Patriarchy, Anorexia, and Trayvon Martin

Is everyone in our class aware of what the Patriarchy is? Let me give you a quick review.

Taxonomy of Patriarchy
1. Belief in Male Superiority- women are closer to animals; they're emotional and of a lower evolutionary order
2. Sexual Segregation- men are in the PUBLIC sphere (business) and women are in the PRIVATE sphere (home)
3. Sexual Control of Women- sexual double standard; women are defined as sexual beings more than men ("good" man- no connotation to sexuality; "good" woman- virgin); idea of women dressing for men
4. Derived Female Status- your status is acquired by marrying- you take his last name and so do your children (ever heard the term "trophy wife"?)
5. Primary of Reproductive Role- even if woman has a job, she still has the role of primary caretaker; there is a preference for male children (If a couple has a male child, they are less likely to become pregnant again. Fathers are more likely to ask for custody of male children.)

Girl Hate
I'm so mad reading this short essay, because it hit so close to home. Not that my story is in any way the same as Jenifer Fennell's, but because I felt such similar emotions when I was growing up. (And for the record, what an ASSHOLE that doctor was, telling Jenifer her vagina smelled wrong. Ladies, putting perfume [or scented soap] anywhere near vagina is likely to cause a yeast or bacterial infection. YOUR VAGINA IS PERFECT JUST THE WAY IT IS/SMELLS.)

It wasn't until I started taking this Sociology of Gender class that I realized how backwards the ideals I learned were. Especially through the abstinence-only education. "You've got only one asset, and you better protect it."

Amy Johnson: My Problem with Purity Balls

And how about all of the craze of women's reproductive health and contraception coverage? Oh right, I want my birth control covered to control my fertility, so I'm a raging slut. But your Viagra is covered so that you can continue to have sex but you're just a male suffering from erectile dysfunction? GIVE ME A BREAK. If that isn't an example of the patriarchy, then I don't know what is.

Because I've been actively involved with the fight for reproductive justice, this article really got me heated. I'm so frustrated at the patriarchal hegemony riddling our society. Isn't this 2012, people?


Anorexia


When I started reading the anorexia article the first person I thought of was Isabelle Caro, an anorexic model who died at just 28.

This billboard was placed in Milan, the fashion capitol of the world.

Watch Isabelle Caro's story.

My friend's six year old daughter asked her yesterday if her pants made her look fat. Prime example of how the media influences girls from a very young age.

I don't think I know a single female who hasn't dieted at some point in her life, whether she needed to or not. This is another example of the patriarchy- the sexual control of women. 

Trayvon Martin


I have been reading a lot on the Trayvon Martin case. I know that a lot of articles have been sent out about the details of the case, so I wanted to link a petition and a really great article that is worth reading.

Change.org Petition to Prosecute Trayvon Martin's Killer

Blacksnob: No Apologies: On the Killing of Trayvon Martin and Being "Good" (I know we have so much to read, but if there is one thing you ever read on my blog, let it be this article.)


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