Activism Log 10

April 25 – May 1

• Activism

This was the end of semester show for the Feminist Agenda Radio. It was also the last show for our host and leader, Deborah “Debonair” Bernacett. It was kind of a sappy-sweet show, light on feminist analysis and current events, and more about reminiscing about the semester. We played songs we liked, and we closed out with Vitamin C's perennial graduation hit. Debonair announced her replacements, Josh, Dom, and myself.

• Reflection

Like how Kirk and Okazawa-Rey open their text with a history of feminists, and thereby honoring those before them, we decided to honor the person who started the Feminist Agenda Radio, Debbie (7). She got us motivated about the project, and she did not make it a chore for us. We wanted to let the listeners know how much we enjoyed this project.

• Reciprocity

One thing that has had me thinking is this idea of legacies. I want the new iteration of Feminist Agenda Radio in the fall to not be remembered as “the time when Debbie's show was ruined” but as “when those kids Debbie taught made her show better.” Debbie has a good reputation, and she has friends. I do not want word to get back to her that we killed her show after she put so much into it.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women's Rights, Women's Liberation, Women's Studies." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 3-25. Print.

Activism Log 9

April 18 – 24

• Activism

Another canceled show. Ho-hum. Luckily, things did happen this week. Deborah has left us the reins to the Feminist Agenda Radio. Dom, Josh, and myself have decided to keep the show running in the fall semester, and we have made plans for the summer. The idea is to stay in contact and to meet regularly in order to plan out each show and week to avoid the snags we hit this semester. We plan to have more faculty and guest speakers on the show, because we enjoyed the interview with Dr. Vest. I would also like to see the Feminist Agenda revitalized. One of the issues with activism on college campuses is the fact people graduate. I would like to find the fresh blood coming in, and I want to unite the progressive groups together. Through cohesion, change will happen.

• Reflection

We now know what works and what does not (at least we think we do). In the fall, we will try to avoid these mistakes and try to bring back the Feminist Agenda in some form. The fact that what we are up against is a system, “something larger we all participate in...which is more than a collection of individuals” motivates me to have a united front against it. (Johnson 69).

• Reciprocity

I do not want any of the organizations “on our side” to fall into disrepair. I want to make connections with people, so that they all know we are all in this together.

Johnson, Allan G.. "Patriarchy, the System." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 68-76. Print.

Activism Log 8

April 11-17

• Activism

This was the so-called “advertisement” show, because of all the feminist-related events that were occurring this week. I was not able to attend this show, because I mismanaged my time. I stayed home and continued working on Persepolis for Women in Literature. Thankfully, the show was short. This abated my guilt for not showing up. If it had been a standard length show, I would have been grovelling for apologies from my teammates.

• Reflection

This show called attention to my lack of time management and self-motivation. It was a painful critique, but hopefully it will stick, and I will be a better person because of it.

• Reciprocity

This show resembles how the Feminist Agenda Radio started. It acted as a dissemination machine, letting the audience know about the feminist-related activities happening on campus. The show was meant to affect what Okazawa-Rey and Kirk call the “meso” level of activism (15). The radio program was designed to reach the entire student body and to let them know what the feminists are doing!

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women's Rights, Women's Liberation, Women's Studies." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 3-25. Print.

The NeverEnding Story: An Analysis

Schuyler Kerby

Nina Perez

WST 3015

14 April 2010

The NeverEnding Story is a delightfully 80's movie that intended to have message showing the power of the imagination and the importance of books. Implicitly in the film is a constant theme about the preservation of nature. Fantasia is a lush, wondrous place. Even though it has its fair share of horrors, like the Swamp of Sorrow, it is still beautiful. The primary antagonist in the film is the gaping void that is destroying all of Fantasia—the Nothing. With these explicit and implicit themes the film tells the audience to use their imagination to save the environment.

Although these themes are still present in this movie, environmental ideological critiques are present in the film. It critiques the separation of nature and civilization, the public and private attitudes concerning the environment, and it critiques the gendered nature of ecofeminism.

Once Bastion begins to read the book, the audience sees a direct contrast between the urban New York City with the mystical Fantasia. However, this contrast is not seen again until the final scene where Falcor flies Bastian through the city streets. The NeverEnding Story breaks down the false dichotomy of civilization/nature by showing a diverse population that has its own culture in this wilderness. There is no dividing line between “This is where we live” and “This is where nature begins.” Even the capital of Fantasia is carved out of a mountain. The populations of Fantasia have performed a “way of foregrounding interconnections among [their] communities” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 539). This elimination of difference between nature and civilization relates to another binary broken down by the movie—public/private.

What actually occurs in the film is remarkably simple; a boy reads a book. This private action, however, has public consequence for the denizens of Fantasia. His interaction with the characters in the text destroys the public/private binary. The physical act of reading and imagining effects Fantasia and ultimately saves it.

Throughout the movie, the audience believes that the source of Fantasia's salvation lies in the Childlike Empress. Atreyu's mission is to find a cure for her illness. After she is cured, she will be able to restore Fantasia. This supports one of the core beliefs of ecofeminism, that men cannot directly help protect the environment and that they can only work as a supportive role (Perez 4/7/2010).However, that is not how the plot unfolds. The cure for the Childlike Empress is a new name bestowed by a human child. Bastian, the reader of The NeverEnding Story, saves the day by naming her Moonchild.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women and the Environment." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 535-49. Print.

The NeverEnding Story. Dir. Wolfgang Petersen. Netflix.com. Web. 14 Apr. 2010.

Perez, Jeannina. "Eco-Feminism." University of Central Florida, Orlando. 7 Apr. 2010. Lecture.

Activism Log 7

April 4 – 10

• Activism

The show was canceled this week, because there was an SGA event being hosted in Brooklyn Pizza. It was the NCAA finals, and the noise levels would have made broadcasting impossible. I took the time available to work on my presentation on Persepolis and gender.

• Reflection

By taking two classes about women's lives, I saw how theory and praxis intermingled. My research into gender began with Judith Lorber's essay “The Social Construction of Gender.” One of her points, that “gender creates the social differences that define 'woman' and 'man'” is how I focused by research into gender in Persepolis (65). I was able to understand how the things I learn, the things I write about, and the things I talk about on the show are interrelated.

• Reciprocity

Although no radio show was produced this week, activism still occurred. I was able to spend those hours clarifying what I know about gender theory and adding more to my knowledge.

Lorber, Judith. "The Social Construction of Gender" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 65-7. Print.

Combative Narratives: Baghdad Burning and the Western Media

Schuyler Kerby

Jeannina Perez

WST 3015

5 April 2010

The human mind thinks with narratives. They are how we interact and think about the world. Our inner monologues are how we process information. Because of this, the construction of narratives by institutions in culture and society can be powerful. Stories are being crafted, most noticeably by the media. They inform their audiences about how the world works, acts, and is. When Iraq was invaded by multinational forces March 20^th, 2003, one narrative was prevalent in the United States media. Iraq was a dangerous nation with weapons of mass destruction. When evidence began to lack for that story, the message was changed. Iraq had ties to terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda. When that story began to crumble, the final narrative was drafted. The Iraq people are oppressed, and America will liberate them.

One blogger decided to speak against this narrative. Riverbend, who began to publish posts from Baghdad in August 2003, sought to provide a voice from Iraq and to provide a counter-narrative to the one being perpetuated by the occupying countries in Iraq. Her blog Baghdad Burning can be characterized as a personal, politically-affected educational ethnic occupied narrative. It is personal because it is her life. The entire work is politically-affected by the decisions of the occupying forces and the new government installed in Iraq. The primary focus of the blog is to educate the audience about the myths in the narrative about Iraq. This education occurs because the narrative is ethnic (she is an Iraqi woman) and from an occupied view (she writes from the perspective of a person living with occupying armed forces). A notable entry that seeks to destroy the myths in the dominant narrative is titled “The Promise and the threat” published on August 28^th, 2003.

She starts this entry with a contrast between “The Myth” and “The Truth” (Riverbend). The myth, she states is “Iraqis, prior to occupation, lived in little beige tents set up on the sides of little dirt roads all over Baghdad” (Riverbend). She lists more myths that deal with gender roles (not every Iraqi woman wears a burqa at home while taking care of 10 children) and education (the boys do not just learn rudimentary math to count the sheep). She counters these myths with her own story about the large amount of engineers in Iraq and how the proposed $90 billion rebuilding fee is the result of not using Iraqis to help rebuild. She identifies the cultural desire for buildings to be more than “functionary”. Buildings “have to have artistic touches” (Riverbend).

The issue that sparked this post was the announcement by Bremer that $90 billion would be required to reconstruct Iraq. This figure, and the fact it exists at all is due to what Kirk and Okazawa-Rey call “the quest for control of strategic locations and scarce resources” (508). Riverbend believes that the War in Iraq is a War for Oil. Because the goal of the multinational forces was for a source-turned-resource, the occupation of Iraq can be seen as an act of colonization. This idea is enforced because of the presidency installed. It consists of nine rotating members, with divisions among ethnic and religious lines. This kind of division, according to Kirk and Okazawa-Rey, is one of several factors that “were central to this process [of colonization]” (377).

550

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Living in a Globalized World." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 371-92. Print.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women and the Military, War, and Peace." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 493-511. Print.

Riverbend. "The Promise and the Threat." Web log post. Baghdad Burning. Google, 28 Aug. 2003. Web. 4 Apr. 2010.

Activism Log 6

March 28 – April 3

• Activism

This show has been half-heartedly called “the failed show.” Although it did not completely fail (we had fun and we did a semi-decent broadcast) it showed that we needed to rethink our strategy. We planned to talk about Health Care Reform (which just became law that week) and the abortion related Stupak Amendment for at least two hours. However, we blazed through all of our talking points in about half an hour and received no call-ins. We had depended on our “controversial” topic to cause people to call in (and it was not like we did have any listeners that night), but we did not engage them enough to do so. We filled the remaining airtime with recent news that could be taken as feminist, like the ex-gay decision at Disney.

• Reflection

We expected a raucous debate betwixt the five of us, but even abortion, called by Kirk and Okazawa-Rey an “issue central to women's autonomy and will continue to be highly contentious”, we all ended up agreeing on the topic (214). In the latter half of the show, Debbie began to act as the devil's advocate to make a debate actually happen.

• Reciprocity

This show taught me and the group as a whole that not every week would be easy. The nervous glances around the studio as silence began to fill the room and our airtime are things I do not wish to revisit.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 207-24. Print.

Activism Log 5

March 21st-27nd

• Activism:

This was a big week for Feminist Agenda Radio. We had Dr. Jennifer Vest on our show, and Take Back the Night was that Wednesday. Evan suggested that we have Dr. Vest on the show, and Dom and Josh made it happen. They both currently have class with Dr. Vest, and they were able to convince her to appear on the show. She performed several of her spoken word pieces, and it was powerful. We would find out later that we made an error by not providing a warning about the graphic nature of the piece. This occurred because we did not review the material before letting it air on the show.

• Reflection:

This entire week was appropriate for the materials we read in class. Violence against women and men were spoken about at Take Back the Night and on our radio show. Vest commented on the fact that the majority of the Feminist Agenda Radio that night were male, and she commended us for being there. It reminded me of what occurred in the “I Am Not A Rapist” chapter of our text. One point we discussed on the show was the words we use to describe those that are raped. 'Victim' is known to be troubled, and I brought up the issue with the word “survivor” and the culture attached to it. I have seen issues with survivor culture (around October, a lot of blogs comment on breast cancer survivor culture), and Morales's essay in our text reminded me of it. She states that a “place of wounded eroticism is one that is honored in survivor culture, evidence of blows inflicted and then denied by our abusers” (284).

• Reciprocity

Dr. Vest made me think of the role of art in activism. What she does with her poetry and spoken word is a “new”, effective way to reach people. Activism is more than making phone calls and writing letters and handing out flyers, it can be a source, an inspiration of creative force.

Morales, Aurora L. "Radical Pleasure: Sex and the End of Victimhood." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 283-4. Print.

Activism Log 4

March 15-20

• This week was the start of Feminist Agenda Radio. I would consider it a success, especially after communicating with several people that listened to the show. The entire process was nerve wracking though because I was unfamiliar with protocol and the equipment. The idea for the show that I brought to the table (discussing the issues of the word "feminism" and all the connotations that are wrapped up in it) did not become the one we discussed, but the topic we decided on (current popular songs and their implications and messages) was delightful. It was nice to have a serial caller, who happened to be trans, while we were discussing the rumors presently surrounding Lady GaGa.

• One issue that I have been debating inside myself this past week because of the release of Lady GaGa's "Telephone" video is the issue of empowerment versus exploitation. Does the video cause an exploitation of the female form, or does it empower it because of its liberation? This debate came to the forefront of my mind while seeing a comedy act at the Orlando Brewery on the 19th. My Black-American friend, Big Harry, is a stand-up comedian whose purpose on the stage is to offend as many people as possible in the audience. His act is incredibly racists, sexist, and classist. Although it appears he is commenting on the Black Male Experience, he truly just lists off a series of increasingly offensive stereotypes in order to get people to leave. From his perspective, his act is empowering because it shows the ludicrous nature of racism, since he is a part of the group he is commenting on. However, I wonder how empowering it could be since he was nearly in an altercation with a Black-American in the audience.
• One of my favorite parts of working with the Feminist Agenda Radio was the fact we received several phone calls from Queer House. We were able to hear a trans perspective on several topics, fulfilling our duty, according to Seely, to critique the impact of pop culture on "the public perception of women" (103).

Seely, Megan. Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. Print.

Bitchin' In The Kitchen (Crying in the Bedroom All Night)

Lois's self-esteem suffers under a barrage of verbal abuse under her husband Peter. He focuses on her appearance, calling her old and fat. This is ironic because of a common sitcom trope. Lois is the hot, intelligent wife to her fat, stupid husband. This point is cemented by Lois having a former career as a fashion model (“Model Misbehavior”). To compensate for her lagging self-esteem, she finds herself attracted to her daughter's new boyfriend, Anthony. She is encouraged by a neighbor, Bonnie, who is also a mother and wife, to explore her sexuality. This contradicts the element of faithfulness in the archetypes of “wife” and “mother”. Not only does Lois challenge her gender role by making and succeeding with her advances on Anthony, she also strengthens her marriage. When Peter finds out what Lois did, he recognizes the issue in how her has been treating her.

A minor maternal figure appears in the episode, on the show within a show The Jolly Farm Revue. Mother Maggie represents an idealized mother, who not only is she fertile, each one of her children receives ample affection, care, and education.

The fact that a violation of a marriage grew the couple closer, called by Ettelbrick the “most venerable, impenetrable, institutions in modern society” illustrates how subversive Family Guy is towards traditional gender roles (317). To consider that an extra-marital act could actually make a marriage stronger violates a severe condition in the tradition of marriage. The woman is supposed to be ever faithful to the husband, who is traditionally (most notably in the Victiorian era) allowed to have mistresses and affairs.

Another cliché addressed in this episode is that of the mother/daughter relationship. Usually regarded as sacred and as how girls become women, this episode turns a relationship of growth into one of competition. In a highly disturbing scene, Lois and Meg discuss the issue of Anthony. Meg tears out one of her teeth, and she recounts the sexual exploits she has had with her boyfriend. The antipathy Meg feels for her mother is practically palpable, and the situation becomes stranger because it is not addressed for the rest of the episode. This inversion of the mother-daughter dynamic makes the show one “that [redefines] family in the twenty first century” (Seely 103).


Works Cited

Family Guy. FOX. Hulu.com. General Electric, News Corp, The Walt Disney Company. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. "Go Stewie Go" Season 8, Episode 13.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Seely, Megan. Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. Print.

The Ballad of a Heartless Womanizer

To understand "The Rake's Song" by the Decemberists, like most art, context is required. This song is part of their rock opera called The Hazards of Love. This song is features one of the villains in the tale, the Rake. This term refers to the kind of man one only wishes to hear of and never to meet. He is a heartless womanizer, a true fiend. The song is not intended to glorify this man's actions nor to show him sympathy. The listener is meant to feel revulsion after hearing his story.

A man marries a woman after living a wild life of womanizing. He realizes as she starts "spilling out babies" that he has been cursed (Meloy). He considers his children a curse and a burden, and after his wife dies giving birth, he sets out to kill all three of them. He succeeds and goes on to have an "easy and free" life, without having any remorse.

The horrific violence in the song demands a cause, which can be identified in the children themselves. The Rake kills the children because they were a burden, however, stating that the cause of the murders are the victims is ridiculous. One has to identify the broader cultural pressures that would cause a man like the Rake to enter marriage. The only reason hinted at in the song is seen in the line "I was wedded and it whetted my thirst" (Meloy). This implies that the Rake married this woman because, apparently, that made him desire her more. Perhaps she had money or prestige, that the marriage was one to benefit him socially. Another thing noticeable in the song is a lack of meso-influences. The community is not mentioned, and he got away with his crime. This perversely comments on the "cultural legitimation of male violence" (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 266). The Rake's society, although it probably does not condone the murder of children, still believed in the "male control of women's behavior and of the family."

The Rake himself represents a cultural idea of masculinity. He does what he wants, regardless of others, and he sees children as fetters on his freedom. He is a caricature and parody of what is socially acceptable to be a man. He is the old way, contrasted by the groundbreaking work of Men Acting for Change, as reported by John Stoltenberg. The Rake is the ultimate misogynist, hating and destroying what women can do that he cannot--birth children.

"The Rake's Song" acts as an introduction to one of the villians in the Decemberists's The Hazards of Love, but through that introduction, Colin Meloy amplifies the cultural tropes of masculinity, taking them to an illogical extremes that forces the listener to analyze the cultural pressures that can result in the murder of three children.

Works Cited

Colin, Meloy. Lyrics. "The Rake's Song." The Hazards of Love. CD. Capitol Records

2009. www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com. Web. 15 March 2010

Kirk, Gwyn and Okazawa-Rey, Margo. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 257-271.

Stoltenberg, John. "I Am Not a Rapist!" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 285-290.

Activism Log 3

March 8 – March 13

• Activism

This was the week of Spring Break, and thus there was no Feminist Agenda Radio. I spent the first half of the week home, and I spent the last half in Orlando, Gainesville, and St. Augustine. This was my first time home in a while, and it was interesting having to interact with my parents.

• Reflection

There was a severe lack of activism this week, but it was not a waste. Spending time with my family and strangers in Gainesville helped me clarify my views and opinions on feminism.

• Reciprocity

Speaking with my mother and father about my classes, the topic of women's studies came up rather quickly. To them, this meant focusing solely on women and there were jokes about how “I might come around after all.” I explained to them that feminism is not so narrow anymore. It was a broad, encompassing movement, and it did not just mean wanting equal pay for women. To put it in the words of Kirk and Okawaza-Rey, it provides “a series of lenses to examine many topics and academic disciplines...and [it] raises crucial questions about teaching and learning, research design and methodologies, and theories of knowledge” (6).


Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women's Rights, Women's Liberation, Women's Studies." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 3-25. Print.

Activism Log 2

February 21-28

• The most notable event of the week was that Monday's show was cancelled due to the location where we broadcast was locked, and that we were unable to obtain a key. I was not there that evening, but I can imagine the frustration experienced by my community partner and my fellow volunteers. I was able to redesign the initial flyer, to make it more friendly for black and white printing, and I have been spreading those around in my classes and to the student clubs I visit.
• The catchphrase we use on the flyer "catch the third wave on the airwaves", identifies where this show places itself in the continuum of feminist thought, which made me think of Seely's chapter "Catch A Wave", concerning the benefits of identifying feminism as separate waves. I think that is something that I will be continually thinking about, "the importance of claiming feminism", since the movement has grown to include more than just women (47).
• This week has setbacks, but they were not that frustrating. The show that was cancelled was only the "welcome back" show, and when I found out that the flyers I spent four dollars on printing did not show the web address for the show correctly, it really was not that big of a deal. I was able to arrive at this conclusion after a few breathing exercises and realizing that the small and big pictures are not identical.

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl How to be a Fearless Feminist. New York: NYU, 2007. Print.

Activism Log 1

February 14-20

• This week, we accomplished several things. We were able to meet with our community partner and figure out the schedule for the Feminist Agenda Radio. We reviewed how we could help the radio program, like hosting one of their weekly shows, making people aware of the show via spreading flyers and tabling outside the Student Union, and creating a commercial for the show. As a group, we decided to focus on making people aware of the show and to start handing out flyers. We learned that the first show of the semester would be on February 22nd, and it would be a "welcome back" show. The content would consist of a preview of the shows coming up, and it would be a chance for us (the volunteers) to learn how to use the equipment.
• All that we have done this week has been planning. In the weeks prior we just have been speculating about what we will be doing, but now we have a solid idea. Seely's chapter "Fight Like A Girl" in her titular book has a list of ways to be involved, and she finishes it with "[d]on't let taking action overwhelm you" (19). Once I learned I would be doing a service learning project I was overwhelmed, fearing that I would be thrown in the deep in like in my previous service learning classes, but now that I know what is expected of me and what I will be doing I feel much more confident.
• This project is giving me a sense of how to get things done. I am learning how to stay motivated and make sure to get done what needs to be done.

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl How to be a Fearless Feminist. New York: NYU, 2007. Print.

Discussion Leading; Essay Abstract

Schuyler Kerby
WST 3015
Nina Perez
21 February 2010

Cisneros, Sandra. "Guadalupe the Sex Goddess". Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 164-167.

“Guadalupe the Sex Goddess” is a life narrative that reveals one Mexican-American woman's issues with sexuality. The narrative progresses from her experiences with the sexuality of the other (young white women in the high school locker room), to the physical discover of her sex, and to the acceptance of that sex and her sexuality. This embodiment in the text is paired with Cisneros's critical analysis of the Virgin of Guadalupe (165). She examines her sexuality and that of young Latina girls through the context provided by her intertwined religion and culture.

Cisneros examines the intersectionality that she experiences. As a Mexican, her religion is prominent in her culture. As a young girl living in a crowded home, she did not have privacy. The first affects how sexuality is treated within her culture, and the second shows how she was unable to explore her own body. Culture and religion created “that blur, a vagueness about what went on 'down there'” (165). This forced her to learn about her sex and sexuality through clinical settings, through that of the speculum and not her mother (165). Her family was not able to explain to her how her body worked, and she was not able to discover it on her own (165).

The lack of knowledge created a lack of confidence and security. She describes an experience with an man that led to contraceptive-less sex. She felt “too afraid to sound stupid, afraid to ask him to take responsibility too”, and this caused her emotional turmoil as she waited for her period (165). This lack of knowledge is not exclusive to her situation, and it is this silence concerning Latinas and their bodies that catalyzed her to write (165). Cisneros also recognizes an issue that needs to be address along with that silence and guilt that plagues young women, “a yearning to be loved” (165). These factors, she concludes, present a contradiction. Young Latina women are told to not become pregnant, but “no one tells them how not to” (165). This “culture of denial” leads to her angry to the image of la Virgen de Guadalupe. By presenting young Latina women the Virgin Mary as their cultural role model, while simultaneously not providing Jesus as the model for boys, a dangerous, unrealistic ideal is established that forces these women to have two options—motherhood or putahood (165-166).

As Cisneros discovered sex, she employed this “incredible energy” in order to reexamine the image of la Virgen de Guadalupe. She became a sex goddess, an icon that was a re-manifestation of the old goddesses of fertility, sexual passion, and maternity that were removed from her culture when her ancestors were Catholicized in 1531 (166). This figure, a culmination of old cultural figures; Buddhist writings; and traumatic life events, becomes Cisneros's God. This causes religious conversion in her, where she now believes in God. Her Virgin de Guadalupe allowed her to understand God, and to understand how she was blessed in her womanhood, her sex, and her sexuality.

Service Learning Proposal

Service Learning Proposal

Feminist Agenda Radio

Dominique Gelin

Schuyler Kerby

Josh Simpkins

Evan Wyss

February 3^rd, 2010

Jeanina Perez

WST 3015

Community Partner: Feminist Agenda Radio

Address: 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL 32817

RE: Community Partner Profile

Community Partner Mission Statement

“The Feminist Agenda is a group of feminist minded people coming together to address and combat issues of patriarchal happenings, specifically in the UCF/Orlando area.” - Feminist Agenda Facebook ®page

Political and/or Social Basis of Organization

Feminist Agenda Radio is a radio show that plays music and discusses feminism and topics dealing with inequality, women, gay rights, masculinity, and general societal factors pertaining to oppression.

Community Partner Needs

We will be assisting our community partner in the research required for the weekly shows and help them in any other area where they need us.

Memorandum

To: Jeanina Perez

From: D. Gelin, S. Kerby, J. Simpkins, E. Wyss

Date: February 3^rd, 2010

RE: Service Learning Proposal

Below, our group has outlined our Service Learning Project. The summary will explain why our presence at Feminist Agenda Radio will be beneficial for the program. It will also explain how we intend to execute our goal, how it relates to our studies, and the way in which we will work with Feminist Agenda Radio.

Need for Feminist Agenda Radio

Mission Statement: The Feminist Agenda is a group of feminist minded people coming together to address and combat issues of patriarchal happenings, specifically in the UCF/Orlando area.

In mainstream society, “feminist minded people” are portrayed as “no fun, whining critics who are out to destroy men and the male establishment.” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey, p. 5) The simple reality, however, is that feminists are simply individuals striving for gender equality. We do not hate men, and our goal is not to unravel the very fabric of society.

When activists collectively “combat issues of patriarchal happenings,” we are combating issues and institutions that put women in subordinate positions to men. These include, but are certainly not limited to unequal pay, control over reproductive rights, violence, poverty, racism, sexuality--anything that grants privilege to a dominant group.

Plan Proposal

After speaking with the community partner, we found that F.A.R. needs most help with promotions and developing episodes. It is anticipated that each group member will lead a discussion on air about a different topic at least once during course of the semester.

Rationale for Women’s Studies

The radio show does its best to bring to light issues directly affecting women in the U.S. and in Central Florida in particular. Without praxis, education becomes secluded to its ivory towers. With this in mind, the group feels that a radio show as outspoken as this one fits in perfectly with the material discussed in class.

Action

After our next face-to-face meeting with our community partner, the section will be expanded on. Nevertheless, we know that the bulk of our work will manifest itself in new media promotion (e.g. social networking sites, email lists, text messages) in addition to more traditional methods of advertisement. We will likely table outside the Student Union during the week, handing out flyers and working with other Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) to inform their members and the general student body.

Tentative Timeline (Subject to Change)

January 28^th Established contact with Debbie

February 3^rd Submit proposal

February 9^th Meeting at 12:30pm in the library with Debbie

February 10^th Revised timeline in group meeting

February 19^th Have flyer template ready for advertising

Flyer must include Date and Time of shows, the Knightcast website, and

the Facebook group.

TBD First Feminist Agenda Radio meeting, take meeting minutes

TBD Feminist Agenda Radio meets with other feminist groups, take meeting minutes

March 17^th Deadline to choose show topic

March 24^th Have research for topic ready

March 31^st Put research together in order to have an organized show

April 5^th Ready for our show to air

Citations

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl How to be a Fearless Feminist. New York: NYU, 2007. Print.

Rocky Horror Sexy Show

Schuyler Lincoln Kerby

WST 3015

Jeaninna Perez

Blog 2

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a parody of B-movies (the second movie in a double feature). This film pays homage to the science fiction double features mentioned in the opening track. As we, the audience, follows the bizarre scenarios Brad Majors and Janet Weiss find themselves in, we are forced to challenge our own ideas of human sexuality. Gender-bending, dance routines, and lasers are just a few of the spectacles we see.

The opening scene presents us with a pair of voluptuous lips, serenading us the heroes of drive-in double feature movies (Science Fiction). This opening number implicitly gives us a prominent idea repeated throughout the movie. This idea, as stated by Audre Lorde, is the erotic “'as our most profoundly creative source'” (Kirk 149). Those lips, belonging to Magenta (played by the lovely Patricia Quinn), represent the creative power of the erotic. The lips are disembodied, a fragment of a body. Because they are not attached to a body, yet they still have an erotic quality, this demonstrates that the erotic does not solely reside in the whole body of a woman.

Unfortunately, the erotic and sexuality have been conflated in Western society (Kirk 149). Other grievances that so called “deviant” sexualities have against heteronormativity are subject to catharsis in the film. Dr. Frankenfurter is not ashamed of who he is, nor is he willing to be quiet about it (Sweet Transvestite). He has even go so far to deconstruct the male/female and heterosexual/homosexual binaries that he has created a new center. He demands a selfish hedonism in all of his guests (Rose Tint My World). He has successfully dynamited the patriarchy, but he has created a new, Transylvanian system. Eddie violates this and swiftly murdered to death with a pick ax (Eddie). Because of Eddie's masculine, rock and roll ways, he did not follow the path of least resistance (Johnson 70).

In the movie, Brad Majors is the “straight man.” This not only refers to his initial heterosexuality, but also the fact he represents the patriarchy as a whole. Several times throughout the film he makes judgements and stereotypes against the other characters. In the wedding scene, he remarks that the new bridge is “a wonderful little cook” (Dammit Janet). When he first enters the castle with Janet, he makes a classist remark, calling the residents “rich weirdos” (The Time Warp). During the party with the Transylvanians, he dismisses their different behavior by calling them foreigners (Sweet Transvestite). Brad, in any other context, would be considered the character with the most agency. However, he is discovered to have the least. Only until he submits to fellatio by Dr. Frankenfurter, is he accepted in the that new system.

The purpose of the film is to force the audience to reconsider their own opinions considering gender, body, and sexual identity.

Works Cited

Johnson, Allan G. "Patriarchy, The System". Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey.
Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 68-76.

"Women's Sexuality". Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives:

Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 149-164.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Dir. Jim Sharman. Prod. Lou Adler and Michael White. By

Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman. Perf. Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Meat Loaf. 20th Century Fox, 1975. DVD.

2/8; There is never a shortage of grease in space.

This woman wants you to know that in the future, everyone will have a space suit and a bottle of Lestoil. Not only that, the Moon will be colonized. And with all that new land that humans will be living on, oh yes, there will be cleaning. The women will do it, in full evening attire. Their nails will be flawless and their eyes will be smoky. Billowing lashes and pouty lips will complement their lemony fresh all-purpose cleaners. She is not a mere woman. She is a space-woman from the future, where it is possible to be dressed to the nines and still capable and willing to get on their hands and knees to scrub the space-grease from the space-house.

This ad is not just selling a cleaner; it is selling a narrative. The future will be exotic, but social roles will remain the same. “Gendered norms and expectations” will remain the same on the Moon. (Lorber 65). The ad also presents a confusing message of femininity. Not only is the woman expected to clean (with Lestoil, no less), but she has to do it completely done up. She has to do it in order to still be called a woman. The ad perpetuates “gender inequality” and the “devaluation of ‘women’ (Lorber 67).

The ad, although it is selling a product intended for women, is aimed at men. The woman is not shown in a practical outfit to clean. She is in a spacesuit, with exotic features accentuated by her long eyelashes and smoky makeup. Her nails are immaculate, and her lips are perfect. The woman in the advertisement becomes exotic, releasing the message to its male viewers that if they were to buy Lestoil, their 1960s- women will become just as exotic as space-women from 3052.

The largest problem with the ad is the text at the bottom; “Women of the future will make the Moon a cleaner place to live.” This blanket statement forces an identity onto women. They have to be the domestic, cleaning up the messes of the Moon. They have to accept this task, because it is integral to their identity. If they do not clean, then they are not real women. This ad employs “social categories…to establish and maintain a particular kind of social structure” (Kirk, Rey 94). By releasing advertisements that attempt to defend the status quo, Lestoil (owned by Clorox) is trying to keep women in the gender roles that are currently defined for them. That damaging line of thinking also affects men. This presentation of the exotic and the domestic at once creates an unrealistic ideal. Only super-women can be dressed for a night in downtown Moonville and still be expected to clean up the Residential Space Pod. And even as super-women, they are expected to be subservient to their man.

Lorber, Judith "The Social Construction of Gender". Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey.
Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 64-67.

Lukas, Scott. "Exotics--Surreal." Gender Ads. 04/04/2007. Lake Tahoe Community College,
Web. 8 Feb 2010.
"Identities and Social Locations: Who Am I? Who Are My People?". Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 91-103.