In the essay, “Feminist Politics Where We Stand” bell hooks defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” and what that means to me as a woman is Feminism is a movement that’s main goal is to create equity between men and woman in the household, workplace , politics and society, to give us full autonomy over our body’s in my reading by Bell Hooks she explains how most people view feminism as anti men  and create opinions based on that view. Bell hooks explains that feminism is against patriarchy and the oppression of the patriarchy. In my reading it mentions how men want to lead and dominate over women despite wanting to talk about freedom in the article it states.  “ Men told the world about the importance of freedom while subordinating the women in their ranks“which is true we are constantly experiencing men commenting on how they believe women should dress and behave, their role in the house and even discuss whether we even have a right over our own bodies. In Society women are treated as possessions, we belong to someone and that is how we gain value. As a wife, or a mother,  this  is the ticket to respect. We need to earn our respectability. It is not inherently given to us and that looks different when we add intersectionality. A white woman and a black woman will experience two different struggles because of systemic racial constructs.  Bell Hooks goes on to describe these experiences and what feminism hopes to achieve.  In pur other essay Sex and Gender 101 I learned new things I haven’t heard  before even though most of what i read i knew through self education and workshops I have  taken being that i work at an LGBT youth shelter but the idea of gender being a cultural construct gave me pause and also makes sense. In the article gender 101 it explains that in American culture “ boys are taught and expected to be tough, risk-taking, rowdy, athletic, strong, aggressive, rugged, handsome, not emotional, messy, loud, heterosexual studs, girls are taught and expected to be soft, submissive, cautious, delicate, graceful, prissy, pretty, weak, passive, emotional “ there are so many expectations and conditioning beginning right after birth for people in this country any person that deviates from the expectations are expected to receive some form of reprecussions.To me gender is apart of someones identity and up to them to express that identity how they see fit.  In the end it is frustrating that someone’s quality of life can be impacted by created constructs. I appreciated the message of  both readings.

My name is Giselle but i preferred to be called Gee professionally speaking i am currently a Case Manager at a homeless shelter for youth I just began this professional journey. Prior to that I worked 8 years in youth development. I began as an intern and was promoted as a youth counselor then a member ship coordinator finally a program coordinator and briefly held the title of interim director. Now that I am older i prefer to experience different places during my leisure time and i like nature. My pronouns are she /her. I have always been interested in women throughout history and otherwise especially women that influenced rebellions. Women liberators and revolutionaries. I am a lot of things but i feel my most prominent experience has been that of a woman. Broadening my experience is that i present as masculine. I am taking this class to gain knowledge and understand women with different experiences. I am involved in social justice and I dislike people who are indifferent or participate in other people’s suffering, math and heights, I’m also not a fan of sharks. I am interested in getting a degree in psychology or social work to continue working with young people and supporting their growth. I was born and raised in Brooklyn and my father migrated here from Puerto Rico as my mother from Colombia. I value community and believe in a collective society and living by my own set of morals. I also value peoples freedom and individuality, i hope to one day own my own non-profit. Things that i enjoy to do is listen to all types of music but country music, I am not fond of that genre. I also enjoy different art mediums like poetry and dance. I believe that people learn the most through experience and that is where they are able to empathize with others that may be experiencing the same things and people who have been oppressed throughout history have been put at a number of disadvantages . I am an only child born to a Latino household and with all the expectations and stigmas for the women in Latin household any type of freedom I had to challenge norms for and that made me and my parents at odds for a long time. It also made things hard on me but in the end shaped who I am. I am excited to see what we will learn in this class and how i can apply it to my life and experiences.