Activism Blog 3

Kelly Hales WST 3015

February 28, 2010

Nina Perez

Word Count: 355

Activism Blog 3

Activism:

This week the girls and I went back to the Bithlo Community Center to complete the last portion of the Penney Project with Girl Scout Troop 7003. The Girl Scouts remembered our names, and I was surprised that I remembered most of their names as well. We quizzed them on what we taught them last week (the value of coins, adding money, how to save it) and they remembered everything perfectly. This week we taught them about the importance of saving their money, creating a budget, and credit cards. They expressed excitement at the idea of earning money and shared some of their favorite ways to earn money. They told us that they loved to wash cars, clean floors, and do dishes. I was happy at their enthusiasm to earn their own money. They also told us about how much they loved to sell cookies.

Things got a bit messy this week when we painted piggy banks with them. They each painted their pig a different way and a lot of them placed crowns on the heads of their pigs. Another thing that I noticed was that they were very much into the peace symbols and often created the peace sign with their fingers.

We also played a board game with the girls involving real money. They had to add or subtract their money correctly; a task that they need to use when selling cookies and later on in life when they will need to work on their budgets.

Reflection:

Working with the Girl Scouts this past week was a lot of fun (as it always is). They are so enthusiastic to learn new things about the world and are eager to share stories about their lives. I think they have a better grasp on the world than I previously gave them credit for. While teaching them about creating a budget, saving money, and wants and needs I asked them "What can you tell me about a budget? Do you know how your family budgets money and make choices between what you need and want?" Their hands flew up and I specifically recall a girl telling me that her family only allows themselves $60 a day for food, otherwise they would run out of money and not be able to afford the things they need. I frequently felt sad because it was obvious that some of the girls come from low income families. It is sometimes difficult to hear them share their stories about money. The Penney Project was a bit of a touchy subject but I know that the girls learned a lot of beneficial things and it is obvious that we all had fun working on it.

Reciprocity:

Even after a busy day, working with the Girl Scouts always makes me smile. The girls are so kind and teach me probably more than I do them. While working on the Penney Project with them I realized that money isn't as important as I make it to be. The girls care more about friendship, working together, and loving your family. While I should be concerned about paying rent and bills each month, the girls have taught me that I also need to focus on the important people in my life.

Activism Blog 2

Kelly Hales WST 3015

February 21, 2010

Nina Perez

Word Count: 355

Activism Blog 2

Activism:

This week Shanay, Sarah, Jessica and I went to the Bithlo Community Center to teach Girl Scout troop 7003 about the value of money. We are working with the girls on what is referred to as "The Penny Project". We will be meeting with the girls two weeks in a row to work on this project with them. Not only will be teaching them about the value of money, but we will be teaching them different way to save.

I think this portion of the project went extremely well, and Jessica displayed her wonderful teaching skills. She is fantastic at working with the girls.

Reflection:

Working with the girls on Friday was a really enlightening experience. It was fun to listen to what the girls aspire to be as well as hear the concerns of young girls today. While discussing the meaning of the Girl Scout troop "Brownies" one young girl raised her hand to inform us that if anyone eats brownies that they'll get fat. This idea was probably instilled into her by one of her parents, but she also coulld have gathered this notion from the media. The girl then continued to explain to us that she lost weight; she used to be 47lbs. but now she weights 45lbs. Kirk and Okazawa-Rey state that concern has focused on the damaging health effects of obsessive dieting. I was very concerned that girls between the ages of 6-8 were concerning themselves with their weight.

Reciprocity:

It was fun to work with the Girl Scouts and feel like a little girl again. It was a short escape from my reality, and being brought into that of a six year olds was pleasant. It was also great to feel like I brightened the day of these girls. They all seemed very eager to engage with us; it was quite rewarding.

Resources:

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Activism Introduction

Kelly Hales WST 3015

February 18, 2010

Nina Perez

Word Count: 482

Activism Introduction

Last semester I worked with Animal Safehouse for my Service Learning project. While my group and I raised over $300 toward their cause, I didn't feel that I personally impacted any one person. Considering I am an Education minor, it is important for me to work one on one with people. I am used to entering classrooms and working with young kids. After I leave a classroom I always feel excited and accomplished. I feel like I impacted the lives of several young children. I wanted to make sure that I felt this way about my project this semester. Along with three other girls in my class I decided to work with the Girl Scouts.

When I was younger, the Girl Scouts program came to my school for less than a year. I was so excited to learn new lessons and make projects with my friends. This excitement was brief and the program was cut from my area. (Probably because we lived in a rural area about ten miles from any actual neighborhoods.) I felt left out and extremely bored. One of my favorite after school activities had been taken away from me. Because of my previous situation I felt personally obligated to be involved with the Girl Scouts. I knew that I wanted to work one on one with the girls and hopefully instill some type of inspiration in them.

Tomorrow Shanay, Jessica, Sarah and I will be heading to Bithlo to work with a particular troop. We will be teaching them about the value of money, as well as working on various projects with them. We will also be spending time selling cookies this semester. I will be adding an accurate activism blog post tomorrow to give a detailed description about our visit and our communication with our contact.

Kelly Hales WST 3015
February 17, 2010
Nina Perez
Word Count: 482

Body/Sexuality

The film Penelope has several different lessons behinds the actual plot. Penelope, a lovely young woman, was born with a curse considered hideous by the entire town and even her very own mother. She was born with a nose that looked very similar to that of a pig’s nose which was considered hideous to the entire township. It has been stated that "within western thought, female bodies are viewed as deviant and inferior" (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 207). It is easy to assume that the citizens in the town feared Penelope because of her physical imperfection. The only way for the curse to be broken (and for Penelope to appear "normal" again) was for her to marry or find love with a gentleman of "her own kind".

Penelope was experiencing several forms of oppression from her very own mother, who was supposed to love and encourage Penelope to love herself for who she is. Instead, Jessica Wilhern, Penelope’s mother insisted that she find love as quickly as possible to break the curse. She incessantly hounded Penelope for her outward appearance that she could not change on her own. Penelope appears hopeless and extremely self conscious because of the statements made by her mother and the people residing in the town. It is stated that "most teenagers are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even to question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced" (Kilbourne 231). It is obvious that Penelope would have difficulty resisting the messages instilled into her even she tried. Her mother also insisted that Penelope was not of the upper class if she did have her beauty, which is another form of oppression placed onto the young woman.

Penelope’s only female role model was her mother who in fact was quite corrupt. She destroyed Penelope’s idea of self worth and degraded her with the constant reminder of a loveless (and homely) life. Luckily, toward the end of the film Penelope meets a woman who teachers her that she can be herself and enjoy her life. This woman essentially is the key factor that helps Penelope break the curse. By learning to love herself, Penelope breaks the curse that kept her hidden from the world for so long. It is interesting to see that Penelope’s mother is interested solely in love and beauty, while her happy friend is interested in living in the moment.

I appreciate that this film is selling the idea that regardless of outward appearance we should learn to love ourselves. It is more of a curse to worry ourselves with a slight imperfection than to care for ourselves for who we really are. It also is selling the idea that we can love others more freely when we love ourselves. In the film Penelope, she is freed from the curse by loving herself, which in turn helps her find love with Max.

Resources:

Kirk, Gwyn. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives 2010: 207-224.

Kilbourne, Jean. ""The More You Subtract, the More You Add"". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives 1999: 231-239.

Taking A Second Look Blog

Kelly Hales WST 3015
February 8, 2010
Nina Perez
Word Count: 486

Taking A Second Look

It is a common misconception that only teen girls are susceptible to pressure created by the media. Women of all ages, and even men are targeted by ads created about improving the self image. However, because teenagers have young open minds the majority of media ads are directed toward them. Kilbourne stated that teens "are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media" (Kilbourne 231).

I believe that this ad is targeted toward women in their 30's. The woman displayed is tilting her head in an "aren't I beautiful?" sort of manner. She is not smiling, which to me, states in a passive manner that the ad/topic is serious. She also has perfect porcelain skin that many women would pay good money for. The make up that she is wearing is delicate but obvious. The ad is selling what is known as "permanent" make up. This form of make up is actually a dangerous process because it involves tattooing on sensitive areas such as the eye lid. When analyzing this advertisement, I can clearly see other varieties of make up that she is wearing that aren't classified as permanent: the shimmery tint to her cheeks and the mascara on her lashes. At a glance, the idea of permanent make up seems like a good idea. It would be nice to be as glamorous and beautiful as the woman shown in the advertisement, however, by inspecting the woman closely, topical make up can be seen. It cannot be expected that her make up will be that perfect all day long.

The ad states "wake up to make up", which I find highly insulting. The ad is promoting the idea that women should always look perfect. It is stating that there literally is no time to not be wearing make up. Even during slumber, a woman must be perfectly made up. I find that this advertisement is negative to any woman's self esteem because it raises the standard for what is expected of her. Kilbourne also stated that "advertising is one of the most potent messengers in a culture that can be toxic for girl's self esteem" (Kilbourne 232). The woman in this ad does not look like myself or any of my friends, and I believe that it is completely unrealistic. It is nearly impossible for a woman to look perfect all the time; even while wearing "permanent" make up.

This ad is unfair because it is implying that women should always be perfect, when in all reality, I believe that everyone is obligated to have down time. Everyone should be granted the time to relax and not be made up perfectly. The media is trying to convince everyone that they need to buy something to improve themselves. It is important that we reject these ideas and don't fall prey to the media.

References:

http://www.jcbordeaux.com/wake_up_to_make_up_ad.jpg

Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, the More You Add". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives 1999: 231-239.

Herstory Blog Assignment

Kelly Hales WST 3015

February 1, 2010

Nina Perez

Word Count: 813

Mary Poppins / Iron Jawed Angels Analysis

The term "suffragist" is used to describe those (most commonly women) who fought for ensuring women the right to vote. With an extensive amount of hard work and trial, the right to vote was extended to women by the passage of the 19th amendment. The movies Mary Poppins and Iron Jawed Angels depict women suffragists in different circumstances. I think that Iron Jawed Angels portrays a more accurate account of the woman suffragist, while Mary Poppins sugar coats the long and gruesome journey. Megan Seely states in her book Fight Like a Girl that "the feminist movement has a rich history-- a history full of struggle, sacrifice, justice, resistance, and many victories." Iron Jawed Angels spent a large amount of time depicting even the "dirty" details of what being a suffragist really meant.

In both films, the characters that are part of the suffragist movement are obviously very passionate about the matter. The way that each character responds to men, however, is quite different. Alice Paul, the main character in Iron Jawed Angels is apprehensive toward men and rejects all advances made by Ben Weissman. Alice refuses to be pushed around or ordered by men and is a very independent individual. Mrs. Banks, the mother in Mary Poppins is displayed singing a song about the suffragist movement after coming home from a successful meeting. She sings about how she is a soldier in a petty coat, how victory will be won and women will be able to vote because of their actions. In one particular line she sings "though we adore men individually, we agree that as a group they're rather stupid." This is a very bold statement for her because she is extremely obedient of her husband; the exact opposite of Alice Paul. When Mr. Banks arrives at home, Mrs. Banks ends her song and begins following his orders. She happily writes a newspaper ad at his command and continues to serve him with pleasure.

Aside from the character Bert in Mary Poppins, all of the men in both films act very similar. While Bert is a caring and gentle man, the men in both Iron Jawed Angels and Mary Poppins appear to have a significant idea of self worth and display a degrading attitude toward women. Mr. Banks requires that his wife follow his every whim and provide him the utmost respect possible. Mr. Banks often times seems irritated by the presence of his wife and children; which is probably why a nanny is necessary in his household. He doesn't have the time or interest to care for his children throughout the day, and allowing his wife to participate in her activism duties keeps her busy. The men in Iron Jawed Angels are selfish, angry and degrading. They outwardly treat Alice Paul and her group of suffragists like they are crazy animals unworthy of any human respect. The men spit on, abuse, and carry the women away to prison in lieu of dealing with the actual problem - a woman's right to vote. The men in Iron Jawed Angels are much more cruel (and realistic given the time frame) than that in Mary Poppins.

Activism is represented the same way in each film, however, it is not actually shown in Mary Poppins. Mrs. Banks returns home and tells of her fellow suffragists chaining themselves to wagons and being carried away to prison. Alice Paul and her fellow suffragists are actually shown protesting, marching, working, and being thrown in jail. A hunger strike was performed in the jail and Alice Paul is shown being force fed through a tube; a scene which made me literally sick to my stomach. Alice and her group are active suffragists who went through more trial and tribulation than most women will ever understand.

The women in these films fight a long fight but eventually get to see their hard work pay off. Alice Paul gets to see the 19th amendment passed and will be able to vote with her fellow suffragists. Mary Poppins, being a more family oriented film, shows the previously trouble Banks family together and happy. Mr. Banks has become a happy and loving individual. Throughout the trouble that Mrs. Banks went through with her husband, she stayed with her beliefs and is shown stringing one of her suffragist ribbons to the end of a kite that is flown by the family.

Both of these films include strong opinions, while one is more harsh and realistic than the other. The "ism' that is incorporated into the two films is feminism. Iron Jawed Angels depicted it as a more harsh idea of feminism while Mary Poppins depicted a happy and pretty idea of it. Both suffragists in the films are strong, but in different ways. In both films the women remain strong in their beliefs, which to all women voters today should be extremely important.




Resources:

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl. New York: New York University Press, 2007.