Thank You!

By -
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 judgmental of me to assume that any of the girls in the class would judge me); especially in the political climate which was so heated at the start of our semester, I felt that there was no way I could fit in. Wrong. I am sorry to all of the smart, powerful, beautiful, and funny people in our class for having so many pre-conceived notions, and for assuming that you wouldn’t be inviting. This has been one of the best dynamics I have ever encountered in a class; I really feel like everyone has really embraced everyone else, no matter what their beliefs or outward appearance. Reading, discussing, laughing, and crying with all of you about our own experiences of being a girl, as well as the experiences of others, has not only been extremely cathartic, but also really eye-opening. I feel much more comfortable communicating with younger girls because of this class, and feel more in touch with things that I have both struggled with and overcome. We are all so incredible, and I thank you all for making this such a great experience!

Comments

amanda said…
I'm really glad that you enjoyed this class and it changed your view of feminism and feminist.
:)
November 28, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Bianca said…
Do you identify as feminist now? :)
December 8, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Film Review

By -
Film Review: Mean Girls Written by Elizabeth Nesbitt This film was written by Tina Frey and Rosalind Wiseman in 2004. This movie deals with several girl issues family, friendships, body image and popularity. The movie begins with Cady played by Lindsay Lohan who had been home schooled in Africa. Her family moved to America in her senior year where she had to attend public high school. When Cady starts school she knows nothing about cliques. The first friends Cady encounters are known as the “Artsy freaks.” Cady then meets the “Plastics” a group of popular, gossiping, shopping, glamorous girls who see themselves as inferior to the other girls in school. Cady starts hanging out with the plastics, when she is really spying for her artsy freak friends. In Africa Cady had a good relationship with her parents and they enjoyed spending time together. Moving to America and attending public school Cady violates her parents trust by lying and having parties. Cady transforms into a plastic, fake...
Read more

Maiden, Mother and Crone by Vianny Nunez

By -
Image
  Maiden   Soft, sweet , and silent.   She is youthful , desired by all.    She wears long, beautiful gowns. Awaiting the hand of someone who’s strong and tall.   “A lady only speaks when spoken to.”   Words that have worn her ears before she could lace her own shoes.    “ Don’t eat so much, a lady must always watch her figure.”      The maiden’s first trigger.    You see, she’s been trained and groomed to fit the needs of men.   Before she could even reach the age of ten.    Men are blessed with strength and glor y when they'r e born.    Women? We’re cursed with beauty and immediate scorn.   You want us to fit perfectly into your ideals.    But we’d rather swim with eels.    There is more to her than what you can see.   Have you even asked about her hobbies?   Yes, she can cook and clean,    but she can also create literary scenes ....
Read more

Book Review - Dear Diary

By -
I'm not really sure exactly how I felt about Dear Diary. The book is about the life of Lesley Arfin, a girl from Long Island who goes through all the things that most teenage girls go through, but who also eventually becomes a heroin addict, and struggles to get clean. One thing that I really did like about this book was the way that it was written. The book is actually diary excerpts from Lesley's diary, supplemented with updates by Lesley and interviews with the people she wrote about in the diary entries. The way that Lesley writes make her seem very approachable, like someone you would want to be friends with. I really loved how she would give updates to explain things from her diary and I thought it was awesome how she tracked down and interviewed the people that she discussed in the diary. In one instance she was able to find out that the reason that she lost a once dear friend was because their fathers had an issue that Lesley had no idea about (27-28). She was even able...
Read more