Week 11 Reading on Judith Butler

In this article, Judith Butler questions the idea of theorizing homosexuality and categorizing identity. She says “identity categories tend to be instruments of regulatory regimes, whether as the normalizing categories of oppressive structures or as the rallying points for a liberatory contestation of that very oppression.” She does not completely disagree with the idea of categories but raises the question of what their purpose may be, and whether having these categories allows for any sort of individuality.

At another place she says “I’m permanently troubled by identity categories” explaining that these distinctions seek to control, rather than liberate, the people that may identify with these labels. 

She also does not understand the meaning of “theory” in context of gay/lesbian theory because she believes that this term is used by those looking to establish themselves and authenticate gay/lesbian studies within “the academy” as she puts it.

An important point Butler makes is whether sexuality can remain such once it falls prey to these labels. She wonders what is common between lesbians, and criticizes the idea of ‘coming out.’ According to her, ‘coming out’ would mean fighting some sort of oppression, or admitting to something. She also asks what exactly you are “coming into,” and whether it is just another opaque realm with little room for individuality.

“Why is it that the category becomes the site of this ethical choice” she asks.

Following up these claims, she presents her personal experiences and struggles with these identity categories that better illustrate her beliefs.

Butler also analyzes the dofferent psychoanalytic explanations for identification. She addresses the theories of Borch-Jacobsen and Ruth Leys in particular, who say that identity is that which is ‘other to itself.” What this means is that distinction of self/other is not just external but they are intertwined; the self is defined through the other. Finally, Butler says that heterosexuality often presumes gender to be implied through sex; however, acknowledging that sexuality may often work against identity and sex is a necessary step in understanding its implications for each individual.

Following a controversial Pregnancy

This article talks about the most controversial pregnancy - that of a man. Interesting insight.
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/infocus/entertainment/tv/cutting-edge-the-world-s-first-pregnant-man-$1252762.htm

Why we blame women?

This is a link to a blog I found interesting.
Why do we always blame other women instead of men? This is some good insight.

http://thereal-talk.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-do-we-always-blame-other-woman.html

Week 15 Blog

I just saw this new Barbie commercial and thought I would post it here for others to see/react to as well...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU_1rjuNGb8&feature=youtu.be
The ad is set up in a way leading to the assumption that it will end in a statement about "thanking your mom," sister, or even a teacher-- but no...all of these girls are actually inspired by a doll ("because, really, a doll can believe in you," as one of the youtube comments say). Other viewers sarcastically mock the lines delivered in the ad with comments like "She gives me a body shape complex! And an eating disorder. I can be anything!"
Is it fair to be disturbed by this commercial, or are audiences over-reacting? 

Week 15 Blog

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/parents-keep-child-gender-under-wraps-170824245.html

This is an interesting article that looks at parents who have decide to keep their new child's sex hidden from the world. They say they believe that parents have too much influence and pressure already on a child and they want their kid, Storm, to decide what it (for lack of a better word) is. The pair already let their two sons dress however they like and decide how long or short to have their hair in an attempt to not hold their children to gender restrictions. What do you think about this choice after reading this article? Are they on the right track? Are they going too far? Will this act end up helping or hurting the child?

victorias secret runway show

so I saw this video the other day and it got me thinking how drastically different the run way shows are. my question is why? this site has the videos from the 90's
http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-tv/video-flash-back-very-first-victoria-secret-fashion-175205863.html?nc
this second one is what todays fashion shoes look like
http://tv.yahoo.com/slideshow/790/photos/1#rr1110

Boys Don't Cry

This weekend I have been doing some research on Boys Don't Cry. I'd like to say that I really recommend the film although I was surprised by some of the scenes. However some of the conversations around the film really disturbed me. So much of the attention to the film was given to it for the actresses (which I personally thought did a really good job) instead of for the real issues in the film. Some of the issues covered were those of hate crimes, transgender discrimination, stereotypes, and child abuse, but most commentators in the common audience seem to overlook all these issues to focus on the acting and effects. What is wrong with our society? Is the art of cinematography and making a hit film really that much more important that the message those films carry?

Nuns Having Fun

Blogging Assignment Week 15

I read an interesting article titled “Sexist Messages on Baby Clothes” which discusses the idea that people are expected to fit into their assigned gender category from birth shown by the messages on their clothes. Slogans on onesies can perpetuate sexism because often times they focus solely on appearance and beauty for girls instead of other features too such as brains which seem to be reserved for boys. For example slogans on onsesies for girls include “Cupcake,” “Princess,” “Pretty like Mommy,” and even “I’m Too Pretty To Do Homework So My Brother Has To Do It for Me.” Retailers suggest that girls will always be one step behind boys. Many people view this as sartorial sexism. Onesies for boys include “Adventure Seeker,” “Mr. Personality,” and Gymboree even has a “Smart Little Guy” line. The article does not say that this sexism is intentional or that they are trying to make a statement about smart men and pretty women. Instead it is saying that these little sexist choices just happen and the Western World still has far to go.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/sexist-messages-on-baby-clothes/?scp=5&sq=gender%20and%20sex&st=cse

Blogging Assignment Week 14

I found an article on gender inequality in Hollywood.

http://www.blackbookmag.com/movies/gender-inequality-still-rampant-in-hollywood-1.41689

Not surprising, but it was interesting how their data shows that female characters talk almost half as much as male characters, fitting perfectly into the stereotype of women as subservient individuals who almost seem to form the background. Interestingly, these data came from our Annenberg School of Communication.

week 14

This is an interesting article about people of varying sexual orientation and how that affects old age. I am not exactly sure how I feel about this study, but it would be nice to be in a world where there wouldn't be a difference.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116124726.htm

Week 14 Blogging Assignment

While studying for my biology midterm exam this upcoming Tuesday, I came upon a trend in homonin (humans & species closely related to it) that is called "reduced sexual size dimorphism". In essence, it describes how the discrepancy of size (ie. height) between males and females has greatly reduced since earlier & common ancestors (for example: in some species, the males are 4x as big as females, compared to 1.2x in humans). I thought this was a very interesting aspect in that, evolutionary, male's dominance or physical appearance of intimidation has greatly reduced compared to other animals in the kingdom. So socially, humans are more likely or more able to request equality because they are physically about the same size as males. Physically, males have a harder time exerting control over a female because they are about the same size. The association between physical size and social mobility/change is proportionally & positively correlated.

My SI leader even described how the presence of bipedalism (walking upright on two feet) is hypothesized to be the reason why we have monogamous relationships today. This is because when animals walk on all fours, the first thing you see is the butt and sex was back to front. However, bipedalism has allowed for face to face sexual relations and therefore males will see and be more attracted to breasts instead of ass. (Another theory states this is why breasts look so similar to a butt). Bipedalism has also lead to monogamous relationships because the way our pelvis is structured makes it more difficult to have babies and with larger brains, we had more of a capacity to focus on love as an emotional thing instead of just the sexual act. Therefore, we became more selective of our partners and decided to have monogamous relationships. I think this is a very interesting take of looking at love, sex, and emotion, and essentially how social relationships may have changed based on evolutionary or physically different traits/attributes. I would have never made the connection myself between the two, although it makes perfect sense when looked at. So next time I try to reason over certain gender relationships I will refer to evolutionary adaptations as a possible reason or explanation. Grace Huang.

Blogging Assignment Week 14

I read an interesting article that attempts to explain the difference in thinking and behavior between men and women. There is a saying that men are from Mars and women are from Venus and there is a reason. Men and women are not only different due to the social constructions within which they are raised but also because of anatomical variations. Variations in neural circuitry result in women being more emotionally attuned and men being more physically aggressive. I found this article interesting because in class we have focused a lot on the behavioral differences between men and women, attributing much of it to society and the way that we are raised. In society there are certain expectations such as for a woman to be more emotional and a man more aggressive. This article brings in another interesting side into this conversation because we are essentially programmed differently which results in these differences.

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/brain/she-thinks

blogging post week 14

'Fake doctor boosted woman's bottom with home-made implant containing cement andsuper glue' (and this is a picture of HIM) Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063538/Fake-doctor-Oneal-Ron-Morris-boosted-womans-home-implant.html#ixzz1eINQaQ00

First off, I finally succeeded in joining as a contributor so I can create posts rather than commenting on others, unfortunately though this comes in the second to last week.

In the article found above, a male who identifies himself as a female (and also falsely identifies himself as a doctor) horribly marred his body in the quest for a more curvy and feminine body. He then went on to repeat the procedure on patients who believed he was a plastic surgeon. In the article, pictures are posted of how horribly his backside was deformed by the procedure, which involved injecting concrete and a deadly mix of chemicals directly into the flesh. What is also striking about the picture is how hard it is to recognize his masculine form. Before the procedure, he would have been unrecognizable as a man, but his quest for the perfect female form caused him to destroy his health, and also the health of others. Whether or not he has much life to live, he will be spending a good time in jail for the harm he caused to others. Does his unhappiness with the gender identity cause him to do such stupid things? Is it dangerous that something so simple as social uncomfortability can cause people to act so irrationally?

Blogging Assignment Week 14

My WRIT 140 professor showed this to our class on Friday, and there's a couple people in this discussion that are in the same class but I thought it was still worth sharing to others:

There's a mobile dating application, exclusively for gay men, called Grindr for iPhones, iPods, iPads, and BlackBerry's that use GPS technology to locate interested men in the area. The men upload a picture and some information to complete their profile, including information about the type of guy that they're looking for. Though the app was launched as a mobile dating tool, it has become an application to find casual hook up partners.

Here's the website: http://grindr.com/

To understand more how it works, check out: http://www.douchebagsofgrindr.com/

Similarly, there is another application called Blendr, which is essentially the same thing without the homosexual nor dating spin. It is more like Facebook in that it allows users to connect with people of similar interests, but like Grindr, implements GPS technology to easily locate individuals nearby.

The website is: http://www.blendr.com/

What are your thoughts on these two applications? Does the use of GPS technology make these applications better or worse, assuming that there are privacy settings to prevent unsafe situations? Why might Grindr be less acceptable to people than Blendr? This is clearly an example of where technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in daily functions of our lives. If technology continues to advance, how do you think interactions between people will change?

Week 13

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/genny-beemyn/transgender-day-of-remembrance_b_1100805.html

Week 14 Blog

I recently read about a really interesting app for Chrome - one that "genderswaps" the internet, changing, for example, women to men, mother to father, etc. It's called "Jailbreak the Patriarchy," and it can be found here: http://www.daniellesucher.com/2011/11/jailbreak-the-patriarchy-my-first-chrome-extension/

The author of the app states: This makes reading stuff on the internet a pretty fascinating and eye-opening experience, I must say. What would the world be like if we reversed the way we speak about men and women? Well, now you can find out!

I just installed it and it's already very interesting and kind of confusing. Its interesting to think about how our language can affect our perceptions of men and women.

Week 14 Discussion Questions

Hi,

Please submit your questions for Week 14.

"Tomboy"

Check out this film preview of an upcoming movie called, "Tomboy" -

it deals with exactly what we have been talking about in class. 

Enjoy!

http://tomboymovie.com/

Blogging Week 13

Here's an interesting article, entitled "Medical Schools Neglect Gay and Gender Issues," that was released a few days ago in the "Health" section of the NY Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/medical-schools-teach-little-about-gay-health-issues/?scp=1&sq=gender&st=cse
The author is a physician who speaks for her fellow colleagues in the medical world when she explains, "While we had been trained well in treating cancer with the best chemotherapy regimen, curing flesh-eating infections with the most powerful antibiotics or transplanting organs with the greatest of ease, when it came to caring for patients who were transgender, we were lost. For many of us, the same could be said for lesbian, gay and bisexual patients as well." She goes on to describe the general disparities in health care for the LGBT community, which is not aided by the fact that in medical school, "while nearly all the students were learning to ask patients about the gender of their sexual partners, a majority of medical schools devoted only five hours to teaching anything more than that simple question. Fully one-third of schools allotted no time at all." 
The little training and education about this issue that students do receive tends to disregard the complexities behind the health-related problems these patients often deal with: "L.G.B.T. patients tend to be more isolated and have higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. And because of the discrimination they face and fear, many also have difficulty gaining access to care and thus face an increased risk of suicide, substance abuse and unaddressed domestic violence." 
And, at the most basic level, "Just “seeing the doctor” can be fraught with tension, as it entails coming out to one’s physician." 
What do you all think about this? Should it be the doctor's responsibility to "pry this information out of the patient" (as one of the reader's comments criticizes), or should it be the patient's responsibility to disclose this information? 

Blogging Week 13

I found an article on the BBC about a Bangladeshi girl who disowned her husband during the wedding ceremony right after the marriage because the husband demanded a dowry:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15739640

This kind of reminds me of the Torn Lace article we read, how the man seems loving and attractive right up to the point of marriage - then financials play a major role in the relationship. Such a perfect example of a runaway bride! I feel pro.
Furthermore, I found it interesting how many groups and parties denounced the girl's action, calling her a "loose woman" when it is actually against Bangladeshi law to give dowries - isn't that blatant disregard for, and promoting actions that subvert the law? So I suppose gender cultures transcend the law in Bangladesh, and other conservative societies.

Blogging Assignment Week 13

In Malaysia, an annual festival celebrating gays has been banned by authorities due to the disagreement by conservative politicians and conservative leaders with the basis that it is a national security issue. This festival works to promote tolerance for gays and differences. Both Islamic and non-Islamic protests took place to demonstrate that it would create conflict and disturb public order. If the festival did take place, a group called Sexuality Merdeka would be punished. In the past the festival had gone unnoticed but attention was called last year with a campaign encouraging gay Malaysians to submit videos of them proclaiming their sexuality. It was modeled after the American “It Gets Better” campaign. In Malaysia sodomy remains a crime punished with twenty years in prison.

I think it is sad that there are still several countries that have not yet made progress in this issue. Many of these countries are extremely religion oriented and so it remains a problem and a punishable crime. Unlike the United States which has advanced, many states have even allowed gay marriage, Malaysia sees gay relationships as unacceptable. How much of this intolerance can be attributed to religion? What about the freedom of the people?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/world/asia/malaysia-gay-festival-is-banned.html?ref=homosexuality

Blog Post Week 13

Here's an article from the Washington Post about the Personhood bill in Mississippi that failed to pass this week.

A constitutional amendment that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person failed on the ballot in Mississippi on Tuesday, dealing the so-called “personhood” movement another blow.
Amendment 26 supporter Sandy Comer puts out a campaign sign at the polls at the Chamber of Commerce in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman) (Bruce Newman - AP)

Mississippi would have become the first state to define a fertilized egg as a person, a measure which was aimed at outlawing abortion in the state but, opponents contended, would have led to all kinds of unintended consequences.

In the end, those concerns won out in a strongly anti-abortion state. The amendment trailed 59 percent to 41 percent with more than half of precincts reporting. The Associated Press has said it will fail.

Had the measure passed, many thought it would have led to a new natiowide dialogue on abortion.

The measure earned the support of both Republicans and Democrats in Mississippi — including both of the major parties’ nominees for governor — but some of them hesitated to support it, including outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour (R).

Opponents say that measure could have criminalized birth control, affected in vitro fertilization practices and even forced doctors to decline to provide pregnant cancer patients with chemotherapy for fear of legal repercussions.

“Personhood” supporters had tried to pass a similar measure in Colorado in 2008 and 2010, but voters in that state rejected it more than two-to-one both times.

The “personhood” movement is a more aggressive maneuver than many anti-abortion advocates prefer.

I think this is very relevant to our discussions in class about fetal rights vs. abortion rights. What do you think the impact of this bill would have been?

"WOMEN, SEX & POWER WE'LL GET RIGHT TO THE POINT. THIS IS A POLITICALLY INCORRECT STORY ABOUT SEVEN REMARKABLE WOMEN--EACH BETTER THAN ALL THE MEN (AND WOMEN) IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELDS".

This article, published in Fortune magazine, is a must read. The authors selected seven extremely successful women and told incredible stores – their path to the top. The story reflects an unprecedented ambition, inner beauty and intellect.  The writers call them the Fortune Seven. The FORTUNE Seven, they say, are complex, controversial women who have made long, and not always ‘politically correct’, marches to the top.  The part that really intrigues me the most is that the women are “nonconformists to the core”. They share unique styles but also many similarities.  The article explains the ways they have ‘acquired and kept their power’. 

Hope you'll like it as much as I did.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1996/08/05/215465/index.htm

Interesting fact

Fifty-seven percent of hiring managers [said] unattractive candidates are likely to have a harder time landing a job, while more than half advised spending as much time and money on ‘making sure they look attractive' as on perfecting a résumé.

When it comes to women, apparently, flaunting our assets works: 61 percent of managers (the majority of them men) said it would be an advantage for a woman to wear clothing showing off her figure at work.

How do you feel about this last statement ladies?

Week 13 Blogging Assignment

On Saturday night, my friend convinced me to go this free salsa night in the Philosophy building that only happens about once a month. Intrigued, I agreed and was astounded to find these wonderful dancers just moving and creating this wonderfully intricate and sexy dance right in front of me. It was just what I had imagined would be a latin night club, with everybody dancing just for fun. Interested in learning, I had a man teach me the three basic steps. Although I learned a lot from him, there was just one very last piece of advice he told me that really stuck with me that night, "You only need to know these three steps. After that, you just let the man lead you. Simple as that." Now, taken at first glance this is true for all ballroom dances. Yet, when I thought about it, it really awed me at how little influence or control the woman has. She only has three moves to work with and the rest of the time she is blindly following the man in whatever moves he decides to use. This is a clear example of the strict gender divisions and only reinforces the belief today that men are the ones that control the relationship. It also reinstates the fact that women are subordinate and must obey a man's command. Although today there are various types of dances that do promote gender equality (ex:// jazz), it is still widely apparent that ballroom dances fulfill specific gender roles. Grace Huang.

Blogging Assignment Week 13

Grinnell College in Iowa has adopted a new gender neutral policy that provides students with an option to select a gender neutral locker room. Students can now "share a dormitory room, bathroom, shower room or locker room" with other "male, female, straight, gay, lesbian, or transgender" students. Grinnell is one of the leading colleges in Iowa in terms of gender neutrality, as it was the first of the state to offer gender neutral dormitories three years ago. Over fifty-four colleges across the nation provide gender neutral housing. Experts believe that a college usually implements such policies when a demand for it arises. At Grinnell, the main reason gender neutral housing was instated was to provide a safe haven for people of all types, not to allow couples to live together. Yet, on the other hand, Catholic University in Washington is reverting back to single-sex dorms, thinking that it will cut back on drinking and sex.

What do you think about the gender neutral policy? Is it acceptable to a certain extent (i.e. dormitories but not locker rooms)? Do you ever think USC would implement similar policies, and what would it take to do so?

Though I think that this can foster a more accepting space for students of different sexual orientations, I don't think that it is ultimately a good idea. I believe that there are some people that would take advantage of the policy. For example, straight guys could want to use the gender-neutral locker room just to creep on girls. Instead, I think that interest floors or other such facilities would be more helpful. This way, individuals outside the norm could be around similar students so there would be a support system, but outsiders would not be able to intrude.

The article can be found at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-09/gender-neutral-college/51134546/1

Week 13 Discussion Questions

Hi,

Please submit your questions for Week 13.

Week 12 Bloggin Assignment

Today before work, my friend showed me this video:After watching this video, it reminded me of the talking genitals. It's funny how they portray the penis/vagina as a head, therefore suggesting that the genitals have a mind of their own too. In this case a head replaces the genitals, but I could not stop laughing when I saw this. Hope you all enjoy it as well!

Week 12 - Misconceptions

A problem that I’ve been noticing is people misusing words to refer to different ideas, or misconceptions. As an educated person, this bothers me. One of these misused words is “vagina,” which people use to refer to all of the female genitalia (external parts), when in fact it is only an internal organ. Vagina is the “muscular tube that connects the cervix of the womb to the vulva” (Encarta). The word is often misused in place of “vulva,” which refers to all of the female genitalia. Sometimes I’m confused as to what people actually mean when they use the word "vagina." I think this relates to the "mystery" around women and female sexuality.

Another word that people (including the guest speaker) fail to understand is “schizophrenia.” Everyone seems to think schizophrenia means multiple personalities (dissociative identity disorder). Schizophrenia is “a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness” and it usually “manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking” (Wikipedia). There seems to be a widespread misunderstanding when it comes to mental disorders.

I wish people would not have all these misconceptions, it just makes them look ignorant. I don’t mean to sound picky, but you don’t have to be an expert to know what certain words mean.