I found this amazing video on Tumblr the other day, and I really think that everyone should watch it. In case the title of this post didn't give it away, this video is all about slut-shaming, and how when females are criticized for having a sexual life, it is in fact discriminatory against women. In today's society, when you really think about it, men are expected to have sex. Multiple times, I might add. When a guy tells others about his latest "conquest", he is appraised and looked upon as "The Man" or the "Stud". However, if a female decides to take control of her own life, and heaven forbid enjoy sex, she is shunned and thought of as a whore. These modern beliefs are completely archaic, and this fabulous man in the video goes really in-depth into this issue concerning today's women.
Also, this isuue reaches into how women dress themselves. Women's clothing is basically a lose-lose situation. If a girl likes to wear more conservative clothing (high neckline, non-form-fitting clothes, no short skirts, etc.) what would happen to her? People might say she's an uptight, frigid person who doesn't know how to relax and have fun. Just because she doesn't want to wear something that would cater to a guy's sexual desires. It also goes the other way. What if a girl enjoys wearing the provocative clothing? Maybe she just likes to wear it for herself- it makes her feel free, confidant, and it's just her style. She's not trying to impress anyone, she just likes that sort of clothing. But what do others say about her? She's a whore, a tramp, and probably sleeps with a new guy every other week. But are any of these rumours true? Maybe sometimes they are, but you can't assume that. Moreover, look at guys and what they wear. Do clothing lines manufacture skimpy clothes for them? Of course not!! That would be completely absurd.
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK14V45P8xY
And if that doesn't work, just type this into YouTube: John Fugelsang-We're in the Golden Age of Slut- Shaming
If you watch this video, or even read my post, I hope that next time you see a girl walking around in whatever clothing she likes or hear about possible sex partners she might have had, that you wouldn't slut-shame her. It's her choice, and her life. People are free to do what they want without recieving others' criticizm. And if you know any notorious slut-shamers, direct them to this video and maybe they'll learn a little something.
Thanks for reading/watching!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Some Kick-Ass Women...My Favorite Kind
Do you guys remember Malala Yousafzai? Well, incase you don't remember, she was the woman giving the speech on how women should have a better education system going for them. Her thanks for this enlightening speech? Getting shot in the head. The amazing thing is though that she survived this fatal wound and just recently gave another stirring speech to the U.N. She was celebrated on July 12 (her 16th birthday) and July 12 is now called Malala Day. She told the ecstatic crowd that women used to ask for men's help in the fight for women's rights, but obviously it's now time for women to stand up for themselves and we will not be silenced. In her honor, a news team came up with 10 other women from the Muslim world that are as awesome and, well, kick-ass as she is. Here is the list that they came up with:
1. Haifaa Al-Monsour
This woman is directing a film called Wadjda, which is about a girl wanting to own a bike even though women are banned from riding them in public. Al-Monsour not only directed this- she directed the entire film on Saudia-Arabian land. One of the top ten most dangerous countries for any woman.
2. Syria's Female Rebel Fighters
As the days go on, the war in Syria grows more and more violent. The women have decided to take a stand and are now breeching cultural borders and joining the ranks of rebel fighters. More than 5,ooo religious women have now joined in the fighting, and one woman was quoted saying, "We are fighting for our honor and for our religion and for revenge."
3. Raha Moharrak
Not only has Saudia-Arabia had it's first female director, but now they can add Moharrak to the list of firsts for women. She recently achieved her goal of climbing to the very top of Mount Everest, and she hopes to inspire others in following her tracks.
4. Dana Bakdounis
She actually had the guts to post a picture of herself on Facebook. And if that weren't dangerous enough, she left off her veil. She posted that she would not hide herself behind her veil any longer because she missed feeling the wind on her face and in her hair. Even though this may be a very small, and to some, seemingly simple gesture, I think that this woman will have more balls than any man I will ever meet. She recieved a lot of hate through that one small, simple gesture. However, she also gained many supporters, and she pushed the women's rights movement to even greater hights.
5. Riham Said
Riham Said is an Egyptian journalist who had a guest on her show, Sheikh Yousuf Badri. He had no qualms talking to Said, however when the cameras started rolling, he was appalled that she refused to wear a veil on her head. She pointed out this hypocracy later on and stated how disappointing it was to have men like that being at the head of the Muslim religion, and that is why she decided to have no part in it whatsoever.
6. Egyptian Women Fighting Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment. This is the main issue that I actually created this blog. Nothing disgusts me more than this. Not one single person has the right to force another to give up something that only they should have the right to give away. The fact that people take advantage of others simply because they are physically weaker, smaller, or of the "fair" (in other words, female) sex. Just because our sex organs are on the inside does not mean that we should be objectified and subjected to such cruelty. And that is why these women right here right now mean so much to me. They are grouping together, despite any consequences that may befall them and despite their intense fear, to fight against the skyrocketing number of women being sexually harassed. Even though they are beaten up when they speak out against it, or they are blamed for being an adulteress even though they are the victims, these women are being extraordinarily brave and standing up for themselves. They even created a video of these rape victims talking about their experiences, and you can watch it here.
7. Amina Tyler and Her Critics
Tyler is part of a group called FEMEN- a "sextremist" group that fights for women's rights by posting nude pictures of women in a form of confrontation. I'm not really sure what to think of this strategy to push for women's equality. Many women could take offense, and several Muslim women did and held a protest against this group, believeing that these nude pictures were not helping them and that they were not represented by these pictures. Tyler earlier this year had posted nude pics of herself with the words, "My body is my own" and "Fuck your morals" written on her bare chest. She was then detained by Tunisian authorities, and to protest this, the FEMEN group stood completely naked in front of a Tunisian court.
8. Parkour Practitioners in Iran
As some of you may know, parkour is a type of sport that involves a lot of flipping yourself in the air and using yourself and objects around you to seemingly fly through the air as you perform these difficult physical feats. In Iran, parkour is becoming extremely popular among the girls. This may be because girls are not allowed to play in other sports, whereas parkour just requires yourself, your own strength and speed, and an area in which you can practice.
9. Tawakkol Karman
"The Iron Woman." Right off the bat, you know she's cool, seeing as that is one of the names that people know her by. She was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her outstanding efforts in advocating for women's rights in a nonviolent fashion. She was quoted saying, “The world needs to look beyond stereotypes and dress code. In our hearts, we are just human beings who want to live a dignified life. Is that too much to ask for?”
10. Humaira Bachal
Basically, she is Malala Yousafzai Number 2. She lives in Pakistan and preaches for women's education to become more realistic and for women to have the opportunity. Atleast 26% of women in Pakistan are illiterate, and she hopes to change that. A documentary called "Humaira the Dreamcathcer" is a stunning piece in which she talks about her own personal experience with men trying (notice the key word trying) to get in her way. Infact, it was her own father who forbade her to go to school. When her mother stood up for Humaira, she recieved a bloody beating from the man. This documentary was filmed by yet another amazing woman of the name Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who was the first Pakistanian woman to recieve an Oscar for her short film "Saving Face", which was about the acid attacks on girls on their way to school. Because heaven forbid we actually learn something. We can't get too many ideas in our brains!! It could hurt our vaginas. (This is heavy sarcasm of course)
So as we can see, there is still hope for equality among the genders, and plenty of it! These women, and several others that were not named, have laid down tracks for us to follow in. We just might reach equality worldwide. Who knows? The world is full of surprises, and we can always help the cause.
This information was gathered off of a Huffington Post article; here's the link.
1. Haifaa Al-Monsour
This woman is directing a film called Wadjda, which is about a girl wanting to own a bike even though women are banned from riding them in public. Al-Monsour not only directed this- she directed the entire film on Saudia-Arabian land. One of the top ten most dangerous countries for any woman.
2. Syria's Female Rebel Fighters
As the days go on, the war in Syria grows more and more violent. The women have decided to take a stand and are now breeching cultural borders and joining the ranks of rebel fighters. More than 5,ooo religious women have now joined in the fighting, and one woman was quoted saying, "We are fighting for our honor and for our religion and for revenge."
3. Raha Moharrak
Not only has Saudia-Arabia had it's first female director, but now they can add Moharrak to the list of firsts for women. She recently achieved her goal of climbing to the very top of Mount Everest, and she hopes to inspire others in following her tracks.
4. Dana Bakdounis
She actually had the guts to post a picture of herself on Facebook. And if that weren't dangerous enough, she left off her veil. She posted that she would not hide herself behind her veil any longer because she missed feeling the wind on her face and in her hair. Even though this may be a very small, and to some, seemingly simple gesture, I think that this woman will have more balls than any man I will ever meet. She recieved a lot of hate through that one small, simple gesture. However, she also gained many supporters, and she pushed the women's rights movement to even greater hights.
5. Riham Said
Riham Said is an Egyptian journalist who had a guest on her show, Sheikh Yousuf Badri. He had no qualms talking to Said, however when the cameras started rolling, he was appalled that she refused to wear a veil on her head. She pointed out this hypocracy later on and stated how disappointing it was to have men like that being at the head of the Muslim religion, and that is why she decided to have no part in it whatsoever.
6. Egyptian Women Fighting Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment. This is the main issue that I actually created this blog. Nothing disgusts me more than this. Not one single person has the right to force another to give up something that only they should have the right to give away. The fact that people take advantage of others simply because they are physically weaker, smaller, or of the "fair" (in other words, female) sex. Just because our sex organs are on the inside does not mean that we should be objectified and subjected to such cruelty. And that is why these women right here right now mean so much to me. They are grouping together, despite any consequences that may befall them and despite their intense fear, to fight against the skyrocketing number of women being sexually harassed. Even though they are beaten up when they speak out against it, or they are blamed for being an adulteress even though they are the victims, these women are being extraordinarily brave and standing up for themselves. They even created a video of these rape victims talking about their experiences, and you can watch it here.
7. Amina Tyler and Her Critics
Tyler is part of a group called FEMEN- a "sextremist" group that fights for women's rights by posting nude pictures of women in a form of confrontation. I'm not really sure what to think of this strategy to push for women's equality. Many women could take offense, and several Muslim women did and held a protest against this group, believeing that these nude pictures were not helping them and that they were not represented by these pictures. Tyler earlier this year had posted nude pics of herself with the words, "My body is my own" and "Fuck your morals" written on her bare chest. She was then detained by Tunisian authorities, and to protest this, the FEMEN group stood completely naked in front of a Tunisian court.
8. Parkour Practitioners in Iran
As some of you may know, parkour is a type of sport that involves a lot of flipping yourself in the air and using yourself and objects around you to seemingly fly through the air as you perform these difficult physical feats. In Iran, parkour is becoming extremely popular among the girls. This may be because girls are not allowed to play in other sports, whereas parkour just requires yourself, your own strength and speed, and an area in which you can practice.
9. Tawakkol Karman
"The Iron Woman." Right off the bat, you know she's cool, seeing as that is one of the names that people know her by. She was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her outstanding efforts in advocating for women's rights in a nonviolent fashion. She was quoted saying, “The world needs to look beyond stereotypes and dress code. In our hearts, we are just human beings who want to live a dignified life. Is that too much to ask for?”
10. Humaira Bachal
Basically, she is Malala Yousafzai Number 2. She lives in Pakistan and preaches for women's education to become more realistic and for women to have the opportunity. Atleast 26% of women in Pakistan are illiterate, and she hopes to change that. A documentary called "Humaira the Dreamcathcer" is a stunning piece in which she talks about her own personal experience with men trying (notice the key word trying) to get in her way. Infact, it was her own father who forbade her to go to school. When her mother stood up for Humaira, she recieved a bloody beating from the man. This documentary was filmed by yet another amazing woman of the name Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who was the first Pakistanian woman to recieve an Oscar for her short film "Saving Face", which was about the acid attacks on girls on their way to school. Because heaven forbid we actually learn something. We can't get too many ideas in our brains!! It could hurt our vaginas. (This is heavy sarcasm of course)
So as we can see, there is still hope for equality among the genders, and plenty of it! These women, and several others that were not named, have laid down tracks for us to follow in. We just might reach equality worldwide. Who knows? The world is full of surprises, and we can always help the cause.
This information was gathered off of a Huffington Post article; here's the link.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Welcome to My Blog
This blog is going to be all
about women's rights and their constant struggle for equality based on my perspective. Also, in
case it wasn't obvious enough, yes I am a feminist. However, that does
NOT mean I am a "femi-Nazi"- those people want women to take over the
world (not that I would complain but still). All I'm asking for from the
world is simply equality among the genders. Is that too much to ask for?
Anyhow this blog is going to be used as an eye-opener for any who do not
know all the things that are going on in this world today. I'm going to be talking about current events taking place involving women and the efforts being put forth to aid women and girls around the world. In writing this blog, I hope to inform and enlighten readers about the constant struggle for equality and possibly inspire people to take action. And if you're
still reading this ridiculously long intro paragraph, my thanks go out to you!
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