Pro-life Ambassadors

A topic that has always been important to me is pro-life. I searched the internet, and there are many organizations that represent this topic, but I am choosing to write about the Pro-Life Ambassadors, which is an organization here on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. They are helping to educate our campus about certain issues, specifically abortions. They also are helping men and women that are faced with the situation of pregnancy. Their most recent project was Ask about Baby Feet. They drew baby feet around campus, which reminded me of how precious a gift baby are. The baby feet were a symbol to help raise awareness that a fetus develops toes six weeks after conception. I like the approach of the Pro-Life Ambassadors because they aren’t necessarily in your face about their cause, they just give out the facts and they do things to strike people’s attention. Next year, during their awareness week in November I will try to be actively involved. I will help with the chalking, and also try to come up with some more ideas to get more people interested in our cause of pro-life awareness. believe that if people knew the facts – that as early as 3 weeks after conception that the baby’s brain, spinal cord and heart all begin to develop, that a fetus has its own DNA, that the fetus is a human life – that they would be more receptive to the cause of pro-life.

The Kabul Beauty School

When an American thinks about the Taliban or Afghanistan in general, the first thing to come to mind is not typically beauty. In fact many times it is far from that. For Deborah Rodriguez, she felt it was her calling. While other people were using their, to some more useful, tools such as medical skills, she took her degree in Cosmetology to make a difference. Many looked down upon this situation. In Afghanistan, although the Taliban is lifted, men and women have strict roles they are to play. Women are expected to keep their hair and sometimes part of their faces covered. They also are expected to stay home. On the other side on this, men have freedom to do as they please. They can even have more than one wife; it is looked at as normal and typical. The assumptions and views that Americans have about Afghanistan are typically proven to be untrue when compared to the Kabul Beauty School movie, which was in general a cause to help the women of Afghanistan work towards better lives.

Now that the Taliban has been lifted, one would think it would be easy for freedom in Afghanistan. That is not the case. One of the main reasons that Rodriguez went to Afghanistan was to help empower the women there. As was gone through with the freedom of American woman, we know that this process can be a long one, and must be taken one step at a time. The starting of a beauty school was just one step to help women become better, and allow them the capability to have a job that would help support them along with their families. With this step comes another – some women would be making more money than their husbands. To many this may be looked down upon, but to the ones that are going through it, it is a huge relief that is helping them to get by, and make ends meet.

I related the situation of stereotyping with the women of Afghanistan to how Peggy McIntosh described it in her article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack. No, Americans don’t typically the beauty as something important, but that is because it is something we have such an easy access too. It is not in reality the fact that we see it as stereotypes, it is the fact that we choose to overlook, or not see it at all. We do not see why beauty is important to them, especially when they just have to keep it covered up with a burqa. It was proven in the film that beauty is a great deal more than that – it was about feeling powerful and pretty; making them confident about themselves so that they can go out and work towards equality. With the opportunity to attend beauty school, come great possibilities for these women to live great, powerful lives.

Personally, Rodriguez seemed to be trying to show that Americans should use the freedom and abilities that they have to better other peoples’ lives; and in return get theirs changed also. Kabul Beauty School showed Americans new ways to view Afghanistan. Although it took a significant amount of work and hard effort, it still made a great advance towards women empowerment in Afghanistan.

NGO

Priests for Life is a non-governmental organization that helps to protect human life. Their focus of the ministry is to raise awareness of the negative effects of abortion. They see the value of a human life in all stages. They also see the negative effects that this can have on mothers. They try to raise support in this cause to decrease abortions.


This is a gender issue because to an extent if effects women’s rights. The topic of abortion plays a big role in feminism because some consider it to not be giving women equality. I believe that women should have the right to choose – that is the right to choose to not have unprotected sex. We are in the 21st Century, where medicine is at its finest. With that being said, there are many options to avoid being in the situation of unwanted pregnancy. In feminism, women should have rights, but with rights comes responsibility – the responsibility to take the credit for our actions.


I was reading the Darraj essay, and it definitely reminded me of how typical and judgmental we as Americans can be. We should see the fact that just because we have equality, doesn’t mean we’re better than someone else, it means we should go out and help those other women to take steps in gaining the same freedom and respect that we have.

"Tough Guise"

When thinking about the “tough guise,” the first benefit of it that comes to mind is that they don’t have to deal with emotional stuff. To an extent they might get more girls out of it, but after awhile the girls will realize that it is just an act that some men like to put on.

I think that some consider it “male-bashing” just because for once something negative is being confronted and pointed out about men. In my opinion, “male-bashing” technically isn’t even bashing; it is simply just discussing the frustrating things that guys do that annoy me.

I believe that it would be difficult for boys of color to overcome the stereotype that is tied to them while growing up. Even if they grow up to be respectable, they would still have a difficult time gaining the trust of others. This is part of why this problem continues – because they don’t believe they will ever gain a positive reputation, so they don’t think it would be worth it to fight for it.

These portrayals significantly influence the way the majority of the white population sees men of color. We are a nation full of stereotypes, and we aren’t very open to people outgrowing, or losing their stereotype.

Opting-Out?

People had many strong, but different opinions when it came to Lisa Belkin's Opting-Out article. I found that many people thought that the mothers place was to be at home with her children. On the other end of the spectrum I found that people were thinking of the cases that women shouldn't put their full trust in someone else supporting them, especially with how high the divorce rates are in our country.
In my opinion, I think it is beneficial That is at least until their children are old enough to go to school all day. My mom stayed at home with my brother and I until I was in the fourth grade. It has greatly impacted my life. I now have a stronger relationship with my mom and I feel like she will always be there for me because she always has been present in my life. Even when she did have a job, she worked for the school that I attended, which meant she was easily accessible for me.
I will not leave my children at a daycare. I will either stay home with them or they will stay with someone in my family. The meals I have planned for my family will be nutritious because I find that very important.

Living on a Budget

I found an apartment that was 2 bedroom/2 baths for $565. It is somewhat roomy.

My Aunt lives in the city, and offered to watch the kids for free.

I have allowed $150 for food. I figured that I could use $40 for breakfast (Eggo's, breakfast bars, etc.) $20 for lunch (the kids will be with their aunt most of the time, and I will be at work. When we are home, there will be meat, cheese, and bread to make sandwiches.) I have allotted $60 for dinner (Homemade pizza, chicken, veggies, etc.) I have left over $30 (drinks and snacks.)

I have budgeted in $125 for clothes.

I work close to the apartment, so I wouldn't be driving much. I have budgeted in $35 for gas.

I have also budgeted in $75 for diapers, personal items, etc.

This leaves $98 left over. This will be extra money to use for things my children and I need, and for anything that costs more than budgeted.

This assignment was somewhat difficult because it's hard to prioritize the money. It would be a challenge, but not impossible to raise a family on this budget.

My Privileges

Personally, I do not consider myself white, but Native American. Even so, some areas of White privilege affect me. I can easily go to the store and find makeup that matches my skin tone. I can go shopping and not worry about being followed, or stereotyped as being someone that would steal.

I am not male, so male privileges do not apply to me.

It is assumed that I come from a wealthy family just because I dress nice, am well kept, attend a D-1 school, etc. Despite popular belief, my family is barely middle class. I receive OHLAP, which is a scholarship that assures I get a proper education. I do get some privileges because it is assumed that I am middle class. People do not automatically assume that I am not wealthy.

“Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. Instead be an example to the believers with your word, actions, your love, your faith, and your pure life.”
In some instances young people are looked down upon. People often assume that there is an apathetic attitude about young people, but I believe they are wrong. I think that as a young person I am very privileged because I basically have the whole world within my reach. I can be who I want, do what I want, and chase dreams that no one thought would ever be possible. We are a generation that is going past the norm.

I also am privileged as an able-bodied person. I do not have to worry about whether I have access to get into a building or not. I can drive a car, get a proper job, and not worry about being ridiculed from day to day. I do not have to worry about getting a proper education.

Gender Ad

This is an ad from Brazil selling white and dark chocolate. Gender is represented in these ads because they are using women to try to sell chocolate. I feel that they are trying to get the point across that their chocolate is as charming as a woman. They used women because the ad would not have been as successful if they had tried to use a man. I assume that they feel that women are easier to sell than men. This ad also would be appealing to the artistic community because they used the woman's body as a piece of art.

Reading Response

Although I am Pro-life, I feel that abortions shouldn't be outlawed because then girls will be having unsafe abortions. Just because abortions are legal doesn't mean that it's okay to have unprotected sex and deal with it later with the abortions. Like it says in the reading, that can lead to many health problems later down the road.
I'm very glad that I have always had the freedom to wear whatever I've wanted from childhood on. I do feel that appearance is still a huge issue in society today. Girls must be pretty for some, but not all, guys to want them. Because of this self-appearance issue means that the issue of eating disorders is still very common.

Playlist

Barbie Girl - When I thought about creating a playlist about gender, this is one of the first songs that came to mind. It is just a typical stereotype for girls to have to live up to, to be perfect and have to live up to expectations of perfection.

You Belong With Me - I chose this song because it a situation many girls are faced with - they want a guy, the guy is taken by a girl that doesn't deserve him, and it is an account of the girls feelings throughout the whole situation.

Just a Little Girl - I was going through my iTunes and this caught my eye when thinking about gender. To me, this song looks at the more emotional side of how girls are. As a girl we just want to be loved and provided for, and that's what this song is about.

Party in the USA - I chose this song because it inspired me to be empowering as a woman.

She's a Lady - This is another song that I found very stereotypical about women.
If I were a Boy - I could relate to this song because it is truly how I feel things would be different if I were a boy. It basically talks about how boys have it so much easier than girls, with things such as body image and relationships.

Reading Response

In the reading, women in the home is discussed. It was surprising to me that it was Lesbian activists to finally stand up for these critical issues. It also talks about the male domination in the home, and how activists were trying to find a balance when raising their children. When I get older and have children, I personally want to be able to stay home with them. I don't look at it as a negative situation at all. Raising my family is important to me, and I want to be able to say that I played significant, influential roles in my children's lives.

But I thought we were the same?

The very first time I was at a ballpark I was two weeks old. While most girls were being all dolled up and shown off, I was running around the ball field. It could’ve been baseball, softball, or football, but if my dad or brothers were there, so was I. I absolutely adored the “men” in my life, and, of course, being the little sister I was, I wanted to be just like them. Whether we were playing ball or just hanging out around the house I wanted to do what they did. Looking back, I did not understand that I was experiencing gender, but now, I realize that I was discriminated against many times. In my life I did not have one specific occasion that made me realize gender, but many situations helped to form my opinion of gender and the impact it plays in my life.
One of the first times I can remember facing gender roles was when I was about seven or eight. My brother and dad would always walk around my house without a shirt on. I was at the age where I did not understand why I couldn’t walk around without a shirt on too. Every time that I would try this, my brother, Caleb, who is two years older than me, would always make fun of me or make a big deal about the fact. My mom would proceed to make me put a shirt on, which would lead to my getting angry and pouting.
I became a cheerleader when I was in the seventh grade. I would not be the first one to admit that our seventh grade football team was awful. As a cheerleader, you are expected to be optimistic and try to boost the morale of the team you are cheering for, but if the team that is playing is that dreadful, it can be an extremely hard task to achieve. One day after gym class I had an astonishing idea – why couldn’t I play football? It was known that I was just as fast, if not faster, than almost every boy in my grade. I thought that I surely could make a positive contribution to the team; after all, it couldn’t possibly hurt the team at that point. After consulting my parents, I was instructed to call and ask my older brother, Trent, who is a head football coach, his opinion. I had planned it out perfectly, asking him if there was a girl that would be beneficial to his team if he would let her play, and he said yes. Then, to my misfortune, he explained but not his sister.
The most shocking experience I have had with gender occurred the summer following my junior year of high school. It was definitely one of the “in the wrong place, at the wrong time” situations. School was finally over, and it was the first weekend of summer. A group of friends and I decided to go camping to kick off the fun. The evening was going fine, that was up until around one o’clock in the morning. Around that time, my night took a turn for the worst. I had an encounter with a “friend”, who is now an acquaintance, which would change my life forever. I was raped. To make matters worse, around a month later the inevitable happened – my “monthly time” didn’t come around. Shock was the first emotion that I went through, then anger, and finally acceptance. I had no idea why this had happened to me. My plan was to keep the baby, but I had an unfortunate miscarriage towards the end of September.
From experiencing these few trials, I have learned many things. Even with equal rights in mind, I feel that it is still inacceptable for a woman to walk around without a shirt. Although, I was young, and I do believe my brother made a far bigger deal than necessary. I understand now that my brother and coaches were only looking out for my best interest in not letting me play football. It is a great possibility that I would have been many opponents first target, and I could have gotten seriously hurt. With that in mind, I still think that they should have given me a chance. After all, the boys won maybe two games that season. Looking back at my camping experience, I feel that I am somewhat to blame. In the future, I plan on making wiser choices on who I hang out with, and I will look out for myself better.
All three stories have affected me, but I feel that one stands out from the rest. On our camping trip I know that if I hadn’t been a girl, then this would not have happened. This experience has affected me in more ways than I ever imagined. I thought I had some slight trust issues before, but now they exceed anything I can think of. For about six to nine months after the fact, I kept the motto, “like everyone, and trust no one,” constantly playing in my head. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about the baby I should have had. I will carry the emotional trauma of this situation for the rest of my life.
Now, with my familiarity with gender, I have become aware of the many gender roles I must play. As a young woman, I must dress respectable. It might be expected for me to be the “dolled up” girl all the time, but that is not the role I wish to play. Sometimes I do not mind wearing sweats, with little to no makeup on. It does not make me any less of a woman by doing so. I have also come to realize that it is my own role to take care of myself because in the end I could be stuck handling a significant situation all by myself, with the man that caused it being nowhere in sight.
Bernice Johnson Reagon once said “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” This quote is a good explanation of what I have learned from my many different gender experiences. They have come as challenges, but in no way stopped me from living my life.

Womens Studies and Working.

When it comes down to the truth, I honestly have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have no clue what vocation I want to pursue. I have literally changed my mind at least once a week just since I’ve been at OU. That being said, I have decided I will discuss some of my options right now.

Public Relations- If I decide to get a PR degree, I will use it to represent different large companies and organizations. Gender will play a significant role because some people might think that I am not as influential because I am a woman. It could also help because PR can sometimes be about publicity and it tends to be easier for a woman to get attention. A good course that I could take would be Gender, Politics and Leadership in Politics and Administration. This would be beneficial because it would help me to learn about the politics and types of leadership I could use in the workplace.

Sports Psychology- As a sports psychologist, I will be counseling athletes, and studying the emotional effects physical activity has on people. I’m not sure if gender would play a significant role as a sports psychologist. Women are often found in this profession. The issue I might face would be with salary. Courses that might be useful for me would be Women’s health, Women and Sports, and Body Image Vs. Reality. These would be helpful because they would give me insight on Women and physical activity, and how the emotional effects of body image are an issue.

Lawyer-Being a lawyer would bring quite a few gender role issues. Men are often more respected and receive more power than women. It would be helpful that I am decent at arguing, and I can typically get my point across. A few courses that would help me see if I would like to become a lawyer would be Women and the Law, Gender, Law and Human Rights, and Women and World Politics.

I worked as a gymnastics instructor for four years. I taught boys and girls ranging from the ages of 2 to 13. The main gender issue in gymnastics is that at those ages it is typically a girls sport. In the workplace I also received less pay than the men working there because the boss needed them to stay around. Men were hard to find to work there, and they are needed as spotters.

Iron Jawed Angels, and Reading Review

The movie Iron Jawed Angels was definitely an eye-opener for me. Women getting the right to vote was always something I knew existed, but never really thought about. I learned many new things because of this movie. I never knew just how radical the actions of these women were, and I learned that it is important to fight with every ounce of strength that you have within you for something that you truly believe in. The part that surprised me the most would have to be when they force fed Miss Alice Paul. It made me consider if I would go to through that extreme of a punishment just for something that I believe to be right. I believe the themes of this film to be fighting for what is believed to be right and true, and the questioning of gender roles. One of the biggest issues of tension would have to be that between the National Women’s Party and NAWSA. NAWSA didn’t believe that being radical and extreme would be the best course of action to receive women’s rights, while the NWP found it necessary to go to the extreme for what they were fighting for. In the end I believe they overcame this problem by realizing that they were fighting for the same cause, which brought them together and gave a greater respect for each other. After being arrested, which was later ruled unconstitutional, going through a hunger strike, and being force fed, all on top of the countless hours of lobbying for Women’s suffrage, they were finally able to achieve their political goals.

Reading Response

I liked that in FIFE it was clear that the focus was on ending sexism as the main definition of feminism. I also liked how there was an emphasis on all people being educated about feminism. I think that if people are better educated then feminism would have a greater impact in our lives.


Although I really appreciate FIFE, I have an issue with the fact that it is stated that one can’t not be pro-choice and be a feminist. Is it not equality for ALL people, no matter the race, gender or even point of views that we are fighting for?

My interview with SuzAnn Worley

Feminism is an issue that we have been dealing with for over a century, and it is an issue that over time continually changes. My mom, SuzAnn Worley, was born in 1963. When I asked her about her experience with gender she informed me that she feels that she has been treated differently because she is a woman. She stated that she was treated poorly in her workplace, and it was common for her to be talked down to. In her work and also in her life, she would be confronted with men treating her flirtatiously and acting perverted towards her. An issue that she doesn’t understand about men is why they think that they can treat women provocatively, just for the sole fact that she is a woman. Her history with feminism is that while growing up, feminism always had a negative connotation. She claimed that women that stood up for feminism were called “dikes.” Her definition of feminism is “believing is fair and equal rights because of qualification, not gender.” An experience that she had that made her conscious of being a woman was that she once had a stalker that would contact her through the mail. It made her feel vulnerable, and she feels that if she was not a woman that she would never have to go through that.

In today’s society, sex is everywhere. It’s in art, music, advertisements, television, etc. Because of this it is shocking to me to imagine a time when birth control and sexual education wasn’t around. Reading about the fight for those things really made me proud of the waves before us. I couldn’t imagine what our lives would be like without sex ed and contraceptives.
I personally am pro-life. I understand that some situations women should have the right to choose, but being a young woman that has faced similar situations I feel that choosing to terminate a life is not a positive choice.
I agree with the text in that the third wave isn’t nonexistent, they just don’t choose to be labeled. The things occurring in the third wave are exciting and the thing that sticks out to me to most would be keeping an open mind to all equality for all people, not discriminating against sex, race, sexual preference, etc.

Who am I?

Hello! My name is Toni Kaylene Worley, but I prefer T.K. Worley. I am from the small town of Verdigris, Oklahoma. It is about twenty minutes northeast of Tulsa. As of right now, my major is Human Relations, with a minor in Psychology. I am extremely loyal and caring, which means I have a passion for people. I am taking Into to Women's Studies this semester because I had to take a Humanities, and Women's Studies really struck my interest. Five questions I would like to answer for myself this semester are: 1)Is it possible to be a feminist and still respect and honor my future husband? 2) Why do feminists become feminists? 3) How would having a feminist point of view influence and change my life? 4)Is this really all about feminism? 5) How can we not abhor men?