#slc252

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Wednesday Adams talks about real murderers compared to Planned Parenthood in order to show the difference between murder and abortion/using plan B. It is actually very funny and I advise watching it.

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A video talking about female sex shaming and how it is very dis-empowering for women. Women in society, even when we are presented with a choice, if we are shamed for having that choice what is even the point of having that freedom.

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This is absolutely one of my favorite little PSA videos. Sure it only focuses on women as the victims and only men as ones committing the terrible acts but I belief they just based it on the numbers from most statistics as this is the way most things happen. I also just love that it is telling people to stop being bystanders and take action when they see injustice.

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A challenge on feminine beauty standards (sorry for the poor photo quality, I have an iphone 4s)

My name is Sabrina-lee and for as long as I can remember I was told long hair made me beautiful. I was told my Hair left naturally alone, no cutting, no dying, is what makes a woman beautiful. When I was younger my father refused to let my mother cut my hair or take me to a salon. He was convinced that the longer the hair on a girl/woman the more beautiful. He was convinced that short hair was “boy-like” and masculine and that people with short hair were lesbians or unattractive to men. I always wanted short hair but grew up with the belief that if I had short hair I would be ugly and no one would want to date me. My freshman year of high school is when I finally decided to start being myself and not care so much about what others think. But what really brought it on was that when I felt good in an outfit someone always asked “who are you trying to impress”. I was always confused and replied with “no one” but what I really should have said was “me”. I dress the way I want because it makes me feel good. I wear red lipstick because it makes me feel powerful. I cut my hair because I wanted to and I dyed it pink and purple because I like those colors. I choose to be beautiful for myself and to deny the beauty standards set forth by society. I cut my own hair and dyed it at 2 am on a Tuesday. At first I was scared and almost started to cry. But that was because I was afraid of opinions. I think I look beautiful and I don’t care what anyone says about how I dress or what they choose to say about my hair. Cutting my hair myself was cathartic as I felt as if I was cutting away the years of oppressive beauty standards placed on me by not only my father but by society.

I am posting this to see if anyone has gone through something similar, That you were expected to act, dress or look a certain way as a woman but you denied those standards. I think it is important for every woman to express her femininity in anyway she chooses without regard for societal backlash as “those who mind won’t matter but those who matter won’t mind”. 

(A quote attributed to Dr. Seuss but no one is really sure if he actually said or wrote this)

[sabrinaleeceballo-blog]

Makers

The maker I decided to watch was from that was about Zooey Deschanel. I decided to watch this one because I have pone of her songs on my phone and I have always lover he as an actor. When she was younger she wrote a letter to vogue because they had made an article called america’s beauty ideal. In her opinion everyone was beautiful in their own way and so she felt really strongly about the article. She said it took her a while to find herself and the only place she really felt at home was on the stage. She really likes working on the new girl because the main character is a female that gets to be funny and goofy. Her character doesn’t have to fir the stereotypical mold of “female protagonist”. It is a real change for the acting community and it is a good one. This opens up roles for other “goofy girls” so women can finally be something other than sex objects or supplements to male roles. As a goofy girl myself, I really like Zooey Deschanel as we are both the same kind of person.

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Racial Caucus Group - Multiracial

At first glance this assignment made me very uncomfortable. I absolutely HATE the idea od being split up into groups based on race, racial identity, ethnicity, and cultures. This is probably also because I don’t see much of a difference between people and I never have. I didn’t really learn that people were separated in this way until I first heard the N-word in the third grade. My mother had to explain to me what it was and why the people were so angry that some had used it. As a multiracial person my whole family fits into every aspect of the skin color rainbow. To the point where people don’t even think we are related. As a child all I ever noticed was that I had to use a different crayon for their skin but It was never a huge problem or something I even realty noticed. It was not until I got older, until society started telling me what I was that I even really identified with anything. I just thought “yeah, my skin color is like a coffee with a bunch of milk in it, that's not a problem”. For the caucus groups I thought I would be forced into the box I normally am In, which is Hispanic, but I wasn’t. For once in my lifetime there was a multiracial group and other people that identified as Hispanic PLUS something else. It was great because we got to see that we were not alone in the way the world labeled us. That we are not just one thing and other people aren’t either. It helped me a lot with my own identity to see that other people had similar multiracial struggles even if we were not the exact same thing. I think the only reason society tries to make Multiracial people choose only one is because they know one day everyone will be at least a little percentage multiracial and society is trying to fight it with all their might.

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My Masculine Day - Gender Performance

On Thursday September 17th 2015 I decided to dress more masculine. (I would post a picture but that function is not working for me currently) I wore a Jean vest with a hood, a black beanie, a Pink Floyd shirt, basketball shorts, Nikes and socks that go a little further up onto my calf. I looked at masculine people around and used the way they walked to shape the way I would walk for a day. Throughout the day I received stares and looks. I wonder if it is because I looked androgynous enough for people to be confused about my gender or if they were interested in the fact that I have feminine features but dressed masculine. One male actually turned completely around to stare at me as I walked by. While one female kept turning around as I was walking behind her. I am not sure if she was curious or felt threatened. I ran into someone I knew and he treated me differently. At first he did not recognize me but when I said hello he was sort of taken back by my appearance. He seemed very awkward for the rest of the conversation until I explained it was for an assignment. This is when he almost looked relieved. After than I went to my theater history class. We were talking about how certain aspects of  life are considered performances. So I brought up the project and asked their opinion. To my surprise many of them thought the project was interesting and they said that gender stereotypes are idiotic. They told me that people should be able to dress and act according to whatever gender they wanted as long as they are happy. Many of them didn’t even notice or care that I was dressed more masculine. I enjoyed all of these pleasant responses. However I did receive a small bit of backlash. A person I know accused me and the assignment as being transphobic. My roommate is a transwoman and I personally asked my friend who is transmale about the assignment. He said he personally didn’t view it as wrong because we are trying to challenge gender norms with it. The person who called me transphobic stated that is was transphobic because it was almost as if I was wearing a  transgender costume that I could take off but people have to live this life. I of course explained the assignment which made them a little calmer but they were still offended. I understand this but it was more of a “live a day I your shoes” kind of thing. I grew a new appreciation for people who must go through the stares every day. I also understood the way dysmorphia felt as I looked into the mirror and felt like I was not looking back at me. I freaked out and immediately took off the masculine clothing. This feeling of not recognizing myself made me stop the assignment  dead in its tracks. But overall this assignment was one of the most eye opening and interesting experiences of my life so far.

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The Plenary Today (9/16/15)

The plenary today was something I really loved. Not only was the speaker incredibly funny and intelligent but I agreed with everything she said. I have been talking about abortions since I was in middle school. When I was younger I would stir up debates among the middle school children and get in trouble for causing a fuss among the student body. My mother was always annoyed with me because she is morally against abortion (however, she is pro-choice she just says the choice is not for her). I would always tell her “mom I don’t want kids and if you get a grandchild it is because birth control and abortions have failed me”. I never thought of abortion as a bad word but I always got into trouble for talking about it. This plenary has made me want to start taking about it again. I think I am going to go back to my dorm and back to my hometown and stir up some controversy. I’m going to educate them about a woman’s rights.