My project has to do with women’s rights including women’s job rights. This topic concerns race and gender because there is a long history around black women being less likely to get jobs due to the fact that they were black and/or a woman, and these issues are still relevant today. My topic also concerns the history of misogyny and racism in the United Stated and how those factors effect women’s job rights.
Independent Study
Anisa Khan
Professor Shaw
Women’s Studies
5/10/20
Independent Study Prompt
For my project I decided to celebrate Princess Diana not only because was she the most loved princess and the “people’s princess” but because many people tend to overlook the fact that she was a feminist and was ahead of her time in many ways. First, she broke a lot of the palace’s tedious rules and over time she learned not let anyone shove her around or tell her how to do her job. Diana was also a dedicated humanitarian. She advocated for and helped women all over the world when she travelled and when she was at home in England. Her impact changed the monarchy for the better. Diana broke down multiple barriers and redefined the meaning of being a princess. She did not let the palace tie her down or forbid her from doing what she loved. Diana helped raised awareness about the dangers of land mines and the AIDS epidemic. She touched people and were up close and personal with leprosy and AIDS patients despite the stigma around them. She had a great relationship with the public and fought for equality for everyone. She offered her royal clothes for auction which raised three million dollars to be donated to charities. To quote “I knew what my job was; it was to go out and meet the people and love them.” For my Princess Diana cereal box, I decided to draw a classic picture of Princess Diana because I wanted to showcase both her inner and her outer beauty. All the adjectives I put on the cereal box describe her perfectly. On the back of the box I drew an English rose because I think it represents Diana blossoming from a timid young girl suffering from a not so perfect childhood, and an unhappy marriage to an older man who she and barely knew, into a radiant confident woman filled with hope and purpose. The scent of the rose represents her love and passion for her sons, the public, women, and children all over the world. Another quote from Diana is “I like to be a free spirit; some don’t like that but that’s the way I am”. I also incorporated international greetings such as “Namaste” which means “I bow to the divine in you” and “Ubuntu” which means “I am because we are”. I included these words because they reflect Diana’s multicultural and inclusive view of the world. Diana loved interacting, learning and being with all people from diverse cultures. When the public learned about the tragic death of Princess Diana, everyone was in total shock. The entire world entered a period of deep and prolonged mourning. Losing Diana was like losing a beloved family member. An estimated 2.5 billion people tuned in to watch the funeral which made it one of the biggest televised events in history. Elton John performed “Goodbye English Rose” at Princess Diana’s funeral. He was so distraught at her passing that he stated he would never perform the song again. Diana’s legacy and impact still live on to this day. Without her help we would not have made as much progress. She continues to move us in the right direction by the way she raised her sons to help change the world for the better like she did. She took her sons to hospitals to visit the sick and she wanted them to be human and to be warm to others. For example, she paved the way for Harry to feel free to marry anyone he chose. In some ways she helped to bring out and to recognize the divine in all of us.
Sorry the website is not letting me fix the indentations, I had them right before
Blog Post 14
I really enjoyed reflecting on this class and all the material we discussed this semester. Although this was an unconventional semester with a lot of rapid change, I’m pleased to know that I did take a lot from this course! With the online switch, I think blog posts were a really great way to still have a discussion with the class and I really enjoyed reading the variety of responses to each topic. In particular, my favorite blog posts were 3,6 and 8. Blog post 3, in which we all discussed what a different future would look like in our eyes really opened my own eyes. It was unfortunate to see how many of us had similar struggles from just being a woman, but I think it really formed a strong connection with each other and created smaller step into reforming a future. Blog post 6 in which we had to watch a movie or show related to women’s studies was really fun! I did my post on my favorite show, Insecure, and I had a really great time analyzing the women empowerment aspects of the show and now I subconsciously do that with every show I watch. Finally, the disidentifications blog post really gave me insight on identity and gender roles in our society and how it’s all pretty much made up. It was fascinating that we all read the same reading and took away the same message. Overall, this class was a pleasure and I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe!
Independent Study Bibliography
“Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood.” Choice Reviews Online, vol. 39, no. 02, 2001, doi:10.5860/choice.39-0825a.
The Relationship Between the “Invisibility” of African American Women in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and Their Portrayal in Modern Film, Martha Lott
Sister Outside, Audre Lorde
These sources are reliable and provide relevant and insightful information on my topic. All of them have been found through the library one search and are published by credible sources.
Blog Post 10: The Culture Wars
Culture war is war between different opinions oppose within the topic Varying thoughts regarding certain themes, issues, or objectives can cause social wars. Culture war was one of the problem that really stoping women from fighting for justice. In Leslie Heywood’s, one of the quote that help me find an appropriate definition is when the author states, “girls who want to be boys, boys who want to be girls, boys and girls who insist they are both, whites who want to be black, blacks who want to or refuse to be white, people who are white and black, gay and straight, masculine and feminine, or who are finding ways tobe and name none of the above.”
Blog Post 9: Disidentifications
Disidentify means not identify with something. For example, I’m Vietnamese and Chinese, and I was born and raised in Vietnam, both of my parents are mixed. When I was living there a few years ago, many people would disidentify or not consider that I’m Vietnamese just because I’m half Chinese. I remember going to school, and my friends always asked if I’m Vietnamese. If I tell them I was mixed, I will get bully.
Blog Post 7: Hypothes.is how to
Silhouette of six young women, walking hand in hand
1)Sign up for an Hypothesis account
All you need to do is sign up an Hypothesis account with your email before using
2)Get the Chrome Extension
This allowing you easier to annotate
3)Annotate your reading
Open the reading and highlight the important words that you want to annotate
Then write your annotation by clicking the “New Note” button
Enter your text and publish your annotation
4)Annotate as a group
Click the button to join group or the link that instructor has sent to you
The link will direct you to join the class or you can find it at “Public” button
Once you are in the class you can annotate the text as part of the group
Blog Post 6: Oral History
In this blog post, I have interview grandmother born in 1950 and have lived through 1970. I remember she tells how difficult it was for women to live during the time that they did not have equal wages as men and were being stereotyped and unable to do many things. She mentions the social movement back in Vietnam when women go on the street and protest for their rights as well as having the right to vote, equal pay as men. Listening to her story made me feel sad about how the world operates in a way that people classify each other based on gender, race, and social status.
Mel Y Chen Presentation by Victoria Pope
Independent Study: Annotated Bibliography & Thesis
Thesis Statement: This project intends on educating others on the history of violence against women, the sexually charged cultural challenges women endure, as well as the modern-day image of femininity.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.academia.edu/3111028/Violence_against_women_global_scope_and_magnitude : This source is reliable because it is a well-cited peer-reviewed journal article and it is found on an academic website. This journal article discusses the various forms of violence women have faced over the years. Compared to other articles, this journal analyzes such violence on a global scale and discusses how many times violent events go unreported due to its sensitive nature. This relates to my project because I will expound on historical forms of violence against women.
https://www.academia.edu/7962973/Sexual_Violence_in_the_Lives_of_African_American_Women : This source is reliable because like the one above, it is a peer-reviewed journal article found on an academic website. This article discusses historical instances of violence against African women during slavery. The article goes on to mention how raping these women became a way of life and when being sold they would be stripped naked. The more “voluptuous” a women’s figure was the more likely she would get bought to have many children, who would then get sold and worked on other plantations. This relates to my project because I will be discussing ways in which violence was used to control women.
This article is credible because it is a good source for academic research and statistical data. This work summarizes how society views men and women and how these views contribute to what is expected for men and women. A survey compiled reveals that society values leadership and financial success in men but values beauty and empathy in women. This relates to my project because I want to discuss the results of societal pressures on women (poor body image, underestimating their capabilities, and body modifications).
https://www.history.com/news/comfort-women-japan-military-brothels-korea : This article is credible because it is a well-published company that specializes in documenting and reporting history, hence the name of the website. This article discusses the use of women as sex slaves during World War 2. Women were kidnapped from all across Asia and used merely for pleasure by the Japanese military. These war crimes have had rippling effects in modern times. This relates to my project because it has great historical significance and can support the claims I have made about the many atrocities endured by women since the beginning.
This article is a credible one because it is a well-published news company. This article discusses the Harvey Weinstein trials and discusses how he used his status in the entertainment industry to sexually assault and rape women. (Unequal power relations). This article will be much-needed support for discussing modern events of violence against women.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150624-when-fashion-kills : This article is credible because it is coming from a knowledgeable news network. The article discusses the various trends in fashion that women wore over the years to achieve far-reaching beauty standards. Such fashion items include corsets, high heels, and traditional Chinese foot bindings that broke women’s feet and bound the toes to the heels to keep feet small. Women who had their feet bound could not walk, were constantly in extreme pain, and the chance of losing toes were high.
