Kabul Beauty School

stuckintx — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:20:07 +0000

I loved this book. It is the amazing true story of an American woman who goes to Afghanistan as a relief worker and ends up empowering women. She she’s that most women have no way to support themselves, and are instead at the mercy of their husbands and fathers. So she teaches women what she is best at: working in a salon. Even when funding is cut, she still manages to keep the school open. I am not sure what has happened to the school since the book was published, but I will probably look into it sometime.
This book by Deborah Rodriguez is a must read! The power of one woman’s resolve can do so much!

stuckintx — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:12:57 +0000

Drawn by one of my favorite 3 year olds

Prince Charming, “Will you marry me?”
Cinderella, “No!”

This little girl knows where its at, she isn’t about to fall for Disney’s idea that living happily ever after means marrying the perfect guy. I only hope that she will remember this as she grows up.

Seriously???

stuckintx — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:58:35 +0000

Why is the church so sexist???
Snippet from yesterday’s sermon, “We can really see the true nature of a person by how they love others that are weaker then they, how a husband treats his wife, how parents treat their children…”
He gave a few other examples but I don’t remember them, I was too pissed and shocked by his comment that wives are weaker than their husbands. So does that mean that it is only the truly loving who love their weak wives? If that is the case then why are certain men elders and deacons in my church? Aren’t they supposed to love their wives?
Why is it that the church not only lets these injustices continue, but propagates these ideas? What is my role in all of this? Should I have said something to my pastor after the sermon? The thought didn’t even cross my mind until now because I am so used to not having a voice in the church.
Also what was said implies that a person is a male, since we see how loving a person is by how he treats his wife, I guess only males are people. But wait I am continually told that when the Bible talks about sons of God it means all people and when it talks about man it means all people. Suddenly person means only man! Thanks for finally admitting that women are not people and showing how marginalized we are, especially in the church.

ABC’s Homeland Security U.S.A.

stuckintx — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:37:53 +0000

I don’t usually watch much TV because, quite frankly, the patriarchy is so overt, I want to hurl. But going against my better judgment, I have been watching more TV lately and lets just say I have been disgusted. Here is why.
ABC has a been advertising for a new show called Homeland Security USA. The commercials are so offensive because they portray everything that isn’t American as a threat. On ABC’s website there are a number of previews for the show. One portrays a belly dancer trying to fly into the US and work. Ok, so she didn’t have a working visa, why don’t the officers provide her information about what she needs to do to come and work legally. Instead the camera just focuses on the dumbfounded and judgmental faces of the officers. Don’t you just hate those illegal belly dancers who are trying to get into America, and steal our jobs?!?!! (I surprised that wasn’t part of the promo.) Another preview showed a man trying to smuggle drugs into the US (from Mexico of course because we know all drugs come from South America…). One of the officers who found the drugs said he was, “Happy to see it, it’s like a pot of gold.” Really your happy to find pounds of drugs!?!?! What is wrong with you?
This show looks ridiculous! From what I have seen, all it does is enforce stereotypes and portrays all “outsiders” as evil. A voice informs the viewer that, “They guard the home front… Their job is dangerous, the threats are real, the only thing between us and the trouble outside our borders are these heroes.” The same deep voice tells us that “these are the real stories of the people who protect us all,” only to be followed up by an officer in a southern accent declaring, “I’m gonna protect my own.”Another officer comments, “This is someone who is coming in here to harm America.” And he followed up by another clip of an officer spouting, “They’re gonna mess with us, they’re gonna get the best shot we got.”
I am just so sick of this idea that everything outside of America is harmful and threatens “our way of life.” I guess this is why we need a fence between us and the outside. Seriously!
Hey ABC, good job supporting the incorrect stereotypes about people who cross our borders. Surely everyone is out to harm America and steal our jobs.

Check it out here.

North Country

stuckintx — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 23:29:53 +0000

Last night I watched North Country and I was inspired. It is a great movie about strong women who stand up against sexual harassment in the mines of Minnesota. Charlize Theron plays the role of Josey who fights against the overt sexism that is accepted in the mines. What amazed me about this movie is that all the other women in the mine put up with the harassment without complaining. Even when Josey filed a lawsuit against the mine, the other women would not stand beside her. They were too afraid they would lose their jobs or get treated worse at work, that they even testified they had never had a problem with their male coworkers.
This movie illustrated many societal structures that women must stand up against. Women were raped and beaten by their husbands only to be blamed for it. The victim blaming that was featured in this movie brought me to tears. I am so thankful that these women went through all the trouble and roadblocks to present this case to the court. Because of the resilient commitment to equality that they had, sexual harassment policies have been implemented in the workplace. THANK YOU!!!!
My favorite quote: “What are you supposed to do when the ones with all the power are hurting those with none? Well for starters, you stand up. Stand up and tell the truth. You stand up for your friends. You stand up even when you’re all alone. You stand up.”
To read about the real women who inspired this movie click here.

Sunday School memories

stuckintx — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:13:47 +0000

I was reading Hellonhairylegs latest entry and it got me to thinking about Sunday school memories.

I remember always being divided into girls vs boys in games and sitting at different tables. Why did all my teachers support and enforce this division. Shouldn’t they have been bring up together and teaching us t0 work together?

Sadly, I am almost as bad. This summer I was working at a day care and did not protest when the teacher had the boys eat at one table and the girls at the other. But whenever I divided teams, they were equal and diverse. Working in a classroom with 5 year olds, I tried to dispel any sexist notions they had. If a kid didn’t like their lunch I’d tell them to tell dad or mom not to pack it, so many teachers just assume its mom who does that work. I tried to encourage the kids to play with toys that were not a stereotyped for their gender. When the little boys cried, I comforted them and helped them to understand their feelings. Let’s encourage girls and boys to understand their emotions! Lets not divide kids up, but bring them together, so they will learn to love.

Why I Use Dove Products

stuckintx — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:36:10 +0000

I am a big fan of dove and its products, and buy them whenever possible. I love the campaign for real beauty. As a woman I have felt the pressure to be a size 2, despite that fact that my skeleton would not fit in a size 2 pair of jeans. Every time I open a magazine, turn on the TV or walk out of the house, I am bombarded by images of unrealistic beauty standards for women. Its not right! Our society has placed so much emphasis on our worth being measured by our bodies that it is no wonder that 80% of college women diet, and dieting is common among girls as young as 10.

When I was about 10 the doctor told me that i was getting fat and I needed to exercise. I will never forget how much I was offended and hurt. Looking back on it, I cannot believe I did not cry. She told me that I needed to exercise more and lose weight. (I was a little on the pudgy side, but honestly, my weight was in no way a health concern.) Thanks for contributing to my negative body image. The way she presented this to me was completely inappropriate, and I refused to ever see that doctor again.

Last summer my body image changed for the better. Now I eat when im hungry and i eat what I want, “amazingly,” I have not gained weight and I feel so much better about my body and myself. Last summer I read a book entitled “Like Mother, Like Daughter: How Women Are Influenced by Their Mother’s Relationship with Food- And How to break the Pattern” by Debra Waterhouse. I would recommend this book to any woman who has every struggled with body image i.e. every woman.

Seriously read it and own it, you owe it to urself. You are beautiful just the way you are. Your value is not dependent on your body or your looks or your success or the attention you get. You are a valuable based on the fact that you are a human being!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

stuckintx — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:48:27 +0000

Today is my grandma turned 92! She has seen so much, she was born before women had the right to vote (in America). She was married and had become a mother before this country was finally integrated. The world has changed so much in her lifetime.

I want to thank my grandmother and all the women who have gone before me, for helping to get me where I am today. Without my foremothers before me, I would probably be confined to the home and have a baby on my hip by now. Although my grandma would probably not call herself a feminist, I know she is.

I have seen her spunk and sass and heard stories of her telling off men on the school board who discounted her opinions because she was a woman. My grandma stands strong on her own. She was married young, but supported herself and her husband with the wages she earned working at the library. Even though she did not make much, only $18/week, she and my grandfather donated a full bag of groceries to a poor neighborhood in Chicago every week. My grandma worked outside the home off and on most of her life. She raised three children and six grandchildren. In her own words her husband, “cherished her.” She is a respected member of the community and although her health is declining, she is still in everyone’s thoughts and prayer.

I respect her so much for all she did and continues to do. She has shaped me in so many ways. Thank you grandma and all the other women like you who have come before me and helped to make this world a better place. I am proud to walk in the paths that you have forged and hope to make as great an impact as you have made.

My daddy loves me

stuckintx — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:15:21 +0000

There is a book sale on campus this week and so decided to peruse through and see what was there. I love looking at children’s books! They are nostalgic; I’m always hoping to see one I read when I was little and think about a good time with my mom or grandparents. Also the pictures rock with anything from stick figures to intricate illustration. And of course I am always curious to see what gender roles are being feed to kids and how the patriarchy is shaping kids from a young age. *Sidebar*–When I read books to kids I tend to change the pronouns to create stronger female characters. Anyway I looked at a few of the typical books:

“Boy Toys” was an encyclopedia of toys for boys, you know GI Joe, weapons, cars, blocks, etc.
A book about moms- It explained how amazing she is because she cooks, cleans, and plays with her children all day. The most magical thing she did was transform herself from morning mommy to daytime mommy by simply walking in and out of the bathroom.
A book about dads- It showed how great it was of daddy to take a whole afternoon to play with his daughter. WoW!

After those typical books, I was really surprised when I stumbled across a real gem at the book sale. It was called “My Daddy Loves Me.” Its a baby book that picture men of all races, ethnicities and colors taking care of their children. The men kissed, hugged, used gentle words, gave baths, cooked, changed clothes, and put the babies to bed. Maybe there is hope for better children’s books. I am glad that there are a few books our there that seek to deconstruct gender roles.

Sometimes I think I live in the 1960s…

stuckintx — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:32:48 +0000

When I traveled 1667 miles to the south and west to attend college, I think I must have entered a time machine. I feel like I have gone back in time 40 or 50 years. I have seen and experienced so many outrageous things that I wonder if I have entered into a time warp….

everywhere I go men go out of their way to open doors for me
strangers call me ma’am
I have overheard conversations in the library about how someone doesn’t want his little sister dating an African-American
we discuss the “sanctity of life” far too often in my Philosophy class
according the administration dancing/alcohol are evil (but thats more 1920s)
and to top it all off–some racist a-hole put a noose on the chair of our student body president

Really??? Why is this little city so behind the times!?!?!