You call yourself a feminist, but do not get the basic concepts of cultural appropriation or intersectionality. Girl, stop. It's not my job to educate you on this. It's exhausting to have to educate white people day in and day out on issues pertaining to race. You are my friend, I should feel like I can openly candidly speak to you about things that are bothering me. And yeah, I'm angry. Ignorance is infuriating and should NEVER be defended, unless the person lives under a rock. Like are you actually confused as to why I'm upset? I'm not being sensitive or emotional about racial issues. I never say you are being sensitive or emotional about gender issues, because that is wrong. Micro aggressions are real and you are not only defending them, but are engaging in them. You promote an exclusive feminism and deny people of color's experiences with racism, unless you have experienced them first hand. The problem is you will rarely face them directly, because you are a white woman. That's why it's called privilege. And no white women have not historically advocated for people of color, you might want to read up on the racist suffragette history. I love you, but you are part of the problem. It would be better to listen to your friend's experience with racism, without getting defensive. It's not ALWAYS about you. You could learn a thing or two from putting your ego aside and simply listening. Just listen.
Ring the Alarm: Beyonce was flawless (per usual) in greeting Prince William and Duchess Kate, in fact we could practically see her halo. But it was pretty clear who really runs da world, Beyonce ya'll. Bey and Jay had the English visitors crazy in love. Who better to represent America as a superpower than the power couple themselves. You can keep your royalty England because we have our own and they are irreplaceable.
Scroll through the slideshow below to view gift ideas and charities. Click on the images to be directed to the links for the corresponding products and respective charities.
Time Magazine showed us how outdated and untimely it actually is, contrary to the name. The magazine recently took a poll for which words should be banned in the year 2014, one of the options presented was feminist. Firstly I don't love the idea of any word being banned because it reminds me of the dystopian novel,Farenheit 451. Secondly, feminist is all to important of a word to be banned even as a joke. Thirdly, feminist means, "a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes." No, feminism does not mean a hatred of men or anyone who does not identify as female. Ok now that we got that out of the way, I compiled a list of reasons we still need feminists and feminist discourse. These are just some of the issues that feminists focus on and yes some of these overlap with one another. Keep in mind, this is in no way a complete list :
"...feminist is all to important of a word to be banned even as a joke. "
1. Wage Gap 2. Sex Trafficking 3. Violence and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals 4. Domestic Violence against both men and women 5. Strict Gender Roles and Identities enforced 6. Female Infanticide 7. Cat-Calling and Sexual Harassment 8. Rape Culture 9. Sexualization of women and young girls in the media 10. Online violence against women 11. Female Genital Mutilation 12. Poor infant/ mother health care 13. Lack of resources for working mothers and fathers 14. No paid leave for new fathers or mothers 15. Poverty rates among single mothers 16. Lack of credit given to men as fathers 17. Violence against animals 18. Discrimination and violence towards women of color 19. Lack of Immigration reform 20. Lack of access to birth control and abortion 21. Slut Shaming 22. Discouragement of women to participate in STEM fields 23. Glass ceiling, glass elevator, glass cliff and sticky floor analogies for women in the workplace 24. Control of women's garments, clothes and modesty 25. Control of women's sexuality 26. Laws restricting women in driving etc. 27. Lack of women and minorities in the political sphere and in important offices 28. Racism 29. Homophobia 30. Transphobia 31. Xenophobia 32. Lack of access to health care or disparities in health care provided 33. Lack of equal access to education 34. Violence, discrimination and poor health care options for intersex individuals. 35. Classism 36. Ageism 37. Ableism 38. Over sexualization or objectification of women of color 39. High incarceration rates of people of color 40. Increased violence against trans individuals 41. Racial or ethnic profiling 42. Cultural relativism 43. Cultural appropriation 44. Religious discrimination 45. Lack of job security for LGBTQ individuals 46. Increased war crimes 47. Prison Reform 48. Access to Mental Health Services. Stigma of mental illness. 49. Police Brutality 50. Systematic and Institutionalized oppression 51. Ethnic cleansing 52. Ethnocentric feminism 53. heteronormative/ cis feminism 54. Control of a person's clothing/modesty or actions 55. Lack of positive visibility for women of color , disabled people , LGBTQQ individuals in the media. 56. Stereotypes perpetuated by the media 57. Hate crimes 58. Criminalization of people of color in society and the media 59. Body shaming , Fatphobia and photoshopped images 60. Discouragement and exclusion of women, trans individuals, LGBTQQ individuals in certain sports and fields.
I for one am glad that the word feminist has caught mainstream attention because as the list shows we still have a lot of work to do. I would suggest that we do not distract ourselves with absurd polls on banning the word, feminist. - Imaan
"Intersectionality is a concept often used in critical theories to describe the ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another. The concept first came from legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 and is largely used in critical theories, especially Feminist theory, when discussing systematic oppression. When possible, credit Kimberlé Crenshaw for coining the term "intersectionality" and bringing the concept to wider attention." -
Intersectionality a fun guide found at: http://miriamdobson.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/intersectionality-a-fun-guide-now-in-powerpoint-presentation-formation/
There were so many good (by that I mean horrible) stock photo options of stress and school... I obviously went with the most realistic
Sorry we've been so MIA!! School has been insane these past two(ish) weeks, and shocker, it's going to get worse since exams are approaching. However, there has been so much going on in the (real) world! First things first, Beyonce is Forbes #1 celebrity and Mindy Kaling is Glamour's Woman of the Year (ahh!!). Despite these two amazing woman receiving awards, Imaan and I have been studying, writing, and stressing about this semester. To make it even worse, when I was trying to be super healthy, I realized I was going through caffeine withdrawals... which is one way to prove your obsession with coffee.
Currently, I am applying for jobs (like real life career) and striking out or not receiving any responses. While this is stressing me out more, I have also learned to take this in stride. Being slightly neurotic, I am used to preparing for the worst, and this situation is not any different. I have multiple plan B's (I guess c, d, and e), and am constantly looking for opportunities. Applying to more student positions a few years ago, I learned that the right position and company will come along when a person really needs it. I've complied a list of must haves for applying to jobs, I might not have found my perfect fit, but I hope the rest of you have or will! Even if you are looking for research positions on campus, internships, or other general opportunities, the criteria and effort is about the same.
Here is my checklist for my job search: 1. Resume- one that kicks butt (can find templates online, or most schools have editors) 2. Cover Letter- I have a few templates that I recycle based on job description 3. Email- make sure you use a professional sounding name, also check it regularly 4. Contacts/ Networks- while not everyone has this luxury, putting yourself out there to professors, professionals, and people working in a sector you are interested in are great starting points 5. Attitude- don't be discouraged by lack of responses or a 'ivy league' job position, go for it!
Good Luck Hunting!!! - Aurora
A good stock photo is always a bonus. For real though, do the people who make these even realize how ridiculous the photos actually are?