. Morris uses gender roles as a weapon in his arguments in saying that only men can handle the important jobs in life and that women are incapable of survival without males doing everything for them. MRMG accuses women’s studies programs as being geared at hating men and being built on falsities to manipulate society into creating enemies out of males. This accusation is completely false and is rebutted by the women’s studies coordinator at Arizona State, Mary Wollstonecraft when she states, "I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves." She also says that women ’s studies doesn’t just pertain to women, but almost 20% of the classrooms are male and 40% of the surveys are taken by males.

            This article (which is coincidentally about my hometown) made the MRMG seem extremely winey and illogical to me. There were a few valid points about women’s rights over men such as the “right to be paid for on a date,” and the “right to get emotional and receive sympathy and hearing.” These “rights” that women receive and men don’t are first of all, not written laws but are a product of the traditional teachings of inferiority of women which encouraged helplessness and reliance on males. Secondly, these arguments of male oppression are irrelevant when related to the oppression that women faced when being literally sold to men as wives. Without the demeaning and demoralizing actions of men against women throughout history, gender privileges would not be present at all. The group’s complaint of “a woman’s right to reproduce” is absurd. That argument would be like women saying that it wasn’t fair that men could pee standing up and women had to sit down. Biological differences in men and women are not debatable when talking about the unfairness of our lifestyles as men and women.

            I think that the few men that are involved in this organization need to research more and maybe go to a women’s studies class and realize that women’s studies is not a class focused on hating men, but rather focusing on women being confident and realizing their capabilities are equal to those of men. 

Facebook Hate Page

My group read the article about Facebook's page about women. I believe they should take this page down because it does go against their policy. I dont understand why all of the guys on the page act upon it as if it was a joke. I see nothing humorous in joking about raping a girl in a pub and getting away with it. After all of the signed petitions they received you would think they would delete the page. I do believe if the founder of Facebook was a women this issue would be handled differently.

WS 200-007: sex segregation

My group and I read and discussed an article entitled, "Indiana Schools Imposes Extreme Sex Segregation." This article basically summarized what the Indiana school system was doing in an attempt to make a better learning environment for students. Their intentions are good, but the way in which they are going about it is very bad. For example, allowing children to only associate with one sex during their entire matriculation trough school can cause social and behavioral issues while stirring up even more drama and criticism amongst students.
This may be seen as stereotypical, but girls can be extremely messy at times, and being around nothing but girls will cause so many unwanted issues. Segregating students based on race would still cause many problems if not more. The opposite sex does not prevent other students from performing positively in school. That is something that must already be wanted by the student.
When we discussed our article with the class, we all seemed to have the same opinion on the matter. We all agreed that if parents wanted their children to be in an all girl or all boy school, then they would put them in one. The public school system should have no say in whether a child should be sent to same sex schools. It should be a personal/family decision.

Facebook Hate Speech

The article, Facebook is fine with hate speech, as long as it's directed at Women, makes me wonder how men can get away with threatening comments but women can't? We're talking about rape, and these guys are defending themselves by comparing their comments to a joke in the pub. The guys down play the seriousness of the situation. You would also think that since the hate speech directed towards women on Facebook goes against the rules and regulation that they would take the pages down - Like they are trying to not make a big deal out of something that is. The founder of Facebook is male which makes me think that it would be different had a woman come up with the social network. The crude comments are far from entertaining.

Haley Daniel

Class Article - Sex Segregation

One of the articles talked about in class was about a public school in Indiana that started segregating the boys from the girls in all aspects of the school day. The intention was to prevent distraction between boys and girls from their school work, ultimately implying that their attraction to each other was causing distraction from academics. I, like most other people in the class, disagree with the idea that guys and girls should be separated from each other. If high school is a time for preparation, then how is separating genders preparing students for the real world? We definitely aren't separated in college, and even if a student does not attend college, the world outside of high school is not separated by sex.

It's understandable that some parents cannot afford to send their children to private schools where there is a possibility of segregation, but most parents that send their kids to public schools know very well that they're co-ed and not segregated. If the child is coming home from school with terrible grades, the chances that it's from being distracted in class by looking at the opposite sex is slim.

I also feel like it would be more distracting to be in a classroom full of women rather than have integration. Girls tend to talk a lot and put their opinion into everything in class. If there was a room full of girls like that, it would be more distracting for me, personally, to concentrate on the actual lesson. Us girls have it in our nature to dislike other girls, too. I feel like it would create more tension between classmates.

Many against this new rule would say that it is sex segregation and sex discrimination. I agree with the argument because many different sexualities begin to surface in high school. By separating the sexes, we are automatically assuming that girls are attracted to boys and vise versa. What about the gays? I'm sure if there were gay women in a classroom full of girls, they would be more distracted than if they were in a classroom with both.

Overall, I obviously do not agree with this new segregation rule, and I do not think it will last long in that high school.

sex segregation

The article that my group and I discussed was called "indiana schools imposes extreme sex segregation". It focused on an Indiana school that was separated by sexes in every aspect of school life in order to somehow increase acedemic performance. This was brought up by an idea that someone had saying that the opposing sexes together formed a distraction.
In my opinion, this is a rather drastic change. saying that mixed sexes poses as a destraction almost sounds like a joke. Also, I found that their action was a violation of Title IX, which prohibits the descrimination on the basis of sex in all levels of education. It was also mentioned that separating sexes has absolutely nothing to do with acedemic performance, but rather social statuses.
I (as well as many others i'm sure) think that segregating schools based on sex is a bad idea. In fact, I feel that it will actually do the exact opposite. people who are of the same sex tend to be more comfortable with each other, which leads me to believe that not much work will get done due to a lot of drama and talking. I also agreed with another student in saying students will need to interact with people of the opposite sex when they finally graduate. students without this skill will have a hard time doing so.
-Austin C.

In Class Articles

I found the in class articles to be very interesting because they brought to light some very important issues that many people don't know about. I hadn't heard about the pro-rape pages on facebook. I think that the founders of facebook should remove these pages. The comments listed on these pages are threatening and offensive. The facebook terms of use clearly state that any group or person that posts anything harmful or offensive will be removed. I don't believe that the statements on these pages are like crude jokes because they are specifically talking about a certain group of people.
Another topic that I found interesting was the mylifeisbro website. I know that this wasn't listed in the articles but I find that site very offensive and sexist. The alternative though is a website called mylifeisho which is just as disgusting and offensive as the other. These pages just add to the sexist oppinions of our society. There are countless postings on these pages and they show how sexist our own generation is. I think that if they were shown what true feminism is and what it's about that they would feel differently. Most of the guys say that women's rights are a joke which proves that women aren't thought of in the right state of mind and that they aren't valued the same as men.
These articles and websites opened my eyes to how so many feel about women's rights and what they think of feminism.

Online Day 4 - In Class Articles

The article that my group read, analyzed, and discussed with the class was "Indiana School Imposes Extreme Sex-Segregation." The article focused on a public high school in Indianapolis where male and female students were being separated in the hallways, cafeterias, classrooms, and on the buses in an attempt to boost academic performance. This was thought to boost academic performance by eliminating the distraction of the opposite sex in a learning environment. However, this is an extreme solution; it is reminiscent of the separation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia and in Taliban-like regimes. Not to mention, the article mentions the law, Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all levels of education. Lastly, the article mentions studies that have shown that separating the sexes has nothing to do with academic performance, but instead, economic status is correlated with academic performance.

After reading this article, I think that separating males and females at a public high school shouldn't be considered sex discrimination because both males and females are getting equal opportunities; they are just not doing them together in the same setting. Even though I think that separating the sexes in a public high school is not sex discrimination, I still think it should n0t be allowed. Single-sex learning environments will not eliminate distractions; it will more likely create more distractions because same sex peers tend to have more drama between them. Not to mention, separating sexes in high school will decrease the students social skills of interacting with the opposite sex once they enter the world after high school. Separating sexes is not practical because the real world is full of males and females interacting together. Lastly, I feel that a student goes to public school expecting it to be co-ed. If the student wanted a single-sex school, he or she would have chosen to attend a private school. Public schools should stay co-ed.

-Kristi Bardosi

Online Day 4

The article my group presented in class this week was "Campus Men's Right Group Kicks, Screams." The article is about a group of men at Arizona State University who believe there should be a class available on campus similar to women's studies, but in respect to men. This group of guys feel that "women have NEVER been systematically oppressed." They go on to state that, if anything, men have been oppressed. Dramatically trying to prove their point with things like "While she stayed indoor with the kids, churned butter, and baked biscuits, my forefathers were out there getting attacked by wild animals, natural disasters, plagues, mental and physical exhaustion you name it. Who was inside sitting next to the fire reading a book? Women. Who risked his life to save the women and children? Men. Who is it who fends off wild animals of fangs and claws, fends off roving bands of barbarians? Men. Men didn't have time to oppress women." They say that they believe gender warfare is the root of all societal problems, and a keen lens from which to understand all human affairs...which if they were educated about their "cause" they would know that that itself is the basis for women's studies, gender equality. It is not the bra burning, men hating group that most believe it to be. It's about everyone having equal opportunity and rights in their community and society as a whole.
Now, don't get me wrong. I believe that if women have an opportunity to study their oppression and fight to fix it, then men should get the same opportunity. But what this group of people (I won't even say all men) don't understand is they do have this opportunity, in every history class ever taught. They are all about the accomplishments of men, and their success in establishing societies and exploration. Men have been taught of their forefathers struggles and successes they're whole life. It is only once we get to college that we have the opportunity to learn about the female side of the fight and struggle.
Overall, I feel like the people in this article have a point; they just aren't very educated in their fight and the knowledge that their group of study already exists. I believe if you are going to fight for a cause, you need to educate yourself entirely and in every aspect before you take it to the public and the media to make a fool of yourself. I also think these men need to understand that they are not losing just because women are more assertive now, and women are not winning just because we are taking charge. They need to understand that equality is what its all about.

-Emily Hamilton

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Usually when people classify sex and gender, they think they're the same thing. In our generation, we've learned that they mean two separate things completely. Sex is the body that someone is born into. You are classified into a sex by the body parts you are born with. This can be in contrast to gender, though, because many people classify themselves as women in a man's body, or a man in a woman's body. I'm not really sure how I feel about this because I believe that God created all of us in the body that we're supposed to be in. Sexuality is separate from both of these in that it's how the person feels towards other individuals sexually. The most common sexualities would be homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Many people believe that we cannot help what type of sexuality we are born with. The media continues to influence us that this is true. Lady Gaga's song, "Born This Way" is a good example of that concept. I used to believe that gay people chose to be gay, but over the years I've rethought this topic and have started to believe that they really cannot help it. This may be from the influence of media in shows like True Life, the Real World, and many of the songs out these days on the radio. Either way, it's obvious that people are more willing to view different sexualities and be more open to them because of the influence from media. When it comes to the quote, I believe that it means you may be born into a woman's body, but it's up to you to decide your own gender. We didn't find out in the reading which gender that "X" really was, but X decided that it didn't have a gender and didn't classify as one at all because she was told that she didn't have to. I think this quote goes along with the story about "X" in the sense that a person is able to choose which gender they classify in even though it is outside of society's norm.

Gender Theory

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." - Simone De Beauvoir. This quote is getting across that people are not categorized as being a woman, or a man, until that person does something worthy of gaining that title. It is the events and amount of life that a woman goes through that others measure. But what is the real definition of a woman? Three main words take on different meaning on what a woman is - sex, gender, and sexuality.

In my opinion, sex is the true biological classification of what makes up a woman or a man. It is the reproductive body parts that we are born with that determines if we are male or female. There really isn't a way to persuade one person or the other that you are what you are because your body build doesn't lie. When referring to gender, I believe this term has evolved to mean the sex a specific person chooses to believe they are and the roles they think they should have. The world has grouped us into the man versus woman gender roles. Men are to careers as women are to stay-at-home moms. Gender can be a choice, and it can be an actual, physical change. For example, Chaz on the the youtube video that we watched in class. I would not have known he was born with the female reproductive parts if the media had not become obessed with the issue. And as far as sexuality goes, I define it as being the gender a person is attracted to - men to women, men to men, women to women, etc.

These are all possible meanings that the quote can reference to, but I believe Simone De Beauvoir meant it in status kind of way. What is it that a woman did to deserve to be called a woman? I define a being a woman as someone who is independent, responsible, and caring. She can make it through life with or without a significant other, and she is confindent in her own ways. Once a girl achieves theses characteristics it is then that she makes the transition into becoming a woman.

-Haley Daniel

WS 200-007: What Gender Role means to me.

I believe that we are born a certain sex, but we do not identify with a certain gender until we reach a certain age/point in our lives. When we are born, we are like a blank slate and our experiences, the way we were raised, and our true inner selves begin to shine through. For example, Chaz Bono, Cher's son was born female, but now he identifies as a male. In society's eyes we are born the way we should act. For example, if a man is born a man he should exhibit certain qualities that makes him a man. He should be strong, unemotional, and ready to provide and protect. If a man shows a likeness towards pink, shopping and styling, or doing hair, then their masculine identity is threatened. At the same time, if a woman exhibits theses qualities then they are accepted by society.
In my opinion society has marred our view and tried to put different sexes into a box. Not everyone fits directly into one category, and society is giving them no place to identify with.

What Gender Role means to me.

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" was a very powerful quote written by Simone de Beauvoir. It is highly prevalent to what we learned this week, sex and gender. I believe when Simone says this, that it is intended for the humans best interest. Basically, she is saying that sexuality is determined by multiple aspects. First of all like Simone I believe that gender is a sense of identity. It is definitely something that is gradually acquired over time. For a woman that portrays more masculine features, I feel like they are more inclined to become gay. It is all about comfort and security, for many people. Each individual grows into who they are meant to become. That is what I got out of the quote written by Simone de Beauvoir.

Sex, gender, and lastly sexuality can be terms that can be assimilated together. During the readings and our class discussion the differences in them became more apparent to me. It was explained as if gender are the pants one puts on, sex is what is in the pants, and lastly sexuality which is the pants you want to get in. In my eyes sex is what you are considered due to biology. Gender is what you are socially considered woman or man. I found this very funny cause it is extremely true. Honestly, the articles were not too helpful to me in realizing the differences between these terms. What was the most helpful was the class discussion about the new sensation Chaz Bono. In class this discussion was by far the most informative about these topics. Chaz Bono is the famous Cher’s son who was at one point her darling daughter. Bono is now on tv’s popular tv series Dancing with the Stars. This has caused a ton of controversy due to his new persona. The publicity is very derogatory and very sad. The media believes that it has a negative impact on kids from all over the world. Media today affects gender roles vastly. On the majority of tv shows people are very bias to seeing the typical male female relationship. That is what is usually aired on television today. When it happens to be different, viewers appear to be shocked. It is very sad to see how bias television is and how derogatory they can be towards certain sexual preferences.

From being born to growing old, we are shaped by society every day. For instance, if you are a male and your mom dresses you up and plays dolls with you, the little boy will most likely be more feminine. This goes for girls as well. Given different circumstance can adjust the way you feel about different genders. The best example I can think of is, is where you live. Say one person is from the traditional, conservative state of Alabama where gays are scarce, to a more prominent gay area like San Francisco, California. The one who lives in Alabama is most likely going to be more scared to come out unlike the one in California. Only because it is not common and is considered completely different. If society was more accepting of what is not considered the “norm” than different gender roles would be more frequent, because our society is not like this it is shaping our world to be more scared.

Morgan Leaf

Online Day 3

By saying that "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.", Simone de Beauvoir means that becoming what society considers to be a woman is a socialization process and not something that is instilled in us naturally. It begins when we are born, being dressed in pink with flowers and lace, and told how beautiful we are. We are given dolls to play with, and markers to color with. We are cradled, and treated as though we are more delicate and fragile than a male. Boys at birth are dressed in blue with trucks and tools. They are allowed to play in the dirt, and instead of being babied when risks are taken, it is said that boys will be boys.
This brings me to the difference in sex and gender. I'll use the pants analogy to explain. Sex is what is in your pants. Gender is the pants you choose to wear. Sexuality is the pants you want to get into. Media influences these things greatly. There are so many shows on tv telling society what a woman is, how she should look, and what her roles are. People that are not on these shows are socialized to think this is what they should be to be accepted.

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

I believe we are not born a man or woman at childbirth. However, as we get older we choose to become a man or woman. As a child we do childlike things; as an adult we think like an adult. To become a man or woman independence, maturity, and responsibility is much needed. As a child non of that is necessary. One's sex is "what's in their pants". Their gender is they were born male or female, but what you consider yourself as an individual male or female. Sexuality is determined on what sex you're interested in. You can be bisexual, homosexual, or heterosexual. Media will always construct constant change in what gender, sex, and sexuality mean. I believe we all know the basic tradition of a family---man and woman. If one wants to be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual that is their choice of sexuality. Who are we to judge? No one should have to hold in not being able to talk about their significant other because society disagree. In the end, they have to deal with themselves not society.

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Simone de Beauvoir stated, "One is not born, but rather becomes a woman." I believe that what she meant by this was that biology does not determine if you are a man or a woman; as you grow older, you choose whether you are or want to be more of a man or more of a woman. If this is what Beauvoir meant by this, I completely disagree. I think that you are either born a girl or boy, which is determined by biology. However, you do not become a woman or a man until you grow up, gain independence, and can take responsibility for yourself and your actions. I feel that you cannot choose if you want to become a woman or a man. The choice is whether you want to stay a girl or become a woman, or if you want to stay a boy or beomce a man.

There is a difference between sex, gender, and sexuality. Sex is strictly biological determined. Based on what is in your pants, you are either a male or a female. Gender is whether you are socialized to be a man or woman, girl or boy. Gender construction begins when you are first born. If you are biologically a male, your parents may dress you in blue; and therefore, you will be treated as a boy. If you are biologically a female, your parents may dress you in pink; and therefore, you will be treated as a girl. There are traditional gender roles, such as men mow the lawn and women do the dishes; however, as stated in "Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender," "Gender roles change-today fathers are taking care of little children, girls and boys are wearing unisex clothing and getting the same education, women and men are working at the same jobs. Gender roles are not set in stone; they are flexible and are constantly changing. Sexuality is which gender you prefer in a sexual way. You are either heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. In "X: A Fabulous Child's Story," I think that it was very cruel to make your child think he or she was an "X." This would be extremely confusing to them, especially when it came to their sexuality. Child "X" would not know whether to be with a man or a woman when they grew up. More importantly, I know that I would never want to be in sexual relationship with an "X." By labeling their child "X," the parents were being selfish and cutting off potential friendships and sexual relationships that the child may build.

I think the media plays a huge role in today's society forming new definitions of sex, gender, and sexuality. Celebrities are constantly pushing the boudaries of what is acceptable for males and females to do socially; new gender roles are being made every second. People are even trying to change their sex by getting operations to be biologically different from their natural sex. Sexuality is constantly covered by the media; women are with women, men are with men, a woman is with a man and a woman, and the list goes on. Today, we live in a much more liberal society. Sex, gender, and sexuality will never be definitions that are set in stone.

-Kristi Bardosi

Gender

After reading the assigned texts this week, I found them to be very interesting. I didn't particularly agree with the readings that referenced to children being taught their sex rather than it being natural to them. I can remember growing up and being told that girls didn't do certain things and they way girls should act, but those statements didn't make me aware that I was female. As far as I can remember, I've always known that I was a female. If I'm not mistaken this awareness didn't come from the clothes I wore or my haircut, it came natural to me as far as I'm concerned. I may be wrong about this, but, that's juts how I remember it.
The baby "X" reading was kind of disturbing to me, I found it rather strange that someone would actually take the time to write that. In a even more disturbing way,some people actually agree with a child "growing" into their sex instead of being born into it. Am I saying that all girls should be prissy and guys should be macho men, no. I am saying that parents shouldn't allow their children to act in a way that is not becoming. I cannot accurately describe what's becoming and what's not because everyone's parenting skills differ.

The statement about someone growing into a woman means that a young lady grows into a woman in good morals, manners, and educating herself. My interpretation is more than likely a lot different than that author intended. By growing into a woman, she probably means a young child can act anyway that they'd like and at a given time they'll realize whether they are male or female when "it's time", i definitely don't agree with that. I'm not knocking anyone who does, but my opinion differs greatly.

Online Day 3

I believe that Simone De Beauvoir's quote is pretty much on point. I believe we are born into the world being a certain sex, but we don't become a woman or man till later on in life. Everyone overcomes certain obstacles by growing up and being raised certain ways. For instance, girls are raised to play with dolls and wear dresses while boys are raised to play with cars and play in mud. It is their choice to be what they want to be when they grow up. For a woman to become and woman and a man become a man they must have independence and learn to live on their own and not depend on anyone else.

The sex of a person is determined by "whats in the pants" and gender is the trait of an individual person and sexuality is what a person wants to be and how they see themselves.

I think the media makes everything worse in today's society. In our generation everything is getting more rebellious. Homosexuals keep their sexuality on the down low rather than letting everyone know about it. The media and the public looks down on homosexuals most of the time. I believe a person is going to be what they want to be, so let them be and dont judge them for who they are.

Malorie Cummings MWF 9:00

online day 3: gender

Simone de Beauvoir's statement is very spot on. We are born with a certain sex but I believe we grow into being women and men. It starts off by how we are raised. Girls are stereotyped to wear dresses and play with dolls, while boys dress in overalls and play with plastic swords. But what happens to the people in between? What about the girl that did not play with the dolls, or what about the boy who did not like to play in the dirt or fight? Does this person automatically become gay as some might think? I do not believe so. I think the way we are raised does greatly determine how we will act and what traits we possess, but I do not think if a boy starts playing with dolls he is “becoming a woman.”

I believe the attention from the media is greatly effecting the ideas of how people view sex, gender, and sexuality. Sex is a major topic on the eyes of media, let alone the whole country, and people will do anything to hear the next buzz about it. I feel like sexuality it you are a straight man or woman can be easily shown through the media and throughout our everyday lives without the person being scrutinized or looked at weirdly. But I do believe for homosexuals, sexuality is something kept more secretive. Homosexuals are looked upon if they demonstrate their sexuality freely and the general public usually is disgraced by this. Do you think that is right? Should gays and lesbians be able to demonstrate their sexuality more freely?

For this week's readings I thought one story was very interesting, “X: A Fabulous Child’s Story.” It talked about how the gender of the child was not told to anyone but the child's parents. I thought it was very interesting because the child was not stereotyped and knew it could be good at everything, which included male and female activities. “X” was very comfortable in it's own skin and I believe everyone should be comfortable in their sexuality because of this. The story gave me a sense that sex does determine a male or female, but gender defines who a person is and how they act.

-EMILY ZABOR

WS 200-007: Online Day 3: Gender Theory

In my opinion, woman aren't born a woman, just as Simone Beavoir quotes in an article I recently read. The actually quote was "one is not born, but rather becomes a woman." I agree with this quote because i feel that women are once girls, encounter obsticles during their lives, and eventually mature into what are known as "women". These in my opinion are mature women that have the ability to provide for themselves. In other words, independent.
It is clear that the media as well as the the way a lot of us were raised has influenced the way we view sex, gender, and sexuality. I was taught that gender is what we were all born with. gender is the way the see ourselves, as in musculine or feminine. and finally sexuality is the sex we personally prefer.

Online Day 3: Gender Theory

"One is not born, but rather becomes a woman."

In my own opinion, this quote by Simone de Beauvoir means to me that when you are first bought into this world you are not automatically termed "a woman". You are shaped by your environment into becoming a woman. The things we as females go through as human beings shape us into women. Biology doesn't mean a thing when it comes down to being identified as a woman. When you assume the role that society has identified as being considered a woman is when you become a woman. Until then, you go through the motions of growing up and being shaped by the society you live in.

"To explain why gendering is done from birth, constantly and by everyone, we have to look not only at the way individuals experience gender but at gender as a social institution."

Quote from "Night to His Day"

We have to face facts we are influenced by society and the media when it comes down to identifying the differences of sex, gender, and sexuality. From birth you born with female or male body parts and systems and this identifies your sex to the world. Then from there this details your gender and what comes with being the gender you are what your supposed to do and not supposed to do. Then when it comes down to sexuality you are told by society that you are supposed to be straight, and your considered a rebel if you venture out of this.

The media with each generation is getting a bit more rebellious, but still stays within the required norms of society. An example I could use for what I'm trying to say would be the Herbal Essence commercials. You see the beautiful woman tossing her hair around and she's all made up into what a woman is supposed to look like and from the looks of it she has no clothes on! It's not too revealing though because they just show her naked shoulders. You don't see a man in this commercial because they want women to use this product preferrably. They try to stay within the accepted norms of society, but for a bit of edge she doesn't have a top on but they don't show anything below her shoulders. This is the media molding us...

This in my point of view is why Simone de Beauvoir's statement is such a powerful one because it reflects on the past and the present period.

Online Day 3

By stating "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman", Simone de Beauvoir meant that women are not automatically considered as "women", but they have to go through obstacles to develop in order to become a woman. By that I mean, it takes time to become a woman. Just because you are twenty years old or older does not make you a woman. Being a woman requires responsibility and independence. Some adults are not even considered as women. So i believe no woman is born a woman already, it takes time.

The sex of a person is how a male and female are distinguished structurally and functionally. Gender is defined as the psychological traits associated with one's sex. Last but not least, sexuality is how a person sees themselves. Media today is basically straight forward. We are exposed to how women are "suppose to act or dress" and how men are "suppose to act or dress". A boy is brought up to be a provider for his family. Also, the majority of men feel the need to be emotionless. We as women are taught to be nurturing human beings. Our feelings about certain situations run deeper than men, in my opinion.

In "Night to His Day": The Social Construction of Gender, Lorder argued that gender is a paradox. I guess by that she meant women can be women, but sometimes dress as boys or vice versa. Well, one can say it is most likely to see a girl dressed as a tomboy, rather than a boy dressed like a girl. Also stated in the reading, Lorder explained that as a social constitution, gender is one of the major ways that human beings organize their lives. In "We are All Works in Progress", I agree that gender is a social construct because to reiterate what i stated before, men are brought up to act a certain way and women are brought up to act a certain way as well. This upbringing would be described as a social norm.

-Bianca Jones MWF 9-9:50am

WS 200-007: Midwifery

in response to vanicka, i totally agree with what was said about the pain in child birth, and also why it is a law in Alabama. i feel that reproductive justice is the key for women to gain the right to give birth where and when they please.

WS 200-007: Midwifes

WS 200-007: Midwifes: in response to Meisha, i agree with what you said about having a child accompanied by a midwife is safe pertaining to medical drugs. however i will say so is a birth at home. but this is simply because you have to remember that not all deliveries happen so smoothly.

Gender Theory

Simone de Beauvoir wrote "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." What do you think she means by this? What is the difference of sex, gender and sexuality and how much does media influence our ideas of them? Use this week's readings to talk about how society shapes us from infancy to become "men" or "women."

Midwifery

Personally, I believe that a natural birth is not allowed in the state of Alabama because it is a very traditional and conservative state that is stuck in it's ways. I also think that the majority of people feel that with a drug induced birth it is more sufficient and safe. Whenever hospitals, drugs, or doctors are involved the majority of people are going to be more bias. Regardless, of these circumstances I firmly believe that people should give natural birth a chance.

I do believe everyone should have a choice of whether or not they want a natural birth or not. By no means should it be one or the other. “The Business of Being Born,” enlightened me about the term midwifery. I found this topic to be extremely intriguing because it showed how some woman are disrespected and taken advantage of during labor. With midwives in place, this can be easily prevented. Personally, I would define midwifery as a way to incorporate the woman's voice and to respect her morals. In labor it is very intimidating when a doctor says what they should do, that is why often times they do whatever the doctor says. Sometimes this is emotionally scarring for woman as well as physically scarring. Midwives do their best to make birth a pleasant and painless experience. They also make sure they make sure everyone feels equal. A lot of the time after birth woman do not feel happy about their birth. While watching “The Business of Being Born,” I was astounded to see the reactions and results of each birth. Honestly, I rather not be consumed by drugs during the birth of my baby if it is going to affect my baby in the end. It seems to me that it is much more special to experience a natural birth in your own home. Rather than being in a hospital where there are sick people I rather be in the comfort of my own home. After doing extensive research on Midwifery the most simplistic definition I could come up with is the right of every woman to ensure the best possible outcome for her soon to be baby. Someone who practices midwifery is known to be a midwife. Midwives refer to both men and women who are involved with midwifery. Their goal is to provide a woman with a safe and natural birth experience unlike the ones of hospitals. I believe that hospitals want you in and out as fast as possible. They are not concerned about the amount of drugs they are putting in your body but, they are concerned about getting home or even just going to the next patient. Midwives strive to make you as comfortable as possible and not rush this experience. Although some do not think that these midwives are capable of complications, these people think wrong. Midwives are fully capable of dealing with the majority of complications. They can deliver twins, breech births and posterior position.

Overall I think that the idea of natural birth is a very special and sacred experience for one to undergo. They used this method centuries ago so why not continue.