We Are All The Same

A Feminist Tumblr Page Made for WMGS at St. Francis Xavier University

[weareallthesame]

“Freaks and Queers”

“Freaks and Queers” is an article by the writer, speaker, activist, teacher, and poet Eli Clare. His areas of interest include disability, queer, and trans rights, and he uses these terms to educate about feminist understandings of oppression. His article, “Freaks and Queers,” talks about the so-called “freak shows” during the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. These Freak Shows were very popular and took place in circuses, carnivals, and museums for people to come out and enjoy the entertainment of “freaks,” “savages,” and “geeks.” The people who were shown in these freak shows were people with biological rarities which to the people watching at this time were not considered “normal” people. Conjoined twins, intersex people, people with missing body parts, people with mental and physical disabilities. These are just some of the people they would put on stage and allow people to pay money to watch. The people in charge of these shows would put them on stage and, with a microphone, announce what was “wrong” with them and try to get a good laugh out of the crowd. One part that really stood out to me is when the conjoined twins, Daisy and Violet, would be locked away for days at a time to ensure that no one else seen them except the people who were paying good money to do so. These twins had abusive bodyguards who controlled and managed the shows, and these twins were to preform for a crowd since the time they could talk. The whole idea of the history of freak shows is Exploitation vs. Empowerment. The exploitation is that these people are being sold for attractions for other people to come and stare at and watch, while the empowerment is what happened afterward. After the mid-1900s, these freakshows really died down, and when they ended, people were thrown into poverty with no other way to make money. Some were able to design their own acts and make some money off it, while others had no say on what they performed on stage while making hardly any money. Freak shows are such terrible things and I am so glad that they do not exist in todays world.

[weareallthesame]

Show The World What Your Momma Gave Ya.

Reference to “Through the Looking Glass” by Carla Rice

Growing up, my mother always told me to show the world what she gave me. To never let anyone make me feel bad about myself because I was perfect just the way I was, and god made me look like this for a reason. Why is it that society has to make it as though you need to be skinny, tall, and flawless to be accepted? And if you do not follow these “norms,” you are known as ugly or fat. There are so many women who starve themselves daily because they don’t think they are “good enough” for society’s standards. Carla Rice’s “Through the Mirror of Beauty Culture” does an excellent job explaining how different sites of the body that women feel are projects and problematic. These areas include skin, weight, hair, and breasts.

For many years I would never wear a tight fitted dress. I always felt that I was never good enough. I used to cry myself to sleep, wondering why I looked the way I did and why I was never good enough or pretty enough. I would see all of these posters and magazines around me that would show what I would consider now unrealistic girls. They would be so thin with the prettiest blonde hair and the bluest color eyes. They would not have any flaws, and they always had to have big boobs and butts. All the same, things that Carla Rice writes about in her story: seeing these so-called “perfect” girls makes a woman very self-conscious and makes her do things that can be very dangerous. For example, thinking they are not skinny enough leads to eating disorders, which can eventually kill a person if it goes on for so long—or feeling that your boobs or butts are too small for these expectations leading you to pay thousands of dollars for surgery to make them “look good.” In today’s society, people need to have tanned skin because it “looks so pretty,” It is seen as more attractive than pale skin.

All of these things, in my opinion, is what is wrong with today’s society. You have to have that “ideal body image,” but I say to hell with that. I now know that I am beautiful enough and that it does not matter what I look like to anyone. I do not need people telling me how I should look because it is the norm. I now have someone who loves every roll on my stomach and every flaw I have on my body. I can now wear that tight dress that has been tucked away in my closet for years and feel confident when wearing it because I love me for me. I know, just like I once did, many girls struggle with the way they look, but I can promise you that it does get better, and you will soon see what you have on the inside is all that matters because there are people out there that will love you for who you are and treat you the way you should be treated. With saying this, you need to learn how to love yourself first. You are beautiful in every way, so go put that tight dress on and show the world what your momma gave ya.

[weareallthesame]

Lois Gould, “X-: A Fabulous Child’s Story”

X's story is a great way to explain how hard it is to identify by what you want to be. Society has a theory that when babies are born, they either have to be boys or girls. In this case, Baby X proved them all wrong and made them see that it is more fun to play with dolls and cars. This baby X was a very special baby who scientists spent 23 billion dollars and 72 cents on for an Xperiment. The right parents had to be found to do so, and they could not tell anyone the sex of the baby. The family of these parents also had to be a perfect fit, with no young children that may rat out baby X's gender and waste all of that money. Eventually, they found the Jonses. This couple had to promise to always take turns with baby X and to never hire a babysitter for the fact that he/she may look at baby X in the bathtub. When the jones brought the baby home and told their families, X was not a boy or a girl, but in fact a baby X, their families thought they were playing some kind of joke (the families didn't know about the Xperiment.) They were also very rude about it, saying things like "people will think there is something wrong with it." These parents had a lot of rules to follow when raising baby X. They both had to be careful when playing with it. They couldn't throw X up in the air and pretend it was "strong and active" because then they would be considered as treating him like a boy. But if they just cuddled X and said how "dainty and sweet" X was, they would be treating it more like a girl. When they first went clothes shopping for baby X, they asked for some help picking out some stuff. The clerk's first words were, "is it a boy or a girl"? Mr. Jones said it's an X. Then the clerk told Mr. Jones that she could not help him. Page 2,326 of their "Official instruction manual" said to buy lots of everything from the girls' and boys' sections. So, they bought blue pajamas, along with pink dresses. They bought dolls that were male and female. These parents had a lot of work to do with baby X; they were not allowed to tell people at the park if it was a boy or a girl when they asked; they had to follow this guide, which they got checked up on all the time to make sure they were doing the job right. One time, when X got bigger, X was playing in the park when a little girl hit X on the head. The little girl's mother said it's not nice to hit and asked X if it was a boy or a girl. X had never encountered this before but simply smiled and said I am an X. the mother of the little girl who hit X said, "You're a what? You mean you're a little b-r-at". But X looked at her with a smile and said, "little girls don't have to hit X's either" Starting school was difficult for the family because everything was gender-based. For example, girls were to form one line, and boys were to form another. Or the bathrooms were labeled boys and girls. There was nothing for an X gender. Children tried to trick X by asking it difficult questions (which his parents had prepared answers). For example, they would ask what X's favorite T.V show was, and X answered "Lassie" because it starred a girl dog played by a boy dog. Eventually, X makes some other kids see that doing both boys’ and girls' activities could be really fun. One girl insisted on wearing red and white checked overalls, just like X's, and refused to wear her pink dresses. Other parents got mad because their children were switching roles and took action. The parents Association demanded that X's gender was to be told to the class and follow the rules of that gender, or he would be expelled. These parents thought that X was a very troubled kid that needed to be punished. The principal didn't like this idea and thought that X was a great student, and it was awesome to have an X in the school. But with saying that, she had to notify X's parents about the complaints.  The next day, X was examined, and after very long testing, X was the "least mixed-up child," the psychiatrist had ever seen.  The parents finally accepted X for being who it was, and so did the children. The kids even all dressed up in white and red checkered shorts and showed up at X's house. This is truly such an amazing story. It really shows how everything gender-based in life, and it is so hard to identify by what you want to be. Baby X's story is so uplifting and heartwarming.

[weareallthesame]

#FF

Give this account a follow. The page is a completely unfunded transnational feminist activist organization led by Native Hawaiian, Black, immigrant, queer, and gender diverse women of color. Their membership includes women who have lived different experiences within the commercialized sex industry. Their posts are very heartwarming, and they care not just about their stories and experiences but others who struggle with the same ideas. One of their posts suggests that “AF3IRM is the thing that 6,00 years of patriarchy could not destroy and that they are “a diffuse sisterhood rooted in the absolute knowledge that we are sacred and will never be stopped.”

[weareallthesame]

#FF

This is a good feminist page to follow. It shows mostly through quotes of how feminism is portrayed through politics. It underlines the problems with US elections, including Trump, Biden, and more. The bio's description is “fuck the patriarchy” to show that it is not fair to have male leaders and make women excluded from it. Another thing posted about on the account is employment and how this affects gender and race throughout the world. The account offers a BLM reel, along with a Trump one and also a Sexism one. There is a post almost every day and sometimes multiple times a day, so it is updated and keeps a person questioning politics.

[weareallthesame]

#FF

Everyone needs to check out this amazing feminist page on Instagram! It covers everything you need to know about society's problems through videos, pictures, words, and so much more! She or he has a link in the bio that will provide a list of resources that they have curated for you to learn from, share with friends, and ultimately make a difference. This is the most accurate and educational feminist account I have ever come across, posting very regularly and multiple times a day! 

[hellofeministthoughts-blog]

In our society, we are brainwashed into being envious of the people around us. We are manipulated into believing that we need to compare ourselves to what media has portrayed to be beautiful. In Margaret Hobbs and Carla Rice’s, Gender and Women’s Studies, there is an excerpt that speaks about body positivity. Titled Activist Insight: Intersectional Body Activism, it explains how our culture and society oppresses women based on body size, shape, and skin color. It discusses the movement of “It Gets Fatter”, another tumblr account that was started by fat people in order to spread body positivity, self-acceptance, and self-love. 

No matter the shape, size, or color of your skin, you are beautiful. Regardless of what society thinks, your body is amazing, your body is the definition of perfection. 

[weareallthesame]

Is anyone else so sick of hearing, “she’s too fat” or “he’s so ugly.” I most definitely am, and something really needs to change with our society. The media, magazines, posters, everything around us shows “the ideal” model. They are typically shown as tall, thin, and flawless. It should not matter what your body looks like; all that matters is what is on the inside. Next time you call someone fat or ugly, please make sure that you are perfect first, please.

[weareallthesame]

You Foolish Men - You foolish men who lay

“You Foolish Men”

Sor Juan Ines de la Cruz, “Redondilla” (Written 1651-1695)

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a seventeen-century nun in New Spain who had ideas about the term or concept feminism long before it ever existed. She was well known for her scholarly pursuits, being that she was a self-taught scholar, religious philosopher, composer, and poet. She was not just known as a poet and a philosopher, but she was also known for being one of the first feminist literary women in America. Her poetry typically covered topics such as love, religion, feminism, and women’s rights to education. Her poem “You foolish men” proves the inconsistency in men's pleasure who accuse women of what they cause for themselves. In her first stanza, she explains that men blame women for the faults that male-dominated society has taught them. “You foolish men who lay the guilt on women, not seeing you’re the cause of the very thing you blame,” and then she proceeds to give examples of how men view women and why men’s perspectives are often wrong. She highlights the double standard of sexual relationships in which women are criticized for being sexually active. In the fifth stanza, “With foolish arrogance, you hope to find Thais in her you court, but a Lucretia when you’ve possessed her,” she uses a mythical metaphor “Thais” who was a sex worker who accompanied Alexander the Great on many of his campaigns, and “Lucretia” was a Roman noblewoman who committed suicide after she was raped to preserve her family’s honor. She accuses the men of wanting the colonial version of the “lady on the street and a freak in the bed” double standard, meaning in more simple terms they expect women to act one way when they court her and another once they are married. She then highlights the double standard of sexual relationships in which women are criticized for being chaste and criticized for being sexually active. Juana was an exceptional woman who had many theories and used her talents to advocate for women’s rights. Reading her work enables a person to understand her life in New Spain and realize that she must have been going through these kinds of things when writing about them.

[weareallthesame]

I'm Intersex and This Is Why I Used Tampons Just to Feel Normal

"There's this visual, this blood in your panties that you're supposed to see, that you never see."

“Intersex People Talk Periods and Dating” 

BY EVAAN KHERAJ AND VERA PAPISOVA

For those of you who don’t know what intersex is, it is a term used for various conditions in which a person is born with sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit in the male or female category. For example, if you are born a female, you might lack a vaginal opening, or a boy may be born with a scrotum divided more into the form of a labia. These three intersex advocates explain their troubles with periods and dating. Getting your period signifies womanhood, but just like some men have periods, there are women and people of other genders who don’t. For intersex people who identify as girls, periods are an experience they’re taught they “should” have but don’t. Pidgeon says that she would pretend she was on her period by putting a tampon just to have a string hanging because she didn't want to have sex for the week. She said she hated sex for one, and two, she just wanted to feel normal. This is really sad because she was born this way, and for her to want to feel “normal” is ridiculous. Pidgeon and Emily said that they were scared to tell their partners they could not have kids, and maybe they should wait until being engaged to do so because they were scared their partners would leave them. And not just that, they have to deal with knowing they could never have kids on their own. Society has imposed on women that it is their job to have children and raise a family; they impose this on women as a measure of self-worth. This is a prominent feminist issue because it applies gender roles to women. Intersex women cannot control this issue; therefore, they cannot do anything about it. They are born this way so society has to stop putting gender roles on people and creating social norms. Even though they cannot have babies of their own, they can adopt children and provide a life for the ones in need, which to me is just as unique as having your children.

[feministism]

[weareallthesame]

The photo above is pretty self-explanatory. Although I can't entirely agree with this post 100%, I would agree that there should be a birth control option for both males and females. I think that the responsibility should not always be on the one with the vagina. The females are the ones who have to carry the baby for nine months while the male with the sperm can knock up 2,430 girls a year and not have to worry about putting their life on hold if they didn't want to. By saying this, I do agree that society is putting responsibilities on the wrong gender, but not fair to put all of the responsibilities on the male species either. The responsibilities should have to be shared between genders and not one over the other. I believe that everyone who decides to have sex should have to be responsible for the outcomes.

[femestella]

[weareallthesame]

This right here is the problem with the world. Ever since we were little, we have been told that women are meant to be covered up, and we are not allowed to put ourselves out there. Going to school, women cannot wear spaghetti straps, and their skirts have to pass their fingertips. We grow up thinking that our bodies should be covered up, and we should not show what we own, and if we do, we are known as “sluts” and “whores”. It is all complete bullshit. Men are allowed to walk around shirtless, but if our nipples show, we are automatically called out on it. We are known as targets for sex if we show skin, which leads to being raped and getting pregnant when we do not want to be. Then we are called out as terrible people for wanting to get an abortion when we didn't want the baby in the first place, and usually, the dad fucks off anyways. Us women are seen as bad people, when really, when you look at it, the men are the ones who need to be told to cover up.

[spams-from-k-deactivated2022030]

[weareallthesame]

This post speaks a thousand words. When George Floyd was begging for his life, saying, “I can’t breathe,” we will never truly understand how he felt. To have a white cop kneeling on his neck until he died will never be fully understood by any of us, especially us white people. We truly do not know what black people go through daily, and although we can not understand fully, we can still stand with them. Every person in the world deserves to be treated with respect, decency, and compassion, and for this purpose, I WILL STAND WITH YOU.

[weareallthesame]

“Beyond The Natural body,” written by Nelly Oudshoorn, tells a great story about scientists’ search for the ovaries, testes, and urine required to develop the hormonal concept. He explains why the female, rather than the male body, becomes increasingly subjected to hormonal treatment. Oudshoorn challenges the idea that there is such a thing as a natural body and shows how concepts such as the hormonal body assume natural phenomena' appearance. Oudshoorn talks about how our perceptions and interpretations of the body are mediated through language and how the biomedical sciences function as a major provider of this language in our society. Did you know that medical texts from the ancient Greeks until the late eighteenth century describes male and female bodies as fundamentally similar? They believed women have the same genitals as men, except theirs, were “inside the body and not outside it.” Even the ovary didn’t have its own name because it was described as the female testicle. Thomas Laqueur, who Oudshoorn mentions within the book, was an American historian, sexologist, and writer who is the author of Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation and Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud as well as many articles and reviews. His theory was that  “man is a measure of all things, and woman does not exist as an ontologically distinct category.” It is only until the eighteenth century that biomedical discourse first included a concept of sex that is more familiar to our present day interpretations of male and female body. It is so crazy to think that once upon a time, people believed that women have the same genitals as men, except not visible to the human eye. If we still thought that now, it would be considered a very crazy thought because even though men still have the power they do, and women are still treated like shit in places. People now know that us women are strong and we suffer so much with our bodies. I wonder is Mr. Laqueur would still have the same opinion about women “not existing as a ontologically distinct category”. Oudshoorn then explains that feminists studies have pointed out that cultural stereotypes about women and men play an important role in shaping scientific theories, and he says the major question that emerges is “to what extent do scientists use cultural as resources in their research practice?