(More Than) Grrrl Power! Girls Studies at UCF

http://www.girlscantwhat.com/

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO www.girlsrockcamp.org

Here's the link to the website I made like I promised. I highly recommend viewing it in Firefox though, because it doesn't render properly in Internet Explorer. I still have some bugs to work out, sorry! el eligado cinco

Yesterday my cousin and her roommates (two of my really good friends) were visiting and we were sitting around my kitchen table. We got onto the subject of having kids and my cousin remembered how when we were little we'd play the game Life all the time. There was one instance in which she had the misfortune of landing on every "You just had a baby!" square and ended up having so many kids that she couldn't fit them in her little plastic car. I remembered this vividly and laughed just as much as I had the night it happened, probably over ten years ago. I told everyone that she had so many plastic people that I had to take some of them in my car. She reminded me, "Yeah, you told me, 'I'll take your dogs but you can keep all the kids in your car.'" I suddenly remembered how normally when playing I would put my husband in a back seat and my dog would sit up front with me. As my cousin said, "She wouldn't just put the husband behind her, she...

The Most Amazing Grrrls I Know!!!

After talking about Hannah Montana in class, I decided to watch a few shows. The first one I saw “You Are So Sue-Able to Me” I decided to do my cultural artifact paper on Hannah Montana. I already knew that so many girls absolutely adore Hannah, but I found myself aggravated by the Hannah character. First of all, I don’t like the fact that Hannah is thin, blond, very flashy with her wardrobe, and that she wears a lot of makeup. So many people worship Hannah, but Miley, on the other hand, who is plain in her clothing, and has brown hair, is barely noticed. What does this tell young girls? I also do not like how the Disney Company produces so many Hannah Montana products. Parents would have to struggle financially just to afford all other the CDs, DVDs, clothes, and everything else imaginable that Disney put out for them to buy. Instead of making things, like friendship bracelets, or spending time swapping clothes with friends like I did as a child, girls now are told to shop, shop, shop...

This is amazing! Be sure to watch it to the end, especially for the awesome feminist song she performs;) Girls Rock!!

As many of you know, I am working on my PhD in Texts and Technology (T&T)—an English degree at UCF. While I have played with social networks and blogs in my personal and professional spaces for some time, I only recently found theoretical homes for the work I have been doing. As part of my theory-based Introduction to Texts and Technology course, I decided to utilize our Girls Studies blog as part of my "Digital Artifact" assignment. The assignment asks us to: …design, produce, create, modify, or otherwise bring into being an artifact that makes a point about relationships between texts and technologies. […] The object must include new media tools, connect in some way to class readings and discussions, demonstrate relationships between texts and technology, and be thought-provoking. (Bowdon) I created our Girls Studies blog as part of a Summer assignment that inspired me to take online class discussions out of closed, password-protected forums and into more...

When I tell people about Girls Studies the class, a lot of womyn respond, 'O so basically we all should have had that class during middle school.' It's pretty messed up that girls are purposely cut off from a lot of the information we got to ingest this semester. A lot of the authors in our texts would talk about girls' sexuality and comment that in our culture, or in most cultures, girls supposedly have no sexuality. I caught myself feeling a little uncomfortable about thinking about the fact that twelve-year-old are sexual people, even though I've been really aware of my own sexuality since preschool, no joke. I'm grateful for late night sleepover conversations when my middle school friends and I talked about taboo topics, but it would have understood myself and been so much more confident if I had been able to talk about sexuality openly. I really appreciate the research that contributors to our texts did on girls' perceptions of sexuality in media and ...

So looking back on this past semester, I really didn’t realize how much that I have learned until I sit down to think about it. Throughout Girls Studies, I have subtly gained knowledge that I can carry and pass on to everyone in my life. Thinking all the way to the beginning, I remember looking at a video on advertising and how over sexualized womyn are portrayed in the media, and how young girls see this and think this is how they are supposed to be. This class allowed me to reflect on my own childhood and think back on things that I thought or did because I saw them in magazines or on TV and I wanted to be beautiful like those womyn. And still today, it is difficult just how it was in middle and high school to see these “perfect” womyn constantly thrown in your face, and realizing that you don’t look like them, and most likely never will. But now I do have Feminism, and now I realize that people are airbrushed, and that a very low percentage of womyn actually do have the bodies that ...

I am a grrrl, we are all grrrls! That is something I have become comfortable calling myself and others. Before this class, grrrl seemed like an insult, inferring that someone is young, immature, naive and most of all underestimated. This class has shown me the power of grrrls and the power for us to identify as them! Through the readings, class and my service learning I have experienced the potential and ability that grrls have today and that they are using their power more than ever, like with blogging. This has been a really cool outlet for discussion, I never did it before but really enjoy the style of it, and its another way for grrrls to alternatively get their voices heard. Grrrls today seem to already have the critical eye for conscious raising and culture jamming and it amazes me to see their accomplishments. If people only knew this, and the difficulties it is to be a grrrl today, they would give them a lot more credit. I am so glad that I got to be in this class at the beggi...

I was definitely glad to see that our professor, the lovely Leandra Preston, aka Leila, decided that we should conduct our our posting on a blog as opposed to communicating over WebCT, (which I support because my.ucf applications are a tedious excuse for social networking.) So when it asked me to sign into my account. I figured I must have had an account, and to my surprise my e-mail search results yielded to me my short-lived but memory-packed blog from high school. I was quite surprised, and happy, with my 17-year old writings and rants. 17 was not that long ago, but from the perspective of girlhood and growing up, the surprising difference was... a p leasant surprise. It was almost like a small gift that went along with the course- Girls Studies and here, your blog from when you were still a girl in high school. The class itself was quite a profound experience, also an unexpected surprise. As I mention in my service learning reflection, it was/is awesome to see, hear about, and ...

I chose this title because throughout this semester I have felt like the grrrlz studies class has been sacred ground for us. In the times leading up to class we do readings which expand our minds and make us think critically. When we can’t be together in person we use new age communicative tools (the interwebz) to keep in touch with one another. And right before class we come together to share what we have learned. And we always leave with newfound information that makes us all the wiser. I know that I for one will try to continue my foray into grrrlz studies because I feel after our months together I’m still not finished. While taking this course I found that I still have residual growing pains left over from adolescence and that until I get over them I won’t be able to completely understand grrrlz studies. I learned so much from this course about how to speak with grrrlz and how to relate to them. However, in my actual interactions with grrrlz I found myself falling short. And I thin...

I don't really know how to convey how amazing of a class Girls Studies has been for me. This post isn't going to do it justice and is going to be all over the place. I was not initially registered in the course. I didn't want to go all the way to Cocoa and a million other excuses as to why I should be in another class instead, all rebutted by my friends who were taking the class and swore that I would love it and needed to switch into it immediately. Part of the reason that I caved was because of how many amazing women that I knew were taking the course and how great I knew the discussions would be as a result. What can I say? Y'all proved me right. All of the women that I already knew and whom (who? that?) I'm glad that I know now consistently had such unique and fascinating stories, arguments, and ideas that sometimes the continuing discussion on the ride home wasn't even enough for me. Maybe I'm overzealous. I was always excited for every other Wed...

I have been putting off writing this blog until I could find the right words to describe our Girls' Studies class, yet it's hard to articulate such a powerful experience in a few short paragraphs. I was nervous about first beginning the class because I only knew a few other women who would be taking it, and I wasn't sure how I would relate to the other women enrolled. I was confident in my feminism yet knew I had much to learn, and this class was the perfect answer. Not only did I meet some of the most incredible, inspirational women I have ever been blessed to know, but I also learned a great deal about myself and the young girls in my life. Through the texts we read, my knowledge about feminist theory in relation to girlhood was greatly expanded upon, especially about the two main constructions of girlhood currently debated within the scholarly realm, that of the drowning Ophelia and of the consumer-driven "Girl Power!" tween. More importantly, however, I learne...

When I first walked into class, I instantly realized how we all looked very different in the way we dressed and acted. Although it is always more comfortable to be around people like yourself, I quickly came to the conclusion that we were actually quite similar in our beliefs about how women should be treated. I found myself nodding with what everyone said as a response to our assigned reading. I enjoyed having the ability to laugh with the person next to me, or whisper about parts of the movie we watched. Overall, I enjoyed being around so many women. Everyone was so kind, open, and approachable. Besides all of the useful information I learned about girlhood and girl power, I learned that sharing experiences and thoughts with other women is a wonderful thing!

I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful this class was. Going to class was so enjoyable because I knew I would be surrounded by such amazing women/girls. Personally this class made me reminisce upon the trials and tribulations of my girlhood and engaged my interest in the current/future generations of girls so much more. My favorite part of this class was the service learning portion. It felt so good to actually get out there and apply what we talk about in class. It was so inspiring to see girls so much more informed than I was at their age. It gave me hope that they can conquer their battles with body image, gender issues, sexuality, boys, and all they must deal with. Also, it’s comforting to know that everyone I sit in class with has gone their own version of girlhood (whether enjoyable or less) and you have all turned out to be amazing women with powerful intelligent opinions. I also thoroughly enjoyed our discussion on the term "girl power." I fully plan to ...

This semester has gone by so fast, and I can’t believe this is our last blog (for the class). I wish other classes I have taken went by as quick as this one did. Originally, I was a little hesitant to sign up for this class. I was not sure what exactly it would be like, or what it would involve. As I had said in the previous blogs, I have never taken a women’s studies class, and I thought for my last semester it would be something different to try. I feel like I got so much out of this class. It was incredibly interesting to hear what everyone had to say each week about the discussion topics. It was nice going to class and not having to worry about knowing enough about the topics or making sure you understand everything in the book, because everyone to could relate to the topics and could explain their opinions on each issue. It made class fun and interesting to be able to share stories and hear what other girls have gone through in their lives. I feel like I have a better und...

When Meredith Tweed, my Intro to Women's Studies professor, told me that Girls Studies would be offered in Fall 2008, I knew I had to take it. But when I found out it would be offered at a campus that was a 45 minute drive from the UCF main campus, I decided it would be too much of a hassle. However, after talking to some of the other girls who were registered for the class and hearing about possible car pool arrangements, I ultimately decided to take the course. And I'm glad I did! Girls studies has heightened my awareness of the unique issues that girls have to deal with and their relation to feminism. Before I took this class, I had little knowledge of these issues. As a feminist and women's studies minor, I had read feminist literature and taken women's studies classes, but none of them had covered the issues of girls. This class is essential to any feminist's education and should be a required class for the women's studies major (and possibly the minor). It...

As a Women’s Studies major, and as a feminist, most of my time and energy is spent trying to improve the lives of women. Girls Studies was different for me because instead of fighting for all women, we got to focus on girls. It was an interesting and exciting for me, mostly because many of my family members who I am close to are young girls. It is hard to see them struggle in the world today. They are taught to be “good,” but still attractive to boys. They are taught to buy buy buy! They are taught to be straight, white, and quiet. A lot of time I wish I could offer them feminism as a solution to some of their problems. This class helped me to identify the resources I could use to give feminism to the younger women in my life. As a die-hard Spice Girls fan (theirs was the first concert I ever went to) it was hard for me to deny that “Girl Power” was a real source of strength. But this class has given me other sources of strength for young girls, like New Moon magazine and websites like...

Girls’ Studies has been an interesting class for me, and most definitely a learning experience; coming into it, I was uncomfortable being surrounded by so many women who are so passionate about Feminism, something which I felt very uneasy identifying with. When I really stopped to analyze my discomfort, I found that its root was in the image of Feminism, not with the principles, which I, for the most part, agree with. I think the image of Feminism, like any other image, often prevents people from really trying to understand the philosophy and belief system. Not really having much previous interaction with “radical feminists,” I bought into the stereotype and feared that a bunch of angry girls were going to cast me out of the group because I wear make-up, or wear high-heels. I will admit that it was really threatening to me to be in a class, or car, full of people who I perceived to be so different from me. I am not a confrontational person, and I fear being judged (although, it is jud...

I remember last fall semester Kathryn telling me that there was going to be a new awesome women’s studies class offered in Cocoa and that we have to take it. When it came time to register for fall classes I immediately signed up for it, I did not even read the course description. I decided to look the course description up now to see what it actually says, “Girls' Studies, an emerging field within Women's Studies, focuses on the material experiences of girls in U.S. and global cultures using academic and popular texts.” Honestly, that does not even begin to give it justice. For me girls’ studies was so much more than focusing “on the material experiences of girls.” It was an opportunity to dissect how society and our culture constructs girlhood and relate it back to our own experiences. While women’s studies allowed me to learn about the struggles I might be facing now or in the future, girls’ studies gave me answers to the struggles I faced as a girl. The most exciting part of...

My time in Girl's Studies enhanced the relationship that I shared with my "little sister" this semester. Not only did I regain an understanding of my own upbringing as a girl, but I felt as though I could offer something unique to my little sister because of it. Our class time talking about periods and prom may have just seemed like a series of short, personal stories, but amounted to a group of womyn rediscovering the intricacies of their bodies and minds as a girl. While I've never discussed sex, prom or periods with my little sister, the subtleties of these subjects and the insight I gained from every one in the course made for more intimate conversations that allowed a more natural form of sharing with my little sister, whether it was about eating an alternative diet or music about "serious stuff", it was cool. One of the weirdest and most unexpected things that I got out of the course was my evaluation of my self as a "rebellious teen"...

I really enjoyed girl studies this semester. I took it as a class just to fill up one of my last electives for my last semester and it ended up being my favorite women’s studies course! I was taking women’s heath issue for my last women studies minor and I really hated it, it will be really cool when classes like girl studies can cut out some of those classes that aren’t exactly women’s studies geared. For example women’s health issues was a nursing course and I found it hard to understand because it was designed for nurses to take. Girl studies was great because it was so largely discussion based and I feel like I learn so much more when I’m actively participating in the coursework and not just listening to a lecture. I also thought the blogging portion was really cool; I had never blogged before so I was really interested and surprised when a feminist author commented on our blog. The internet is such a great tool for this course. Girls spend a lot of time online these days so incorp...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081117/sp_wl_afp/lifestylejapansportsbaseball_081117063048 this is an article about a 16 year old girl drafted to play pro baseball in Japan, i couldnt help but think "Go Girl!" when i read it. just wanted to share.

This week my fourteen-year-old cousin, Mary, came down from Michigan to stay with me. Some of you had the pleasure of meeting her :). I would definitely have to say that although we spend a significant amount of time together throughout the year, this week of being together 24-7 really taught me a lot about girlhood and reminded me of how life was when I was fourteen. One thing I was reminded of is that sometimes girls just plain don’t want to talk. They may have a problem they need to address but don’t want to chat about it. Instead, they must get their feelings across in other ways. I think that it is really important for girls to be able to express themselves in many different formats and outlets. Cultural productions like New Moon really give girls a place to speak their minds about issues in a different way than everyway life. Sometimes girls have a lot of things on their mind, but they don’t want to talk about them. Sometimes they would rather write or draw to express themselves....

All of the websites were really cool, but my favorites were New Global Citizen and Girls Inc. New Global is definitely awesome, because if you are young and want to get involved with world issues and actually make a difference, than this is totally it. I wish I had known about this several years ago so that I could've gotten involved, because I was always interested in something like this. Also, Girls Inc. was good too, because it gave links to multiple sites that are other Feminist sites. I really wish that these sites were more well-known than what they are. It's just really unfortunate that it takes this class for me to experience them, so how are younger girls getting exposed to them? It would be so perfect if these sites were advertised in magazines like CosmoGirl, YM, or even like American Girl, and whatever else these kids read these days. That way when you're flipping through a magazine that is overpopulated with useless things in life, than you can see an ad for an...

So, I have to admit I'm a little bitter when looking at these websites. I wish so badly that I'd been aware of alternative magazines/websites, especially sites as cool as these while I was growing up. When I was really young, I read Highlights Magazine and this other science-y mag, but unfortunately by the time I was 12, only Girls' Life interested me. Anyway, that being said, my favorite of the sites was New Global Citizens. I like it because it not only empowers boys and grrrls, but it encourages kids to go out and help others too. As a kid, you always hear all this rhetoric about "volunteering in your community," but I can say that it never meant much to me. But seeing something like this that provides an easy way for KIDS to be ACTIVISTS - it's just awesome. The smartest thing New Global Citizens does, I think, is include links to facebook, myspace and other social networking sites - thus, making it even easier for kids to be involved. I kinda wish I were ...

I came across the section Beautiful Girls on the New Moon website, and reading some of their stories made me smile and have hope that girls aren't just falling into the media/societies trap of conventional beauty. These girls are saying I am different because of this, I may get made fun of, but I know my worth and I am confident in me, and to have that knowledge of self worth at a young age is awesome, especially if you keep it growing up. Young kids have a way of saying things so blunt and honest that is so refreshing. What is also refreshing is to see the Girl's Bill of Rights form the Girls Inc page. It was also fun to see the version from 1945 which is about girls doing things freely but wholesome and with some insinuation that women will all be mothers someday. Todays version is about doing away with stereotypes in gender, the workplace, success and others. I don't know if girls themselves made this, that would be even better, and I wonder if they modify the list every...

Ahhh this is like the eight millionth time this semester I have looked at the New Moon website and it never fails to make me soso happy. I had a semi-deificult time this semester finding grrrlz that would be willing to participate in Ashley and my Service Learning project so it is always really inspiring to look at something like New Moon and see that there are grrrlz out there who do care. However, the one thing I always wish had been different with New Moon is that it would be less adult run. So, when i saw the Free Child Project site I was really excited because in their about us section they specifically state how they are combating adultism which is something that I feel is one of the sections of Girls Studies that doesn't get mentioned too much. Many of the readings talk about how grrrlz are obviously oppressed and all of the different things that go into causing them to be oppressed. Because adult womyn and men are usually the ones doing the writing I feel they ignore adult...

To start, I had a bit of a disappointing experience related to girls' computer games. I had become excited when I saw "New Moon" on the syllabus, mistaking it with an entirely different thing -- Purple Moon. Purple Moon was a computer game company from the '90s that began marketing games specifically to girls. The one that I remember best and most fondly was called Rockett's New School , a game in which you are Rockett Movado, new girl in school. You try to make new friends, get by in your classes, avoid or befriend the mean popular girl, and, oddly, break into people's lockers and rummage through their belongings. It's Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-esque, with decisions to be made and consequences following. The game definitely wasn't perfect and according to my fair source, Wikipedia, apparently the company faced charges of sexism and ethnic stereotyping. The next time that I'm at my parent's house I intend to play it again and see if the game s...

Of all the web sites we were assigned to view, I must say that I was incredibly impressed with Girlsinc.org! I'm so glad that there are other programs like YWLP which focus on mentoring young girls, and Girlsinc is the most active, comprehensive, widespread, and amazing program that I have ever heard of! Being engaged in the political process is very important to me, and my favorite part of the organization was the She Votes campaign. Through Girlsinc, girls were not only permitted to cast their vote in a mock presidential election, but they actually went to the DNC as reporters! GIRLS WERE THE PRESS! Understandably, these girls were older (16-21) than most targetted by the program, but it was still totally cool! In addition, girls from different chapters got to meet senators, register voters, and view documentaries about the history of women's political involvement! I've never heard of an organization that motivates girls to become involved in politics more than this one! ...

NewMoon.com is an awesome website, if I was a parent I wouldn't hesistate dropping the 30 bucks for a year subscription. My favorite aspect of it is advertising-free! (In 2003, $893 million was spent in consumer magazines on cosmetics advertising alone) Many magazines and such will contain positive messages for young women, only to be followed up by a misogynistic/sexist advertisement depicting women poorly! Also, without the dependency on advertisers dollars, websites such as newmoon can publish what they WANT to, without worry of influence from big-buck product-pushing companies. " Learn about helping the environment, participating in politics, building better communities, and so much more!" This is definitely more of what young girls should be being taught- not how to make-out "like a pro" or deciphering "does he like you back." Politics??? Hell yeah! The FreeChild Project is designed for an older age-group, but is a wealth of information and r...

Although I usually don’t like reading extensively on line, I’m glad our homework was to visit these websites because Jill and I are going on an internet strike starting tomorrow for an entire week!!! That’s like a year in internet time! Anyway. New Moon did rule. I think this line stood out to me the most: “We recognize that no one is more expert at being a girl than girls themselves…” This is an important message to the rest of the world to be reminded of, and especially to young girls themselves who are constantly being told that they don’t know what they want-or they’re too young to understand. I strongly feel that if young women have the intellect to ask certain questions, they certainly have the power to face the answers (which these answers shouldn’t be so scary and negative to approach anyway). And it was incredible to watch the short video of Orb 28 brainstorm about their upcoming blog. It was refreshing to see girls shown in the light of confidence and cooper...

So I really wish I had New Moon when I was young. It seems to be so much more helpful compared to the magazines I read as a young girl- J14, CosmoGirl, ect. In New Moon instead of “What Kind of Guy is Right For You?” they have “Female First-do you know who these famous women are?” Instead of “What Store in the Mall is Your Favorite” Poll, they have “What topic are you most interested in hearing about in the presidential and vice presidential debates?” poll. My favorite part of the site was the Ask A Girl and Beautiful Girls. I love how they had they girls write in about someone they know who has inner-beauty. Here’s one of them… “A beautiful girl doesn’t pick favorites. A beautiful girl listens when you want to talk. A beautiful girl is there when you need her. She isn’t afraid to be herself, and she doesn’t force you to be like her. A beautiful girl keeps your secrets no matter what they are. A beautiful girl doesn’t care what others think about her; she knows who she is, and she’s pr...

I'm ecstatic to know that websites like these exist for girls, but my question always is: how do they find them? It's possible that they are advertised to girls somewhere, but I don't see where. When I was younger, the only way I found out about (alternative) websites and magazines for girls was through friends or my mom. I would have loved to peruse sites like this when I was younger, I feel like they would have helped develop my sense of agency and self confidence. I love New Moon because girls are a part of the production - which moves them from simple cultural consumers to cultural producers. The various sections encouraging girls to submit artwork, poetry, record themselves singing or dancing, to debate hot topics, or simply send in her thoughts, provide a space for girls to explore and create, things that are too frequently ignored. The section that struck a nerve for me was the "Beautiful Girls" section, the blurb explanation says a lot about its purpose: ...

There is so much garbage on the web that young girls can come across. It is good to see there are sites made especially for them. The New Moon site gives them a place to ask questions, things to do, and plenty of stuff to learn. The new moon site was great. Also, what makes this site so neat is that not only is it made for girls, but girls also contribute so much to it. It seems like such a fun site that they can get on. There are games, quizzes, questions & Answers, and so much information. This magazine and website really gives young girls a voice! Girls inc. also had a lot of information and programs for girls. One thing I really like about this site is that it had both a section for adults and then a link to the site for girls. The section for adults had the history of Girls inc., news, information, and programs that are offered. I think it is a good idea to have parents participate in what their kids are doing online. It gives them an option of sites to suggest for...

While browsing through the new-moon website I found the bio’s of the girls who had written poetry and submitted it to the website. It makes me smile when I read the bio of a 12 year old and it states “I am a seventh grader in a very liberal and democratic neighborhood. I support Obama-Biden.” “I HATE it when people are homophobic or sexist. I also hate it when people try to convert me to their religion…” It shows me that the youth is becoming more active with current issues and politics. When I was 12 I don’t even think I knew who was running for president and so many girls now are aware of who these people are and what their stances on issues are. More so they have their own opinions about all the “ism’s!” The other day on the radio (I can’t remember what station) elementary school kids called in to tell them who they would vote for and why, afterwards the crew would quiz them on politics. One of the questions asked was “what do you think is the biggest issue in the United States...