This week was a nice week. I like how many people through artwork can express what they are feeling. From writing, to drawing, to painting, to photographs, there are many mediums people can use to express something. I feel like artwork is very beautiful because of the story and message it is delivering. There are many artists who are well known for being active and spreading awareness and making movements. For example, when I was looking for an artist to share an artwork I came upon Monica Mayer who I have never heard of. Her movement was very powerful in my opinion because gave a voice to those who felt like they couldn’t speak up. She made it so people can come together and realize they aren’t alone. But also, she made it so that people can open their eyes and realize what changes are necessary to make. Her movement made it so that people can feel safe in expressing their thoughts and feelings on things in a way where they won’t feel like they will become a target for expressing themselves. Many artists have done work pieces that speak very loud and have been impactful in history during their times. This is why I liked this week’s assignment because it allowed us to share other artists with one another and learn about new people.

This week’s reading helped me to realize many things. To start off, the importance of activism. Activism is something that is so strong, empowering, and can bring great change that many want. This week also made me realize just how complex oppression truly is. I only thought that oppression was referring to how a group of people is being treated but after this week’s reading, I realized that there are different levels and kinds of oppression. On a personal level of oppression, we are taught from a young age certain things we can and can not do. With interpersonal oppression, we are taught what we can or can’t say. Within institutional oppression, we saw it occur in Texas with the ban on abortions. Which led me to wonder and question why MEN were allowed to make that choice and decision. A choice and decision that they can not say would impact them because they are not a female. Some may argue and say abortions are bad. This is where Pro-Life and Pro-Choice would come in. However, I think we should look beyond that and realize that although it is involving abortion, it goes back to women being oppressed. Something that is meant to be for women is being taken away by men. Not to mention, although right now it is abortion being taken from women, this can open a road where more rights could potentially start to be taken away which will add to the constant battle women have to face in today’s society

I enjoyed reading this week’s assigned material for many reasons. It allowed and made me think about how we are often impacted by what we are exposed to and what is being taught to us. We are taught that certain things are what belong to being a boy and certain things belong to being a girl. In other words, pink and femininity is what represent someone who is a female and blue and masculinity is what represent being a male. There seem to have never been a middle line for a while. For me, this week’s material made me reflect on my personal life and how it was for me growing up. As a little girl, some family members would tell me not to play with my older brothers’ toy cars and action figures because those toys are boy toys, and instead, I should play with baby dolls and barbies. However, I never saw them as boy toys or girl’s toys, I just happened to have liked my brother’s toys more than the toys that they wanted me to play with. To add on, there was always constant bickering within my family about how I wouldn’t be ladylike and needed to be more ladylike and dress more like a girl which always brought a certain level of irritation because I simply wear whatever I feel like wearing and what seems comfortable to me. Its those type of things that make me reflect and make me realize that when I have a child, I won’t raise them to think that certain things are only for girls and certain things are only for boys because those are simply labels that we shouldn’t let define who someone is.

This week’s discussion on oppression was a very interesting one. In one way, I knew and already had an idea of what oppression is. In the reading titled White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh, something that stood out to me was when they wrote ” They may say that they will work to improve women’s status, in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can’t or won’t support the idea of lessening men’s”. I found it rather interesting that McIntosh decided to include this in their piece because it is one of those things that could anger an audience. But at the same time, I feel like that is necessary to get an image across. To make sure many are aware of the countless amount of oppression many women feel. Sometimes it is anger that can make someone want a change more than before. As for the video about privilege, it was very touching because it made me realize just how much privilege I have as well as how I can experience oppression. Yet it made me also think about how although privilege is sometimes seen as a bad thing, we can utilize our privilege to help others.

After reading this week’s material, at first, I had a hard time truly understanding and grasping what I was reading. The topic was interesting but I think it had to do with how long this week’s reading was BUT I did in fact enjoy it. Something that stood out to me from the reading was when the writer wrote “Feminism is, nevertheless, very threatening to the majority of Black people because it calls into question some of the most basic assumptions about our existence, i.e., that sex should be a determinant of power relationships. Here is the way male and female roles were defined in a Black nationalist pamphlet from the early 1970s:
We understand that it is and has been traditional that the man is the head of the house. He is the leader of the house/nation because his knowledge of the world is broader, his awareness is greater, his understanding is fuller and his application of this information is wiser… After all, it is only reasonable that the man is the head of the house because he is able to defend and protect the development of his home… Women cannot do the same things as men—they are made by nature to function differently. Equality of men and women is something that cannot happen even in the abstract world.” It had me thinking about how men and women seem to hold different levels of power. For some time it was always believed that men held more power than women and men had more advantages and opportunities given to them as compared to a woman. We’ve seen how white men and women are treated differently to than of a person of color. We’ve seen how men are treated differently to women. So it leads me to question if there will ever be a time in history when everyone will be seen as an equal. Would that even be possible in a society where one is constantly fighting for a change? We started off by breaking away from what roles we were assigned (women being given the role of only cleaning and providing while men had to work). We have slowly broken away from what makes a man a man and what makes a woman a woman (thinking back on how people used to say you are what you a born as). Yet it leads me to wonder and think about just how much longer it will take until we reach a point where everyone is equal regardless of gender and race.

I really enjoyed doing this week’s readings. They were both speaking about different topics but all tied back to Liberated Woman and Woman Liberation. The reason in which I enjoyed the article called The Politics of Housework is because of the way it was structured. I like how the writer made it so you would have what the man would say followed by what it could actually really mean. ” “We have different standards, and why should I have to work to your standards? That’s unfair.” MEANING: If I begin to get bugged by the dirt and crap I will say, “This place sure is a sty” or “How can anyone live like this?” and wait for your reaction. I know that all women have a sore called “Guilt over a messy house” or “Household work is ultimately my responsibility.” I know that men have caused that sore-if anyone visits and the place is a sty–they’re not going to leave and say, “He sure is a lousy housekeeper.” You’ll take the rap in any case. I can outwait you. ALSO MEANING: I can provoke innumerable scenes over the housework
issue. Eventually doing all the housework yourself will be less painful to you than
trying to get me to do half. Or I’ll suggest we get a maid. She will do my share of
the work. You will do yours. It’s women’s work”(Pg3). These few lines made me realize how although so much time has passed by, to this day there are women who are told that housework is only their job. That a man simply can’t do the housework around and if a man can’t do it then they’ll just hire a woman to do it for them. It makes me think about how some boys are still being taught that their role is much different from a girls role and there are things that are ‘meant’ to be done by females and things that are ‘meant’ to be done by males. However, housework isn’t simply a females thing to do. On the contrary, housework is for both men and women because it all comes down to cleaning and maintaining your place clean and tidy. Why should there be roles assigned to gender to clean?