I want to start off by saying how much I enjoyed this week’s readings. Garza’s The Power of Identity Politics established excellent points and ideas about identity politics and helped me understand it a lot more. It’s interesting — white people were the ones who created race and gender classifications, and are the first to propose that we simply eradicate the concept in favor of sameness. But, we are not the same, because of the many obstacles we face compared to the overwhelmingly white, cisgender, heterosexual standards of our world. Simply ignoring this will create no change. As Garza put it, “Identity is the elephant in America’s room.” We need to discuss identity politics in order to dismantle our oppressors, and very systems that uphold bigoted standards.

I really enjoyed Williams’ story about coming to terms with her identity in a way that feels right for her. It’s important to acknowledge that we do not have to force ourselves to fit in a box — and the way we experience race, ethnicity, and culture is unique to each and every person.

As for what topics we should focus on moving forward, I read Aleah Alamo’s discussion post and agree that it would be great to focus on race’s impact on poverty. Systemic oppression has everything to do with the lack of available resources, education, and all opportunities for marginalized groups. The quote, “Sure, I am empowered to decide what I eat for breakfast today, but larger forces create the options I can choose from—or whether or not breakfast is even available to me,” from Garza, describes this perfectly.

Have a great spring break! =)

Suffrage, labor rights, and the equal rights amendment are related in many ways. The right to vote is a tool that can be used to advance human rights, and improve conditions for those who are suffering. Without a voice in government, your voice likely will not be listened to at all — at least by those who can make a big change with all the power that they have. The right to vote can make it so that workers have a livable wage, and good working conditions, and this connects to the Equal Rights Amendment because labor rights are connected to women’s rights and gender justice. This is because a huge chunk of the workers being exploited for their labor are women.

I think these issues are very prevalent today. A lot of people like to think that just because there are no sweatshops in the United States (that we know of) that they’re just nonexistent. Meanwhile, as we saw in the video, even after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire serving as a cautionary tale, we have a similar incident happening in Bangladesh that cost people their lives. This shows how workers’ rights are still in peril and we still have much more work to do.

Something that I find very interesting, and also very complicated, is that a lot of people like to combat fast fashion by thrifting and shopping sustainably, but then a lot of the time, that is inaccessible to people because of how expensive it can be. Recently, it’s also become sort of trendy to shop sustainably and to go thrift shopping, which has encouraged places that were once affordable to raise their prices to accommodate the new wave of more affluent shoppers. This is particularly popular among young social media influencers —  and when they don’t thrift, they often spend ridiculous amounts of money on websites that are known for their sweatshop labor — because the prices of their items are extremely cheap.

Whether you believe it or not, poverty is a real problem, even in the United States, and many families can’t afford to shop sustainably due to their financial hardships. There can be a very blurry line, and there is a lot of shame when it comes to being a consumer sometimes.

Ultimately, while consumers definitely have a hand in fast fashion and its consequences, the focus should fall on the big companies who are approving immoral mass production and sweatshop labor. Big companies are to blame. Capitalism as a whole is to blame. Things really need to change — and it starts with letting our voices be heard.

After reading the text and watching the film Girl Connected, I would define activism as the act of working towards a better future by demanding justice and equity. There are many ways to be an activist, including educating yourself as well as your community, protesting, and so on.

I was incredibly inspired after watching Girl Connected. It centered around five teenage girls, who are each doing their part in making the world a better, safer place for women by working hard to lessen gender discrimination and violence in their home countries. Josi, from Peru, focused on teen pregnancy and educating her community about safe sex. Latifa, from Bangladesh, focused on spreading the word about the dangers of child marriage. Ghazal, from Jordan, focused on encouraging young girls to express themselves and to use their creativity. Ayesha, from India, focused on teaching the girls of her community karate so they can defend themselves and feel safe. And finally, Michelle, from Kenya, focused on showing young girls and women that they should follow their dreams and emphasized the importance of pursuing an education. All of their stories and their hard work were so motivating and eye-opening!

I would say that I have engaged in activism in the past in small ways. I have educated my family and peers about important issues, and I participated in an AIDS Walk in 2014. I also attended a Black Lives Matter protest in the summer of 2020. Witnessing police brutality unfold in front of my eyes was devastating and served as a grim reality check to the daily life Black people face in our society. I actively try to consume and read media that will educate me on issues surrounding different types of inequalities. I would like to do even more for these marginalized communities.

Specifically, when it comes to gender justice, I suppose I could try harder to express myself and educate those around me. Sometimes, as a girl, it can become difficult to correct people, because I could be mocked, or be labeled as “dramatic.” A lot of misogynistic people find it very hard to listen, as well, so it can be very frustrating when trying to get my point across. Despite this, I will still attempt to teach those around me about how they perpetuate misogyny in their everyday life, and hopefully one day, I won’t have to wear myself out any longer.

It is important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity because it runs so much deeper than some people may think. Men are misogynistic because we live in a patriarchal society. Women can be misogynistic, too, and can also have a lot of internalized misogyny. Certain values are instilled in us from birth, and ingrain themselves deep in our subconscious. The people around us – our family, our peers, were also shaped by this system, and so, the cycle continues with us. By acknowledging that the patriarchy is something that we all participate in, whether we realize it or not, we can work towards dismantling these patriarchal standards and ideas. Of course, it won’t happen overnight. Patriarchal ways of thinking need to be unlearned, and we need to educate ourselves.

The patriarchy can work at different levels, including personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural or structural. At a personal level, patriarchal views and ideals can be observed in our very own thoughts. I think an interesting example of the more personal effects of patriarchy among women is the feeling of being “watched” – the feeling of putting on a performance and looking good when you know you are alone, and nobody is watching (but what if, hypothetically, someone – a man – is?). There is sometimes a nagging pressure to be desirable all the time. These feelings are definitely perpetuated by the male gaze, which is an effect of the patriarchy.

Secondly, there is the interpersonal level. This includes words and actions that are rooted in misogyny. For example, a man telling his girlfriend to cook, clean, and behave like a caregiver or a maid. It could also look like a woman putting down another woman in order to make her look bad in front of a man, therefore competing for his attention. It includes cat-calling, a mother not allowing her son to play with “girl’s toys,” and belittling people for having “girly” interests. The list goes on and on.

Thirdly, there is the institutional level. Around the world, there are many methods government officials use to punish women. A very common one has to do with reproductive rights – abortion bans, which are still unfortunately prevalent to this day. In addition, although on a much smaller scale, dress coding is also another example of institutional patriarchy. Young girls’ clothing is policed in school, oftentimes enforced so as to not be “distracting.”

Finally, there is the cultural/structural level. This includes heteronormativity, the firm belief of traditional gender roles, homophobia, transphobia, toxic beauty standards, and so on. These types of ideas make their way into our brains at a fairly young age, and if we’re lucky, we can unlearn them and educate ourselves as we grow older.