blog 4

I just looked up the courses offered under the Women's Studies program and I think many of them look very interesting. The nice thing about the majority of the classes is that they are relevant to current issues facing this nation. When I graduate college I would like to go to law school and specialize in international law. I am quite fickle and change my mind often; however, with a law degree I feel like I have options to do many different things. After law school I would like to join the Peace Corps for 2 years and hopefully (if I am fluent or almost fluent by then in spanish) I can work in a developing Latin American country and help people. Just the other day in my Gender, Law, and Human Rights class we watched a video on human trafficking in India and it sparked my interest in working for a human rights group abroad. I want to do law overseas to help human/women's rights.
Gender will play a large role in my career. As a woman I think it is important to be an advocate for other women in countries where they are not allowed to speak their mind and have a voice in the government.
My past work history is quite limited. However, I have had experiance being in an environment that puts women in a positive light. I work in high school at a female only gym and worked at the front desk as well as the childcare for over 4 years. I feel that I was blessed because I was surrounded by so many strong, confident, and independent women. My boss was a single mother who worked hard to make sure her son was provided for and I was able to see other moms taking on various responsiblities. I got to know many of the club members and it was amazing to see that you can have a career and have a family. The women showed me that beauty is not just about looking good but also feeling consident in your own skin.
In The F-Word chapter 4, I felt that I had similar views of many of the college women interviewed. I too believe the the top priority for women is gender equality. I think it is sad that there hasn't been any improvement on the pay gap between men and women in the last two decades. Body image and self identity were also listed in the top 10 social issues that college women believe are facing this nation. The media has put such a gender biased spin on television and advertisements that women are supposed to look a certain way. I know girls who have struggled with eating disorders or yo-yo dieting and I think it is all due to the media telling girls that they are not acceptable unless they have a certain image. Women buy into the thought that the only way a guy will like them is if the have a certain body type or have the ideal weight. Advertisements and media drive people to go under the knife to almost look plastic and perfect. I found the study of the Fijian women who developed eating disorders after becoming introduced to western television even though the men typically liked shaply women. The author thinks the reason for this is to further hold back women. By making women concerned about their appearance they are less likely to be concerned about social issues and politics. In FIFE, Hooks talked about the importance of having a women studies program at universities and I agree. When universities have these types of classes that teach feminist theory and men take these classes, then it opens up dialogue and disscussion about issues facing women and men are more likely to get involved after they are educated. The media puts feminism in a negative light so it is important for people to learn in an unbiased environment.