I really enjoy reading this author's work, because she is down to earth and uses language that speaks to a younger generation of women. In this particular chapter, Valenti talks about the double bind of the sexuality of women. Women are supposed to be sexy, always. If they are sexy and abstain from sexual activity, they are prude. If they engage in sexual activity they are sluts. Women can't win. They are expected to be sexy, yet to abstain from sex. What a contradiction!! Valenti discusses the increasing porn culture and how it often makes women feel obligated to perform acts like flashing their boobs or making out with another girl to turn on a guy and to feel sexy. The porn culture is everywhere. It is especially prevalent in the abundant playboy paraphernalia. Girls Gone Wild is the best example of porn meeting real life. The producers walked around New Orleans, finding girls who were willing to flash their boobs at the camera. Now the GGW industry is booming. The porn industry has made many girls feel like sex is meant to contain dirty talk, screaming, and madness in order to please the guy. Yet, most porn stars do not orgasm. So, the porn industry is promoting girls to have fake sex. With all these society influences on female sexuality, it is hard for females to know how to behave sexually. Valenti concludes that females should feel free to act sexually as they choose, as long as they are comfortable with their actions and are not doing it because society says they should. Women should also be aware of the societal influences that affect their actions, even if it will not change how they act.
I really liked Valenti's conclusion to the article, because it left the door open for females to behave sexually in whatever manner they see fit. She did not pass judgment on women, but challenged them to be true to themselves in their actions. I really respected this.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
She's got to be a macho girl
This article was interesting, because it focuses on the changing sexuality of women and of the American youth. Women and young girls in society are becoming more and more bold towards asking guys out. A half century ago, it was not appropriate for women to even call a love interest on the telephone. Yet, girls are now not only calling boys, they are even initiating sexual activity. The traditional roles of dating are disappearing. The youth are becoming more sexually adventurous and more fearful of long-term relationships. Some say that the feminist movement is responsible for the bold sexuality of girls. However, the media also plays a big part. MTV often portrays girls as being sexy and as engaging in frequent sexual contact. "Sex and the City" also portrayed a form of non-long term dating. Lots of new songs continue to feature lyrics which portray women as initiating sexual contact. The lyrics in Destiny Child's "Independent Woman" say "[I] only ring your celly when I'm feeling loney/When it's all over, please get up and leave." There is also a sort of status that comes to the middle school girl who is the first one to date. Another factor that could play into the young dating scene is that many of today's youth have watched their parents suffer through divorce. They have come to fear long term relationships, because they do not want to have the bad ending their parents did. In the end, many girls are receptive to their new role as the sexual aggressor. As Lila Zimmerman from Lancaster, Pa quotes at the end of the paper "'They don't have to be the embarrassed ones,' she said. 'I guess now it's our turn.'"
I thought this article was very interesting. Personally, I do not have a problem with the changing sexuality of American youth. Girls had to sit around and wait for a date for so many years. I think it is great that they are now gaining the confidence to ask out the boy. For the past two years, my sister has asked a date to her high school homecomings. Had she not of asked, she probably wouldn't have had a date. I give her props.
I thought this article was very interesting. Personally, I do not have a problem with the changing sexuality of American youth. Girls had to sit around and wait for a date for so many years. I think it is great that they are now gaining the confidence to ask out the boy. For the past two years, my sister has asked a date to her high school homecomings. Had she not of asked, she probably wouldn't have had a date. I give her props.
Gender and Sports
The presentation on Sports and Gender was very interesting. I enjoyed hearing about the sports uniforms and how they have changed throughout history. I never knew that beach volleyball regulated the size of the uniforms that women wear. Female sports seem to be turning more towards sexuality to attract an audience. Female athletes that partake in sexual advertisements are criticized for being in the ads if their playing declines, whereas most males are not criticized for their endorsements. When tennis player Ana Ivanovic participated in sexy advertisements, this was automatically responsible for her bad season, because it took away "from her practice time. If you type Ana's name into google, tons of results come up referring to her as a "hottie." Yet, it you type in Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, no such results appear. The results for Serena Williams include "who is Serena dating." The public seems to occupy themselves more on the personal life and body image of the female athletes compared to the male athletes. Male athletes are also more likely to be shown in action and in uniform in their photo shoots than female athletes.
The discussion on Title XI interested me, because I have to say that I think Title XI needs to be reformed. Title XI states that there should be complete equality in universities between women's and men's sports. This means that equivalent teams need to have the same number of players. The issue is that it can cause some teams to be cut due to lack of participation from the other gender. Under Title XI, women's sports need to be given the same amount of funding as male's sports. The problem with this is that football drains most of the male finances. Since there is no female parallel to football, many male sports teams are left underfunded, because the football teams use up the money. I once worked with a guy who was a really good swimmer. He got a partial ride to Pittsburgh for swimming, yet he would had received a full ride if he were a female. Pittsburgh university gives out less male scholarships for swimming, because the rest of the scholarship money goes towards football. While Title XI greatly helped to promote women's participation in athletics when it was written, I think it needs to be revised so that it does not limit participation and so that football is a separate financial entity.
The discussion on Title XI interested me, because I have to say that I think Title XI needs to be reformed. Title XI states that there should be complete equality in universities between women's and men's sports. This means that equivalent teams need to have the same number of players. The issue is that it can cause some teams to be cut due to lack of participation from the other gender. Under Title XI, women's sports need to be given the same amount of funding as male's sports. The problem with this is that football drains most of the male finances. Since there is no female parallel to football, many male sports teams are left underfunded, because the football teams use up the money. I once worked with a guy who was a really good swimmer. He got a partial ride to Pittsburgh for swimming, yet he would had received a full ride if he were a female. Pittsburgh university gives out less male scholarships for swimming, because the rest of the scholarship money goes towards football. While Title XI greatly helped to promote women's participation in athletics when it was written, I think it needs to be revised so that it does not limit participation and so that football is a separate financial entity.
Frye
In her article, Frye makes a distinction between oppression and feelings of misery. Oppression differs from misery because it is a set of barriers or obstacles that are systematically related to each other without a positive outcome. Misery, on the other hand, is only temporary and offers a positive outcome in the end. For instance, if a wealthy person is injured in a skiing accident, they will experience temporary misery due to the pain of the broken limbs. Yet, they will end up in a superb hospital with excellent care and in a few weeks, they will no longer suffer. Frye relates temporary misery to a bird cage with a single bar. If the bird wants to escape, it may be inconvenienced to fly around that bar, but it can still get out. Oppression, on the other hand, is a bird cage with a continuous series of bars, systematically placed to prevent the bird from escaping. No matter how hard the bird tries, it cannot escape.
In class, we used the example of wearing glasses to demonstrate the difference between oppression and temporary inconvenience. If Celia decided that she were only going to give As to the people in the class with glasses, there would be ways around that oppression. You could talk to the dean, drop the class, transfer to another college, etc. However, if the fact that only people with glasses got As was a universal standard, there would be no way for those without glasses to do well in college. This situation has no positive outcome for non-glasses wearers, because they cannot escape the cycle.
I really enjoyed this article by Frye, because I thought she did a really job of pin-pointing what constitutes oppression.
In class, we used the example of wearing glasses to demonstrate the difference between oppression and temporary inconvenience. If Celia decided that she were only going to give As to the people in the class with glasses, there would be ways around that oppression. You could talk to the dean, drop the class, transfer to another college, etc. However, if the fact that only people with glasses got As was a universal standard, there would be no way for those without glasses to do well in college. This situation has no positive outcome for non-glasses wearers, because they cannot escape the cycle.
I really enjoyed this article by Frye, because I thought she did a really job of pin-pointing what constitutes oppression.
Cudd
Cudd presents an article on how oppression against women manifests itself in society. Cudd argues that the oppression of women stems from the institution itself, and that rational decisions do not change the fact that a woman is being oppressed. If a woman decides to stay at home instead of her husband because he earns more money than she does, this choice both rational and oppressive. Due to the institution and unequal salaries, the man automatically earns more, giving the woman no other choice than to remain in the household. By remaining in the household, the woman is choosing to continue the cycle of oppression against women. The same is true for prostitution. If a woman chooses to be a prostitute because she has no other way of earning money, she is oppressing herself by continuing the cycle of prostitution. Cudd discusses the irony in society, because oppressed people often play a key role in continuing their oppression. In class, we mentioned the idea of marriage. While the woman have the freedom to say "yes or no" to a proposal, they lack the liberty that men have to decide who they want to ask to marry them and when they want to get married. Yet the majority of women, myself included, want to be proposed to. The idea of a proposal is a romantic ideal that women would have to forgo if they were to pop the question.
There are 4 criteria that Cudd considers essential to identifying oppression. 1) physical/psychological harm is apparent 2) groups are identifiable independent of oppressed status 3) someone benefits from the oppression 4) the oppression involves coercion or force. If we apply the example of prostitution, it is evident that, regardless of rational decision, prostitution is a form of oppression. It causes physical or psychological harm to the woman, because she partakes in sexual activity against her desires. The prostitutes are identifiable from other people, because they sell their bodies. The men who hire the prostitutes benefit from the oppression of these women. Prostitutes are often forced into work, because they feel there is no other method of earning an income. Therefore, while some women choose to be prostitutes, they are oppressed and ironically contribute to their own oppression.
There are 4 criteria that Cudd considers essential to identifying oppression. 1) physical/psychological harm is apparent 2) groups are identifiable independent of oppressed status 3) someone benefits from the oppression 4) the oppression involves coercion or force. If we apply the example of prostitution, it is evident that, regardless of rational decision, prostitution is a form of oppression. It causes physical or psychological harm to the woman, because she partakes in sexual activity against her desires. The prostitutes are identifiable from other people, because they sell their bodies. The men who hire the prostitutes benefit from the oppression of these women. Prostitutes are often forced into work, because they feel there is no other method of earning an income. Therefore, while some women choose to be prostitutes, they are oppressed and ironically contribute to their own oppression.
Microfinancing
The microfinancing lecture was very interesting. I have always seen microfinancing as a very helpful way of helping people get out of poverty. I now realize that it can often have quite the opposite effect. People can try to use the money productively, but buying a cow is not going to do much for their financial status. The milk productivity cycle of the cow as well as the costs of feeding the cow will most likely leave the family in the same position in which they started. Loans do not usually result in increased women's rights, as the inability to pay back a loan can sometimes result in women being forced into sexual favors to receive more time to pay back the loan.
Dr. Pelkey does some microfinancing in India, but he works more to teach women various trades. Once a woman learns a trade, she has a valuable skill that can bring her money for the rest of her life. This further promotes women's rights, because the woman gains financial independence from her husband. Statistically, women are more likely to spend money on education and health care than men are, so having financially independent women will benefit society as a whole.
It was really neat to hear Dr. Pelkey talk about microfinancing, because he has hands on experience in the field. I would love to go on the summer India trip to further understand the process Dr. Pelkey uses to help the local woman. The whole issue really fascinates me.
Dr. Pelkey does some microfinancing in India, but he works more to teach women various trades. Once a woman learns a trade, she has a valuable skill that can bring her money for the rest of her life. This further promotes women's rights, because the woman gains financial independence from her husband. Statistically, women are more likely to spend money on education and health care than men are, so having financially independent women will benefit society as a whole.
It was really neat to hear Dr. Pelkey talk about microfinancing, because he has hands on experience in the field. I would love to go on the summer India trip to further understand the process Dr. Pelkey uses to help the local woman. The whole issue really fascinates me.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Gender and Musical Instruments
As a saxophone player, I have often been prompted to consider the gender of instruments. When looking at a concert band, there are definitely some instruments that are considered more traditionally masculine than others.
Percussion, for instance, usually has a very masculine image. It is a field dominated by men. The strict rhythms have little melody (unless accompanied by bells). Percussion is essential in keeping the beat and holding the band together, especially in a marching band situation. The Penn State Blue Band percussion section demonstrates their masculinity by throwing down their cymbals and engaging in a series of rhythmic push ups.
Low brass (tubas and trombones) are the lowest wind section in the band. These sections, like percussion are heavily dominated by men. Low brass is important because the low tambors drive the crescendos and dynamics of the wind instruments.
Flute, on the other hand, is primarily dominated by women. The higher notes tend to float above the other instruments. It is a quiet instrument, and does not have nearly the amount of influence that percussion has in holding the band together or that low brass has in driving crescendos.
I would consider saxophone to fall very close to the middle with its gender ratio. The saxophone is a middle-ranged instrument; playing equal amounts of higher and lower music. Its influence on the beat of the band is not as great as percussion or brass, but greater than flute, because it is a lower instrument.
The point of this blog is that I find it interesting that the "less powerful" instruments are dominated by women whereas the "more powerful" instruments are dominated by men. Within my high school marching band, there was always a huge push for drum corps. from many of the guys. Drum corps. are marching bands that use only percussion and brass instruments (tubas, trombones, melaphones, and trumpets); i.e. the majority of the male-dominated instruments. The flute and clarinet players used to get angry with the pro-drum corps. guys, because such a band would mean that their participation was not needed. I realize now that this idea could have been an unconscious (or conscious) form of sexism.
Ending the gendered instrument stereotypes in the music field could be a very difficult process. It would mean that elementary music teachers would have to encourage guys to play flute just as much (or more) than girls to help them overcome the "flute is for girls stereotype" and to allow them to feel comfortable with their instrumental choice.
Percussion, for instance, usually has a very masculine image. It is a field dominated by men. The strict rhythms have little melody (unless accompanied by bells). Percussion is essential in keeping the beat and holding the band together, especially in a marching band situation. The Penn State Blue Band percussion section demonstrates their masculinity by throwing down their cymbals and engaging in a series of rhythmic push ups.
Low brass (tubas and trombones) are the lowest wind section in the band. These sections, like percussion are heavily dominated by men. Low brass is important because the low tambors drive the crescendos and dynamics of the wind instruments.
Flute, on the other hand, is primarily dominated by women. The higher notes tend to float above the other instruments. It is a quiet instrument, and does not have nearly the amount of influence that percussion has in holding the band together or that low brass has in driving crescendos.
I would consider saxophone to fall very close to the middle with its gender ratio. The saxophone is a middle-ranged instrument; playing equal amounts of higher and lower music. Its influence on the beat of the band is not as great as percussion or brass, but greater than flute, because it is a lower instrument.
The point of this blog is that I find it interesting that the "less powerful" instruments are dominated by women whereas the "more powerful" instruments are dominated by men. Within my high school marching band, there was always a huge push for drum corps. from many of the guys. Drum corps. are marching bands that use only percussion and brass instruments (tubas, trombones, melaphones, and trumpets); i.e. the majority of the male-dominated instruments. The flute and clarinet players used to get angry with the pro-drum corps. guys, because such a band would mean that their participation was not needed. I realize now that this idea could have been an unconscious (or conscious) form of sexism.
Ending the gendered instrument stereotypes in the music field could be a very difficult process. It would mean that elementary music teachers would have to encourage guys to play flute just as much (or more) than girls to help them overcome the "flute is for girls stereotype" and to allow them to feel comfortable with their instrumental choice.
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