(More Than) Grrrl Power! Girls Studies at UCF

So many girls today have so many expectations set on them by society. At times we need to remember that they are just growing up in a crazy world, and need a minute to breathe! I watched this video and immediately thought of sharing this with you all! I think it is a great video for girls and for us women. It is a great reminder that sometimes we need a minute to slow down and just breathe.

Female genital mutilation is classified into four major types. 1.Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris). 2.Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are "the lips" that surround the vagina). 3.Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris. 4.Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area. After discussing Violence Against Women, extensively, I thought I'd share this. I'm just mortified and I feel like I've reopened Pandora's box. I want to sto...

I really have no words about this, but wanted to share the link. Hooray for tuition hikes, huh?

If you really knew me just premiered as a reality TV show on MTV. This show is based on an amazing project that is sweeping through schools across the nation. In my opinion this show can be a very positive experience for young girls and boys. This project helps break the Walls of prejudice, discrimination, and hate. Please read this article and check out the show for yourself! Please let mr know what you all think.

There is so much pressure out in the world for young girls. Young girls have to be popular, pretty, smart, virginal, sexual, silly, frail,and strong all at the same time! There are so many contradicting messages that are being told to these girls. How do we expect them to love themselves if we live in a so society of contradictions? How do we expect girls to be confident in who they are when there are pressures in the world to look "perfect". I remeber thinking like this poem describes at many points in my youth. I am sure that many of you did too. :(

I'm not quite decided on whether I truly sympathize with Oliva Munn's predicament. Whatever your opinion on the magazine, you have to admit that it's a powerful cultural force in America today. People want to read it to be titillated. Many people want to be famous and read about in publications with the largest circulation possible. I don't believe it's right to want to benefit from the readership of Playboy and expect the sexist rules it applies to all of the other women in its pages not to apply to you. On the other hand, I don't believe it's right to have those sexist rules in the first place, or ignore a contract the way that the crew of the photo shoot did. Another part of me feels that if you're willing to go topless with hair covering your breasts, is it really any less modest, dignified or classy to actually show your breast? Fully nude or not, Munn was apparently encouraged by her publicist to appear in a magazine that is known for objectifying ...

When it comes to comic books, you may think of them as being particularly male oriented reads. There are plenty of wonderful examples, though, of comics created by females that are more realistic and heartfelt than the rugged late 80s-early 90s norm which is, thankfully, going extinct. Women have been drawing comics for as long as there have been comics, but only comparatively recently has the market for these works been acknowledged, and it's much easier to find graphic novels drawn and/or written by women not just in the underground 'zine section but also on the mainstream shelves. This mainstreaming of feminine comics is a very good thing, bringing a broader range of perspectives to the comics world. There are plenty of great artists you can look up, like Lynda Barry, Colleen Coover or Amanda Conner. But I wanted to write this post because of a surprising read from Eric Powell, known for his watercolored comics about thugs, zombies and women who look like 50s pinups. I'v...

I wanted to let everyone know about a great book that I just picked up and can not put down. It is called "In Her Shoes" by the well-known author Jennifer Weiner. The book was also made into a movie in 2005 staring Cameron Diaz. This book relates to all women, but I think its especially great for young women who are currently going through college. It's the story of 2 sisters who go through the lifes struggles growing up in the typical family. I have not finished the book yet, but have heard great things about the book as well as the film. Wanted to recommend it all to you as well. Enjoy!

I just thought I should post this link because of this weeks discussion. In my opinion it is incredibly sad what these girls have to go through!

As some of you may know I work for a local non profit organization that houses foster kids. Thanks to this organization I have learned a great deal from these kids especially from the young girls. There are two very sweet twins that I work with. They are both in high school. They were seperated from their family because their older brother did some inapropriate things to them when they were younger. They have been in foster care for 3 years now. Even though, they have been through horrible things in their short lives they are so strong hearted. They have an unbreakable bond with so much love. They do not wallow in their own sorrow, but they make the best of their situation. They are intelligent, sweet, and strong individuals. I know they have a bright future ahead of them because of their incredible strength and faith in eachother. Just thought I should share this with all of you lovely ladies !

Do you remember when you first got your period? Do you remember having all these questions, but were embarassed to ask your mom or friends? Here is a site I used to use as a young girl, that still exists today. It's a website sponsored by Always and Tampax and answers all questions related to having your menstrual period. I think it is a great resource for "girls" first experiencing puberty. Recommend it to your young sisters, or to use with your own daughter. Enjoy! http://www.beinggirl.com

Found here : Are you a young feminist looking for a vital community, peer and mentor support, energized discussion and a great place to be seen and heard? The All Girl Army wants you! The main part of the All Girl Army site is the individual blogs for no more than 29 girls and women between the ages of 10 and 25 who identify as feminist, and a single, collective blog which highlights entries from the individual blogs, as well as news items pertinent to women and girls and topics given for more writing and discussion. Blogs are expected to represent you and your life, so are personal in some respect, but should address women's and feminist issues en large, evaluated through your own lens. Remember: the personal IS political, so every post needn't be a political screed, but personal entries should have express relevance to feminist/women's issues in some way. You can always evaluate issues in your daily life via a feminist lens in some respects, or share experiences you know ...

Do you read The American Virgin ? If not, you should. It's a really great blog with a focus on "virginity" -- both the purity movement, abstinence-only education, and they also do some first person interviews with people who consider themselves "virgins" with questions about their opinions on the topic. The latest post has to do with virginity pledges happening on Facebook . Full disclosure: I find nothing wrong with people abstaining from sex for any particular reason that they choose to. As a sex-positive feminist, who am I to tell people what they should or should not do with their own bodies? Making informed choices about sex -- whether it's having a happy, healthy sex life within a monogamous relationship, or having a happy, healthy sex live with as many partners as you'd like -- also means that you have the option to make informed choices about not having sex. The key word is "informed" -- are you remaining abstinent because it is what *...

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/24320935/detail.html This is a news story that I found today on ClickOrlando.com. What struck me about this article is circumstances that surround the 11 year old girl and her parents reaction. I am not going to mention details about the article, because I want you to read it and think about it, and also think about how you use the internet’s blog sites. Do you consider who is really watching your blogs? Have you ever considered that future employers or scholarship awarders might come across your blogs when they research you on the internet? Did it ever occur to you that someone you baby sit for might happen upon what you write on the internet, and that can impact their impression on your ability to care for their children? Blogging is not private, or secure, or even wise. It is no different that leaving your diary on the lunch room table, or even worse, it being read daily over a loud speaker so all can hear. My advice as a 33 year old mother of two wh...

Just from reading the postings of my fellow classmates, I have come to realize the variety of experiences women have both in their formal sexual education and the way in which they received "the talk" from their parents. It hit me, though, that most of us represent the same generation of women, learning about sex from pretty much the same generation of adults. If those experiences were so radically different, my mind was abuzz with possibility. When my grandmother was a child, her mother was terrified to discuss with her anything about the changes in her body, so she simply didn't bother. One day, my grandma went to the bathroom to discover that she was bleeding heavily, and she was scared out of her mind. With no information on menstruation, she jumped to the conclusion that she was dying and began sobbing hysterically. She went running to her mother to tell her, and her mother apparently deemed it appropriate to tell her that she had simply gotten her period. As a...

Relevant to our discussions, there's a great post up at Feministing about mentions of abstinence in pop culture. As someone who has read all of the Twilight books, it is the one thing that really freaked me out about them. Like the Feministing post states, the messages about sex in the books are incredibly confusing. The worst part, however, is when Bella and Edward do have sex, it is very similar to rape, i.e. she wakes up, has no clue what happens, and is covered in bruises because he can't "control" himself. With regards to Taylor Swift, I know that she is often pitted against Miley Cyrus to further perpetuate the virgin/whore dichotomy we see repeated in society. In her popular song "Fifteen" it's written from the perspective of a girl who watches her friend fall in love with a boy, lose her virginity, and then get dumped. The lyrics in question are: "Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind, and we cried." (Everything...

I've been watching the new series called HUGE on ABC family for the past couple of weeks. It just started two weeks ago and it stars Nicky Blonski (the girl who played in Hairspray ). It's about this girl, Willamina ( Will for short), who has been sent to fat camp to put it bluntly. There are people at the camp from every shape and size. Their daily tasks consist of exercising, eating healthy, and talking in groups with each other about their struggles with being overweight. I'm overweight myself so I really like the show and can relate to quite a few things that have gone on so far. On last weeks episode a new girl came to camp and her parents and little sister came with her and stayed a few nights even though camp leader was against it. At one point the girls little sister stood in front of the mirror observing herself. She held her shirt up and would suck in her little gut. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her weight. It just killed me to see this young girl ...

We started to read “The Purity Myth” this week. I do have to say the author Jessica Valenti is a rather angry woman when it comes to the standard of maintaining virginity until marriage. If one can read through her rants on Christian organizations, the real meat of her thoughts comes into view. Her point is that the conservative view of maintaining virginity overshadows the bigger sexual issues that plague our country. Valenti points out the over sexualizing of youth as one of these bigger issues, and she is right, to an extent. This particular issue is addressed by many of the same conservative Christians that promote waiting until marriage to have sex. This is just one of many topics that plagued me while working through the chapters. The other thing that plagued me was the thought of this book actually promoting youth sex. Is it? I really am not sure. Her voice may be intended for the 17 and older reader, and if her statistics are correct, is about the age when teens are having thei...

What is this mess if photographs I've made into a collage above? It's just images I've found on the internet of women, and men, saying ENOUGH with the negative media. Enough. It's girl power, and it's boy power. We live in a world where we are constantly surrounded by negative media...media telling us who we SHOULD be. What we SHOULD look like. How we SHOULD dress. Who we SHOULD date. How much we SHOULD weigh. Let me touch on this for a moment..How much we SHOULD weigh? What's a good weight? Does wii fit know? Really...does it know what I should weigh, to feel "good about myself," or is it telling me when I get on the scale I need to weigh what it says in order for people to look at my body and not be mortified. Have you ever heard someone say, "She's a butta face." Everything looks good...butta face. That infuriates me....but it's the same thing when someone is viewed for only a face....only her face looks good, her body is despicabl...

Ever wonder how tampons have evolved? What did they use back then during the time of BC? I was searching through the gURL.com website and came across this tampon timeline. It is very interesting and gave me a few laughs, but I also learned from it. Just a few I found interesting: During the BC Era: Egypt: disposable plugs from softened papyrus. Ancient Greece: wrapped scraps of lint around a lightweight wooden stick, probably reusing the stick and replacing the lint as needed. Africa: rolled up long blades of grass from the planes to create their tampons and pads. Japanese: molded paper pulp into plugs to wear as tampons. Pacific Island: harvest absorbent sea sponges from the ocean and insert them as tampons. Thought these were interesting, check out the other eras. The link is: http://www.gurl.com/findout/guides/articles/1,,716773,00.html

PRECIOUS- ‘the teenager who made a come-back’. I chose to review the movie Precious starring Gabourey Sidibe, Lenny Kravitz, Paula Patterson, and Mo’Nique, written by Geoffrey Fletcher, directed by Lee Daniels based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” In the movie "Precious" Claireece Precious Jones is portrayed as an obese, illiterate, black 16-year-old teen that is pregnant by her father with her second child. Most girls and women have experienced some kind to gender discrimination while growing up, and will acknowledge that this possible took place either at school, our in their community. Precious endures many hardships in her young life such as, constant physical and mental abuse daily by her peers in her neighborhood, her mother, and repeated rapes by her father. The story supposedly took place in 1987 in Harlem, in New York City. I was able to draw a few connections between this story and the narrator of ‘The World and What’s Wrong’, when she says, “You can choose to l...