Topic of the week: Movie portrayals of women

Just a few updates before we go into our topic of the week: It's WRC week! We will be on-to-go Monday through Wednesday, tabling and giving out informational pamphlets, our "now hiring" posters and free condoms! Also, Wednesday night at Pickler's Famous, from 8:30-11 PM we will be hosting our Poetry Slam! You should all come, it will be awesome. We have three bands playing and several awesome slammers for you all to experience. And we are now in the process of hiring for next year! We are losing a lot of wonderful upperclassmen and we really need some people to fill their places! The application process is on TruPositions and applications are due by April 13th.

Now, on to a topic that has come up a lot with the rising number of feminists, or people who now know about feminist ideals: how do we decide what portrayals of women are appropriate in an era with media hitting us from all directions? It is easy to see a lot of objectification of women (and now men!) in the media, making the human body an object to be lusted after for the sole purpose of selling a product, be it a pair of shoes, clothes, a movie, music, anything. But it seems as thought a lot of people are quick to jump the gun on calling things inappropriate from a feminist standpoint. One example that seems to be very appropriate is the portrayal of women in the new movie out in theaters, SuckerPunch.

Now, we don't want to give away the entirety of the plot, but one thing that you can surmise from the trailers is that a majority of the plot involves the girls involved scantily clad. Many are citing that as occurring only for the purpose of drawing in male viewers, objectifying these girls. What they don't see are the reasons why they are dressed the way they are. Again, I don't want to give away huge spoilers, so if you don't want to hear anything about the movie, then don't read past this point. (I tried keeping spoilers to a minimum, but a lot of people may not have seen the movie yet.)














OK, so the girls are scantily clad because in this elaborate dream state/alternate reality of the female protagonist, these girls are essentially prostitutes in a bordello where they dance erotically for men and get money for the head honcho of the club. This dream state/alternate reality is based off the fact that not only did the lead girl experience a traumatizing objectifying experience (her stepfather tried to assault her and then moved to her little sister after their mother passed away), but the girls are all terrorized by a lead caretaker (in this mental institution) who takes advantage of them. The girls also are forced to wear these revealing outfits and dance for men and they do it in order to survive. I feel like this is the key point; this is not a scene to entice male viewers. It is evident that these girls are doing what they can to remain alive, because if they refuse to dance, they could be killed.

The movie portrays strong young women who are fighting to survive and escape this corrupt institution (which I feel is a very strong tie to escaping the patriarchal institutions still in place in our reality), and many are still complaining that they are objectified because they have on revealing outfits. It seems as though we are overlooking a lot of really strong portrayals because of small details. Instead of arguing over what they are wearing, maybe we should focus on the fact that there is a reason behind it; the director does not seem to have dressed them this way or put them in the situations they are in for the heck of it, or to simply draw in viewers with an easy hook.

What movies can you think of that are seen as objectifying when they could be really empowering? Do you agree that this happens?

Let us know what you  think!

Topic of the Week: Paid Leave for New Mothers

Before getting into our topic for the week, we just wanted to share a few updates from the center. Next week is WRC week where we will be celebrating what the WRC does on campus and will be promoting what we can further provide the campus. We will be on-to-go every week, meaning we won't be in the center itself, but rather at a table promoting our raffle and other things. On Sunday, April 3rd, we have speaker Representative Stacey Newman coming to talk about equal pay for men and women and the struggle for pay equity, on Tuesday, April 5th, we have a new S&M event, explaining the real facts behind S&M lifestyles, and Wednesday, April 6th, we will be having our Poetry Slam! This week we are just gearing up for that, hanging promotional posters and hanging out like we normally do, so you all should come in and say hi! 


Now, onto the topic at hand: paid leave for new mothers, or a lack thereof sometimes. Many families around the United States alone suffer greatly due to sometimes nonexistent laws and policies on paid leave, a lack of breastfeeding accommodations and a lack of aid to families with needs due to having children. This article entitled "U.S.: A Lack of Paid Leave Harms Workers, Children" showcases a 90-page report based on struggling parents from across the country. The report discusses parents who have their own children as well as parents who have adopted children, and their struggle due to a lack of laws and policies protecting new families. 


"We can't afford not to guarantee paid family leave under law - especially in these tough economic times," said Janet Walsh, deputy women's rights director at Human Rights Watch and author of the report.


Many companies do not provide paid leave for the mother after she gives birth, and many offer only partial pay if she needs to be off work during a difficult pregnancy; some only offer pay up until a certain period in the pregnancy itself. And many companies laugh at the idea that new fathers should get some paid leave as they adjust to handling a new member of the family. The report, found here, discusses several specific stories of these struggling families, including one of a woman whose boss was "unhappy about her pregnancy and forced her to clean up the floor and do tasks normally assigned to other staff in the last months of her pregnancy, and refused to let her use accrued paid sick leave after her baby was born" (HRC) The woman was also forced to work night shifts and her boss threatened to fire her if she took off for too many health care appointments. 


This type of behavior is not uncommon; what do you think? Is this type of reaction to new families right? Some have argued that families tend to choose to have children, and therefore they should be more prepared to handle a new child. This blogger would argue that not only do some people not plan their pregnancy, but that this form of argument itself seems blaming people for wanting to start a family. What are you reactions? Should new mothers get mandatory paid leave and other benefits during their pregnancy? What about the fathers? If not, why?

Update on the Gay-Cure iPhone App

Thanks to numerous change.org members stood together, filing complaints and signing petitions, in response to the iPhone app geared toward curing gay users of their homosexuality, Apple has decided to pull the app, sponsored by Exodus International.

This is a huge breakthrough, considering originally Apple made the statement that they didn't find the application -- which gave users ideas on how to cure themselves of the infectious disease called 'homosexuality' -- offensive, even giving it a 4+ rating. Now, the application has been pulled, and there is at least once less "gay cure" procedure in the world.

Topic of the Week: Curing Homosexuality?

Before we get to our topic, "curing homosexuality," we have a few short updates about the center for everyone. We have an official date for our WRC week poetry slam: April 6th at the *new* Pickler's Famous! From 8:30 to 11 PM and it will be awesome! Pickler's Famous will have food and drinks available, alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike, and we will be featuring women-themed art before, during and after the show. We also have a trivia night for Women's History month, an amazing guest speaker, and more -- which you can learn more about on our Facebook page.


Now, to the topic at hand. In our email this morning, we received an email alerting us to a new Apple iPhone app -- an app that can "cure" those who download it of their dreaded condition: homosexuality. The app, started by Exodus International, offers ways in which young GLBT community members can "fix" themselves, rid themselves of the "immoral" and "satanic" condition that is homosexuality. 


This app, which Apple has thus far decided not to remove from the store, lead us to investigate other forms of "curing the gay" -- rituals that can get rid of this affliction. Other methods of curing GLBT members can include exorcisms: scenarios where church elders exorcise the homosexual demons out of the afflicted, curing them of this disease. Sometimes the "cure" can include hypnosis or praying so that you will be saved from your fate; other "cures" sound like trying to break a bad habit: snapping rubber bands on your skin in order to deter you from acting on your desires. And these "therapies" are fairly common, and are spreading throughout the country, on the backs of extremist religious *and* nonreligious organizations alike. 


But some progress is being made. For years, "corrective rape" has been occurring in South Africa. Yes, "corrective rape": when a man rapes a known lesbian in order to "turn her straight." But after increasing activism and grassroots campaigns by South African groups such as The Triangle Project, Rape Crises Trust Cape Town and Women's Legal Centre, the South African ministry finally agreed to create an intervention plan to stop these kinds of discriminatory crimes from occurring in South Africa. This is a small step, but an important one, and while much works needs to be done still, this was a step in the right direction to get notice to these kinds of hate crimes. 


Hopefully U.S. legislatures will see that if South Africa can make this stride to end anti-GLBT crimes then the U.S. can as well. Again, hopefully we will see the end of "cure" therapies, claiming to rid the afflicted of the dreaded homosexuality. Hopefully, there will no longer be "gay exorcisms," trying to rid the afflicted of the homosexual demons infesting their bodies. What are your thoughts on "curing homosexuality"? Do you think it's as big of an issue here as it is in other countries?


Feel free to comment below and tell us what you think!

Topic of the Week: Victim Blaming

Before the actual topic discussion, we wanted to take a chance to let you all know what's going on in the center in the upcoming weeks. We are gearing up for several events, including a poetry slam (date is still TBA but it's going to be awesome!) and right now...meaning RIGHT NOW, we are accepting art forms celebrating the "blossoming of women." Submissions can include poetry, video, photography, paintings, anything! They will be reviewed by a committee and then presented around the center. So...if you're feeling particularly artsy or creative, you should totally thing about submitting something! We're accepting art through Friday, March 18th.

Now, to the topic: victim blaming. Before we get to the actual topic, we should probably give a slight description of what "victim blaming" actually is. For our purposes, victim blaming is basically what it sounds like: blaming the victim of an assault (often a sexual assault) for what happened to them. It's a growing problem not only in the media, but in basic conversation. In everyday conversations, people are not shocked when women wearing short skirts are harassed, and some will even comment that the women should not have been wearing such short skirts. If a man is taken advantage of at a party (which is commonly scoffed at -- a topic we will also discuss at some point), the first question is often "We're they intoxicated?" In these cases, the first point of discussion is not the harassment or assault, but what the victim must have done to cause the harassment or assault. And victim blaming is still present not only in our everyday conversations, but in the media that affects society's views -- whether we like it or not.

A recent example of this victim blaming can be found here, when the NY Times seems to blaming a 12-year-old girl for being gang raped by men varying in age from high school aged to late 20s. The article cites the fact that she wore make-up and dressed "older than she was," making it sound almost as if she hadn't worn make-up or dressed older, than she wouldn't have gotten sexually assaulted, and therefore her fate is somewhat her fault. It also cites that she hung out with the older boys a lot, insinuating that had she just hung out with a better group, this wouldn't have happened to her in theory. 

The problem with this kind of thinking is that instead of focusing on the assault, it's focusing on the victim in a negative way. Obviously, they could have done something to keep themselves from being assaulted, or so this type of behaviour seems to insinuate. And this major media outlet is just keeping this thinking alive and on-going. Response to this specific example of victim blaming can be found in the form of a petition to call the NY Times to apologize to the girl. But how should we respond to victim blaming in general? A few things could include:

• Explain why this line of thinking is hurtful to women (always in a a respectful and polite manner)
• Ask them why they think this way
• Provide examples to show why this might be hurtful

What other ways can we handle instances of victim blaming? How do you all feel about victim blaming? Is it really a big issue?

Welcome to the WRC at Truman State University!

We are the Women's Resource Center at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.

The mission of our blog is to give followers an idea of what we do and a chance to communicate with us, whether it be asking our (unprofessional) advice on women's issues or suggesting events we begin planning for the center!

Updates will be at least once a week (hopefully!) and will include what the center is up to, what events we have planning, important issues that we feel we need to talk about or just random fun questions that we will answer and hopefully our viewers will answer.

You can also follow us on Twitter (@WRCTrumanState) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/truman.wrc) to keep updated on everything going on in the world of the Truman State WRC!

xoxo