She Laughs

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Why We Need to Start Taking Women’s Anxiety Seriously

Whether this is a feminist issue or simply a biological one, it really matters.

Timely article after our discussions on mental health, anxiety and The Yellow Wallpaper. This took a very scientific approach to the question of why women might experience anxiety more than men. Fascinating article. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Keyword assignment: image

My keyword project is on the word “image.” A fascinating and complex word, “image” has a surprisingly long list of meanings and synonyms. As a verb it can mean “to form a mental picture (of something), imagine.” From the 11th century Latin imago, the noun can mean “copy, imitation, likeness; statue, picture,” also “phantom, ghost, apparition.” I found the multiplicity of this word fascinating. Susan Sontag says in her writing on photography, “A way of certifying experience, taking photographs is also a way of refusing it—by limiting experience to a search for the photogenic, by converting experience into an image, a souvenir.” Here, image is a souvenir, a token one takes with them to remind them of an actual event or experience. Sontag sees this as a negative aspect of photography, because the viewer is substituting their experience, or mental imagery for a physical copy or image of the event. What is fascinating about this interpretation is that images are what each of use to think with. 

Virginia Woolf writes in Orlando about image as the spirit of the age or a type or representation of women in general. 

“…Clasping her hands as she knelt on the window-sill, and looking the very image of appealing womanhood…It was not Orlando who spoke, but the spirit of the age.” 

Here, image is used to represent women in general and also pertains to the spirit of the age. 

Image represents thought, imagination, individual things we see and also embodies types of individuals. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

The word for a female dog...and other uses.

I want to talk about the word “bitch.” A lot has been written in feminist circles about reclaiming this word in a positive light for women. The argument goes something like this, “We can make the word mean anything we want it to mean” or “I don’t feel offended or insulted by that word, why is it a bad thing?” However, these arguments fail to really look at the history of the word itself and address the social implications in continuing to use a word that has always been a derogatory descriptor for women. 

“Bitch” is commonly known to refer to a female dog. It began to be referred to women around the 1400s. It was always a negative term, with a sexual connotation. The comparison, according to one author, was that a bitch is a woman who is like a female dog in heat, illogical and unable to control her sexual passions. Being called a bitch was worse than being called a prostitute, because at least the prostitute stood to gain financially for sexual favors.

Bitch used to be a word that women were called, never by themselves. Now, however, women call each other bitches when they greet each other, “What’s up, bitches?” The word is applied to men who don’t appear masculine enough, or women who are not perceived as feminine enough. One article observed: 

“Laughing at men who become “a man’s bitch”—or any men who are seen as being “like women”—only makes sense in the context of a culture in which women are deemed inferior.”

In recent years, the word is used for objects that are annoying, difficult or frustrating to overcome. “That test was a real bitch.” I actually heard two men running down the street the other day, where one said, “This run is a bitch!” These expressions draw on the pejorative term for women. A bitch is something to be subjugated, dominated, defeated. Thus, calling a difficult test that one conquers, a bitch. Or a strenuous run. 

The part of the feminist movement that wants to “reclaim” this word for women doesn’t understand that there is nothing to reclaim. It was always derogatory. You could talk about “claiming” the word bitch for women, but I agree with this author, that we should stop using this word altogether, and put our energies into reclaiming something good for women. How about the word “feminist”?

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Why Women Apologize and Should Stop

Women say “sorry” too much, whether they mean it or not. Why?

Apologies. Interesting compared to Eula Biss’ essay on apologies. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

New Pantene comercial says stop apologizing

(WKRC) -- A Pantene advertisement urged people to stop saying "I'm Sorry." This advertisement goes on to show women giving confident, unapologetic responses....

“Sorry, not sorry.” Interesting considering Eula Biss’ essay on apologies. 

[bloggingemily-blog1]

Here’s an interesting experiment I found in which a girl created three identical Tinder accounts, but was wearing different levels of makeup in each. The first was almost no makeup, the second was average amounts of makeup and the their was heavy makeup. The findings suggested that men flocked to the no makeup account! On this account, men were more likely to message her as a “friend,” whereas on the account with heavy makeup, men suggested more of the “hook-up culture” that Tinder is known for. I find this experiment to be extremely interesting to see how frock consciousness plays a role in today’s society. I can also see this relating to the victim blaming that we discussed in the Solnit discussion. Style and makeup play such a big role in today’s society that it is interesting to see the results of experiments such as this.

[isabelblogslit-blog]

What an interesting experiment! I thought the commentators had a lot of good points to say about the extent to which you could use this as a “social experiment,” because of the small sample size and non-precise methodology involved. However, looking beyond that I thought the results were very interesting, even if the girl was the only arbiter of how “flirty” “friendly”or sexually interested the men who contacted her were. It seemed as though what we show others actually matters as to how they perceive us, which is something that not everyone is always happy with but makes you think for sure. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Watch the latest Far from the Madding Crowd Trailer (Official Trailer) on IMDb

So a while ago I watched Far from the Madding Crowd, a 2015 movie based on the novel by Thomas Hardy. (British romance period drama). I re-watched the trailer to remind myself how it was and if it had passed the Bechdel Test. 

This is actually a rather pro-woman movie and its heroine is a very strong-willed, courageous, independent yet romantic-at-heart woman. Despite the main character (Carey Mulligan), having three potential suitors, there are quite a few conversations in the movie between her and her serving lady (Juno Temple) that are not about men. Mulligan inherits a farm where she becomes the sole owner and overseer. She and her serving lady have several conversations about how to run the farm and get fair pay for their wages at the market, even though they are the only women who come to sell their wheat. 

I thought this was a beautiful movie because it shows how close Mulligan and Temple are and how they rely on each other as fellow women. The film portrays the difficulties the women have in overcoming the prejudices of the workers on the farm and the men in charge at the market. Overall, it does a good job at passing the Bechdel test verbatim and in spirit. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

The Joy of Missing Out

This is an intro to a book called The Joy of Missing Out. I thought it is a beautiful and reflective bit about how being plugged into technology nonstop has negatively affected our relationships and ability to just BE. Great read. 

Our world is aflutter with a kind of technological mysticism. 

“New is better. But these technologies come with an onslaught of unintended consequences. 

Easy is better. But as machines do more work for us, we do less; we’re less capable on our own. 

More is better. But as machines store and organize more, we get sloppy, forget our friend’s phone number, birthday, heartfelt concerns. 

Faster is better. But as machines enter our way of thinking, we bias speed itself; we lose our capacity for patience. Forget things take time.” 

— Geez magazine, Issue 20, Winter 2010

[isabelblogslit-blog]

A Surprising Number of Women Are Missing from Wikipedia, but One Woman Is Changing That

Meet the incredible young woman on a mission to make sure women are fairly represented on Wikipedia.

Found this cool article about a woman taking part in the wikipedia edit-a-thon who has been criticized and received abusive emails for her efforts to add more women to wikipedia. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

This Powerful Video Is Showing the World Exactly What's Wrong With Objectifying Women

We couldn't agree more with the #WomenNotObjects campaign's latest video.

Guys. This article highlights such an awesome video! So we all know or are somewhat aware that the media objectifies women. But what does that mean, and does it actually have an effect on anyone? You bet it does. Check this video created by the #WomenNotObjects campaign and you’ll be surprised. 

[engljackdummer-blog]

“

On the trail in New Hampshire, Madeleine Albright made the case that it was a betrayal of feminist ideals to support Bernie against Hillary, noting that “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” When Sanders handily won the women’s vote on Tuesday, David Axelrod noted dryly that they were going to need to clear out a lot of space in hell.

And in a misstep for the feminist leader who got famous by going undercover as a Playboy bunny, Gloria Steinem told Bill Maher that young women were flocking to Bernie to be where the boys are. Blaming it on hormones was odd, given the fact that for centuries, it was widely believed that women’s biology made them emotionally unfit to be leaders.

What the three older women seemed to miss was that the young women supporting Sanders are living the feminist dream, where gender no longer restricts and defines your choices, where girls grow up knowing they can be anything they want. The aspirations of ’70s feminism are now baked into the culture.

The interesting thing about the spectacle of older women trying to shame younger ones on behalf of Hillary is that Hillary and Bill killed the integrity of institutional feminism…”

-NY Times: When Hilary Clinton Killed Femnism

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/opinion/sunday/when-hillary-clinton-killed-feminism.html?_r=0

This article was very interesting because it showed the underlying reasons why many young women voters are not supporting their fellow female democratic candidate. Do you think Hilary is killing feminism when she urges women to vote for their fellow woman? Sounds like the opposite of feminism which should allow women to make their own decisions and not be forced to make a decision based on gender. This article is also interesting because it shows the generational gap between older feminist women and young women feminists. The definition of feminism seems to have two different meanings for the two different age groups.

[isabelblogslit-blog]

I find it fascinating as well that Hillary is not connecting with younger feminists.  I think the article is right she doesn’t understand that women growing up today in the US really have the freedom to go and do anything they want. Also, the fact that Hillary is under investigation by the FBI might have something to do with it. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Wiki-Edit-A-Thon

My submission for the wiki edit project was adding to the contemporary author Laura Hillenbrand’s page. She is the New York Times bestseller author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. I read Unbroken and fell in love with Hillenbrand’s writing style and the incredible story of Louis Zamperini. But after reading further about Hillenbrand’s own life, I discovered she has an amazing story of resilience of her own. 

Hillenbrand suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a gross misnomer for the debilitating disease she has lived with since she was struck down by it at 19. I wanted to add more about her disease to her page because it is truly shocking what she has lived through and what she has accomplished despite the severe limitations she has. 

Hillenbrand said of her illness,  'I was not taken seriously, and that was disastrous. If I’d gotten decent medical care to start out with — or at least emotional support, because I didn’t get that either — could I have gotten better? Would I not be sick 27 years later?' 

“One day driving back to school from spring break she became violently ill. Three days later she could hardly sit up in bed and had to drop out of school soon after because she could not make the walk to classes.”

From the onset of her sickness at 19 years old to being diagnosed with CFS a year later, she was shuttled from doctor to doctor, who were unable to help. Instead of admitting their inability to solve a baffling sickness, most accused her of having psychological issues, anorexia, making up things and being lazy.   Her friends and family withdrew from her in the midst of the disease, unable to offer answers. She was left alone, ashamed and afraid, bedridden and sinking into depression. Hillenbrand experience a slight recovery after her diagnosis, only to have a severe relapse four years after. During this time her longtime boyfriend stayed by her side and took care of her. Eventually she was able to regain enough strength to write from home, despite vertigo and an inability to focus for very long on words on a page. 

Hillenbrand’s incredible attention to detail and ability to sink into the lives of her characters is shaped by the silence and stillness her sickness leaves her in. The incredible amount of research and interviews she conducted for both her books was done from home. I think her perseverance, dedication, and resilience in the face of such awful circumstances sets Laura Hillenbrand apart and makes her a role model for people everywhere, especially those suffering with any sort of disease or sickness. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Always #LikeAGirl - Girl Emojis

They may seem small, but emojis are more than just funny faces. They’ve become how girls express themselves in text and online. But do emojis truly represent...

I found this ad (by always, haha) about the apparent dearth of girl emojis. Thought this would be an interesting follow-up ad to the one about pink toys for girls. Again, this seems to be pushing a girl-empowerment theme, one we’ve seen a lot of in the current media. Is this overkill? Or do you think this is an important thing to change?

[sydneypaulinaborchert-blog]

Women Left Out of Straight Outta Compton

Over this past weekend, I watched the Oscar nominated, Straight Outta Compton. I had heard nothing but incredible reviews from both friends and family. However, I was deeply disturbed and appalled by the misogynistic behavior throughout the film. Women were simply the back story. In Dr. Dre’s lyrics, “[he] made hyperbolic claims about all these heinous things he did to women. But then he went out and actually violated women. Straight Outta Compton would have you believe that he didn’t really do that.” 

Here is an article I found that expresses the issue at hand: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/08/straight-outta-compton-dee-barnes-michelle

[izzybellz34-blog]

Sydney, I thought your article was really interesting. I think more and more the media is becoming aware of the women who are the mothers, wives, girlfriends and daughters of stars, who are abused and ignored in the “main” story. The movie looked like it was trying to tell a certain story but totally ignored the huge influences (and tragic treatment) of the women behind the scenes.

[sydneypaulinaborchert-blog]

The Little Mermaid, 1989

My brother Sam and I enjoyed a relaxing Friday night by watching The Little Mermaid. Being the most passionate, avid Disney fans out there, we were pretty stoked. Once the movie rolled around to the scene where Ursula (the evil witch) sings “Poor Unfortunate Souls” to Ariel, I was immediately appalled by the sexist, angel in the house-like lyrics. At 2:45, Ursula goes on to say… “The men up there don’t like a lot of blabber - They think a girl who gossips is a bore - Yes on land it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word - But they dote and swoon and fawn on a lady who’s withdrawn - It’s she who holds her tongue that gets the man.” 

My mind immediately went to the scene in Orlando where Nell was “prattling”. I could not believe that this film made in 1989 still has evidence of sexism. I was also astounded that I had never caught this before, given that I’ve seen this movie 8 million times. 

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Wow. I don’t remember those lyrics either! The lines “It’s she who holds her tongue who gets the man” are straight out of what we are studying. But I wonder if that’s the point of having Ursula (the witch) say them in the first place? It’s obvious that Ariel’s friends see this exchange as a bad decision, and the whole scene is reminiscent of Faust signing his soul away to the devil. I think its plausible that Disney has Ursula singing those lines to Ariel as a bewitching lie that she unfortunately falls for. However, I haven’t seen the rest of the movie in a while, so I don’t recall if they end the movie by valuing her voice in the end.

[isabelblogslit-blog]

[isabelblogslit-blog]

Why You Should Reach Out to Women in Your Field | Career Contessa

There are three types of relationships you should cultivate with other women in your office, and they count a lot more than you'd think.

Ran across this article for women in the work force and thought it had some good insights. Although we are still in school, some of the same principles apply and are worth looking at for future jobs.