Category Archives: Cultural

NRA Campaign Highlights Women Membership

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–Schmidty

 The NRA’s latest campaign to show that women are a significant portion of their enrollment has attracted attention from both sides of the gun debate. It shows that women are as capable in the arena of shooting sports and firearms ownership as men. It also served to highlight that a large portion of the shooting industry has turned its attention to women as consumers of their products as well, with some being in stereotypical pink color, and others being products that women only use, such as bras and purses with holsters.  Read more...

Sorority Troubles

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-Schmidty

It is a well established tradition for greek organizations, both fraternities and sororities to hold themed parties both as simple entertainment and to blow off a little built up steam generated by the collegiate experience. But why have they, in recent times it seems, turned to themes that could not be considered tasteful in any stretch of one’s imagination?  Read more...

Teens Take on “Perfection”

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Part of the discipline of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality studies involves the study of youth. Specifically the study of girls though debate rages over the inclusion of boys as well. Either way there are several organizations working with youth to empower them and challenge the social structure. Recently I heard about two teens embarking on a month-long endeavor to see what it takes to be the “perfect” girl according to teen magazines Teen Vogue and Seventeen. These two young women have taken to Tumblr to chronicle the event and have quite the following waiting with bated breath.  Read more...

You Can’t Ignore My Identity

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-Ashley Rowe

In Audre Lorde’s essay “I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing across Sexualities”, Lorde argues that one cannot understand discrimination and oppression unless they are within the group that is facing these obstacles. “In the 1960s, when liberal white people decided that they didn’t want to appear racist, they wore dashikis, and danced Black, and ate Black and even married Black, but they did not want to feel Black or think Black, so they never even questioned the textures of their daily living” (p. 276). This was wonderfully illustrated in class on Monday, when Mike gave the analogy that he can come to school in a dress, but in doing so, he wouldn’t understand what it means to be discriminated against as a woman. This example perfectly illustrates the conundrum many face when fighting for social equality or anti-discrimination: there is only so much “understanding” an individual can have if they aren’t facing that particular type of discrimination. For example, I’ve been involved in movements to end the discrimination many women face in the workplace as mothers, but not being a working mother myself often limits my understanding of the problem and possible solutions.

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Making connections between women leading “Double Lives”

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-Molly Fitzpatrick

In her piece “Chappals and Gym Shorts: An Indian Muslim Woman in the Land of OZ” Almas Sayeed discusses the complicated issues she has struggled with as an Indian Muslim woman in the Midwest who is also a feminist. Her story begins by her illustrating the number of stresses she’s experiencing in college followed by a few bizarre visits from her father who talks about implementing a “two year marriage plan” for her. She expresses anger at her father’s hypocrisy of being an Indian man who wants to be an “American Cowboy” in his spare time (pp.271). She discusses her love of sports, rebellious nature and dislike for traditionally feminine things like tight jewelry and makeup. I was instantly reminded of one of my favorite movies when I was in Junior High, Bend it Like Beckham which follows an Indian girl in England who loves to play soccer. I also then realized that until reading this article that movie was probably my only exposure to Indian culture or feminist issues for Indian women.  Read more...

Why the Entire Constitution Matters

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-Schmidty

We stand at a tipping point in the United States on what matters to us. Are the Bill of Rights and the Constitution important and binding documents that are the domain of the federal government, or are they a basic framework that can be modified by each individual state as they see fit? To say that there are two sides to this argument is an extreme oversimplification of the problem. On one side you have the majority, who believe that the states can change what that particular individual disagrees with and cannot change what they feel pertains mostly to them. That group is in several smaller camps, each one based on which portion of the constitutions they believe to be either sacred or profane, and how those beliefs interact with the other individual camp within the larger group.  Read more...

Difficulties Facing Allies

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-Schmidty

It is hard to stand beside someone who doesn’t want you there even as they need you to be there for them. That is the position those who would stand as allies to the LGBTQA movement find themselves in. More than the pressure of those who are invested in the power structure and don’t want to see change, it is the pressure from within the movement heading in a separatist direction that can drive a wedge between those who want to help and those who would most benefit from this help. The problem is a harsh divide because no progress can be made without accepting the assistance of people in positions of power and privilege.  Read more...

Feminism and the Middle East

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-Michael Fischer

As awkward as the connection is between feminism and Middle Eastern cultures, so too is the relationship between western feminist scholars and the external stuffy of these cultures. With this thought in mind, the question I’m posing is whether external study of feminism and patriarchy in Middle Eastern cultures has a greater cost than benefit. In the article Orientalism and Middle East Feminist Studies, the author Lila Abu-Lughod discusses one such eternal study.  Read more...

Civil Rights-Why They All Matter

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-Schmidty

We as a society have become fractured into several different camps when it comes to civil rights. Most people have a few things that they hold onto as important and let the rest fall to the side. This fracturing is one of the greatest weaknesses of any movement for change, a lack of direction. There is a saying I have heard over and over, “united we stand, divided we fall.” Without willingness to compromise on all sides there will be only division and therefore failure to reach any meaningful change.  Read more...