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.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/nyregion/harvey-weinstein-verdict.html

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.