This Woman is Ready to Start a Movement
I need to first make something very clear. I've never burned a bra (they cost too much money to do that and I need mine); and I've never gone more than like two days without shaving my arm-pits (and that was when I had ACL surgery and wasn't allowed to shower).
I took several women's studies classes when I was at the University of Pittsburgh. I had some great ones (mostly the literature ones), and I had some not-so-great ones.
One of the not-so-great ones was led by a total whack job woman who was further encouraged in her wackiness by a chorus of crazy female students. I hated the class and felt like it was this giant complain-o-rama about men. I also got berated on a daily basis by a group full of women students lacking basic hygiene skills who told me that because I did my hair and put on make-up, I was catering to men and making myself a sex object.
They considered me putting cherry chap-stick on, catering to men and becoming a sex object. Whatever. I skipped a lot of that class. Talking back to the girl who snorts insults at you while she very publicly sucks her thumb doesn't exactly feel fair in the grand scheme of things.
My Dad has always classified me as a "feminist" but he seriously has no idea how far off base he is in calling me a "feminist" considering some of my classmates in those classes.
I grew up swearing I would never have kids, and that I was going to be some high-powered lawyer and eat people alive who got in my way. I spent my college years in writing and communications classes. In one of my classes, I spent a semester researching how women were portrayed in advertising, particularly in men's magazines. I found ads for watches that featured a lifeless woman on the ground with a man's shadow standing above her. It was eye-opening and disturbing and I told anyone about it who would listen, but I wasn't exactly the type to swear off lipstick, burn my bra, and start rowdy protests. I'm not that kind of girl.
If you ask Mr. BBM about me and my "feminist ways," he'll tell you I'm a "true feminist," that I will fight for and speak up about women's issues, but that I won't be pigeon-holed into a liberal feminist agenda. Yes, I believe you can be a feminist and still be pro-life. I am.
I spent my years after college baffled at who I had become. Instead of going to law school, I got my Master's in Education. Instead of being the high-powered single girl, I got married at the age of 23. And then, after only working in the real world for two years, I got pregnant and left my career (where I was making more than my husband) to stay at home full time and raise my daughter.
Fast forward to present time, where I am now staying at home raising two daughters, and teaching at the university level. Today, I had three young women do their final speech on how women are portrayed in the media. It was a brilliant speech. They divided it into three sections: women in the 50's, women now, and the problems associated with the pressure society puts on women.
They talked about the typical 1950's housewife. They discussed Marilyn Monroe and then they moved into a visual showing the difference between models back then and models now. Some of the pictures were disturbing. When the speech was finished, it was followed by a Q & A session. After listening to these girls, rattling off statistics and facts and hearing them pour their hearts and souls into their presentations, I was shocked to hear some of the questions coming from the audience.
A lot of the guys felt like they were under attack, despite the fact that the girls said their speech was not to blame any individual person or group, but rather to bring attention to the way society portrays women in the media. Even some of the girls got worked up in the audience. "Well, don't these models have a choice to not be that thin? Well don't they have a choice to not have eating disorders?"
I was shocked.
The presenters hadn't done any blaming, only pointing out various facts and stats, and they were being eaten alive by an audience hungry to throw the blame back on them. I stepped in and redirected at times, but when all was said and done, I was sad and disappointed about it.
I've frequently heard women say that today's women don't care about women's issues the way women did 30 years ago. I obviously had a couple students concerned about it enough to create an entire presentation on it. But the opposition they were met with was downright shocking.
Is there no one out there who cares that high fashion ads are using women in violent ways to get their point across?
The above ad is for a shoe by the way, not gang rape, in case you weren't clear. Spain and Italy banned the ad saying it is no way was related to what they were trying to sell and that it was violent towards women.
And this one below? If you said shoes, and not stuffing some dead girl in the trunk of a car, well, then you would be right. You can read more about this ad here.
And then there's this one. Obviously advertising a man's suit. . .
Visit the site where I found this one for even more disturbing ads.
I think that we've become so used to seeing violence against people, and women in particular, that these images don't have the same kinds of effects that they used to have on people. And personally, I think that's a terrible shame.
As a Mom of two young girls who I don't want ever exposed to this kind of stuff, I think it's time that we started a little movement of our own. Companies who put out ads like this need to be contacted and told that their ads are disgusting, and that the public doesn't want to see stuff like this. It's simply not healthy.
To contact the US Dolce & Gabbana offices, you can write or phone here:
Dolce & Gabbana USA Inc.
148, Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10013
Tel.+1-212-750.0055
Loula is a company based in Melbourne, but you can email them at: Email: hello@loula.com.au.
To contact Duncan Quinn, you can write or call here:
8 Spring St.
NY, NY 10012
(212) 226-7030
According to a review I read online, the man himself actually mans the store quite often.
If you aren't bothered by these ads, or if you'd like to see more of what I'm talking about and what my young women in class were talking about today, then watch this:
There any many sites out there drawing attention to this kind of garbage and taking a stand against it. All one needs to do is google "violent ads women" and you'll find them no problem.
Will you join me in being outraged?
Will you join me in doing something about it?
The Gym Rut
Last week, I was at the dojo four nights, but I didn't once go to the gym. Ever since we did the crazy landscaping weekend, I just can't seem to get there. I'm still suffering from post landscaping exhaustion. Plus, my dragon lady holly picked a fight with me and I still have injuries related to that assault. If you've ever been around a dragon lady holly, you know this is no exaggeration.
First, I made excuses that the landscaping work was enough of a workout. And trust me, when I tell you that it was most definitely enough.
Then both the girls got sick. Big I was so sick that she was once again, "decorating" the pediatrician's parking lot. Lil C had an ear infection so bad that every other word she said was "WHAT?" and I just couldn't see taking Lil C to Kid Zone, where I just knew she'd pick up yet another germ.
Now there's swine flu. There is a confirmed case only a county away from us and seven probable cases in the same county. It's only a matter of time before it's in my front yard. This morning, I was planning on going to the gym. Then I began rationalizing.
What if someone went to Mexico or was around someone with swine flu? Then, they are around their kids, take them to KidZone. The next thing you know? We've got a gym flu epidemic. And people, if you've been hanging around here long enough, then you know that this family is prone to strange illnesses and injuries. We practically wear giant targets around our heads saying: "infect me."
As much as I'd like to go to the gym today, unless I find some latex gloves and a surgical mask, I think I'll just stay home and try to break a sweat here.
Rolling Down the Mountains
This week's heat wave brought with it some major waves on the dojo floor. It seems that whenever the heat rises, the foam flooring seems to rise too. Last Monday night was insane. The bumps and lumps were everywhere and it was difficult to avoid them. Because of the on-going knee issues, I try to avoid them like the plague. There is nothing worse than coming upon one of them when you're not expecting it. On Monday night, they were hard to miss though. One of our Shodans remarked that the body of Jimmy Hoffa had been found.
It was well over 95 degrees when we started working out on Monday night. One of our shodans decided he would do what he could about the rising mountains of foam and started working on his break falls and rolls. Watching him roll and smash out the peaks felt surreal. I remember practicing those rolls exactly once in my training. I had no doubts I would kill myself or enter permanent paralysis if I tried along with him.
I haven't been one to fall in the correct form in the past. Falling can be scary, especially for someone so seemingly injury prone.
On Wednesday night, Big I was attending ju-jutsu class. Although she's getting better with her rolls, they're still not great. She's slamming down on her back with quite a bit of force and that can't be good long term. She's supposed to finish in a side break-fall position. She's just not. Her Sensei and one of his helpers spent quite a bit of time trying to get her to roll the right way. It just wasn't happening.
Over the past few days, she's been wanting to practice at home. It's difficult to tell her how to do something, much easier and more effective to show her, so I figured it was time to get back on the rolling wagon and give it a shot.
Surprisingly, I didn't hurt myself and I actually did it right. I'm not willing to take it from a running start quite yet (doubt I ever will be quite honestly), but I did it well enough to consider myself worthy of helping Big I. The past few days have been full of rolling at our house. Lil C wants to get in on the fun and Big I is slowly but surely getting it. I think that if she could just do one correctly and feel the difference between the crazy business she usually does, she would get it.
The good thing is that her Sensei doesn't let her off the hook. Each week is practicing and reinforcing the skills learned in the weeks prior before moving on to anything new. This building block approach of learning has been good for her and she's been very receptive to it. The skills she learned in the first week are getting really good; the rolls are coming along nicely, and this week they even began working on their first throw.
The bonus for me is that I get to watch class, help her learn what she needs to learn, and I get to learn new things too.
Maybe next time the heat rises, I can help our stellar dojo roller with some haphazard rolling of my own. And hopefully, before too long, Big I will be joining in as well.
***We've got giveaways galore over at The BBM Review. Head on over there to enter to win a Romano Macaroni's gift package AND/OR an Evenflo Breast Pump and nursing pads.
Drug Free PA
My best friend from high school, the one who rolled up his sleeves after my date gone wrong, is the director of Drug Free Pennsylvania. Like any non-profit, they are always looking for ways to raise money to support their organization, which does amazing things for the state of Pennsylvania. You can read about all of the things they do on their website.
If you are in the Harrisburg area, you can join them for their annual walk on May 30th. If you're not local, you can virtually walk and help raise money for the various educational prorams that help keep school aged kids off drugs and on the right track. To become a virtual walker like me, go here. It's as simple as using a PayPal account to make a donation, or printing out a registration form and sending in a check. The virtual walk takes only a few minutes of your time and is blister-free.
If you're a business or individual who would like to donate a service or product for their annual ebay auction, you can also find out about how to do that, or bid on the items yourself here.
Please help support a great organization!
Copyright
© Copyright 2006-2019 blackbeltmama dot com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Follow Me
Blog Designed By
My Creations
Things You Could Care Less About
