Doing this week’s readings and watching the film was sort of interesting. What surprised me the most is that they don’t talk about menstruation in India because it’s considered u clean and taboo. When women are on their periods they aren’t allowed to step inside the temples because they are considered unclean and unholy. Which I find surprising. They also have little to no knowledge about how to take care of themselves during their periods. One thing in the film is that one of the women said that they had to leave school because they couldn’t handle being on their period and going to school.

I admire their passion to educate and break down the boundaries that prevent them from educating other young women about transitioning into adulthood.

As for the reading, I found it infuriating to know that POC is more likely to not receive the best treatment. It is sad to think about how many people are ignored when in pain because of their skin color.

bell hooks define feminism as “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”. I understand this as a way of expanding that feminism isn’t against men or against anyone in general. Feminism is all about ending typical stereotypes and bringing down patriarchal standards.
I mean this definition is similar to my own definition. I knew that feminism isn’t about being against men or victimizing women. It’s about trying to break down standards that we no longer need. Most think that feminism is about being against men because they look at the negative side of things to try to make feminism look bad.
After reading, Sex and ender 101, I got a deeper understanding of the difference between sex and gender. I was always confused about both since I thought it was the same thing but gender is more about what you identify with than what your sex is.

Pablo Picasso- Guernica

I chose this because it was a reaction to the war that was going on during that time. I believe it was during world war 2. The painting includes a woman screaming, and a dead baby being held by a screaming mother. I feel like this whole painting depicts what it was like to live during the war and how devastating it was. I wouldn’t say it’s disturbing to view but it makes me feel uneasy. Also, the artist chose gray tones which makes it feel more uncanny.

I enjoyed this week’s readings. By Garza and Williams. I  how they included their own personal experience to explain what they went through. I feel like both readings expanded my understanding of identity politics. In the first reading by Garza, she thoroughly explained how identity politics is a way to make sure that black women are included in the fight for their rights. Most of them weren’t included when white women were fighting for their freedom. 

I’m not sure what topics I would like to explore as a class in the remaining weeks. As of now, I can’t think of anything that I would like to know more about. But maybe my other classmates have some ideas that I would be interested in.

The reading gave a big insight into what black feminism is its sole purpose. I feel like the reading discussed a lot of topics that many people aren’t too open about especially when it comes to black women. Black women face a lot of challenges in this white lead patriarchal society. They aren’t taken seriously when it comes to their problems and sometimes they are led to their own demise

“We might use our position at the bottom to make a clear leap into revolutionary action.  If black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” I think this quote to me means that black women hold up society and they are the backbone that helps keep society afloat. A lot of our culture comes from black women and with black women being oppressed we have no way of escaping oppression from our white counterparts. No matter what race you are. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the video, Paris is Burning, because it describes not only the LGBT community sticking together but it also fighting oppression. One thing that stuck out to me from this documentary was that they do these balls so that they can see what it feels like to be like their white male counterparts. In the video, someone was saying how “you can’t be a businessman or an executive unless you’re a white male. In the ballroom, you can be whatever you a white man is.” I noticed that a lot of them know that white people are heavily privileged. One transgender woman described how she wished she was a white blonde girl since she gets whatever she wants no matter how she gets it. 

Race and gender have to do with capitalism because we all know that white people, especially males, no matter what social class you were born in, have a greater advantage than POC. Black women have it harder than anyone else in this society. They are often ridiculed and are forgotten, only to fend for themselves. Their problems aren’t focused on unless it’s a white woman’s problem. White males definitely have a greater advantage because they are seen as leaders whereas male POC aren’t. White people practically are on top of the social class.