OK so Marina and the Diamonds is one of my all time favorite artists. Her catchy, girly, pop tunes are full of relatable lyrics and female empowerment. Her newest album titled "FROOT" and contains songs that celebrate her independence and freedoms. One line from her song "Can't Pin Me Down" is "Do you really want me to write a feminist anthem? I'm happy cooking dinner in the kitchen for my husband"
I think that these lyrics exemplify her identity as a feminist. Her purpose in writing these lyrics is to prove that as a feminist and a woman, she can make decisions for herself even if they don't classify as typical "feminist behavior." As a woman she has the ability make whatever decision she wants regarding her identity and see herself equal to men obviously. After all, feminism is about equality and not superiority.
Side note: Olivia knew this was the topic for my post before she did hers and she admits to copying it :-)
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
Gender Justice Week
This week at Saint John's Prep was known as Gender Justice week. This seemed like an interesting event and i decided to go to he first event this week that was run by some gender studies students from Merrimack College. Different students led workshops for the boys and girls named, "The friend zone" "Healthy college relationships" "feminism" "masculinity" and "Sexism and gender equity"
I chose to go to the last option which happened to be the least popular. There were no boys in the room, just four girls, a teacher, and the students teaching us. The next hour was honestly great and i was relieved to not have boys in the room with us. Everyone was open to sharing ideas and we answered personal questions. One of the most beneficial parts of that day was something called a Gender Bread person. The Gender Bread Person thing helped us distinguish Biological Sex, Gender, and Gender expression, which is all quite complex and confusing but helpful. So i got a lot out of that , because there was very little male interaction
The second day however the boys from Saint Johns prep ran a stereotyping based even where they created the ideal man and woman according to the opposite gender. The box for ideal man was pretty classic; muscular, tall, nice hair, abs etc. The ideal woman box said (they actually said this)
No hair, sex, skinny, long hair, and NO PERIODS. It is really great to hear that an entire group of men had agreed that their ideal woman would lack an extremely important aspect of the female anatomy. I found this to be extremely misogynistic and i think young men should be educated on the true anatomy of both men and women in a realistic way.
In the great words of Grainne Casey; "If you want a girl with no periods you probably want a none year old girl, or another boy"
I chose to go to the last option which happened to be the least popular. There were no boys in the room, just four girls, a teacher, and the students teaching us. The next hour was honestly great and i was relieved to not have boys in the room with us. Everyone was open to sharing ideas and we answered personal questions. One of the most beneficial parts of that day was something called a Gender Bread person. The Gender Bread Person thing helped us distinguish Biological Sex, Gender, and Gender expression, which is all quite complex and confusing but helpful. So i got a lot out of that , because there was very little male interaction
The second day however the boys from Saint Johns prep ran a stereotyping based even where they created the ideal man and woman according to the opposite gender. The box for ideal man was pretty classic; muscular, tall, nice hair, abs etc. The ideal woman box said (they actually said this)
No hair, sex, skinny, long hair, and NO PERIODS. It is really great to hear that an entire group of men had agreed that their ideal woman would lack an extremely important aspect of the female anatomy. I found this to be extremely misogynistic and i think young men should be educated on the true anatomy of both men and women in a realistic way.
In the great words of Grainne Casey; "If you want a girl with no periods you probably want a none year old girl, or another boy"
Friday, February 27, 2015
Dress Code Angst
A common theme amongst white girls on the internet is complaining about their school's dress codes. Girls argue that it is unfair that they have to keep their shoulders covered and not wear leggings at school. The big frustration over this really is wondering/assuming that this dress code was put in place so that boys are not distracted from learning in class. that is not the case.
On a personal level, I can testify that dress codes rightfully exist elsewhere. Going to an all girl school is great for the most part because we all wear a uniform and dress codes usually aren't an issue until our dress-down days. During the summer months, we girls are also asked not to wear any clothing that may be too low cut or short simply because of the school itself. NDA obviously does not want a bad reputation, so it wants to make sure that we all look like professional young ladies rather than hoes ok peace out
just kidding no one is a hoe
you do you ladies
On a personal level, I can testify that dress codes rightfully exist elsewhere. Going to an all girl school is great for the most part because we all wear a uniform and dress codes usually aren't an issue until our dress-down days. During the summer months, we girls are also asked not to wear any clothing that may be too low cut or short simply because of the school itself. NDA obviously does not want a bad reputation, so it wants to make sure that we all look like professional young ladies rather than hoes ok peace out
just kidding no one is a hoe
you do you ladies
Music
Some of the most sexist remarks ever made were probably made by a angry man rapping. I don't really know why rap music is so violent and sexist sometimes but thats just how it is. Eminem is a huge culprit of using sexism in songs. His songs are literally sometimes so vulgar and offensive that they make no sense.
A prime example of some sexist things Eminem has said from a recent song called So Much Better
“I got 99 problems and the bitch ain't one / She's all 99 of them I need a machine gun / I take ‘em all out I hope you hear this song / And go into a cardiac arrest, have a heart attack / And just drop dead and I'mma throw a f**ing party after this”.
And thats not even the worst of the song. The problem with Eminem is that his subject matter of songs is usually abusive rather than sexual like most other rappers. Unfortunately Eminem is extremely popular amongst teens but tbh I actually am a fan, not because of the abusive subjects, but just of his songs in general so yeah this is sort of hypocritical. Teenagers that listen to this music soon begin to develop ideas about women and are influenced by the lyrics which is unfortunate and kind of scary. Eminem's music glorifies the abuse of women and talks about it constantly. This is a prime example of how men seek out revenge on women who have done them wrong in the past by using every opportunity to be dominant over women.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/eminem-hip-hop-we-shouldnt-accept-misogyny-in-2013#l1fk1OTDrZtQzY9A.99
Read more at http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/eminem-hip-hop-we-shouldnt-accept-misogyny-in-2013#l1fk1OTDrZtQzY9A.99
Not for Everyone
Feminism is a broad topic that is generally inclusive of all women. It is important that feminism extend its arms to women of color, trans women, and women of various cultures. The absurd trend of minims has appealed to many females who believe that women have enough rights and that men have he right idea.
More traditional women tend to stick to the ideas that cooking and cleaning is women's work, and the job of the woman is to take care of her man. Just because you choose to take care of your husband, and voluntarily cook and clean, does not mean that you are weak or against feminism. You can believe that you deserve the same rights politically and socially to men, and still pick up his plate at the dinner table. The worth of a woman, or anyone really, is not measured by your actions that conform to a stereotype
More traditional women tend to stick to the ideas that cooking and cleaning is women's work, and the job of the woman is to take care of her man. Just because you choose to take care of your husband, and voluntarily cook and clean, does not mean that you are weak or against feminism. You can believe that you deserve the same rights politically and socially to men, and still pick up his plate at the dinner table. The worth of a woman, or anyone really, is not measured by your actions that conform to a stereotype
Friday, January 30, 2015
Who are you wearing?
"Who are you wearing?"
One of the most frequently asked questions at all award shows. Reporters flock the red carpet chasing down celebrities to ask them what name brand designer they're wearing.
George Clooney recently wed the famous and extremely successful human rights activist Amal Ramzi. Amal was working on her first big case of 2015 arguing against the Armenian genocide of 1915, when a reporter approached her and asked her who she's wearing. Without hesitation she responded, “Ede and Ravenscroft."
Ede and Ravenscroft is a brand of clothing exclusively for robes for graduation, judges and lawyers.
As such a successful woman, it was surprising for her to hear that question in such an intense and professional environment outside of the red carpet.
It isn't often that you hear about men getting asked about their clothes but when seems be asked that quite a lot, which is understandable when you wear such elaborate clothes, but in a professional environment such as a courtroom its not appropriate.
Women are still striving to be recognized as more than just an object or simply a walking mannequin for a brand
One of the most frequently asked questions at all award shows. Reporters flock the red carpet chasing down celebrities to ask them what name brand designer they're wearing.
George Clooney recently wed the famous and extremely successful human rights activist Amal Ramzi. Amal was working on her first big case of 2015 arguing against the Armenian genocide of 1915, when a reporter approached her and asked her who she's wearing. Without hesitation she responded, “Ede and Ravenscroft."
Ede and Ravenscroft is a brand of clothing exclusively for robes for graduation, judges and lawyers.
As such a successful woman, it was surprising for her to hear that question in such an intense and professional environment outside of the red carpet.
It isn't often that you hear about men getting asked about their clothes but when seems be asked that quite a lot, which is understandable when you wear such elaborate clothes, but in a professional environment such as a courtroom its not appropriate.
Women are still striving to be recognized as more than just an object or simply a walking mannequin for a brand
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Why You Should Love Marina and the Diamonds
Why To Love Marina
She's amazingly talented. She has an amazing voice that never sounds auto-tuned. Her voice adds character to the songs she sings and makes them enjoyable. She also writes all of her songs and plays the piano when she performs acoustically.
Her songs themselves are awesome. Her songs vary from lighthearted and feminine to dark.
She's a feminist. Her feminine style and songs are often geared toward feminine issues. Her song "Sex Yeah" talks about the sexualization of the media and women in the media throughout history. (You should give it a listen)
Her second album "Electra Heart" focused on womanly archetypes: Housewife, Beauty Queen, Home wrecker, Idle teen. She celebrates each archetype in the songs of that album.
Overall she is a good role model who owns who she is and encourages women to be strong and be who you are. She doesn't put down women who are 'dependent' on men or who like to serve them. She encourages women to own their sexuality and doesn't shame anyone. She's great.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Eastern and Western Feminism
Western Feminism is something that is local to us. Issues in the media and things such as dress codes and unequal pay are common ideals in western Feminism.
Eastern Feminism involves matters outside of our country. Matters involving female genital mutilation, strict oppression, and lack of education for women are issues that continue to plague a large region of the world.
Feminism differs depending upon the culture and general religion in an area. In America, many people fight on behalf of "white feminism" White feminism is creating an issue because feminism should be open to everyone but women of color and transgender women are often excluded from the mix.
In areas such as the middle east and some areas of Africa still practice the beliefs that women are inferior and their only jobs are to cook, clean, and produce children. Sure both Western and Eastern feminism is important, but we need to focus on the women who are losing their lives fighting for their rights to education.
Eastern Feminism involves matters outside of our country. Matters involving female genital mutilation, strict oppression, and lack of education for women are issues that continue to plague a large region of the world.
Feminism differs depending upon the culture and general religion in an area. In America, many people fight on behalf of "white feminism" White feminism is creating an issue because feminism should be open to everyone but women of color and transgender women are often excluded from the mix.
In areas such as the middle east and some areas of Africa still practice the beliefs that women are inferior and their only jobs are to cook, clean, and produce children. Sure both Western and Eastern feminism is important, but we need to focus on the women who are losing their lives fighting for their rights to education.
Meninism
Meninism seems to be a new fad. Meninism is an online trend of men " fighting for their rights" against women in society. A lot of their complaints surround topic such as friend-zoning, slut shaming, unrealistic expectations, and the "annoying habits" of girls.
Whether you are a feminist or not, the post on the leninist twitter accounts are insanely offensive and are literally perfect reasons to hate men. But then again, feminism isn't about hating men. Misandry is hating men which differs from feminism. Many meninists and anti-feminists argue that they don't approve of feminism because they do not hate men. Feminism is a concept that promotes equality of the genders and not simply the power of women over men doing whatever they want.
But back to meninism, it is a principle that promotes the misogyny that is geared towards women. Some of the things said on these counts goes as far as to literally target individual women and make fun of them for their appearance which is dumb and mean.
Whether you are a feminist or not, the post on the leninist twitter accounts are insanely offensive and are literally perfect reasons to hate men. But then again, feminism isn't about hating men. Misandry is hating men which differs from feminism. Many meninists and anti-feminists argue that they don't approve of feminism because they do not hate men. Feminism is a concept that promotes equality of the genders and not simply the power of women over men doing whatever they want.
But back to meninism, it is a principle that promotes the misogyny that is geared towards women. Some of the things said on these counts goes as far as to literally target individual women and make fun of them for their appearance which is dumb and mean.
In the Media
A common theme that has been apparent in the media for decades is pinning women against each other. Columns that read "who wore it best?" are just minor comparisons of women. When women's talents are compared is when it gets serious.
Women in the industry who have never even met before are pinned against each other. For example, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande both have very similar pitch voices and are often compared to one another. This is a common trend that we never see amongst men in the media.
The media itself has a great influence on people's lives and view on the world and can easily persuade the beliefs of a person. The media objectifies women and often uses them as props and objects to sell products and ideas, but rarely portrays who they actually are
Photoshop is often a culprit in the crime of false advertising and self-esteem issues amongst the youth girl population. Many men argue that false expectation of men in the media are also given, but I sort of agree. Men are expected to be manly or whatever but if they aren't it's not a big deal. Men are not objectified or are over sexualized in society which is where the sexism shows
Women in the industry who have never even met before are pinned against each other. For example, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande both have very similar pitch voices and are often compared to one another. This is a common trend that we never see amongst men in the media.
The media itself has a great influence on people's lives and view on the world and can easily persuade the beliefs of a person. The media objectifies women and often uses them as props and objects to sell products and ideas, but rarely portrays who they actually are
Photoshop is often a culprit in the crime of false advertising and self-esteem issues amongst the youth girl population. Many men argue that false expectation of men in the media are also given, but I sort of agree. Men are expected to be manly or whatever but if they aren't it's not a big deal. Men are not objectified or are over sexualized in society which is where the sexism shows
Friday, December 19, 2014
Responses
Many people have ways to handle awkward situations. i don't really know where this is going but here is a story I heard:
Last week there was a Game Night at St.John's Prep. At this event a group of people were playing "Heads Up" (I'm just gonna assume that you know what it is). One boy in the group held up the card "Vacuum cleaning" and one of the boys in the group yelled the hint "Woman do this!" at the top of his lungs. Everyone in the room went silent because they all knew that what he did.
I agree that it was offensive but some girls found it hilarious which was really surprising and i don't understand why
Last week there was a Game Night at St.John's Prep. At this event a group of people were playing "Heads Up" (I'm just gonna assume that you know what it is). One boy in the group held up the card "Vacuum cleaning" and one of the boys in the group yelled the hint "Woman do this!" at the top of his lungs. Everyone in the room went silent because they all knew that what he did.
I agree that it was offensive but some girls found it hilarious which was really surprising and i don't understand why
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Feminazis
Lately I've been hearing and reading lots of things that are basically just people complaining about feminist rants. My blog is literally called femme rantz and consists mainly of feminist rants, but I must say, sometimes rants can be aggravating. There is a time and place for feminist rants and it's not always everywhere. Recently a friend of mine had been telling me about how much she hated to hear feminists complain, but while being on a blog similar to mine, she came to the conclusion that these rants were very necessary. Some issues are too big to overlook and it is okay to simply say you don't agree with it but going on insane rants that leave you out of breath may not be necessary.
Boys on the other hand suck. A lot of them are bitter about feminist rants and it's stupid and they show ild grow up and learn what an opinion is and how to respect one (and also how to respect women) BOOM I'm done
Boys on the other hand suck. A lot of them are bitter about feminist rants and it's stupid and they show ild grow up and learn what an opinion is and how to respect one (and also how to respect women) BOOM I'm done
Friday, December 5, 2014
Viral Videos
Recently there have been a series of videos that have surfaced the internet and gone viral. The videos mostly surround young women who put themselves out there in an attempt to see male reactions. One of the videos that has had the most lively response, is a video in which a woman walks down the streets of New York City and it cat-called repeatedly, but she does not respond. Many people had positive and negative responses to this video. Some people say she was being rude by not responding to the men that yelled to her, others say that the video was an entirely realistic portrayal of what it is like to be constantly cat-called.
Recently a video went up from CNN of an interview with people who took two opposing stances on the video. One side was a man, the other was a woman. Now, the man said some things that are so insanely stupid that I’m going to have to warn you:
Another video that has recently made headlines, is a video of a young woman pretending to be drunk in public.
The results of this video are equally horrible
here
Monday, November 3, 2014
Rape Culture in America
"1 in 5 women are raped in college, 1/5 of you in this room will be raped and you need to know how to defend yourself"
Those are some powerful words to be said to a room of nearly 20 girls. They're the type of words to hit you hard and make you think about where you stand.
Rape has sadly become an epidemic that plagues women and leaves them in constant fear, but why are women raped? It honestly has nothing to do with the woman herself, is she does not give you consent THEN DO NOT HAVE SEX WITH HER THAT IS RAPE. There are really no relevant excuses as to why you should rape someone... It just doesn't make sense. The fact that some men still have such misogynistic views on this topic is sickening. Heres a quote from a facebook post I saw:
"I walked into my school's rape seminar and yelled "go ahead call the cops, they can't unrape you" and left there with a smile"
WHO DOES THAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE
Things that do not make rape okay:
1. If the victim is asleep
2. If the victim is dressed provocatively
3. If the victim promised to have sex in advance but changes their mind
4. If the victim didn't fight back but said no
5. If the victim didn't say no but fought back
Those are some powerful words to be said to a room of nearly 20 girls. They're the type of words to hit you hard and make you think about where you stand.
Rape has sadly become an epidemic that plagues women and leaves them in constant fear, but why are women raped? It honestly has nothing to do with the woman herself, is she does not give you consent THEN DO NOT HAVE SEX WITH HER THAT IS RAPE. There are really no relevant excuses as to why you should rape someone... It just doesn't make sense. The fact that some men still have such misogynistic views on this topic is sickening. Heres a quote from a facebook post I saw:
"I walked into my school's rape seminar and yelled "go ahead call the cops, they can't unrape you" and left there with a smile"
WHO DOES THAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE
Things that do not make rape okay:
1. If the victim is asleep
2. If the victim is dressed provocatively
3. If the victim promised to have sex in advance but changes their mind
4. If the victim didn't fight back but said no
5. If the victim didn't say no but fought back
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Halloween
"Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."-Mean Girls
People should stop caring so much about other people's Halloween costumes. If you want to dress like a sexy cop go for it, if you want to dress like a giant cheeto (like Katy Perry) then do that if that's what you like, but if wearing a sexy costume or a funny one is not your thing, then DON'T DO IT and also DON'T make fun of those who do. It's your personal choice and no one should impact what you want to wear and no one should care.
But why is it so hard to find a relevant costume for women that is not sexualized?
sexualized ninja turtles...why..
totally unnecessary
People should stop caring so much about other people's Halloween costumes. If you want to dress like a sexy cop go for it, if you want to dress like a giant cheeto (like Katy Perry) then do that if that's what you like, but if wearing a sexy costume or a funny one is not your thing, then DON'T DO IT and also DON'T make fun of those who do. It's your personal choice and no one should impact what you want to wear and no one should care.
But why is it so hard to find a relevant costume for women that is not sexualized?
sexualized ninja turtles...why..
totally unnecessary
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Twitter Culture
Twitter is a place where people go to blatantly share their ideas where everyone can see. The internet presence of a person in today's society is viewed as very important. It can even affect you being hired to a company. Some people unfortunately abuse their right to the use of the internet and post ungodly things.Many people on twitter say horrible things and go completely undetected.
Many of the most popular twitter pages o n the internet get away with posting tons of misogynistic, homophobic, racist and demeaning material. A lot of it encourages the infidelity of men and allows them to treat women as dirt as if they were disposable.
What the hell is a "side hoe?" What is a "main chick?" Well... they are the two possible positions for women in a man's life. It's pretty horrible to think that someone you may love and trust could possibly cheat on you. It really is unsettling, and men seem to be thinking that its ok. Twitter is also full of bitter misogynists who have nothing better to do than criticize, objectify, correct, sexualize and insult women.
here is a bunch a stupid tweets from stupid people that are angering:
Many of the most popular twitter pages o n the internet get away with posting tons of misogynistic, homophobic, racist and demeaning material. A lot of it encourages the infidelity of men and allows them to treat women as dirt as if they were disposable.
What the hell is a "side hoe?" What is a "main chick?" Well... they are the two possible positions for women in a man's life. It's pretty horrible to think that someone you may love and trust could possibly cheat on you. It really is unsettling, and men seem to be thinking that its ok. Twitter is also full of bitter misogynists who have nothing better to do than criticize, objectify, correct, sexualize and insult women.
here is a bunch a stupid tweets from stupid people that are angering:
Monday, October 27, 2014
Fear
Fear. Everyone is afraid of something, whether they choose to admit it or not. Nearly everyone has common halloween style jump scare fears like ghosts, spiders, the dark, axe murderers and more. Everyone also has those internal real-life everyday fears that they don't like to share. I personally have a strange and irrational fear of teenage boys. I don't care how old they are, or who they are, or how I know them, but I am TERRIFIED. This fear is sort of a loose fear that most (young)women have too.
Women in society are taught to fear strangers (especially men), protect themselves from them, and steer clear of relationships that pose a potential threat. When a man hears of a story in which another man harms a woman, their generalized response is, "Not all men are like that, I wouldn't do that." But here is a theory that i recently heard that puts things in perspective:
Let's say you have a bowl of M&M's and 10 of them ore poisoned, would you take a handful anyways?
That is what its like in society. No matter what group of people you choose, not all of them are gonna be good, so it is reasonable to be cautious when encountering new people.
Something that everyone fears most is being judged. It absolutely sucks to think that everyday people can just judge you whenever they see you without even having to get to know you. We all know that men judge women the hardest, and expect us to cater to their every needs and take a 'compliment' when shouted at on the street. Now that, my friend, is scary.
Women in society are taught to fear strangers (especially men), protect themselves from them, and steer clear of relationships that pose a potential threat. When a man hears of a story in which another man harms a woman, their generalized response is, "Not all men are like that, I wouldn't do that." But here is a theory that i recently heard that puts things in perspective:
Let's say you have a bowl of M&M's and 10 of them ore poisoned, would you take a handful anyways?
That is what its like in society. No matter what group of people you choose, not all of them are gonna be good, so it is reasonable to be cautious when encountering new people.
Something that everyone fears most is being judged. It absolutely sucks to think that everyday people can just judge you whenever they see you without even having to get to know you. We all know that men judge women the hardest, and expect us to cater to their every needs and take a 'compliment' when shouted at on the street. Now that, my friend, is scary.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Oops
So, apparently blog posts are supposed to be pretty long, which is something I didn't realize while writing my fist post. I feel as though my blog will not be as interesting as my classmates', but I personally am very passionate about women's rights and such. Considering that our class blog is similar topic, I will broaden my blog's topic to simply the lives of teenage girls including myself. I want to make this blog relatable and I'm definitely looking for input from other girls! To be honest, I'm not really sure where this blog is going so I'm just gonna wing it.
So here I go...
As young women, we hold a big role in society. We are at the age where we are still impressionable and we are losing our innocence. We focus more on what others think of us than what we think of ourselves. There is so much pressure on us to fill the gender roles that have been laid out for us. We are expected to be pretty, thin and polite. We are expected to be submissive housewives who love to cook, clean and take care of children.
Ok so I guess that's just an overview of society???
So here I go...
As young women, we hold a big role in society. We are at the age where we are still impressionable and we are losing our innocence. We focus more on what others think of us than what we think of ourselves. There is so much pressure on us to fill the gender roles that have been laid out for us. We are expected to be pretty, thin and polite. We are expected to be submissive housewives who love to cook, clean and take care of children.
Ok so I guess that's just an overview of society???
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
First Post
To be honest, it was quite difficult for me to figure out what to blog about. Most classmates of mine urged me to write about my life, but I tend to be more of a private person and i do not enjoy sharing facts about myself with many people. I have decided to write about how women respond to the everyday sexism that we sometimes not knowingly endure. the views that people have on this topic today fascinate me and I want to learn why society is so stuck in this outdated rut of a male dominated society. Recently I encountered an experience in which I was able to view how men see women in the media. I had been speaking to a friend of mine about the infamous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition that he possessed when somethings he said struck me. I had explained to him that it was not right for women to be objectified like they were in the magazine, and his response was, "I know that it is not right... but it was their choice." I was nearly speechless; I mean, I understand that it was their choice, but it's not right. Women should not have rely on embracing their sexuality in order to gain fame or attention from men in our society. It truly angers me to see teen boys obsess over the unrealistic expectations women are given in the media and also society.
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