(More Than) Grrrl Power! Girls Studies at UCF

We are often discussing the moral attitudes, roles and responsibilities to be good role models to young women and each other. Watching this show is partially captivating and partially startling. The three main characters are all engaging in what would be considered immoral behavior "traditionally" one finds herself pregnant after sleeping with two men, not knowing who the father is. Another is married and having an affair and then the last one is a thief. I know that these women and these characters are supposed to be stepping outside of the box but is there a point when enough is enough? Click on the title to see more about the show- it is showing on VH1

Hey everyone! :) This is an article that I wrote for the Central Florida Future. What does everyone else think about sexual education for our girls? What are your personal experiences with sex ed?

Have you guys ever sat down to watch "Bad Girls Club" on the Oxygen network? Shows like this rub me the wrong way. I don't think that there is anything empowering for girls in watching shows like this. The girls who are on this show are supposed to represent independence and strength; however, a majority of the time the girls just represent drinking, fighting, and sex. I actually feel that shows like this are teaching young girls to be dependent on parties and men and that it is acceptable to hate and fight with one another. **If you haven't seen the show feel free to click on my title. The link will take you straight to the page**

I know that this pertains to the Week One discussion more than Week Two, but I just have to share. I was at Toys R Us the other day to get my cousin’s baby something, and I overheard a mother talking to her daughter. She was telling her that she could pick out one toy, so the daughter picked out a set with a bunch of Spongebob character figurines in it. Her mom said “are you sure you want that? You don’t want more dress-up clothes or a new Barbie?”. It was upsetting for me to hear this, because my mom has done that to me my whole life, with clothes and everything, but I was so thrilled when the little girl said “no mom, this is what I want”. I always gave in to my mom’s suggestions to make her happy, so it was oddly liberating for me to watch this little girl stand up for her decisions.

I have always wanted to partake in a flash mob, but never found the chance to. When I seen this video of the United Girls of The World “Let it Be” flash mob I knew I had to do one for the right reasons. It takes a lot for anyone yet young girls to rally around strangers in a mall to sing and perform. All of these women and girls stood for something empowering and it was beautiful the way they all came together to help raise funds for their organization. If anyone were interested in creating a flash mob to help support a great cause I would love to be apart and help orchestrate one. * I found this quote on the United Girls Website: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” (Alice Walker) -Amanda Booz

I found this link to a site that directly ties in with our readings this week. It is interesting to see a website dedicated to illustrating how young girls should desire to look so alluring, yet still remain "innocent" in the eyes of society every other day. Isn't this a confusing message we are sending young girls? There should be more emphasis on inner beauty and strength versus body image. Katherine Hall http://www.promgirl.com/

I remember seeing this article in Glamour magazine a while ago and I found it online. THIS is what girls need to see - this is what the average woman looks like, and she is not ashamed. In fact, I think she is beautiful!! Click on the link above to read more :)

I just finished the promotional video for the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) at UCF. Please click on the link above to see it! :) It took me awhile to finish because I could not use copyrighted music-- so enjoy the random, but catchy, tunes in the background. YWLP is a fantastic organization that pairs UCF women with local middle schools girls. If you are not familiar with YWLP, please feel free to check out the promotional video to learn more! :)

This might seem irrelevant to some, but I am curious if anyone grew up watching the Oprah Winfrey show. It's definitely one of those shows that has left a mark on our society-- but did it leave a mark on your girlhood as well? :) I know for me, growing up without cable made my options for television programs very limited-- which is why at some point of my girlhood I watched Oprah with my mom on a daily basis. But it was a habit I grew out of fairly quickly-- which is probably why right now I'm not too struck by Oprah's final episode. Any thoughts? :)

Here's an absurd vintage ad I found online. Atleast today's marketing isn't THIS bad about sexualizing girls.

I read this article today and I could not believe that a mother would botox her 8 year old child for a beauty pageant. It is getting ridiculous that people are becoming so concerned with the beautification process at such a young age, the most shocking being that the young girl Britney says she believes it is unattractive for young girls to have wrinkles.

I found it exciting to see that gURL.com is listed as one of the girl empowerment websites! Growing up I practically lived off of gURL.com. I specifically enjoyed the chat portion of the site because it helped me connect wit girls like me about issues that I have had. I believe that sites like this can actually give girls the motivation that they need to do what they feel/believe that they can do.

I just read this article that popped up on my MSN homepage about a family keeping their baby's gender a secret so that "it" can't be pushed into any certain roles. They already have two sons, so I assume that eventually they will reveal baby Storm's sex, but even then, the article says that they allow their sons to dress as girls if they want to. But since a baby can't choose what it wears, do you think this is helping the baby? How? Thoughts?

Although it is not specifically or explicitly related to girls, I recently read an article in Ms. Magazine (for Dr. Santana's Introduction to Women's Studies class) entitled "Rape is Rape." I was surprised to find how relevant and interesting the article was! The article speaks about the archaic definition of the word "rape" in regards to the FBI's crime reports and local law enforcement agencies. Also, the article examines the backlogs of untested rape kits and lack of federal funding for sexual assault departments due to the under reporting of such crimes. The "archaic" definition of the word "rape" (which is still the accepted definition in law enforcement and federal courts, etc.) only recognizes instances which are "forced" or "against her will" and those involving vaginal intercourse. The article goes to explain the many implications of this archaic definition, such as that it does not include male victims,

I stumbled across this article this morning. You hear about things like this happening, but just the sheer volume is astounding.

this I find this article to be very disturbing. Why would a mother want to do something like this to her 11 year old daughter? If she is that desperate for money, she could have sought help from respectable sources. As mothers, we really need to teach our daughters and guide them in the right direction. I think these women studies classes are very interesting. I am thankful that I am taking these classes. I find the reading material to be very informative, and the research to go with it keeps me up to date with what is happening to girls.

Hey everyone! :) I'm not sure if you have heard of the Girl Effect, but it is a fantastic international organization dedicated to fostering the economic potential of the world's girls. They have a great introduction video that I think everyone should check out. http://girleffect.org/question The College Democrats at UCF started the Girl Effect on campus last semester-- http://www.demsucf.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=192:day-of-action-girl-effect&catid=42:general&Itemid=116 It would be pretty cool if we did it again. :)

this Why should an 8 year old girl wear a padded bikini top? How low would marketing companies go just to sell a product? I think that for a company to market padded bikini tops to eight year olds, is something that is in very poor taste. Mothers should not purchase such skimpy “Ashley Push up Triangle” stuffed with padding for their eight year old daughters. These types of swimsuits contribute to the sexualization of these kids, and can be very demoralizing.

this I can understand why many college students avoid court ordeal and opt for counselling instead. If a female college student chooses to press charges and proceed with the court system in order to get justice, then very likely she would be put on the stand by some defense counsel, and badgered with all kinds of questions. It shouldn't come as a surprise that many defense counsels succeed in blaming the victims.

I don't know if anyone watched ABC WorldNews tonight, 5/22, but there was a very interesting story on two Girl Scouts. The girls were trying to achieve the highest honor, Girl Scout Bronze Award, and chose to work toward changes in food products use of palm oil. The creation of palm oil causes deforestation which leave the orangutans without their habitats. They found out their beloved cookies were using palm oil and along with a petition against palm oil and alas Girl Scout cookies. If you ask me they are two girls that will be the leaders of tomorrow!! This is a link to a news article in the Seattle Times as ABC did not have anything about it on their website. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004351728_cookies16.html

This is a video that one of my professors showed in one of my Sociology classes. It is pretty self-explanatory and a video that I believe absolutely everyone should watch.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43081000/ns/today-today_health/ I found this article on MSNBC.com and thought it would be an interesting topic for this blog. The over-sexualization of young girls is a topic that has been in the media quite a bit recently. This article mentions the "Ashley" bikini top - a push up bikini top aimed at young girls, which has gotten a lot of flack from the media. Personally, I thought this article was a step in the right direction, that is, bringing up the topic of over-sexualizing young girls. However, I wish the article was more in-depth and explored the psychological effects of these clothes on girls. Also, I found that the "advice" on how to tell your daughter that she can't wear sexy clothes was oversimplified and lessened the message of the article.

I found this article in the Boston Globe by Kevin Cullen compelling as it ties in with something I got from our readings this week. The readings in "Red" illustrated inner strength through adversity. These young authors exemplified their inner strength as they conquered varying obstacles ranging from conquering a boulder, to dealing with the drama associated with teenage life. It is the later that stands out as the link to the story which describes a tormented bullied teenage girl pictured here driven to suicide. And it is a sad fact that the bullies still run rampant without having received any sort of disciplinary action. It is this horrific fact that will only prove to disrupt, if not destroy another innocent life. http://www.boston.com/news/local/m assachusetts/articles/2010/01/24/the_untouchable_mean_girls/ Katherine Hall