Blog Four: Womens Art Museum Reflection

To be completely honest about this mornings field trip, I didn't walk away feeling impowered or even prideful to be a woman, something I thought I would experience after this trip. Instead, I felt more exposed since the majority of the artwork represented vagina's and other sexual ideas. Don't get me wrong though, I did understand the thought behind the work, I just personally felt that the "feminist artists" really invaded my personal boundaries. I found it to be a little difficult to see some of the work later in the tour because I wasn't that comfortable looking at another womans, and men for that matter, naked body. I do believe that nudity can be art, but some of the images I saw I thought was more pornographic than art.

I'm not sure how to exactly interpret how I feel so I don't sound like I hated everything that I saw or even the ideas behind the art, but in general what I saw was hard to take in. In my opinion the art was weird to me. There were certain video's I saw that made no sense and even the abstract art pieces I felt didn't represent anything. That hanging red rug? I didn't get any of those images. I think that if I had a better understanding of the time and the feminist revolution, this trip would have been more of an enlightening experience for me.

Mary Jo Larson

I think that most important thing that I will take from Dr. Larson speaking is that she didnt know exactly what she was going to do for the rest of her life but she has still able to go out and do the things that she wanted to. At times I feel that there is to much pressure from society to go to college then go to grad school then straight into a career. Society has made is so that we think that everything has to be distinct way. But after listening to the accomplishments that Dr. Larson has achieved without have a set path is very inspiring.

I enjoyed writing down on paper who inspired me or who was a role model. I have always known who has inspired me. But it was a different way to think about things. We had to put our role model up next to our actually expectations of leadership. I also think that there was a good question raised in class. Asking whether it was important to have a role model or can we be shaped solely by our experiences. During the discussion and the presentation I looked at role models in a different way. Dr. Larson's presentation was very beneficial for me. I hope that I can have such a great experience with all the rest of the speakers.

Guest Speaker

Dr. Mary Jo Larson was a great guest speaker. It was very encouraging to hear about all the things that she has accomplished so far in her lifetime. As a woman I think that hearing another women's success has motivated me to achieve that goal or higher. Dr. Larson has worked with many people and has a great amount of experience in many areas. During the class I particularly liked the exercise that we did with the sheet of paper. I never really thought about values and qualities that my role models have. I always just knew they were my role model and I wanted to be like that person or better. Now that I think about it, it is the values and qualities that my role models have that makes me admire them the most. Something that really stuck out to me that Dr. Larson said was, "Don't ever put someone on a pedal stool, they'll fall off". It just reminds me of the frustration that I had on Mason's Track team. There was so much favoritism showed toward an individual and I always said that if the coach keeps putting her on a pedal stool one day she is going to fail at something and she's not going to know how to deal with it.

Dr. Larson gave a lot of insight on things that we as women can do and how we all can become successful.

Blog Three: Mary Jo Larson Guest Speaker

I honestly enjoyed Mary Jo's presentation today. I found it to be very enlightening to hear about all that she has accomplished and the impact that she has on the people around her. I felt that she gave off such a great vibe and you could tell that she truly enjoys the work that she does. I liked her ideas on "power" and the three branches of it, "material", "social", and "symbolic." I never viewed power in those senses before, so to figure out how interconnected they all are was an interesting revelation.
Also, when we were listing our role models I found it interesting to see that it wasn't necessarily the person themselves but the characteristics that they embody that make them such role models. It was funny for me to notice that the only person that I put was my mother. It made me disect her a little more and to look deeper into why I viewed her as a role model. I hope that she comes back soon. :0)

Blog 2

It is very interesting thinking about the point that kelly brought up about the reading and saying that boys didnt see the advantages of being a woman. I think that society has created men to be pessimistic about females. I was driving with my with a male one day and the car in front of us was not paying any attention and when the light turned green did proceed with the rest of traffic. We were behind this car and the first thing that he said was it must be a woman behind the wheel. We are being attacked down to the simplest level.

It is hard to believe that women have fought so hard for the rights that we have but will likely see no benefits from it. Being a mother, or cooking dinner is the traditional view. What will it take to change? I think about the television experiment where they were able to have two groups live in the other places. They did this by changing the colors of those families skin. Each family had to walk in the shoes of their opposites and realize the challenges that they face. I wish sometimes that men were able to do the same thing. That we could switch spots and for them to realize what is like to be the other sex.

It is hard to figure out whether we will be truly equal. We will just have to continue to make the stand and create the image of ourselves that we want projected on the world.

Blog 2

Culture is a huge part of America, both positively and negatively. American culture is high on sports, entertainment and great food. However, a strong part of our culture is the media. TV and radio both include advertisements, which try to manipulate us to buy their products. As Wilson shows in the book, 83% of the purchases made in America are by women. In a way that surprises me but at the same time it doesn't. It seems the biggest target audience today is kids and teenagers. They are more willing to want things based on commercials and on what is popular. Lots of kids and teenagers listen to the radio or watch TV, and the shows they watch have commercials that target that age group. Music, celebrities, bold colors, and lots of action attract kids and companies use those in their commercials. Some of these methods are used in stores to attract kids to the products. These days the majority of a families budget goes towards the kids: toys, clothes, food, electronics, etc. Girls especially when it comes to clothing. Once they reach a certain age, they start to worry about their appearance. Clothing commercials tend to use skinny girls to model their products and sometimes in turn girls who are not as skinny look down on themselves. Even though the amount of people in America who are overweight and obese is high, it seems like America is telling us that we should be a certain weight or have a certain body type. These commercials are starting to tell this to people at a young age. Younger people should not have to worry so much about their appearance and should love themselves for who they are. Of course this is true for adults as well but I think it's more of a problem for younger people because they are still learning and growing.

Blog #2

In response to Kelly's blog I would agree that there isn't any equality when it comes down to men vs women in the working world. Women have the same responsibilities as men so why is it fair that men men get paid $30,000 more with the same job description and duties? Women have bills to pay and children to take care of just like men. It is very sad but true that some work places do not see them equally.
The results conducted amongst the students were not at all suprising to me. The percentage of females that said they saw advantages in being a male are right. The results from the males are just the opposite of the females, the males see the disadvatages to being a female and who would want the short end of the stick? The percentage does not shock me because I see it as if the survey was about race it would be the same. Many people of color would probably say that they wouldn't mind being caucasian because of the advantages and many caucasians may say that they wouldn't want to be a person of color because of the disadvantages. To me there is no difference in the two. I personally would have not choosen to be a male, although there would be advantages. I believe that the things that i grow through as a female is only making me stronger.
I do not think that in our lifetime we will see equality in gender or race. I hope oneday that there will be equal opportunities for everyone. Until that day comes we can't dwell on the things that we do not have, but we can make the best of things that we do have and take every opprotunity towards success that we can.

Blog Two: Chapter 6- Authenticity

There was one idea that stuck with me as I was reading chapter six titled authenticity. This idea was the interesting note when a study was taken of children who were asked, “what if you suddenly woke up as the opposite sex. How would your lives be different?” I was surprised to see that 50% of the girls saw advantages in being male and only 7% of the boys saw advantages in being female. (Many students writing that they would commit suicide if they woke up as a girl). Many of the girls found it interesting to think about life as a boy, however, 20% of the boys gave hostile and derogatory responses to being female. I couldn’t believe the words I was reading. Seriously, what is so bad about being a female? We have survived this long.

There is also that pressure of boys vs. girls and it has been there forever, it seems. Constantly pushing yourself to be somehow better than the other, but if you look at it closer, the fight girls deal with is just to be noticed as equal. The number of girls who enrolled in colleges is significantly higher than boys these days, but interestingly enough; men with college degrees are paid about $30,000 dollars more than women with college degrees. Where is the equality now?

After reading this chapter in particular, I felt as though the inequalities that women face in regards to how other men view them, I feel as though not much has changed. The roles are slightly modified, but are we truly anywhere close to being “equal?”

First Post

I honestly don't know what to write here. I didn't get the invite till this morning and I slept at most 2 hours last night. I've had a really bad week and honestly this whole blog thing made it so much worse. I almost had an anxiety attack yesterday over another class. Im going to try and get to class early to talk to the teachers this morning. See you guys in class :-\

Blog # 1

So far this book is very interesting. I feel like I am learning about a lot of the things that we as women may probably go through in the working world especially if we are leaders. The point that Wilson bought up about women not supporting one another in opinion is a very true statement. I can tell anyone from my own personal experiences with Mason's Women Track Team. We were suppose to be a team and it felt like there were three different sections of the team. At meets some teammates wouldn't cheer for one another and everyone would put one another down. As a women I do believe that we look for encouragement from one another. My teammates were like my best friends on campus at one point and it is sad to see us all going after the same thing and not helping each other to obtain it. If we don't support one another then who will? It must start with us first if we really want to get rid of all the stereotypes about women. I must say that the typical stay at home mom and cooking and cleaning mom is not half as popular as it use to be. We have a lot of women out here who take leadership roles and are making a difference in society for future women who would like to be a leader.
I am ready to read more of this book and see what other leadership roles we can take on as women. I hope this book gives me a lot of answers that I have been seeking for.

Authority, Ambition, Ability

"Do women need to soft-shell their ambition with self depreciation and a nurturing style?" (Wilson pg 56). This quote resonated with me as I was reading these chapters. Women have been fighting for the right to be equal with men for a very long time and when I read this quote I began to think that it was completely true. That many times women are wearing a mask that is not truly doing them justice. Why are women willing to let this mask be the permanent mask that they wear?
I found that reading this book I am learning more about the actually facts of the workforce that facts that I would otherwise not have known. The authors bring up good points that make me wonder what type of woman I will be in leadership. Will I fall to the same status and thinking that I do no deserve a position due to being a woman? Or will I be able to be the ambitious one and go the extra mile to get to the position that I deserve?
The author says that ambition in men is disregarded and thought to be natural but when shown by women it is many times misconceived as aggressive or demanding behavior. The traditional view of women is slowly changing but it seems to be one extreme or the other. We are either recognized for the work that we do or we are not view in the correct light. I found it very interested that authors stress that motherhood is not actually a woman’s downfall, but the source of power. A woman is the one that reproduce and that gives her power of the male counterpart. I found other interesting thoughts in the book and look forward to reading more into depth.

Blog One

Kelly Williams
September 12, 2007
Prof. Bernard, Prof. Scott

BLOG ONE

I have become excited about the topic of women and their importance in leadership roles. The readings from Marie C. Wilson is giving me the opportunity to look deeper into what has become an issue that even today, women face both at home and especially in the workplace from a society who’s authority has been predominately male for centuries. Reading the statistics that has been provided astounded me at first; to have that realization that women, in general, had to wait many years to hold the leadership positions they do, but still not equal to their male counterparts. Wilson’s book, “Closing the Leadership Gap” has brought to my attention those statistics as well as bringing to light an argument based on historical fact but also for once sharing it with the public in a logical way.
One particular section that interested me as I was reading was the part in chapter four is called, “Appropriate Ambitions.” The quote that began this section of the chapter stood out to me, for I have heard this saying before, “Show me a woman without guilt and I will show you a man.” (Wilson, 56). Immediately after I read those thirteen words I felt a little offended. Why? I felt offended because, in my opinion, the sentence itself places an image onto a woman when being compared to a man, it saying that any woman who didn’t feel guilt was referenced to a man, who are believed to share that quality. However my understanding of this sentence in the context that Wilson used it, became clear after reading the chapter. It fueled my idea that just because women, who are married and raise their children, who are educated, etc, lets not forget they are also capable of having an opinion. What I dislike the most is seeing society place the same hindering stereotypes on women, especially in high positions. The example that Wilson uses is Hilary Rodham Clinton. She was studying law during her husband’s run for the presidential office and already was well educated. People viewed her more political herself than what a politicians wife should be. That stereotype of being a wife obviously didn’t fit to her mold with the public.
For the end of this week, I thoroughly enjoyed the readings from Wilson. She gave me insight to the real life struggle that women have gone through in the past, but continue to go through even today. For the first time in our country’s history we have a woman running for president. Hasn’t it been too long? That’s question I have found myself asking each week. I hope that next week my understanding of this issue with become more concrete as we get to explore deeper into women and their leadership roles.

Ambition and Authority

I love this book, but it frustrates me at times because I can identify with the books theories from personal experience, mainly from Student Government (which is a male dominating environment). There were a few things that hit home. First - on the subject that women like to be supported and mentored, encouraged. I definitely agree with that, i turn to my sisters for support on the actions I make in my leadership positions. Second- The fact that women need support and that women don't support women I believe is true. There have been too many times when I call men out when they are being sexist and I have had my girl friends get embarrassed and turn the other way or ask me why I make a big fuss out of every silly thing, yet they don't call out our male friends when they make a fuss about unfair stereo types. Also it bothers me when women stand back and just say "oh, its a guy thing", i feel like its a character thing which explains why women still stick to female stereo types. If the battle that women are fighting today is the stereo types then how can we do that if we are not supported by our fellow females. The book mentions that we do need to change the perception of our sisters in order to change the pereception of society, but I think that we need more direction so that we can change the stereo types of women in a more efficient way.... but the question is, how can we set a direction to change these stereo types of women, that feel tangible through personal and every day experiences when other women dont argue these stereo types (as well as men) and claim it to be just a figment of my imagination (aka - crazy feminist) which they say just to help them sleep at night?