I asked one of our newest FMLA leaders, Sara Alcid, to share a post on feminism at a women's college that was featured on Bryn Mawr College's blog series celebrating BMC's 125th anniversary. Sara also writes about feminism and gender on her blog Genderead.
Originally posted September 20, 2010
Welcome to Sara’s Scholarly Musings! Sara Alcid is a Bryn Mawr senior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies. She’ll be posting her reflections on the themes and events of the College’s 125th Anniversary and providing a current student’s perspective on Bold Vision. For Women. For the World.
Although I am biased, I think students at the Seven Sisters colleges carry their heads high and possess an intellectual and social confidence that I am yet to discover elsewhere. Quite frankly, we are empowered women and the face of the modern feminism. I embrace this role wholeheartedly and endlessly appreciate the way my world view has evolved since enrolling at Bryn Mawr.
While there are certainly drawbacks to being a feminist in a male-glorified world, I would feel that I were cheapening my growth as a Bryn Mawr woman if I masked my empowerment in order to perform a “patriarchal bargain.” Feminist scholar, Deniz Kandiyoti, coined the phrase “patriarchal bargain” to describe instances of men and women’s acquiescence with traditional gender roles in order to avoid the societal punishment that often comes with deviating from these roles.
Despite the fact that the atmosphere at Bryn Mawr is geared toward feminism, the term carries just as much stigma as anywhere else. Although I am certain that the vast majority of students stand for the goals and beliefs of feminism, many are hesitant to deem themselves feminists.
I have some ideas as to why this is the case, but I want to hear from current students and alumnae. Do you think some students come to resent feminism because they feel bombarded by its messages at Bryn Mawr; do “that’s hetero-normative” or “that’s gender-normative” sound a bit too familiar? Do you think there is a fear of being negatively judged for being a feminist by prospective romantic partners? Or does it come down to career prospects—a reluctance to add feminist extracurricular activities to one’s resume or gender studies courses to one’s transcript? Or perhaps you have had an experience with feminism at Bryn Mawr that parallels mine, in that you embrace it and are proud of it.
Bryn Mawr’s new Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance chapter, or Fem-Co. as it was recently renamed, will be setting up a photo booth outside of the campus center this week during lunch hours where students, faculty, and staff can have their picture taken with a “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” sign. Fem-Co. is hoping to begin to break down the stigma and stereotypes surrounding feminism on campus with this photo campaign. Hope to see you there!
-Sara Alcid, President of Fem-Co.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Center for Reproductive Rights Calls for Repeal of Hyde Amendment
On Wednesday, the Center for Reproductive Rights held a briefing on Capitol Hill to release their new report, Whose Choice? How the Hyde Amendment Harms Poor Women. The report focuses on interviews with low-income women who were faced with obstacles to abortion as a result of Hyde's provisions. Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, described the report as an attempt to personalize and put a face to the many women who have been negatively affected by Hyde's regulations.
The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1974, prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion with few exceptions. This means that the 1 in 10 American women who use Medicaid do not have healthcare coverage for abortion services. Though groups like the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) and the National Abortion Federation work to provide some private funding for poor and low-income women seeking abortions, they do not have the means to assist all women affected by Hyde, according to NNAF Executive Director Stephanie Poggi. Poggi, one of the event's speakers, pointed out that because of Hyde, poor women lose their right to decide their own reproductive future. Their decisions are, in effect, made by the government. The Center for Reproductive Rights states that over 1 million women have been denied the exercise of their reproductive rights since Hyde's inception.
I attended the event and was able to hear a number of speakers call for the repeal the Hyde Amendment in order to ensure reproductive rights are available to all women, not only those who can afford them. Each speaker addressed specific arguments in support of this goal. Northup discussed the fact that the cost of an abortion procedure increases as a pregnancy progresses, putting many women in a situation where the cost of their procedure has increased, sometimes dramatically, by the time they have saved enough money to undergo it. She also condemned the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," currently in Congress, which would restrict private insurance coverage for abortions and place a permanent ban on all federal funding that goes toward abortions.
Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) and Mike Quigley (D-Illinois) spoke at the briefing and expressed their support for repealing the law. Rep. Schakowsky emphasized the “difficult year” it has been for abortion rights, referencing the struggles of pro-choice advocates in regards to the Stupak Amendment and the healthcare bill. She urged advocates to “take the offensive” in the debate over abortion rights. “Don’t antagonize. Organize,” Schakowsky said, encouraging advocacy mobilization and the need for more young voices in the abortion debate.
Terry Salas Merritt, the Vice President of Whole Woman’s Health, spoke about the need for Medicaid abortion coverage to enable actual reproductive choice for poor women, who may desperately resort to dangerous black market abortion products. These products are often ineffective and can cause other, sometimes serious, health problems.
The final speaker, Brittany Mostiller, is a member of the My Voice, My Choice Leadership Group of the Chicago Abortion Fund. Mostiller relayed an especially profound story about her own struggle to get an abortion as a low-income woman with children. She faced difficulty in scheduling an appointment, rejection at the most affordable clinic due to her stage of pregnancy, and threats of being fired for missing work in the process of both scheduling and undergoing the procedure.
You can learn more about the Center's report and how to take action on its website. To learn more about the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendment, check out the NNAF's Hyde - 30 Years is Enough! campaign.
The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1974, prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion with few exceptions. This means that the 1 in 10 American women who use Medicaid do not have healthcare coverage for abortion services. Though groups like the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) and the National Abortion Federation work to provide some private funding for poor and low-income women seeking abortions, they do not have the means to assist all women affected by Hyde, according to NNAF Executive Director Stephanie Poggi. Poggi, one of the event's speakers, pointed out that because of Hyde, poor women lose their right to decide their own reproductive future. Their decisions are, in effect, made by the government. The Center for Reproductive Rights states that over 1 million women have been denied the exercise of their reproductive rights since Hyde's inception.
I attended the event and was able to hear a number of speakers call for the repeal the Hyde Amendment in order to ensure reproductive rights are available to all women, not only those who can afford them. Each speaker addressed specific arguments in support of this goal. Northup discussed the fact that the cost of an abortion procedure increases as a pregnancy progresses, putting many women in a situation where the cost of their procedure has increased, sometimes dramatically, by the time they have saved enough money to undergo it. She also condemned the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," currently in Congress, which would restrict private insurance coverage for abortions and place a permanent ban on all federal funding that goes toward abortions.
Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) and Mike Quigley (D-Illinois) spoke at the briefing and expressed their support for repealing the law. Rep. Schakowsky emphasized the “difficult year” it has been for abortion rights, referencing the struggles of pro-choice advocates in regards to the Stupak Amendment and the healthcare bill. She urged advocates to “take the offensive” in the debate over abortion rights. “Don’t antagonize. Organize,” Schakowsky said, encouraging advocacy mobilization and the need for more young voices in the abortion debate.
Terry Salas Merritt, the Vice President of Whole Woman’s Health, spoke about the need for Medicaid abortion coverage to enable actual reproductive choice for poor women, who may desperately resort to dangerous black market abortion products. These products are often ineffective and can cause other, sometimes serious, health problems.
The final speaker, Brittany Mostiller, is a member of the My Voice, My Choice Leadership Group of the Chicago Abortion Fund. Mostiller relayed an especially profound story about her own struggle to get an abortion as a low-income woman with children. She faced difficulty in scheduling an appointment, rejection at the most affordable clinic due to her stage of pregnancy, and threats of being fired for missing work in the process of both scheduling and undergoing the procedure.
You can learn more about the Center's report and how to take action on its website. To learn more about the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendment, check out the NNAF's Hyde - 30 Years is Enough! campaign.
Hyde: The Status Quo Is Not OK from Center for Reproductive Rights on Vimeo.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Arizona, Vote NO on 107! Colorado, Vote NO on 62!
As young women across the country are eager to cast their vote in this year's election, they may be surprised to find some shocking measures on the ballot in Colorado and Arizona that are serious threats to women's rights. Ballot initiatives are common ways states can petition a public vote or a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments or statues. These measures are allowed in 24 states, two of which--Arizona and Colorado--have a history of taking up discriminative and anti-choice measures.
You might remember during the 2008 general election, both Colorado's Amendment 46 (a ban on affirmative action in state and local agencies) and Amendment 48 (anti-abortion measure giving personhood to a fetus) was successfully defeated. With 73% of voters rejecting Amendment 48, you would think abortion rights in the state are successfully protected, right? WRONG!
Introducing another threat to a woman's choice--Amendment 62! Colorado voters will be met with, yet again, another anti-abortion measure that seeks to extend legal and constitutional rights to fertilized eggs on the November 2nd ballot. If this amendment is passed, it will have a detrimental affect on everything from property rights to inheritance laws. According to Andrew Toft of the Colorado Bar Association, "Almost every area of law would be impacted, including criminal law, family law, trusts and estates, real estate, elder law, tort law, juvenile law, health law and business law." To learn more about why you should vote NO! on 62, check out NO62 at www.protectfamiliesprotectchoices.org.
Colorado, you are not alone. After the passage of Arizona's controversial anti-immigration law, it's not surprising that an anti-affirmative action initiative, Proposition 107, will also appear on the November ballot. The 2008 election was not very favorable to LGBT communities with the state's enactment of a ban on same-sex marriage. It seems that the mounting support continues for discriminative policies as we are seeing now with Proposition 107. If Prop 107 is passed, it would put an end to equal opportunity programs for women and minorities. This will have a tremendous affect on university admissions for underrepresented students like women and minorities. Check out Protect Arizona's Freedom to learn more about why you should vote NO! on Prop 107.
If you are interested in mobilizing support against these inequitable, anti-choice initiatives, go to our Feminist Campus Get Out HER Vote campaign.
Learn how to organize feminists on your campus to vote for equality in November. Let's put an end to inequality in 2010!
This was post was featured in the September 2010 campus eZine. To join our mailing list, sign up here.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
How to get out HER vote on YOUR campus!
With just a few weeks before voter registration deadlines end in many states and only six weeks before election day on November 2, the time to get out HER vote on campus is now!The Feminist Majority Foundation's Get Out HER Vote (GOHV) campaign is the nation's only student-led voter education and registration initiative aimed at increasing young women's voter participation. It's not enough to register yourself and go to the polls this year -- we must register and inform every feminist on your campus! Feeling a little overwhelmed? To help you get started, utilize FMF's GOHV step-by-step guide to getting our HER vote on your campus today!
Step One: Prepare
1. Review the GOHV toolkit online and designate GOHV chairs to coordinate the campaign and volunteers on your campus.
2. Know the rules and don’t be intimidated! Do you know your state's deadlines to register to vote? Have you ever heard of a provisional ballot? Like with all of your activism on campus, you must educate yourself first before your can inform your campus community. Don't be fooled by the scare tactics and misinformation of others. Know your rights and cast your vote this year! Check out our GOHV website for information on your state’s rules.
3. Build your GOHV campaign around four political issues that will resonate with your group and campus. What are the issues that are most important to you? Do you have a pay equity bake sale each year to raise awareness about wage discrimination? Does your group focus on global women's rights and seek to ratify CEDAW? All of these issues and more can be influenced with your voice and your vote on November 2. For more ideas use the What’s at Stake in 2010? GOHV handout to develop your GOHV platform.
4. Contact your county registrar to obtain voter registration forms, train to become poll workers, and petition for voting machines on campus. Visit our GOHV website to contact your Secretary of State or County Registrar to find the nearest location to pick up a large supply of voter registration forms. Be sure to become familiar with your state's voter registration form, instructions, guidelines, and voter registration deadline.
Step Two: Register
1. Table in high-traffic areas with GOHV materials. Draw attention to your table with balloons, signs, and banners. Have lots of registration forms, voter pledge sheets, and a list of polling stations on hand. No materials other than the registration form should reference political parties or any candidate. Remember you can not deny anyone the right to register to vote based on party affiliation. Don’t just sit behind the table – engage everyone passing by, and ask them to sign the GOHV voter pledge. Encourage students to register to vote using their local address, and tell them you will call them to remind them to vote before Election Day. If your state offers early voting, encourage students to vote as early as possible!
2. Contact the chairs of Women’s Studies and other departments on campus for permission to pass out voter registration forms at the beginning of class and explain how to fill out the form and the location of the nearest polling place. Be sure to collect completed forms at the end of your presentation and deliver them to the local registrar before the deadline!
3. Talk about the issues without endorsing candidates or political parties, and let students know how to sign up to get paid as a county poll worker. FMF's GOHV campaign is a non-partisan, issue-based campaign that does not oppose, support, or otherwise endorse any candidate for public office.
4. Deliver voter registration forms to the local county registrar before the registration deadline! **This is one of the most important steps!** If you don’t turn in the forms, you could be violating state law. Make several trips – county clerks offices often have small staffs, so it is important not to overwhelm them by delivering large stacks of forms all at once.
5. When you drop off completed registration forms, check the voter rolls for a random sample of names you previously submitted. This is a great way to verify the voters you register are getting onto the rolls.
Step Three: Mobilize
1. The month between your state’s voter registration deadline and November 2nd is the best time to mobilize registered students. Blanket campus with information about where and when students can vote. Leaflet with the GOHV FAQs handout to help students who may have questions. If your state offers early voting, publicize it widely.
2. Educate your campus through PSAs on campus radio, op-eds in your student newspaper and a panel discuss with coalition groups on campus about the issues at stake in this election.
3. On the day before Election Day, volunteers should set up a phone-bank to call students who signed voter pledges, remind them to vote, and let them know poll locations. If the main student polling location is off-campus, find out if the student needs a ride and organize a car pool.
4. Election Day – Organize voting rushes on Election Day to rally and lead hundreds of students to polling locations. Host an election watch party after the polls close to celebrate all your hard work!
Just in case you didn't already know: VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd!
This was post was featured in the September 2010 campus eZine. To join our mailing list, sign up here.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Voting Is a Feminist Issue!
Elections are frequently won by tiny margins and the mobilization of students-especially young women-has the potential to change the political landscape drastically. Young people, especially young women, have important rights at stake in this 2010 midterm election. The stakes are high which means it is even more imperative that we exercise our right to vote! Voting is a feminist issue because we are disproportionately under-represented in all levels of government. Even though women are 51% of the population, they hold 17% of the seats in the U.S. Congress. Only 5% of U.S. House seats are held by women of color, and there are no women of color in the U.S. Senate. The picture in our state legislatures is better, but still dismal: women today hold only 24% of state legislative seats nationwide. At the current rate of gain for women in elective office, it will take over 200 years to achieve parity with men in Congress.Not only is it necessary for us to go out and vote this coming November, but increasing voter participation among young women has the power to transform politics. Everything from abortion rights, the environment, educational loans, immigration reform and LGBTQ civil rights are going to be determined by who we elect into office. Women, between the ages of 18-24, have consistently voted less than any other age group: it’s time to change these numbers!
Your Vote Counts! Young women need to register, vote, and run for government in record numbers. Underrepresentation begins in student governments, so run for office on your campus and Get Out HER Vote this fall!
This was post was featured in the September 2010 campus eZine. To join our mailing list, sign up here.
Let's Get Out Her Vote in California!
There's so much at stake across the nation during the 2010 elections, but especially California. With important races and ballot initiatives to vote on this Fall, we must mobilize to get young people to the polls in the Golden State!What's at stake you ask? Plenty!
- Abortion rights: Access to safe, legal abortions and affordable family planning services, including California’s Family PACT program which provides free reproductive health care to low-income women, are constantly under attack. Your vote will help determine whether reproductive health care and comprehensive sexual education are supported over failed abstinence-only programs.
- Education and loans: California is experiencing an education budget crisis, with a projected $18.9 billion deficit for the next fiscal year. Cuts across all levels of education make enrollment in classes increasingly difficult and limit access to quality public education.
- The Environment: Voters can limit the harmful environmental impacts of big business by voting for cleaner energy measures which contributes to the creation of jobs, development of renewable energy sources and the reduction of California’s dependency on foreign oil.
- LGBTQ Rights and Marriage Equality: In California and across the nation LGBTQ civil rights issues, including marriage equality and the right to serve openly in the military, will be in the hands of our state and federal law makers.
- Immigration: Some state law makers support harsh immigration legislation that encourages racial profiling. If such measures were adopted, many families could be torn apart and children of immigrants could lose their path to citizenship. Your vote can determine what kind of legislation our state adopts on immigration policies.
Don't be intimidated! We have a step by step guide on how to get started:
1. Register students to vote! Form broad coalitions with other campus groups, and work with the student government for a massive voter registration efforts. Table everyday, have visibility events, recruit volunteers, and get people to sign the voter pledge!
2. Educate! Make sure people know why they should vote! Young people are the least registered, least voting demographic. Our voice needs to be heard! Flyer with information about what's at stake, use social media to get the word out, and get press coverage about the issues!
3. Mobilize to the polls! It's one thing to register, but it's another thing to get people to the polls on election day! Make sure your volunteers phone bank, chalk, flyer, and have visibility action to remind people to vote and where their polling locations are.
Don't forget to check out our FAQs on student voting, that answers questions like, "Can I vote where I go to school?" (answer: YES!) and "Will my financial aid be affected if I register at a different address than my parents' address?" (answer: NO!)
Get out there California!
Be sure to contact your campus organizers with any questions by email, jsun@feminist.org or mduran@feminist.org, or by phone 866-471-FMLA.
This was post was featured in the September 2010 campus eZine. To join our mailing list, sign up here.
Pay equity & CEDAW: How long must women wait?
FMF's Get Out Her Vote campaign encourages young feminists to vote around the issues we care about on Election Day, which is Tuesday, November 2nd. There are a number of reasons why it's important to vote in the mid-term elections, but I wanted to focus on two particularly timely issues: the gender wage gap and ratification of the UN CEDAW treaty.Gender wage gap
Even though we have anti-discrimination laws, the gender wage gap begins immediately as young women enter the workforce and graduate from college, and it only widens over the course of their career. During her lifetime, a college-educated women will earn $1.2 million less than her male classmate will, just because she is a women. You know the stats.
So what can your feminist group do?
- Learn more. Read about the Paycheck Fairness Act currently before the US Senate, and get the latest wage gap data [PDF] from our friends at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Discuss the wage gap at group meetings, and how you can take political action on this issue.
- Hold a pay equity bake sale on campus to illustrate the effects of the wage gap and raise some dough (ha!) for your feminist group.
- Work with your campus career center and progressive groups on campus to organize workshops on resumes, interviewing, salary negotiation, and feminist careers. A great off-campus resource is the WAGE Project, which conducts workshops specifically for college women. The WAGE workshop I attended as a student was excellent.
Ratification of CEDAW
The US is one of the last countries that has not signed the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (full text) human rights treaty. This treaty would serve as a full commitment to women's equality under the law, which we still do not have in this country (see also: Equal Rights Amendment).
Ratifying countries commit to:
● Take concrete measures to ensure women can enjoy basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.
● Establish judicial procedures to ensure the effective protection of the rights of women.
● Take appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.
● Submit national reports every four years on measures they have taken to comply with the treaty to protect and promote the rights of women in their country.
The Obama administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton support ratification. A vote of two-thirds of the US Senate (67 votes) is required for ratification, and no action is required by the House of Representatives.
What your group can do:
- FMF is part of a broad coalition working toward CEDAW ratification in the US. Learn more at http://www.cedaw2010.org/
- Host a film screening and discussion of FMF's short DVD "CEDAW: The Secret Treaty." Email us at campusteam (at) feminist (dot) org to get your free copy, and use this CEDAW handout to facilitate the conversation.
- Ask your women's studies and international relations professors to cover CEDAW in class.
And remember, vote on Election Day Tuesday, November 2nd!
This was post was featured in the September 2010 campus eZine. To join our mailing list, sign up here.
Monday, September 20, 2010
He-Man Woman Hater's Club: Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, a student-run paper and website supported by university funding, showcased excellent student journalism last week by publishing articles that condone rape and taunt women on campus as overweight "livestock." At least the authors weren't anonymous.When Jezebel posted about the articles and readers got angry, the newsletter editors posted a weak defense of its contributors and were largely unapologetic.
JHU's Feminist Alliance student group is fighting back. They are meeting with the Newsletter editors tonight, their Women's Studies professors tomorrow, and with the student body on Thursday. They told me the administration and the newsletter editors are unmoved by their arguments against university-funded slut-shaming and sizeism.
So, good feminists, please help them out. Email the editors and managing editor of the Newsletter, and tell them the Hopkins community deserves a sincere apology for the hateful diatribes they published.
Editors-in-Chief (chiefs@jhunewsletter.com)
Lily Newman
Sarah Tan
Managing Editors (managing@jhunewsletter.com)
Greg Sgammato
If you're a Hopkins student, contact the businesses that advertise in the Newsletter and ask them to disassociate themselves from a woman-hating publication. If you're really motivated, also call the Dean of Students and the faculty adviser for the newspaper.
Everyone should feel free to call the office of JHU president Ron Daniels at 410-516-8068, and tell him his university needs to create a safe, supportive learning environment for female students instead of publishing university-sanctioned hate speech.
To start, JHU students need a stronger, more comprehensive sexual assault policy that specifically defines rape and assault as prohibited conduct, includes SA training for the disciplinary board, and requires mandatory SA training for all students.
If you're in the Baltimore area and want to get more involved, contact the Feminist Alliance at feministalliance (dot) jhu (at) gmail (dot) com.
Photo: Toban Black on Flickr
Text of JHU-women-are-fat 'article'
Reposted here, since the JHU Newsletter pulled the article and the angry comments it inspired.
Local Bison Bear All at Phi Kappa Psi’s Annual Lingerave (Opinion Section)
By Greg Sgammato
Last Thursday, September 9th, Phi Kappa Psi hosted their annual Lingerave party, a celebration of scantily clad women and booming techno music. The event was by many accounts a success, but unfortunately featured a disproportionate amount of fat chicks.
Under normal circumstances, fat chicks at a Hopkins party are neither a novelty nor a major problem. The student body has become accustomed to seeing the occasional bison at Pike; as long as direct interaction isn't necessitated, most Blue Jays are content with simply letting the livestock graze.
Such a dynamic, though, is fundamentally shifted when certain parameters change. In the case of the Lingerave, clothing - the last defense against the hordes of 'grenades' that inhabit this University - was explicitly discouraged. And herein lies the source of the problem.
Perhaps the brothers of Phi Psi actually thought that most girls at their party would be attractive. To be fair, there certainly were plenty of good-looking ladies in attendance. The problem, though, was that these girls were, by and large, the ones who remained clothed.
Unfortunately for the rest of the party, those who were most adamant about letting it all hang loose had a few too many to let hang loose. This may seem counterintuitive; why would the biggest chicks wear the least clothing? These are girls who wear sweatshirts on sweltering summer days just to hide their - admittedly substantial - arms. The answer, of course, can be found in the staple of any decent frat party: alcohol.
Alcohol boosts self-confidence; anyone who has shotgunned a few beers or dared to sip on some jungle juice can attest to this fact. Such a phenomenon, though, is exacerbated when we throw fat chicks into the mix. When buffalo - especially those who frequent frat parties - consume alcohol, they undergo an extreme and sudden inflation of self-image.
In a matter of minutes, the girl whose leggings expose a glimpse into the darker side of humanity will equate herself to Megan Fox. She - though 'it' may be more appropriate - will flaunt it like she's got it, when in fact she never had it and probably never will. She will transcend 'sloppy' and become a force to be reckoned with, an 8-on-the-Richter-Scale Neuroscience major with no test on Monday, a full fridge and an empty bed.
Needless to say, a drunk plus-size is scary enough. Yet put her in an environment in which clothing is actively discouraged and we have added insult to an already egregious injury. The end result? Fat chicks running around the Phi Psi house wearing nothing but a bra and an unfortunate pair of shorts.
Such was the inevitable downside of the Lingerave. What's most disturbing about the situation - apart from the sweat - was that it could not have been prevented.
But, you say, certainly it could have been avoided. Not the case.
In analyzing this problem, we must enter the mentality of the fat chick. She knows that, given her current situation, she will not gain admission to a frat party of her own accord. No one in his right mind would, given the chance, admit a herd of rhinos to his party. So - and here is where the hippo is at her most wily - the fat chick will systematically befriend hot chicks.
Such a relationship is symbiotic and, as such, makes intuitive sense. Hot girls associate with fat chicks as a means to boost their level of relative sex appeal. Fat chicks hang out with more aesthetically pleasing girls to leech off the perks that come naturally with their biological success. If, in the near future, one determines a means by which we can separate hot chicks from the heavy, heavy burden of their larger peers, a Nobel will surely follow.
In any case, fat chicks and hot chicks often go hand-in-hand. When they travel together to a frat party, those brothers working the door are forced to let the elephants inside; to refuse them would be incurring the wrath of their hot friends. And once inside, the damage has already been done. It's only a matter of time until the mammoths monopolize the space on the dance floor.
In the future, one can think of at least one alteration to make; indeed, perhaps advertising a party as a "Lingerave" will bring about more bad than good. While seeing a hot chick in only her underwear is undoubtedly a treat, seeing a blimp without the welcome shield of clothing is a much worse fate for everyone at the party. A seasoned veteran should have the confidence to wait until the bedroom to see his girl without clothing; don't subject the majority to the tyranny of the - funnily enough - enormous minority.
There is, of course, one more option: get obliterated. You'll be surprised how far you'll go with a half-naked wildebeest.
Original link and text provided by Sara Luterman, Feminist Alliance:
http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2010/09/16/Opinion/Local.Bison.Bear.All.At.Phi.Kappa.Psis.Annual.Lingerave-3933236-page2.shtml
Local Bison Bear All at Phi Kappa Psi’s Annual Lingerave (Opinion Section)
By Greg Sgammato
Last Thursday, September 9th, Phi Kappa Psi hosted their annual Lingerave party, a celebration of scantily clad women and booming techno music. The event was by many accounts a success, but unfortunately featured a disproportionate amount of fat chicks.
Under normal circumstances, fat chicks at a Hopkins party are neither a novelty nor a major problem. The student body has become accustomed to seeing the occasional bison at Pike; as long as direct interaction isn't necessitated, most Blue Jays are content with simply letting the livestock graze.
Such a dynamic, though, is fundamentally shifted when certain parameters change. In the case of the Lingerave, clothing - the last defense against the hordes of 'grenades' that inhabit this University - was explicitly discouraged. And herein lies the source of the problem.
Perhaps the brothers of Phi Psi actually thought that most girls at their party would be attractive. To be fair, there certainly were plenty of good-looking ladies in attendance. The problem, though, was that these girls were, by and large, the ones who remained clothed.
Unfortunately for the rest of the party, those who were most adamant about letting it all hang loose had a few too many to let hang loose. This may seem counterintuitive; why would the biggest chicks wear the least clothing? These are girls who wear sweatshirts on sweltering summer days just to hide their - admittedly substantial - arms. The answer, of course, can be found in the staple of any decent frat party: alcohol.
Alcohol boosts self-confidence; anyone who has shotgunned a few beers or dared to sip on some jungle juice can attest to this fact. Such a phenomenon, though, is exacerbated when we throw fat chicks into the mix. When buffalo - especially those who frequent frat parties - consume alcohol, they undergo an extreme and sudden inflation of self-image.
In a matter of minutes, the girl whose leggings expose a glimpse into the darker side of humanity will equate herself to Megan Fox. She - though 'it' may be more appropriate - will flaunt it like she's got it, when in fact she never had it and probably never will. She will transcend 'sloppy' and become a force to be reckoned with, an 8-on-the-Richter-Scale Neuroscience major with no test on Monday, a full fridge and an empty bed.
Needless to say, a drunk plus-size is scary enough. Yet put her in an environment in which clothing is actively discouraged and we have added insult to an already egregious injury. The end result? Fat chicks running around the Phi Psi house wearing nothing but a bra and an unfortunate pair of shorts.
Such was the inevitable downside of the Lingerave. What's most disturbing about the situation - apart from the sweat - was that it could not have been prevented.
But, you say, certainly it could have been avoided. Not the case.
In analyzing this problem, we must enter the mentality of the fat chick. She knows that, given her current situation, she will not gain admission to a frat party of her own accord. No one in his right mind would, given the chance, admit a herd of rhinos to his party. So - and here is where the hippo is at her most wily - the fat chick will systematically befriend hot chicks.
Such a relationship is symbiotic and, as such, makes intuitive sense. Hot girls associate with fat chicks as a means to boost their level of relative sex appeal. Fat chicks hang out with more aesthetically pleasing girls to leech off the perks that come naturally with their biological success. If, in the near future, one determines a means by which we can separate hot chicks from the heavy, heavy burden of their larger peers, a Nobel will surely follow.
In any case, fat chicks and hot chicks often go hand-in-hand. When they travel together to a frat party, those brothers working the door are forced to let the elephants inside; to refuse them would be incurring the wrath of their hot friends. And once inside, the damage has already been done. It's only a matter of time until the mammoths monopolize the space on the dance floor.
In the future, one can think of at least one alteration to make; indeed, perhaps advertising a party as a "Lingerave" will bring about more bad than good. While seeing a hot chick in only her underwear is undoubtedly a treat, seeing a blimp without the welcome shield of clothing is a much worse fate for everyone at the party. A seasoned veteran should have the confidence to wait until the bedroom to see his girl without clothing; don't subject the majority to the tyranny of the - funnily enough - enormous minority.
There is, of course, one more option: get obliterated. You'll be surprised how far you'll go with a half-naked wildebeest.
Original link and text provided by Sara Luterman, Feminist Alliance:
http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2010/09/16/Opinion/Local.Bison.Bear.All.At.Phi.Kappa.Psis.Annual.Lingerave-3933236-page2.shtml
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Get out HER vote this fall!
Welcome back to campus feminist activists! This fall, we have so much at stake in the mid-term elections on November 2nd – abortion rights and birth control access, the environment, immigrants’ rights, student loans and education access, marriage equality, and equal pay, so feminists like you must save the day! Mobilize your college to vote today using our Get Out Her Vote website and step-by-step toolkit, which will help you register and engage feminist voters for the general election.Registration deadlines are fast approaching – the first round of registration deadlines for the November election starts in just 16 days, on Saturday, October 2. Get specific information for your state about voter drives, registration deadlines, and more at our GOHV website.
It’s going to be a very important election – and they are counting on us to be silent. We must prove them wrong and make sure our voices are heard loud and strong this November! Just a few hundred votes could make the difference so start your GOHV campaign today!
If you have questions or want to link up with GOHV campaigns at nearby campuses, call your FMF national campus organizers at 703-522-2214 or email campusteam@feminist.org. Best of luck this fall, and remember to vote on Tuesday, November 2nd!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Rape Today
This afternoon Senator Arlen Specter will chair a hearing by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, entitled "Rape in the United States: The Chronic Failure to Report and Investigate Rape Cases." The hearing will highlight the under reporting, dismissal and treatment of rape cases by law enforcement.For a brief introduction into today's hearing listen to NPR's Morning Edition: Power Breakfast featuring today's panelist Carol Tracy of the Philadelphia-based Women's Law Project. Eleanor Smeal will also be a featured panelist on behalf of the National Center for Women and Policing, a project of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
To listen to the hearing live at 2:15 pm today tune into to the live webcast. We will also feature excerpts from FMF President Eleanor Smeal's remarks later today.
Panel I
The Honorable Susan B. Carbon
Director
Office of Violence Against Women
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, DC
Panel II
Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey
Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia, PA
Sara R. Reedy
Butler, PA
Carol E. Tracy
Women's Law Project
Philadelphia, PA
Julie Weil
Jupiter, FL
Scott Berkowitz
President & Founder,
Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network
Washington, DC
Panel III
Lawanda Ravoira
Director
NCCD Center for Girls and Young Women
Jacksonville, FL
Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Professor
Vice-Chair for Education, Department of Psychiatry
Director, National Crime Victims Research
& Treatment Center,
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
Eleanor Smeal
Feminist Majority Foundation
Arlington, VA
Michelle Madden Dempsey
Associate Professor of Law
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova, PA
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