Good Reads: Wednesday

Planned Parenthood President, Cecile Richards highlights what she considers to be the 10 most significant steps President Obama has taken toward advancing women's health in his first 100 days.

Bonnie Fuller calls out Conservative commentators for spouting racist comments in response to swine flu scare

The Associated Press reports that a federal judge ruled in favor of a trans woman who sued the Library of Congress after her job offer was rescinded when she informed them of her upcoming sex change surgery. U.S. District Judge James Robinson is the first federal judge to rule that discriminating against transsexuals violates federal law.

Creating Change: Joanne Goldblum

This week, TIME magazine published an article about Joanne Goldblum, a Connecticut social worker who launched a Diaper Bank after learning that basic household items and hygiene products like toilet paper and diapers are not covered by food stamps. Lack of access to these staple items can have significant ramifications for both parents and children. Goldblum points out, for example, that many day care providers expect parents to supply their own diapers, effectively barring some parents from using day care facilities since they cannot afford to provide their own diapers. This in turn makes it harder or prevents parents from finding employment, staying employed or obtaining a degree, as their time is spent taking care of their children.
I thought this mainstream article did an effective job of pointing out one of the many problems facing people who live at or below the poverty line, and the inadequacy of federal assistance programs to help meet needs. However, I’ve been disappointed with what seems to be a disproportionate number of articles from mainstream sources talking about how the recession is affecting middle and upper-middle class families. While the problem Goldblum has identified is not a product of the recession, but rather an example of one hole in the welfare system, the recession is likely making the consequences of these problems more severe. Several have called attention to the classist approach much of the mainstream media sources and the “experts” they feature have taken, whether it be in terms of content or advice about surviving the recession.
To learn more about the Diaper Bank and how you can contribute to a solution, visit Goldblum’s website.

Feminism and Marriage

Image Source

I’m getting married in June. Consequently, I have been thinking a lot about the institution of marriage. Specifically I’ve been giving some thought to how/whether my decision to marry impacts my feminism and how I can bring my feminist ideals to my marriage in a way that will enable an equitable partnership and contribute to the discussion and practice of making more equitable partnerships the norm. Discussions along these lines are also taking place in the feminist blogosphere, prompted largely by a major young feminist figure, Jessica Valenti, discussing her own plans to marry.

While the ongoing debate has unfortunately centered more around whether you are less of a feminist if you get married and even whether or not those who marry can be feminist, I think the central question the debate brings up is whether or not we can change patriarchal society through informed participation in and attempted transformation of its historically patriarchal institutions. (As a central societal institution, marriage has historically been used to justify and perpetuate female subservience.) Will transformation come only through rejection of these structures? I’ve thought a fair amount about these questions and will continue to think about it for a long time to come. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this and to talk about where I am in my thinking about it. I think that working inside the institution of marriage to make it a more equitable and accessible can be valuable. I think the efforts of those men and women who carved out more equitable partnerships within marriage have already positively impacted the institution of marriage (though I acknowledge that we have a long, long way to go). Of course I also see the value in choosing not to participate in an institution such as marriage. I don’t think ending patriarchy and transforming existing heterosexist, patriarchal institutions will come from one approach, but rather through the conscious efforts of many people using multiple approaches. What are your thoughts? What am I missing?

"Cosmetic Procedures"

Image Source: Pierce Mattie


Last week I received a mailing congratulating me on my engagement and alerting me to the various cosmetic procedures that I should really take advantage of to look my best. Likewise, many of the advertisements on my facebook try to appeal to my insecurities and tell me that their invasive procedures can change my life and help me become more beautiful. The services offered ranged from laser hair removal to permanent cosmetics (read tattooing makeup on your eyelids, lips or eyebrows) to liposuction to masking unsightly veins.

I take issue with these procedures on several levels. First, undergoing any of these methods would not make me look my best as promised, but would rather remove, alter or reorganize normal parts of my body in a way that would align me more closely to conventional beauty standards. While I would never claim to be immune from the pull that these standards have, drastic, expensive procedures that mutilate my body in order to ensure that I can more closely conform to these standards is way over the top. The focus and emphasis women are taught to place on their physical looks, their bodies and faces is time-consuming and painful and keeps many women distracted from pursuing other more important things. It strikes me that in so many regards women are asked to put others first and think so little of themselves and their own needs. Yet on the other hand, women are also expected to attain levels of beauty that require near self-absorption. When will women get the time and space they need to explore activities and arrangements that are fulfilling? When will this need for fulfilling activity for women be considered to be enough for society to consider this time well spent, regardless of how it benefits children, husbands and partners or society?

On Valuing Femininity

One major talking point in feminism is the devaluation of the feminine in patriarchal society. In an effort to combat sexism, the feminist community has generated insightful critique of and public demonstration and activism around issues such as female beauty standards, barriers to access and equity for women in the workplace and reproductive choice. These efforts have made inroads and millions of women have benefited because of this work.

At the same time, some members of the feminist community have also engaged in practices that also devalue the qualities considered feminine in our culture. For example, I often hear young feminists talk with an air of superiority about how they were never into playing house, dressing dolls or making female friends. Instead they enjoyed playing with cars and trucks, exploring the woods, and kicking the soccer ball around with boys. As these young feminists describe themselves as tomboys, they chastise others who did enjoy activities considered more feminine. I take issue with the assumption of a strict dichotomy expressed in their statements: that you can be either feminine or masculine and that this is expressed in either playing house or playing with cars, playing with girls or playing with boys. For the vast majority of us, such a dichotomy does not account for our experiences, which were more varied. I also disagree with the sentiment that playing house and playing with dolls is inherently “un-feminist” or inferior to playing with cars or playing sports as a young child. All activities mentioned can teach children important skills and none are in-and-of-themselves damaging. By playing house and parenting dolls, children learn to demonstrate caring, consideration for others, and selfless giving. By traipsing through the woods and racing cars, children learn to explore, discover and compete. These qualities are ones that all children should learn. The feminist community is undermined when members of the community rank and qualify individual actions, preferences, or ways of knowing by a standard that prizes that which is considered more masculine.

Feminist Blogger Launches “And It Was Wrong” Website to Break the Silence Surrounding Sexual Assault

Feminist blogger Rachael Goodman-Williams recently create a website designed to help end the silence surrounding sexual assault and help women and men recognize that sexual assault is a significant issue and that its perpetrators are in the wrong. Goodman-Williams’s website includes an overview of the project and an avenue for women to submit their experiences of sexually assault. Goodman-Williams requests that all experiences submitted end in “and it was wrong” to reinforce this simple, yet often overlooked and masked fact. So often, Goodman notes, women are made to feel as if what men do to them, the abuse they suffer, is not significant or does not warrant outrage or resistance. The creator of this website plans to compile the experiences shared into a book that she will make available to men and women. In addition, she reads excerpts of the experiences she receives at speak-outs, rally’s and women’s centers. Goodman-Williams hopes that this project will enable women to join together to recognize that sexual assault is a systemic issue that requires collective resistance to dismantle.

This website has a lot of transformative potential. Though Goodman-Williams has not made the experiences available to read on this website, her discussion of the project, which is featured on the website frames sexual assault in such a way that encourages women to break the silence, not only by submitting their experiences, but also by allowing themselves to recognize and name, if only for themselves their experiences with sexual assault, rather than continuing to belittle their experiences or making excuses for their assailants. This project illumines the ways in which women have been taught to be complicit in their own oppression and provides ways in which collective consciousness can be transformed and used to propel social change around sexual assault.

Daily Feminism

I was thinking today about the different ways in which we bring our commitment to feminism to bear on our daily lives. While our daily feminist acts may not seem like much, they are one effective way to combat daily misogyny and sexism. In an effort to become more aware of my actions and strive to lead a more feminist life, I came up with a list of feminist things I strive do in my daily life and those things that I want to stop altogether.

Things I strive to do more consistently:

• Support the women around me in the decisions they make, honoring their
ability as adults to govern their own lives
• Call attention to sexism when I see it
• Dispel misconceptions about feminism
• Unapologetically and publicly call myself a feminist
• Complement and honor women friends for their all of their accomplishments
(musical, academic, athletic, etc) rather than just focusing on their
successes in relationships
• Appreciating and acknowledging when men do these things too (which we should
expect, but which also so often does not happen)
• Recognizing male allies and talking with them about how they can work with
other men
• Recognizing and counteracting situations that are anti-feminist
• Giving myself time and space for self-discovery, however brief
• Acknowledging the strength, power and importance of women’s experiences,
including my own

Things I want to stop altogether:

• Apologizing for things I shouldn’t (my own assertiveness, other’s mistakes or
rudeness, taking up space)
• Engaging in conversations that center completely around romantic relationships
• Gossip
• Doubting myself and my abilities

What feminist acts are you striving to do more of? What acts are you working toward eliminating from your life?

Taking Up Space

An incident that happened in one of my classes last quarter got me thinking a lot about gender and taking up space. As part of the final grade for this class, each student had to write a final paper and prepare a 7-8 minute presentation on this paper to share in class. On the second day of presentations, a white male freshman presented his paper for over 20 minutes (and 19 Powerpoint slides). The professor, who is also a white man, did little to stop this student from going over the time allotted, and after his presentation was finished, no public comments were made about the length. Over the course of the week, at least two other white men in the class also crafted presentations that were 3 times the allotted length. As a result, three students were unable to present at all.

What struck me (besides the professor’s silence, which I believe would have existed regardless of the students’ gender or race) was the unapologetic sense of entitlement these white male students expressed, despite knowing that their failure to stick to the time allotted for them would prevent others from presenting for their share of time. I also observed the lengths at which all the women and the men of color took to ensure that their presentations did not go over 8 minutes. These responses are indicative of a larger problem that manifests itself in many other ways: taking up space. White males are taught from a very young age to take up space. They learn that what they have to say is valuable and worth sharing. They learn that they should be big and strong (increasing the physical space they take up). Common phrases such as, “boys will be boys” excuse rude, wild, and/or sexist behavior, enabling boys and men to take up space in many ways that often involve denying others space and control. On the other hand, women are taught to give up, rather than take up space. From a young age, girls are bombarded with unrealistic expectations of thinness and beauty. They are also taught to be polite and reserved, which often causes their space to be trampled on by louder, more exuberant, less polite boys.

Often I’ve observed that the feminist response to the issue of taking up space is to create avenues for women to take up space, make their voices heard. I think this is an effective way to progress. I also think though, that efforts must be made to encourage white men (alongside women and men of color) to respect other voices and keep from trampling on another’s space, while recognizing the structural and cultural factors that permit white men to take up space both verbally and physically.

Welcome!

Welcome to the "Principia Alliance for Gender Equality" blog! I hope we can use this as a space to share ideas, questions and comments related to feminism.

You can always comment on the articles that are posted, but if you'd like to post your own articles, let me know so I can add you to the list.