Here’s an interesting article on how a state senate passed a bill to ban certain body peircing and tattoos. While this bill affects women and men alike, it shows how the government takes a patriarchal stance on how to regulate the bodies of men, women and people of color, which this country has a long history about.
What do you think?
Please sign this petition: It’s really important that we start making a shift in our society to protect the victims of rape no matter what and this petition is a really great step, all you have to do is make an account and click a button to sign.
Sam
I find this story EXTREMELY problematic. An Italian woman living in the UK who was suffering from bipolar disorder was institutionalized, had a forced cescarian section to remove her baby, and then social services took her child. So… apparently, if you visit the UK and become ill, the government has the right to steal your baby, straight from your womb. As if people with disabilities didn’t have enough of their reproductive rights taken away in the past two hundred years (through forced sterilization as well as it being illegal for some with mental disabilities to marry), it’s extremely disheartening to see that it’s still occurring. The worse part I think is the fact that social services put the baby with a British family, instead of sending it to live with it’s extended family in Italy and that even though the mother is of good mental health now, they refuse to give her back her baby. ‘
Despite the fact that she may have had a mental break, the women should NOT have been forced to have the baby delivered. She should have been institutionalized and kept safe until she either a. had the baby or b. was of stable mind. The baby should have been given to it’s biological extended family in Italy, not a foster family in Britain and WHEN the mother was mentally stable, she should have gotten her baby back.
So many legal violations, how does crap like this happen?
Found this awesome video on my study break. I hope you all like it as much as I do!
This list makes my blood boil. Besides the large amount of contradictions within the list, most of these things are pretty patriarchal and make me disgusted by the gender norms that surround relationships. Let me just give you a few of my favorites:
#3: “Guys tend to get serious with their relationship and become too possessive. Better watch out girls”
Oh. Ok. So I should become an object that is owned by my significant other if I choose to be in a relationship. Got it. Also you have a right to you know, decide who I go out with and when. You can decide what I get to do. Sounds kind of like an abusive spouse. I’m gonna have to pass.
#10. A guy who likes you wants to be the only guy you talk to.
Again with this controlling and abusive spouse thing. I’m really sorry that you’re insecure with your relationship but you probably should get over the fact that the women in your life interacts with and are friends with males. You also shouldn’t control who your girlfriend talks with or is friends with.
But apparently: #29. Guys may be flirting around all day but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about.
So you can you know, talk to any girl you want to, flirt with her, text her you know whatever, but if I interact with a male you get upset. Hmmm… something doesn’t seem right…
Also… #18. Guys like porn!
So you can watch other girls having sex… but I can’t talk with another male or you get you’re panties in a knot. There’s so many double standards in this list, I can’t deal.
#4. The biggest turn on for guys are the girls who workout. However: #36. No matter how much guys talk about hotness or sex appeal, personality is key.
I really don’t know which is most important to guys…. Because two separate points say completely different things. Maybe you should make up your mind.
But apparently.. #13. Guys don’t care about how gorgeous you are, it’s goodbye, adios, and sayonara if you’re being a bitch.
Oh…. so you can pretty much do whatever you want, with whatever girl you want. But if I get upset about, you know, any of that, you will break up with me. You know what, it’s ok. I’ll probably break up with you first because that’s ridiculous.
#20. “The game is on” will be considered an acceptable excuse to postpone any serious conversations.
I feel like one doesn’t need an explantation. But I think it’s pretty problematic that you would put a dumb sporting event over the women you care about sooooo much that you’re ridiculously possessive over her. Since when is a game that EVERY sports network will be cover for the next day and a half with replays more important then the lovely lady in your life?
#21. Cooking makes a girl all the more attractive.
Aw yes, I was waiting for the traditional gender norms to take place on this list. Yes, because you know, a women is only worth something if she can make something in the kitchen. Ugh.
#22. You can’t get mad if your guy refuses to hook up your “ugly friend” with one of his good-looking friends.
Wait, I thought personality (#36) was the only thing that REALLY mattered. No? Well, I probably should dump you for being superficial, and my friend is probably better off. And I don’t know about you, but every one of my girlfriends is gorgeous for her own reasons. You’re a pig for judging her.
#23. Nothing you will ever do will entitle you to operate the remote control, unless operating means handing it to him.
Oh really? Because I happen to have lady parts, I am not entitled to choose what we may watch sometimes? That seems pretty fair. Except not in a million years.
#24. The only thing left to be said after sex is “goodnight.”
Oh right, because you know, my only job as a woman is to serve you and be your sex object. Please go back to the 1950’s with your views on relationships.
#27. Guys’ night outs are sacred events. If you ask any question about it, you’ll be castigated.
Again, you can control who I hang out with and what I do but if I ask questions I’m the one on trial. This. is. disgusting.
Last one, but really the biggest one. #28. Believe it or not, 99.5% of the time men honestly don’t mean to hurt you.
Sure, that may be the case, but don’t you think you should try to change your behavior if it becomes a reoccurring problem? Maybe you should listen to the woman you care about and realize how your EVERYDAY behaviors are pretty messed up and you should do something out of the ordinary to make her happy and feel better.
I absolutely LOVE this article that features Evan Rachel Wood’s twitter rant on how women’s sexuality is portrayed in film and television shows. Personally I find it pretty problematic in our society where we prize men as being naturally sexual beings, so it’s ok if they participate in sexual acts in public (you can check out some of my views on this sort of thing here.) Evan talks about how women’s sexuality in film is overly-censored and it’s a bunch of bologna– and I completely agree. It’s about time that women stopped getting slut-shamed and censored and were allowed to be perceived as the sexual beings that they are.
You go Evan!
New York Film Academy put together a great visual on how women are unequally represented in film. If there’s any feminist movie junkies out there, this is the perfect article for you!
This article hits the nail on the head. If you haven’t heard Renisha’s story, you should listen up. Renisha was murdered a few weeks ago, after crashing her car in the late hours of the night she wandered onto a porch close by to get help. Instead of being greeted with kindness and an offer to call 911, she was shot in the face with a shotgun through a screen door. Here’s where the case starts to parallel the Trayvon Martin case even more. Not only was she not an imminent threat, her murderer wasn’t until recently arrested for her death because he claimed self defense.
It seems to be a reoccurring problem in the US that white men find unarmed, young people of color to be such an threat they must kill them before they actually do something wrong.
But where is the outcry for Renisha? Where are the “hoodie marches” that people like Beyonce and Jay-Z participated in mourning the loss of Trayvon? Why is it that we as a people can be outraged for a young black man but don’t even pay attention for a young black woman? Just something to think about and we should make a conscious effort to change.
For those who know much about materinty/mother’s rights, it’s a growing topic in the United States, mainly because the US is one of the few developed nations that doesn’t have very good maternity leave and other rights for mothers. Check out this website: it talks about all the issues that surround the topics and ways to get involved.
Here’s an interesting article from my favorite blog (Everyday Feminism obvi). It’s an great piece on why we have beef against bisexuality because they like two, not one genders.
Let me know what you think!
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