Finale! This was such a great class and I am honored to have experienced it with you all. Special thanks to Prof. Waychoff for providing us with heavy yet enlightening readings and films to further our knowledge on these essential topics. But let’s get into this week… I wanted to start off with Bell Hook’s stance in which she states “One cannot be anti-choice and feminist.” Simply because women’s rights are the foundation of feminism, I am angry and fearful of our government’s control over women’s bodies- and this does not only account for cis-gendered women. There is a major lack of trust between citizens of the United States and the supreme court in general but now regarding reproductive rights, the people who are implementing these decisions are taking it too far.

I believe my initial reaction to the leaked document was the literal fact that it was leaked. The Politico article we read states “No draft decision in the modern history of the court has been disclosed publicly while a case was still pending. The unprecedented revelation is bound to intensify the debate over what was already the most controversial case on the docket this term.” It is not fair that the supreme court works in such secrecy when finalizing cases before they are released to the public eye. The person who leaked this is a hero- because they knew that what was going on behind closed doors is deceitful and dangerous. I am angry and scared. There are so many complications that can happen during pregnancy and no man could ever understand the physical and mental pain a woman experiences during this.

In the film, we see the people working for the abortion hotline trying their best to provide funding for women who cannot afford the procedure, and they will help cover as much as they can (especially because insurance covers nothing). It pains me to hear that these women already have such limited access to resources, and have to go to third-party operations in order to be truly helped. I want to state again that insurance does NOTHING, in other countries, there is access to free if not universal healthcare for citizens to be protected. The last thing anyone should have to worry about is meeting deductibles, or to refrain from calling an ambulance because of the cost- but in this situation, no woman should have to let financial hardships control their decision for their body.

We also read about Rebecca Gomperts and Aids Access- which is a sigh of relief from our other reading and the video. Gomperts provides contraception from outside of the United States legally- helping over 30,000 people safely complete an abortion from the comfort of their own home. I am inspired by her strength and compassion to help those in need and hope that overturning Roe v. Wade does not affect this.

I know a lot of us are scared right now, or maybe optimistic that the people in charge will do the right thing. Regardless, it is classes, communities, lectures, and groups similar to GWS100 that are setting the tone for our futures. The more we talk about our rights and reproductive rights, the more room there is for real change. As Bell Hooks said, anyone, can fit feminism into their existing lifestyle. We must continue this conversation with our friends and family, and do more than repost an Instagram infographic. Change starts with a controversial conversation, followed by activism, therefore we should not be afraid.

This is a piece by Marilyn Minter! It’s a part of her “Plush” series. I know it’s very suggestive, but that’s why I chose it. Most of Minter’s work focuses on sexuality and sexual liberation, which I think is very important, especially for women. Although it can seem small and insignificant, this portrayal of pubic hair challenges the beauty standards forced upon women in our society. Hair isn’t dirty or unhygienic, and sex is also a natural part of life for a lot of people — I think it shouldn’t be so controversial, and should also be talked about more openly. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want to their body!

Suffrage, labor rights, and the equal rights amendment are all related through women’s experiences in history. Women had to fight to gain suffrage, which wasn’t granted to them until 1920, which is only about a hundred years ago. With the issue of labor rights, it ties into the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, because of that horrific industrial tragedy it served as a reminder that the working laws needed to be changed. It greatly contributed to the beginnings of the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union, as well as passing the “Sullivan-Hoey fire prevention law, which required sprinkler systems to be installed in all factories. It served as a model for state and national work place safety codes” (The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire). Labor rights are also issues of gender justice because it ties into wages, which can be related to the wage gap that has been present between men and women for years and slowly decreased but not fully eradicated yet. Also, for a long time women were not seen as equal in the workplace, or even allowed to work the same jobs a man could work, but it also ties into the safety of those jobs. “Working women at the time were focused on gaining workplace protections for women and children” (Law 2). The equal rights amendment has to do with women because it involves both genders and how they’re treated differently in society but should be treated the same and without discrimination. All three of these topics are linked to one another through the struggle women have been put through in history to allow other women of the future to experience these things. After watching the Triangle Returns video, I was shocked to find out that even in today’s world labor rights are not upheld the same everywhere around the world. While I was already aware of sweatshops existing and child labor, for some reason these issues feel outdated but they’re very much real and present. So being reminded of that after watching the video really snapped me back to reality in a sense. I think the goal of suffrage has been achieved in today’s society already but equal rights still have a long way to go since it’s such a deeply tangled concept with a lot of history behind it.

Suffrage, labor rights, and the equal rights amendment are all related one way or another. Suffrage refers to the right to vote. Throughout history, we have seen time and time again how people fought to gain their right to vote. Having the right to vote can benefit us because we can use this to help fight for the change we want. We can change and improve many conditions when utilizing this tool that is given to us at birth when we are born in the United States. We can work towards making major changes that can impact one’s life. Through the use of voting, people were able to work towards bettering working conditions. From bettering wages to obtaining good healthy work conditions voting can help in obtaining the ideal change we want and need. As for the equal rights amendment, people have come together in hopes of getting a change that involves both men and women. All three of these things connect because of a change that many people want to happen and to be done. Something that stood out to me in the reading was on page 6 when it states ” Advocates say that the amendment is held back by the sense among some people that it’s not necessary, but proponents argue that it could strengthen the legal basis for combating violence against women, pay inequality and maternity leave.” This is referring to the Equal Rights Amendment since this would be focusing on women and how they can help and benefit them. Labor rights can be seen as an issue of gender because there will almost be a line where both men and women are treated differently.

When I watched both videos, I was pretty shocked at what I saw. When I was in middle school I did hear about The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire which was very sad to hear. I hated how all of that could have been prevented if the doors didn’t open inwards and if the door wasn’t simply locked by the manager. Then, when watching the second video, seeing how on the 100th anniversary of this incident another similar incident took place was even more shocking. These historical issues are still presented to this day. Although we may not hear about these types of incidents or the poor conditions some workers are put in, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t occurring. Many are still to this fighting for better working conditions. Although a man and woman can work the same job, it is more likely for a man to get paid even more than a woman. In a factory, for example, my father used to tell me how the company (welding factory) he worked in only had guys working there. It wasn’t until the end of last year that the company decided to hire women but even so, my father would tell me how they would give the women a job that wasn’t as ‘hard’ as a man. Of course, my father didn’t believe in this nor liked it and he noticed how one of the female workers is an awesome welder and pushed to have her become one of the welders as well.

Before reading any of the material for this week I wanted to see what I thought patriarchy was and then see how the way I see patriarchy changed. For a while, I thought patriarchy was the way a person would influence others. I thought patriarchy involved men and the way they would act as well as how they would be on an ‘upper pedistool’ as compared to females. Yet that doesn’t seem to be the case here what so over. I wasn’t aware that the patriarchy doesn’t simply involve only one person but it is built up of multiple people. Something else that was new to me and that stood out to me was the fact that Allan Johnson mentioned how everyone plays a role in a patriarchal society. “We need to see and deal with the social roots that generate and nurture the social problems that are reflected in and manifested through the behavior of individuals. We cannot do this without realizing that we all participate in something larger than ourselves, something we did not create but that we now have the power to affect through the choices we make about how to participate.”(Pg 3) This piece of the text caught my attention because it really makes the reader see how although we see something as a matter of how an individual acts, the bugger pictures show how everyone’s individual actions come together in creating a whole picture. In other words, yes everyone makes their own individual choices and actions BUT everyone’s individuality would be put together which would paint out the bigger picture we would see. Something else that caught my attention was when Johnson began to talk about one’s participation. It leads me to question just how one exactly tends to participate if many have different viewpoints on a patriarchal system. Continuing on page 3 Johnson mentioned ” To participate is to have a part in what goes on, to do something (or
not) and to have that choice affect the consequences, regardless of whether it
is conscious or unconscious, coerced or not. Of course, the terms of women’s
participation differ dramatically from those that shape men’s, but it is participation, nonetheless”. This helps me into understanding that participation in patriarchy isn’t exactly what we are taught to believe. With patriarchy, we are taught that you are either for it and act upon it, or you are against it and do avoid doing anything, Yet Johnson brought up how participation isn’t simply taking part in what happenings and being aware of it, but rather participation can also be done subconsciously. I feel like this is important to know and keep in mind when trying to recognize patriarchy as a system because it allows you to see how one’s individuality isn’t the only thing that can make us feel some sort of oppression. Those who follow and believe in the patriarchy and those who don’t face oppression one way or another (ex: beliefs they are taught to follow). When it comes down to the patriarchy and different levels of oppression, things become rather interesting. Starting at the personal level, people are taught certain things at a young age. We are taught what makes us different from others and the ways we are raised can also play a role here. Whether we are conscious or not, our emotions tend to lead us into what actions we take next and how we respond to certain situations and issues. With interpersonal oppression, we are taught what we can and can not say ( I am right, you are wrong). Institutional oppression can be seen when in Texas abortions were being limited. All the new rules added to how you could get an abortion and what will stop one from getting an abortion impacts a woman rather than a man. Why was this law even passed and approved by males, to begin with? Cultural/structural oppression can be seen all around us from having the “yucky” discussion of periods to beauty standards that have been set by magazines. Oppression is everywhere and goes hand in hand with other issues and topics.