One Crazy Lady

Apparently, last week was the last that we were required to post on the blog, however, I think that it is a good habit, so here I am again this week.
Two of the readings this week were politically loaded, worshiping the liberals and bashing the conservatives.
I have struggled since the beginning of this class with the assumption that legalized infanticide is a good thing for the women in this country, or anywhere else. I also think that equity in marriage is bad for women. As a class in Women’s Studies, I feel that articles that worship Hilary Clinton and bash her opposition don’t even consider the viewpoint of women like myself.
Political views aside, it is just exhausting to every week read articles that say everything that I believe is wrong. I am tired of this class, and while I admittedly have learned some interesting history, I am ready for it to be over.

This is my week 10 post for WOST class.

So, there is a lot of talk about television in this course. I am usually ignorant of most of it. But, I do remember my parents getting a television when I was a kid and watching some shows. When Debra Davis comments on the old Reruns she saw as a child, these I know.
I Love Lucy. The Flinstones. I Dream of Jeannie. Bewitched.
Davis claims that none of the female characters were smart, self-confident and respected by others. Well, Lucille Ball played a goof, but she did have a husband who loved her anyway. Lucy always had a lot of splainin’ to do, but she was never portrayed as the stereotypical housewife character.
Wilma Flinstone is certainly a smart, self-confident, respected woman. In this show, Fred is the goof, and Wilma is the strong and stable foundation that keeps him grounded. She is portrayed as a housewife and mother; she cares for the home, she packs his lunch and she has his favorite dinner waiting when he gets home. But, she is by no means portrayed as weak or dumb or disrespected. Fred doesn’t always appreciate her, but that’s because he is a big dope.
Barbara Eden (Jeannie) calls Larry Hagman “Master,” but that’s because she is a genie. By definition, a genie is the servant of the one who holds the bottle. Seen Aladdin? Even Robin Williams plays a subservient genie sometimes. Besides, Jeannie’s master adores her and tells her not to call him that and he tells her not to use her powers to ‘fix’ things for him.
Bewitched. Samantha was smarter than Darrin, Davis says. But, she hid her intelligence and she hid her powers because those things would make her husband angry? Well, I think it’s more likely that what made Darrin frustrated, not angry, was that he felt he needed to protect his family from a world that had previously burned witches at the stakes. She states she was taught to be like Samantha, not like Endora. I would say, don’t be like Samantha, she disrespects her husband by doing things behind his back and not being honest with him. Endora is meddlesome, and that is a stereotypical mother in law – and for the sake of your children and their spouses, don’t be like Endora either.
If Davis wanted some examples of housewives that were perfect housekeepers,perfect role models, perfect mothers and wives; she should have used examples like June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver or Donna Reed from the Donna Reed Show. I remember watching those shows as a kid, and funny thing is; I still want to be Donna Reed and my brother still wants to marry her.

I think this week’s reading material touched on a lot of things that bother me about the culture we live in.
Television and other media that presents a warped view of reality (even in reality shows) influences the public’s purchasing decisions.
I see this most evident in my daughters clothing options. I’m kind of a yard sale junkie, and so when low waisted jeans became popular, I was really glad that we could still get jeans for the girls that did not show off the crack of their — every time they sat down.
I’ve even seen the top of a thong in church before!
But, now as we shop the Seminary Co-op (donated items for sem. families), I find most of the are short waisted. This is a huge challenge, with kids who are too busy playing to think about pulling up their pants.
I’m sick of seeing naked rear ends sticking out the back of women’s pants (it used to be called ‘plumbers butt’ and was iconic of what you might see when the fat plumber was bent over trying to get a look at your pipes). I’d be glad to know that these are going out of style.
I’m especially sick of seeing my the naked rear end of my 12 year old!

This problem is made worse by shirts that aren’t long enough to cover the top of the pants that aren’t tall enough to cover the body parts their intended to clothe. It seems I’m regularly pulling clothes out of my daughters wardrobe and getting rid of them because they are just plain inappropriate. While at the same time, I see girls their age and younger scantily dressed on a regular basis.

There are times that I do housework and my husband doesn’t. Usually, it’s because I am a control freak. Yesterday, I reorganized the living room – I do this often. It apparently is a sign of discontent, but I like the way it feels to clean everything out and start fresh.
I pull all the furniture to the middle of the room, wash the walls, clean the carpet, take everything down from every shelf, wash the shelves, etc. Really deep cleaning. Then, I gradually put things back in place. Often, the furniture ends up somewhere different than it started. I throw away or donate lots of stuff.
Don knew that I had assignments to work on and so he offered to help me. I said no. I don’t question his ability to do the task, but I like to organize things and I want to know exactly what we have and where it is. I like to know what things get thrown out and which get donated. I want to make every decision. So, in the end, Don drove kids to their various evening activities and left me home with the little ones so I could focus and get the job done. This was a much bigger help than for him to run the vacuum.
We both do housework the same way, only as necessary. Whoever gets sick of the mess first, takes care of it. That may usually be me, but that’s only because I’m the one who is here to notice the mess.

The introduction to the chapter titled “Women’s work inside and outside the home” states that hired cleaners are almost always women. Many reasons are listed for this. But, apparently, I have some prejudices of my own, because as I read all the different ideas about why women are primarily hired to clean residential homes, I realized that if a man was available to hire and if I was looking for someone to clean my house; I would not hire a man. I’m sure that I have some stereotypical ideas, but I just would not feel right inviting a strange man to walk around inside my house, and I certainly wouldn’t want a man other than my husband to go into my bedroom.

Ehrenreich, who in most of her writings comes across as way more privileged and affluent than I ever hope to be, speaks in her article titled “Maid to Order” of a time in the 60’s and 70’s when women were akin to one another simply because they shared the experience of housework. “All women were workers, and the home was their workplace…” this gave them a foundation in common with which to build their friendships upon. Ah, yes, today, I find it ever more difficult to find women with whom I can relate.
She also claims that no one should be asked to scrub a floor on their hands and knees because it is degrading. Well, I ask my daughters to do it about twice a month and I don’t think it’s degrading, I think it’s training. I don’t even own a sponge mop, and I don’t imagine myself ever being in a position to hire out my housekeeping, but if I did and they showed up with a sponge mop that they had already used on someone else’s floor, I’d be disgusted and I wouldn’t let them near my floors with it.
I have babies, clean floors matter – and if you are going to do a job… do it right.

Ok. running a little bit behind this week. Husband just finished finals last week and is on break, so, anyway.
I have a test in my lab tonight and still have to eat dinner, so I am babbling a bit, but I will come back and flesh this out through editing later on.
One article that I read this week that meant a lot to me was
All God’s Children
You can count me in as one of those women who follow “a fundamentalist pronatalist theology known as Quiverfull. Shunning all forms of birth control, Quiverfull women accept as many children as God gives them as a demonstration of their radical faith and obedience as well as a means to advance his kingdom: winning the country for Christ by having more children than their adversaries. This self-proclaimed “patriarchy” movement, which likely numbers in the tens of thousands but which is growing exponentially, bases its arguments on Psalm 127: “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They shall not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” Quiverfull women commonly give birth to families of eight, 10 and 12 children, or more.”
I personally only have a small starter family of 6 children, but I would be glad to have more. On the other hand, I don’t feel obligated to have more. But, I very much believe that it is not a good idea for me to stand between God and the Creation of Life. This is a personally held belief and I had it long before I met anyone else who did. My husband still believes that it is acceptable to use some forms of birth control (not abortifacients). We disagree on this issue, we disagree on many issues. In the end, we are still married, still raising this family together. I have let him know that if he feels like he needs to do something to prevent a pregnancy then he needs to take that up with His Heavenly Father. I will not.
I was thrilled when I discovered Nancy Campbell and Mary Pride and their writings. I felt alone in my beliefs, I wasn’t blessed to attend a church filled with like-minded women. I have had to eagerly seek them out. Campbell and Pride and others like them, didn’t convince me to live a life I didn’t want to live; they convinced me that I was not alone in that desire.

I am beginning to post my blog before I’ve finished my summary this week as I am having a difficult time and needed to vent a bit.
While the authors of the text include discussion from both sides of abortion, it is quite obvious which side they are on. When they casually say that 1.67 million abortions are performed every year in the United States; I get a sick feeling in my stomach – yep, there it is now – and in mind my I see am image of what 1.67 million dead babies looks like.
Then, I cry.
When I first started to write my summary, it went like this:
Right at this moment I want to scream, I am holding my breath and gritting my teeth. But, I will try to control my emotions while summarizing this week. Before I even read anything, I see the title “…Reproductive Rights” and already my stomach is turning. When someone says this is an issue about choice… I want to know, the right to choose what? Whether another human being should live or die? If someone like Adolph Hitler was to take over the world, and start lining people up and deciding who should live and who should die… well, I guess those same people would say that’s okay too? Or is it only okay, if the person being murdered is helpless and not important to you? Or is it only okay if YOU are the one who gets to choose?

I’ve never been pregnant and thought of my child as anything other than a growing baby who desperately needs me. After he is born, someone else can hold and comfort him, someone else can change his diapers and keep him warm; but, until he is born, only I can provide those things for him. He and I have a bond that he will never have with anyone else. I am his mother; a job that no one else can fill. It is my job to protect him. I can not imagine ever wanting to hurt him, or get rid of him.

When I watched the video called Crisis Pregnancy Center, I was irritated by the girl who said they were giving out false information like stating that 95% of women who have an abortion regret it. Who are the 5%? Sociopaths? What kind of hard hearted b—– lays on her back while someone murders her baby and then feels NO regret?

Then, I realized, people who think it’s okay to kill babies don’t believe that a person is dying. What do they think it is? I have no idea, but it is definitely something less than human in their minds. They think it’s like spraying pesticides on our vegetables to kill bugs – get rid of the pests so humans can make more money, and have more convenient lives. Wow! Just imagine, you used to be no more valuable than a bug.
If you can read this, you should go thank your mother that she didn’t RU-486 you.

PART TWO – LATER IN THE DAY…
So, I’m still plugging away at this assignment. And, I was done with the introduction and on to the other readings. I thought I was safe. I should have known better.
The kids wanted to share popcorn. It’s a great bedtime snack.
Well, that was a huge mistake!
As soon as I read “the fetus has grown too large to be vacuumed or scraped out…” I was running to the bathroom – it’s the whole visual thing –
Then, just when I think I’m okay, except for minor waves of nausea, I read the next paragraph, “In a DandE, the fetus is usually dismembered inside the uterus and extracted in pieces.”
Covering my mouth as my stomach heaves!
I have to remind myself that it’s just a pile of bugs that didn’t get hit by the pesticide in time, and are being ‘scraped’ off the veggies. What I see in my head is my 13 month old son, Noah, being sliced and diced like a graphic horror film. It makes me ill.
Then, I cry.
Then, I try again. I’m not one to quit. I’m desperate for the A grade. I can’t give up. I have to press on. But, it gets worse.
Bodies have bones, and when you dismember one, the bones get broken. The ends of broken bones can sometimes be sharp and puncture the uterus. GAG!
I may die before I finish this reading assignment.
Then, I wonder, what do serial killers think about when they are chopping up a body? Do they think of it as a person? Probably not. Maybe they think of it like bugs on veggies too.

This is my blog for WOST #5
As I’m reading the material for this week Girl’s Life Magazine: Repeat Body Image Offenders. May 16, 2009. http://jezebel.com/5257583/girls-life-magazine-repeat-body-image-offenders and writing my summary, I am thinking about the magazine theme that demands consumers (specifically women) Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!
I realized that I’ve seen a variation on this headline on nearly every magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store every month for my entire life. So much so that I could even write them. So, here’s my resume to all the magazines that are supposed to be for women: I’ll write next years headlines for you:

January: Work off that Holiday Meal! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

February: Make your Valentine Happy! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

March: Spring Break Trip! Nobody Wants to See Your Big Fat Butt! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

April: Swimsuits Are On The Store Racks! You Don’t Look Good In Any of Them! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

May: Lose that Winter Weight! You Big Cow! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

June: Summer is Almost Here! Your Legs are Too Fat for Shorts! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

July: The Kids Want to Go to the Beach! Your Swimsuit Makes You Look Fat! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

August: Back to School Shopping! All the Clothes Make you Look Fat! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

September: The other Soccer Moms are Thinner than You! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

October: We Have Sexy Costume Ideas! You’re too Fat for Them! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

November: Thanksgiving! You’re a Pig! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

December: The In-Laws Are Coming! They Think You’re Fat! Get a Better Body and Get it Fast!

Well, on second thought, I’m probably too fat for the job.

This is my blog post for WOST210 week #4
I thought in light of what I’ve learned in Women’s Studies class, it would be appropriate to observe and comment on the sexist commercials shown during the Super Bowl.
We even had a Super Bowl Party – my daughters were with Gramma, so it was all boys at my house. We invited another family, and their sons to join us.
However, I am such a stereotypical girl – I haven’t watched a football game all the way through since high school – and then, I only watched because I was in the stands and there was nothing else to do.
At home, there were just too many things more interesting – sorry guys, I just don’t really care about the game.
I did watch a few of the commercials and saw the last few minutes, so I know who won.
Luckily, for me, there are plenty of locations online where you can view all the Super Bowl ads, and you don’t even have to watch the game – HA!
Now, I started with the assumption that there would be sexist elements since the target audience is beer drinking, chicken wing eatin’, home on Sunday afternoon men. Well, there were a lot of Bud Light commercials, and I lost count of the Doritos ads.
As I perused the readings from Chapter 4 of my textbook, I found a theme that began with the idea that men use sexuality to control women, and I said
Hunh-uh (See what happens to my college level vocabulary when I watch even a little football?)
I immediately thought of Eve, who was the only girl that Adam had ever seen and God made her especially for him, so you know he thought she had it going on… she talked the boy right into disobeying God. That theme, of women tempting men would carry on throughout history.
Solomon? Well, he was the wisest man ever, and yet, every time a pretty girl came around, he got talk into paying for another wedding. Then, she would convince him to build an altar to her god, and soon the whole nation was in trouble. All because of women and their seductive ways.
Bethsheba took a bath naked on her roof in the middle of the day, right where David was looking; next thing you know, he’s an adulterer and a murderer. That girl took off her clothes and he just couldn’t help himself.
So, anyway, about those commercials. Megan Fox poses naked in the bathtub, and wonders what might happen if she sends out her photo
SEEIT I wasn’t going to post links to the ads, but everyone else has, so here you go. A woman using her sexuality to convince men that they should have a Motorola, why? Well, just in case Megan Fox decides to send out a photo of her naked self, you wouldn’t want to miss it because you bought a Blackberry.
Danica Patrick lays on a massage table in nothing but a towel, while another girl rips open her shirt to reveal a tight tank top that says GoDaddy.com This is a link to GoDaddy.com because I bought my domain name there and I don’t have anything against them. You can see the commercial on YouTube and just about everywhere else on the internet.
I could go on and on about sex in commercials, but I think writer Matt Philbin does a darn good job of explaining it in his article about smut in the Super Bowl ads.
My point is simply that anyone who thinks men use sexuality to control women are crazy – we’ve been using it to control men for centuries. We flaunt our bodies to make them buy phones, drinks, cars, flowers, and domain names. We even have the power to make a man turn his back on God.

Update: 02/07/10 – I just got lectured about getting my facts straight from my husband who was a store manager until two years ago – Nowadays, McD’s employees have to go through training to teach them NOT to ask boy/girl. They are trained to say “Would you like a Barbie or a Hot Wheels.” It wasn’t this way when I worked there 1994-97, however, today’s policy is if employees are caught asking boy/girl instead of Barbie/Hot Wheels, they are supposed to be reprimanded and trained to ask properly. I stand corrected. See, I can admit when I’m wrong…”