Xicanista

by: Alejandra Ramos

Womyn of color feminism has been placed under third wave feminist movement; the push and struggle of womyn of color to have their voices heard and their experiences validated by the white feminist movement is a continuous one. From Colonize This! a lense of womyn of color feminism is presented from perpective in which the experiences of womyn are intertwined initmately with colonization. Rehman and Hernandez state, 'colonize means "to create a settlement". It sounds simple and peaceful. We rewrote the defenition. To colonize is to strip a people of their culture, language, land, family structure, who they are as a person and as a people."...We can't have someone else defining our lives or our feminism." Feminism as taught in the academia continues to be from a very white-middle class persepective and as a womon of color I want to identify as a feminist but the fact that stories of womyn like myself are like chocolate sprinkles on vanilla ice cream makes it hard, but it continues to prove that my presence is necessary in these circles. The urgency and importance of womyn of color voices within this movement to end sexisim in our community will not come if we don't also eliminate racism and other forms of oppression too. As womyn of color redifining feminism and making it our own is essential. Redefining my identiy withing the White/Black spectrum of feminism is an act of resitance itself. Claming the identity of Xicanista as coined by Ana Castillo, refereing to her identity within the chicana feminist movement as an act of decolonization she states, “A crucial distinction between labels we have been given by officials of the state and our own self-naming process is that only doing the latter serves us.  The very act of self-definition is a rejection of colonization.” Rewriting our herstories  a nuestra manera, "...is our task as Xicanistas, to not only reclaim our indigenismo-but also to reinsert the forsaken feminine into our consciousness.”(Castillo). Not only is our task to reclaim or indigenous roots, but with that the feminine power within us from our abuelas, to bring forth the otrocities of what colonialism has done to ours spirits, memories and experiences.

http://web.utah.edu/venceremos/Xicanisma.html 

No Feminism, Just Colors

by: Zhiqi Zhou

In "Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism," the author not only depicts feminism but also feminism of colors which sparks my brain in a multi-racial way. We have been talking about feminism all along in this class, and I am not going to address feminism any more. I want to point out my concerns of racism on mass media nowadays. In 2010, US demographics census reports: Whites are 63.7%, Blacks are 12.2%, Hispanic or Latino are 16.3% of the US population. Now, let us move the focus of our eyes to the mass media, TV, advertisements, movies, newspaper. Generally, this demographic statistics tells us, for every 6 white people you see on mass media, there should be an appearance of a black person, or for every 4 white people, you should see a Hispanic person. Is it how things are in real life? My answers is no. To intuitively support my point of view, I want to use a Corona commercial as example. In the commercial, there are four people drinking on the beach, and three of them are white and one is black. The commercial majorly focus on a white couple flirting with each other and drinking corona. Surprisingly, the black person in the commercial only makes a "hard-to-see" appearance. What did I think when I saw the commercial? I thought the commercial maker didn't want the commercial to be too racist so he or she put a black clown there to make it appear less offensive. However, all of this seems to be so overly done that audience like me would obviously notice the commercial maker's intention and the black "clown."

Corona Commercial Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bfsE-VMqQk    

Women’s Rights: Who Defines What Women’s Rights Are and What Is Feminism?

By: Stephanie C. Martyr

            Learning about third wave feminism is very interesting to me because it is so current and also is continuing to develop with our contributions added. Taking from the introduction in “Colonize This!”, Women who have been taught by “white feminism” in universities are now understanding their mothers’ choices for motherhood, and are currently carving out schools in feminism for particular sects for women belonging to certain races (Rehman & Hernandez xx-xxiv). What is I find striking is that while the current (third) wave of feminists are criticizing the second wave feminists for having a dominant voice (the white suburban housewife), the same group of women is now missing from the dominant message and literature. This message of stereotyping also pits women from different schools of feminist thought against one another, and could this approach be leaving some women (those who do not want to identify as a feminist) out of the feminist club entirely? I have observed that feminists use rhetoric such as “Are you a feminist? If not, you’re a bigot.” –Gloria Allred (from the youtube.com). These types of fallacies ultimately turn women off from identifying as feminists- when they should learn that as a woman you are a feminist because every woman has the basic right to be- like a citizenship to a country. Asking a woman what her ideas about feminism are should not always be reduced to a rhetorical question meant to trip one up and make an example out of. Are you a feminist? Yes. We all are, in fact. If I answer no, I understand that I still am because (Insert any reason here since it IS valid). Women need to be delicate in bringing resistant women into the sphere of knowledge feminists are aware of; this is not an arms race for which group privileged or not can get the most rights first- feminism is about empowering each other as women and seeing each other finding our own paths and succeeding.

As an Irish-Native American woman, I enjoy having my individual story, and I agree with the authors in “Colonize This!” that there has been a white wash of culture in America, and as a result people have lost a sense of their identities and heritage. Feminist theory seeks to rectify this by establishing women as individuals, with their own struggles, stories, and rights. However, feminist theory also seeks to deconstruct gender, which tends to exclude issues such as labor and breastfeeding, a highly gendered womanly activity. Therefore, this “choice” (to be a mother or not, to be gay or straight, to abort or not, to use birth control or sterilization or not) suggests sexism is within the very content of feminism. I personally see this inner division of feminists into self-labels for the purpose of saying, “I’m not that kind of woman, I’m this kind of woman” and that should no longer be any kind of accepted form of feminist thought. Because third wave feminism is our generation, it is up to us to further women’s rights and power in society by defining what feminism is. I appreciate the women from the 1^st and 2^nd waves of feminism for fighting for the right to choose. I like how the 3^rd wave feminists are diverse, individualized, and fight for everybody’s rights. However, I am dropping the attitude that feminists are a separate group of women. All women are feminists whether they claim to be or not, all women have an equal voice- a woman’s right is to choose anything and it be allowed, and she will have her sisters to support her. Feminists should not criticize women who deny being feminist, since we know that society constructed them that way anyhow. When it comes to my understanding about the history of feminism, I know that all women were fighting for rights any way that worked and as long as we continue to have a history of pitting certain women against each other (mothers and non-mothers, white women and women of color, gay women and straight women), then it is impossible to achieve equality for all.

Works Cited:

Rehman, Bushra; & Hernandez, Daisy “Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism” Introduction. Seal Press

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dddgkEg2XSA&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Racism

by: Megan MacDonald

I don’t understand it. RACCCC-IIII-SSSSM. I try to sound it out with my mouth but it doesn’t make sense to me. When I see someone I see him or her as a human being, Not man or woman. Not black or brown or white. When I see someone I see him or her for the person I see portrayed through his or her actions. Color has never mattered to me. If someone has a positive outlook and a driven sense of accomplishment they are more than qualified to be my friend. I love every single person for the good qualities in them; if you consciously look for the good in people you will never be disappointed. When others allow racism and anti feminist philosophy to encourage the way they live their lives is when I know they are not fighting for what is right but what is known and of popular belief. When I am confronted with people of this nature I try to be as neutral as I can, however as a an independent accomplished, feminist woman it is hard for me to look back at the actions of these individuals and not argue. When judgment becomes based on color of skin instead of content of character is when I stop listening to mainstream media who views the value of an individual based on color and appearance instead of intelligence and talent. 

Carolee and interior knowledge

By: Nichole Jones

Carolee Second Wave Feminism flourished during the 1960’s and was a time when women really came together to strive for improvements in the treatment of women and the discrimination of women in the world. I recall my mother-in-law telling me that as a young mother of two boys, she found herself divorced and seeking her independence. She was no longer going to be the typical housewife and needed to find a job and make a living for herself as a single parent. She went to get car insurance and was told she needed to have a husband to sign the contracts. The 1960’s were fueled with anti-war demonstrations and civil right movements and women were a great part of that. I believe we are all familiar with the statement that it was a time when women burned their bras. However, women band together to protest the 1968 Miss America pageant by trashing their bras, girdles and nylons. They threw them away as a symbol of the binds that society has on women to look pretty. This is taken from an article written by Jone Johnson Lewis entitled, Bra Burning Feminists NOT. I read from our course reader and found myself bothered yet intrigued by the Carolee Schneemann piece, More than Meat Joy and the Interior Scroll selections. This woman seems very controversial and for some reason reminded me of Frida Kahlo, the famous female Mexican painter. She was something the world was not quite ready for during her lifetime. The photos of Carolee seemed strange and I found a youtube video of her from 2008 where she discusses where the idea of the scroll came from and why she choice to do the piece. Her work was on display in the Brooklyn Museum entitled “Burning Down the House” Building of Feminist Art Collection. Here is the link for the video, Carolee says that “the scroll represents interior knowledge” and it is represented by pulling the scroll out of her body and she reads what it written on it. One of the things on the scroll is the statement “Be prepared”. That sort of made me laugh, because that is the Boy Scout’s National Motto. Anyway, she did find that some viewers of her performance art found it very confusing and felt that it may have played into men’s fantasies of women. She saw it in a different light. She was a huge inspiration for our recent readings and classroom activities, the Vagina Monologues. 

the “proper role” for a woman

By: Malynn Robbinson

In the reading The Problem that has No Name by Betty Friedan, the author entertains her readers by pulling them through the emotions that many housewives of the 20th century were experiencing. The emotion of emptiness and dissatisfaction was actually the result of a woman who has experienced the thirst of knowledge and want more. These women have been to college and dreamt of becoming something and being someone but are forced to face the bitter reality that the “proper role” for a woman is to take care of the house. This “problem that has no name”, is the outcome of their restlessness and their yearning to grow more. These women did not realize that was what they wanted because society had told them that this was their dream life and that was the best thing for them. 

Many people already know about the controversy about Rush Limbaugh media broadcast concern women’s contraceptives. I believe that it relates to the reading assignment The Problem that has No Name because in that article society was telling women that they should be happy and this is the life they should want while Limbaugh was saying women shouldn’t use contraceptives to sleep around (although he completely ignored the context of stance the college student was making). There is a similar theme of society (male) control over women and they are both coming from a male perspective.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/rush-limbaugh-sandra-fluke-a-slut-and-prostitute/ 

 Friedan, Betty. "The Problem that has No Name." Issues in Feminism. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1999. Print.

Limbaugh, R. (Actor). (2012). Rush Limbaugh Doubles Down On Sandra Flu [Motion picture]. ABC news.

Those "ridiculous" anti-housewife thoughts..

By: Caroline Crandall

My understanding about The Problem That Has No Name by Betty Friedan is that the problem is the fact that women in the 1950’s and early 60’s had no say in how they wanted to live out their lives. The purpose of a woman’s being then was to get married, have children and then do all housing tasks.  They really had no choice and if they did begin to question why their life was the way that it was or if that was what they really wanted, they would be frowned upon.  The article stated that in that time period, if a woman was feeling unhappy with her life, it was commonly thought that there must have been problems in her marriage or that she had something wrong with her. This caused Women to feel confused and alone, even though there was a large number of women who felt the exact same way. People who were against these ideas of women being something other than a house wife tried to come up with excuses as to why women could be having these “ridiculous” anti-housewife thoughts. The article said that women being educating was causing ideas to be put in their head. It also said, “ the problem was dismissed by telling the house wife how luck she is-her own boss, no time clock, no junior executive gunning for her job. “  First of all, she is not her own boss because she has to take commands form her husband and cater to her children. Second, she does have to follow a time clock because she has a time schedule to get all her daily house chores done. And third, she doesn’t have a junior executive gunning for her job, because no one else wants to have her job!

I enjoyed this quote that I found that pretty much sums up this problem that has no name.

“It is simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities - is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=EZiKAskjPF8&feature=endscreenZ

Wake Up in the Morning

by: Lindsey Ritter

Wake up in the morning go wake up the kids.

Make sure the kids are fed and clothed.

Take out the dogs.

Make sure that their lunches are prepared and packed.

Take the kids to school make sure you are on time!

Hope the kids are on time for school that way you can go to class on time.

Go to class then go to work.

(Make sure work and school fit around the kids schedule in order to pick up the kids for practices and school)

Leave work and pick up the kids.

Take one kid to his baseball practice tonight and then remember tomorrow it is wrestling, then again baseball game and then wrestling match!

Get home and cook a healthy dinner. Because we all know we don’t want our kids to be unhealthy or obese, so something with chicken…I wonder when the kids will get tired of chicken?

Make sure the kids do their homework and then it is off to a shower, brush teeth and BED!

Take out the dogs.

Kids are in bed. Time to go for a run

All sweaty and icky so shower time a must!

Homework time,

Goodnight!

OHH no only 4 hours of sleep AGAIN??

After doing the reading on second wave feminism I started to think to myself is this all for me as well? Now I love my life but constantly feel that I am moving and going this was my week with the kids, I do have help from my significant other but only during the night. The women during the break between the first and second wave were caught in a state of confusion about why they were feeling like something was missing in their lives. That was the freedom of being able to be someone besides a housewife and feeling like there was no choice but to be a housewife. I am not saying there is anything wrong with being a housewife but as we read in the readings “The Problem That Has No Name” women were feeling that something was missing or something was wrong and they were unsure what it was and I believe that most had to do with not having their freedom and not understanding or remembering that women were fighting for their rights and fighting for equality before and that “the chains that bind her in her trap are chains in her own mind and spirit. They are chains made up of mistaken ideas and misinterpreted facts, of incomplete truths and unreal choices,” (290).  If we as women have been told something by the dominating society and Capitalism they want us to continue feeling trapped and put under his thumb, the problem is seeing past those lines and seeing the truth, not feeling tied down in chains or wondering is this it? I also question where we are with society today since women have taken on more roles and many still believe should be the main house keeper and take care of the children. Women now have a job because it is difficult to maintain life without two incomes and many women have to still come home and cook or clean. I am lucky and have a significant other who does help me out (when I ask for it because I am very stubborn and feel that I can take on the world…because I am after all a woman and am very proud!).  However, most men still have the ideology that women need to come home and clean, cook, and take care of the children even after being at work.  So my question then is have we come far enough as some would say we have?

I like to take the example of the original stepford wives because it brought the “concerns and ideologies of second-wave feminism to popular culture, particularly, a woman’s control over her own body,” (Silver, 2002). When Friedan wrote about the women in “the Problem That Has No Name” those concerns that were expressed are replicated in Forbes The Stepford Wives by the two main characters who are fighting Stepford and fighting their inner feelings and their confusion about their town, and the literally interpretation of “fetishizing housework turns women from individuals with goals and ambitions into cleaning appliances: robots,” (Silver, 26).

The original stepford wives trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zUWOeNfa6Y

The original stepford wives entire movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuG8D8oUn_8

The Flip Side

Last week we talked about a film called "The Flip Side", if anyone is interested, here's a link to it on youtube. Thanks for the contribution Jesse.