I will be researching Ida B. Wells and her contributions as a suffragist, journalist, and leader in the civil rights movement for my independent study. I will attempt to explain how the fearless approach used by Wells in her writings and equally displayed through her actions called attention to the unjust treatment of blacks in the southern United States can be seen as a blueprint for black feminism. I will attempt to recognize Wells for her part in opening the doors for women (black women specifically) to vocalize their standpoints in an effort for change, not only for black women but, for the entire race. My study will relate to the racial unjust faced by black people living between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 through the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. My study will touch on topics related to race, social class, gender, and history. I will need to do further research on works written by Wells in protest of racist practices (i.e. lynching, segregation) as well as gain a deeper knowledge of her contributions to the African American community and women’s suffrage movement.
I chose this film because it had a leading female role, but also including a male roles who were just as assertive and strong. Although it may seem as the typical female empowerment show, it is much more than that. It incorporates Western culture and African culture, and humanity as a whole. Safiya Sono is the daughter of a dead activist and she fights to honor and carry on her mother’s legacy. She is a spy who works for an agency that is dedicated to protecting Africa.
She faces the sexist stereotypes and double standards that many women in our society have faced in the past and present. Her ability to complete her missions is always doubted no matter how many times she has proven herself to be successful and highly capable. She is commanded and supported by men. Her boss is a man, and her crew are also composed of men. She is the only active woman spy in her field. This shows how even though she is given the leading role, a huge male presence is still included to make a point. I can connect this to many points we have made in class. Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” speech speaks highly to this because Queen Sono exemplifies what Truth was trying to depict. Although they are just “women,” they can still do twice as much as men can. This also refutes Rousseau’s claims of the purpose of the presence of mea=n and women. He claims that women are supposed to be submissive and are there to basically build a man’s ego and compliment him. He made women out to be weak and to be treated as objects. Queen Sono, depicts the complete opposite. This show displays that there can be a scenarios where the tables are turned. Women can dominate in a environment filled and controlled by the opposite sex.
What makes this show very interesting to me is the continuous challenges Safiya Sono has to face. Her role holds no sympathy. She is faced with the same challenges that her male counterparts face and even more extreme obstacles. She is forced to go against every stereotype and push through her emotions — known to be a females biggest weakness. Society believes females are not as strong and assertive because our emotions get in the way.
There was a specific scene where Queen Sono went on a mission and the location was at a Ball. She was dressed the part and had the objective to gain access and get information from a dealer.Immediately, the man saw her and gained a liking to her and started lying to her about his identity. He was unaware that was a spy. He completely sexualized her, and while she hates it, she still did not break her cover. Eventually he finds out that she is a spy and threatens to kill her if she did not leave. Another enemy was at the Ball (also a man with his male crew), and this created a dangerous confrontation. Queen Sono had no backup and had to fend for herself. Her intel (also a man) warned her to get out of the building, but she refused until she completed her objective. A gun war broke out and she was the only one left standing. Both crews were dead, including the leaders. This relates to the course because it shows just like women in history were underestimated so was Queen Sono. Her sex, made her unfit to many people. In class we’ve talked about many women who were discredited, such as Gloria Steinem. Steinem has managed to accomplish a great deal, but because she is a woman, many of her accomplishments were painted differently. Queen Sono does not directly mention women’s rights, nor is it directly depicted through her story but it can still relate to the oppression and intersectionality that many women continue to face.
In order to contextualize my subject of wages and housework I need to know the basics. Why was this idea created? Who were most active in this movement? What wave of feminism was this discussed? I need to know the demographics and geographies. I think it is important to see what group of people are most concerned or interested in this issue. This relates to women’s history, which contributed to American history and the history of other nations. Unfortunately, this issue only making noise in the UK. Articles are being written in newspapers today to bring about awareness on the working woman. Online news platforms such as independent.co.uk and metro.co.uk are some of the platforms that still shed light on this.
This topic relates to sex, gender, history, social norms and patriarchal factors. While places like the United States and Europe have received more pressure about this issue, I think it is important to understand why other places are not as centered on the work women do at home. There are me oppressive and stricter societies where women are worse off but no-one says anything. Places like the Caribbean and the Middle-East are highly oppressive against women systematically and socially. Despite this, women movements and issues are almost non-existent.
There are not many news networks that still actively advocate for women’s right. They might reminisce on an anniversary, but otherwise, it is barely mentioned. To be widely informed, YouTube, school, and online are your best bet in current times. There it is not much chatter about looking at “housewives” as workers who need to be paid or equating the housework of women to those on the books.
Sex and gender relates to my project because whether you choose to be a woman or once society labels you as one or once the doctor says “its a girl,” your fate is determined. There is a high chance that your family and partners will expect you to nurture and take care the house and others. The pressure is on. Sex and gender determines your role in the house. Some women fail to see beyond what they are confined to because society has already made up their minds for them. Social norms are hard to change. Patriarchy is most heavily used in the house. The woman answers to the man and plays caretaker, cleaner, maid, mom, and cook while the man makes the money. She has little to no say sometimes.
The movie that I chose to watch was Under the Skin, directed by Jonathan Glazer. I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I started it, but as it progressed I was surprised to see it remind me of a lot of what we have been discussing in this class, especially when it comes to how women are expected to perform in society. The plot revolves around an alien who is disguised as a human woman, and goes around Glasgow seducing men before she kills them by submerging them in a dark room of water and harvesting their organs for some unknown purpose.
Through the eyes of this alien who is essentially a blank slate when it comes to anything “human,” we can see her learn about traditional gender roles. So much of the movie is spent with us watching her observe human life and figure out a way that she fits into it. She studies ads and women in a mall to decide how best to dress. She observes them eating, studies her body, and eventually finds empathy for her victims which causes her to stray from her original mission. She comes to understand and identify with being a woman and why the use of her body in order to lure her victims to their demise as a sort of femme fatale. That in and of itself is an interesting juxtaposition, as men are usually seen as the perpetrators of crimes, so it is nice to see a woman put in such a powerful and dominant position.
The man who causes her to develop empathy is a disfigured man who she picks up on his way to the grocery store. She discovers that he has gone through his life without any friends or lovers, and this is the first death that she is bothered by. Immediately after, she strays from her mission and runs away from the male alien who is presumably in charge of her. It seems that this is a revelation that the aliens of this universe come to time and time again, as the opening scene is Laura replacing the previous alien, who obviously failed the mission by growing too close to humanity and dies with tears in her eyes. Laura eventually meets the same fate, as a man she meets in the woods attempts to rape her and then sets her on fire after discovering she is an alien. This movie reminded me of a coming of age film in the fact that Laura loses her innocent view of humanity and learns that despite the beauty of this world, it is also harsh, particularly for women.
The movie I chose to watch is ” Nappily Ever After”. This movie relates to women’s studies because it is a movie about a woman named Violet who goes on a self discovery journey and learns how not to be perfect all the time, how not to rely solely on her man for her happiness and future , and how to develop self confidence. This movie is about Violet, the main character, who is a professional perfectionist especially with her hair. She is at the top of her game at work, she is in a romantic relationship with a doctor, and is ready for the next step. She wants to be married and have kids, but when a mishap occurs at a salon and causes her hair to fall out, things start to go downhill. Also this is the wake up call of her self journey. Violet expects her fiancee to propose but he doesn’t and she confronts him about it. He complains that he doesn’t really know her that well, and tells her that her perfectionism is holding her back from showing her true self. Violet decides to break up with him. She tries to fix her hair by trying different styles and she begins to do stuff she normally wouldn’t do. At this point she is going through an identity crisis and struggles how to solve everything. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was when she decides to see her ex-boyfriend at his job. When she arrives she sees that he has already moved on with one of his co-workers. When she arrives home, she begins to break down and starts throwing his stuff away. She goes in the bathroom and when she sees herself and her hair in the mirror she starts crying . After she spots a razor and decides to shave off her hair. This step shows her emotional growth and that change is needed in order to learn. A stranger sees her bald head and tells her to own it. Violet takes her advice and starts walking without her head scarf in public. You can see that she is building confidence in herself and realizes she doesn’t have to be perfect all of the time. She stands up to her boss and gets what she wants . With this newly acquired self confidence Violet puts her new life lessons into practice by helping a girl who is being raised by her dad and who is unsure of herself and has low self esteem. Violet helps the girl to learn how to love herself and not let anyone affect her negatively. She then forms a romantic relationship with the girl’s dad and in the relationship she truly shows who she is. However towards the end she reunites with her ex and he finally proposes to her. At the reception Violet escapes the crowd and sits by herself. Her family and fiancee find her and ask whats wrong. She explains that she is sad because she doesn’t have the guts to be who she is. She tells her mom about a memory when she and her mom were at a pool and her mom told her not to go in the pool because her hair would frizz. Violet didn’t listen and jumped in but when she resurfaced the kids laughed at her hair. Her mom yanked her out of the pool, put her in the car and drove off. Violet wonders who she would be if her mom would have praised her for being herself and told her that she was still beautiful. There is a pool at the reception and Violet goes and jumps in it. The crowds applauds her jump and Violet invites everyone to jump in. Happily, everyone jumps in. This movie teaches viewers to know their worth and be wary of the monster called perfectionism because it can consume you. You need to love your self and show your true colors. If you are authentic then the world will be authentic to you in return. Also you can’t plan everything on your terms, nothing is guaranteed in real life you have to do what you can do and have faith.
For my project I will be using educational texts from the library and the web, listening to Princess Diana’s interviews, and watching documentaries about her to show how she broke barriers and helped women all over the world. I need to know about Diana’s philanthropic work, how she helped others especially women, her actions and what she did during her reign, even her fashion choices and what they conveyed about her as a princess. Her relationships are also important to know such as with her children, her ex husband, her boyfriend, ex mother-in-law and her family before royal life. I also need to know how she fought for women and women’s rights for all women throughout the world. I need to know how the world reacted to her tragic death, explain and prove how she was the most loved and adored princess and how her impact still affects us today.
Set in the 1950s-60, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a three series long sitcom that follows the life of Midge Maisel, a young upper class jewish woman growing up on the Upper West Side. Midge lives a seemingly “grand” lifestyle ; married, two kids, her own home, and no real financial woes for four years up until the day her husband decides to pack up and leave her. It is at this point that Midge turns to comedy as an outlet for her pain and as a way to shed light on the ways in which women are meant to feel, speak, and even act within society. At this particular period in time, women (especially those within the Jewish community) were expected to hold a place in the household as a wife and mother while their husbands worked hard to support their affluent lifestyles. This dynamic is clearly displayed throughout the series through the relationship shared between Midge’s parents Abe & Rose Weissman. A genuine (and hilariously entertaining) relationship/marriage indeed but, one that almost comes across as “tolerated” to a certain degree. Rose even attempted to leave Abe at a point and flee to Paris to which he responded by making his way to Paris to demand she return home to her position as his wife. Saying all this to say, Midge takes her own personal experiences and upbringing to make audiences aware of the unrealistic expectations set for women in the 1950s-60s.
Since I will be discussing the issues of violence against women, my project will relate to subjects such as unequal power relations (domestic abuse, rape, assault, manipulation), discrimination, and double standards and how we feed into the cycle based on how we grow up (gender roles?). The different facets of my project concern contemporary events such as the #MeToo movement, the recent Harvey Weinstein trials and more.
My project intends to discuss the effects violence has on women as a unit not singling out a race, class, and/or sexuality; I may incorporate various instances where an identifier such as a women’s race becomes a key player in the issue being discussed. I will definitely involve historical events such as the feminist movement of the 60s and international and historical events such as how women from across Asia were used as “comfort women” during Imperial Japan and current issues where women are sold into sexual slavery. I may discuss how women are portrayed in the media and how they are expected to behave by general society (demure) as well as other cultural and sexual expectations such as having small feet (foot bindings in China).
Today, social media plays an exceptionally large part of how women and girls feel about themselves. Body shaming has become an issue and if you don’t have tan skin, wide hips, a skinny waist, and large busts then you are not attractive; this feeds into that toxic and violent cycle that a women’s body is the only thing that matters and not her mind which can lead to other detrimental health issues such as anorexia, bulimia nervosa, low self-esteem, suicide, and self -mutilation among others.*What’s seen as attractive varies by country. The example above is what’s largely accepted for American women and may vastly differ somewhere else*.
Each factor either stems from or leads to a violent act. To discuss each factor successfully, I will have to organize without going off tangent.
In a life without anti-racist activism as well as feminism being accepted as a normality, I would be able to walk down the streets and people wouldn’t be giving women walking in hijabs and burkas a side eye or assume they’re unsafe because of it. Women of color would not be judged by their skin. I would be comfortable walking down the streets alone at any time of the night, and I could wear whatever I wanted in certain parts of my city without fear that I will be looked at in a demeaning way.
In the event that feminist and anti-racist activism has succeeded and we live in a more egalitarian and less oppressive world, life world be more bliss and enjoyable. An average day for me would probably be me waking up to the tv being on, where the first black woman president made news for the lowest rate ever in unemployment. I would get ready and travel to work, where I didn’t get catcalled on my way. I would stop at the store and not get followed around, under the suspicion of stealing. I would be making the same amount of money as everyone that is doing the same job as me. There would be no sexual harassment in the work place, and everyone would be treated the same regardless of color or gender.
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