Fighting for an Obvious Human Right

The subject of violence, sex, and rape brought up a lot of different topics that connected to health. Articles for this week’s readings included rape as a tool of war, female infanticide, sex-selected abortions, public health, and domestic violence. For the purposes of my blog, I’m choosing to focus on domestic violence. In the first set of readings, a quote caught my attention saying, “They have called on the international community to value a woman’s right to be free from violence as a human right.” I read over this sentence multiple times, thinking to myself “Why do we need to call on anyone to consider freedom from abuse a right?” Is that honestly something that has to be encouraged of people to consider that a human right? No human being should be beaten for any reason whether by a significant other, a stranger, or military personnel as a tool of war. Freedom from violence should not need to be considered to be a human right; it should already be an obvious right for any human being. No matter how obvious the right seems to be, domestic violence continues to occur in societies all around the world. One fourth to one fifth of the world’s female population has been a victim of abuse by an intimate partner. One fifth of women worldwide are a victim of rape. Most of those women know their attackers and around half of the known sexual assaults are committed against girls 15 years old or younger. Those statistics are absolutely terrifying; too many women are being mistreated by someone they know, trust, or love. Half of the female victims are children.
After readings these articles about abuse against women, I began to think about how I may react if I happened to be a victim of assault whether sexual or physical. I can’t imagine the embarrassment I would feel in having to admit that I was taken advantage of. In considering my hypothetical reaction, I researched help outlets for women who have gone through sexual abuse. I found an overwhelming amount of websites and blogs from former victims, medical organizations, and volunteer groups that provide an outlet for women to reach out to in order to find the support and encouragement they may not be able to find from others. A few of my favorite websites (addresses listed below) gave personal testimonies of being a victim of rape or abuse and how they fought through the struggles to live their lives again. A 29 year-old woman named Lis has a blog entitled “Escaping Hades.” She discusses the night she was raped by her high school ‘boyfriend’ and her journey after the rape. Not only did she feel too embarrassed to tell anyone about the rape, she endured teasing at school for being a slut after having (what her boyfriend called) consensual sex. Lis explained that she began “running out of reasons to live” after fighting anorexia and the psychological distress after the assault. The encouraging part of Lis’ blog comes at the end where she discusses how she started living her life again. She went away to college, sought out counseling services, and joined a discussion group for rape victims. Her blog provides a story that is similar to many other girls’ around the world and can be used as a tool for healing and support.
Violence against women no matter what the form may be (rape, abuse, murder, etc.) continues to happen in staggering numbers around the world. The encouraging blogs from survivors and websites from health organizations are a step in the right direction. However, much more needs to be done. Internet is not a cure for violence (especially in areas where it is inaccessible) and it doesn’t stop the men from taking advantage of women. Awareness needs to increase and punishment needs to be more severe for the attackers. Once we being the journey towards activism, lives can be saved and women don’t have to live in fear of being assaulted, raped, or murdered in everyday situations.

http://www.rvap.org/pages/home/
http://www.rainn.org/
http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/escaping-hades/rape-and-sexual-assault-sexual-abuse-survivors/menu-id-806/

Fitting Pieces into the "American Society" Puzzle

The topic of transitioning and transgender “sex changes” is always interesting because it’s not a common topic brought up in the Midwest. Growing up in a small town, I was never fully exposed to the subject and really didn’t know much about it. I never realized what a large industry there is around the world to meet the demands of transitioning. The websites advertising surgeries from other countries focus on lower prices and a “vacation-like” get-a-away to become a “whole self.” Like any surgery, the extensive procedures for sex changes must result in a somewhat painful recovery. I was baffled at the way it was portrayed to people as a relaxing retreat when in reality, one would be recovering from major surgery in a hospital room.




Beyond the advertising of a relaxing trip for the surgical procedure, I was interested in the former patients’ testimonials from their personal experiences. Combined with the video seen in Wednesday’s class and a youtube clip (see web address below), I began to work through the different aspects of transitioning. The in-class video was an interesting compilation of personal experiences with sex change. One quote that stood out to me from one person was her description of how she felt after having the change. She explained that she was “finally free to be myself.” At that moment, I was happy for her in that she was able to find herself and feel like an acceptable person to society. Looking further at the websites, I found another quote about Dr. Sanguan telling patients he would “make them whole” and the patient replied, “Whole and wonderful I am. A physically complete self!” She felt like a real, ‘whole’ person instead of someone stuck in a foreign body. After hearing these words of satisfaction, I realized that the surgery is life changing and can boost the overall quality of someone’s life.




However, as I continued looking through more information about the topic, I started to see another side to transitioning. One woman from the video stated that she thought her parents would “be more accepting of me if I were a murderer rather than a transgender person.” To go along with this new side, I found a video on youtube from CBS news about a potential law that prevents transgender teachers from being fired through discrimination. 38 states in America currently allow transgender teachers to be terminated simply because they are transgender. One of the ladies chosen to debate the topic explained her side of the story that matches many Americans’ opinions. According to her views, we would be putting children in harm’s way by allowing transgender men and women to teach. “Children need a safe environment in which to learn. The APA (American Psychological Association) says that gender identity is a mental disorder. Why are we giving our school children over to people with a serious mental disorder?” she continued. I was disheartened after these viewpoints on transitioning. I began to wonder if the women who were finally free to feel like their true selves could honestly feel that way. How can anyone fully be satisfied with himself or herself when society is throwing these negative comments and opposing views at their feet? How secure can they feel with their new bodies when all they hear from others is that it’s ‘wrong’ to make the change? I find it difficult to listen to both sides and expect transgender people to be fully happy and self-confident with their choice to transition. Society’s influence continues to leave a mark on all controversial issues (transgender, homosexuality, race, gender, religion, etc.). Can anyone in America feel fully comfortable with himself or herself when it seems that everything out of the “norm” is incorrect? Does anyone fit into the label of an ‘average American’? I’m beginning to wonder if any of us are acceptable to America’s societal viewpoints.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ib9aFClNA

Addicted to 'Beauty'

Body image transitioned into body modification for this week’s readings. Very interesting subjects were addressed including plastic surgery, circumcision, and clitoridectomy. In reading about these topics, it’s clear to see that practices differ greatly from culture to culture; what is encouraged in one culture may be viewed as appalling in another. After the 20% time showing different cultural body modification practices, I became interested in all the different ways people show beauty and wealth around the world. One of the most intriguing to me was the discussion about scarification. Seeing the pictures, I couldn’t imagine slicing into my skin to eventually (after the healing process) see artistic patterns engraved in my skin. While thinking of the pain behind the cultural practice, I forced myself to look at the other side. The women in the pictures had elaborate designs etched into their skin, but the designs truly were beautiful. They were meticulous and it was clear that they dedicated a lot of time to making the patterns appear picturesque and perfect. I respect that they view this as a sign of beauty after considering all the effort they must put into the artwork. Making this realization made me think that all cultural practices (lip plates, etc.) that signify a culture’s beauty require a lot of dedication and respect for the individual’s society. To other cultures, American practices may seem odd, but it’s a practice that we take part in and some people dedicate a lot of time and money to. Whether or not we agree with the practice should not interfere with our respect for that culture and their devotion to displays of individuality.
In narrowing in on one area of body modification, I’ve decided to look at plastic surgery practices within the United States. “One of the reasons why feminists have been so opposed to cosmetic surgery is that the practice medicalizes norms of appearance, making it seem as if only beautiful people are healthy.” This quote was from Victoria Pitts in her article about Beauty and Body Image in Cosmetic Surgery. I was struck by this comment in how true its words are; Americans are devoting more time and money each year to cosmetic surgeries than ever before. I still can’t seem to understand the logic behind the practice. I was raised with the belief that God created me to be who I am and I should be proud of my uniqueness and individuality; if something cannot be changed with adjusting my lifestyle (diet, exercise, etc.) then it should be accepted as part of me, making up who I am. Seeing all this new emphasis and excitement over surgically altering your body is extremely disappointing that our culture has come to this point. The youtube video I have linked below bothered me. I understand that looks create psychological discomfort and low self-esteem. But can that really be fixed by recreating your look through surgery? To me, it’s a mental problem that should be addressed accordingly. Psychological issues don’t have a quick fix; they need attention and the problems can be improved over time. America’s emphasis on beauty is creating a frightening addiction within our society. People want to be beautiful to be “accepted.” To attain that image, it appears as though they are willing to do (and pay) just about anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWXJXnEUGIU

Wake Up Call

Body image was the main topic connecting this week’s readings. The articles varied from girls who struggle with anorexia to men struggling to defend their macho appearance. This topic never ceases to fascinate me; one of the main reasons being that our society can’t seem to break the emphasis on appearance. Media is flooded with pictures, video clips, and stories about how to be thin and celebrities loosing weight. But in the next breath, we’re hearing about stories of vulnerable teenage girls starving themselves to be skinnier and “prettier” like those celebrities. Is our society really that hypocritical? Apparently, yes! The image of “beautiful” (defined by…who??) is beaten into people’s brains. We are influenced so much by others’ words and actions that people are putting their health at risk to reach the higher societal standard of beautiful.

Although I don’t feel that I fell into the brainwashing image of beauty, I grew up surrounded by the threat. After reading the articles, I couldn’t help but to think back to my childhood and adolescence. My favorite TV show as a kid was Full House. My two older sisters and I would watch it together when we were little, and I could never help myself from imagining myself in that family. It was easy to compare to; in my life, I was the little sister who wanted to be just like my older sisters. I was convinced that I could have been Michelle Tanner (played by the Olsen twins) because she had that similarity with me. My sisters and I watched the show for many years, and we grew up, as the Tanner sisters got older as well. My adoration of “Michelle Tanner” was abruptly halted when I grew up to see what she had turned into. The Olsen twins’ pictures were strewn all over the television, but not as the cute little sister any more; their shoulder blades were protruding, their ribs were visible and defined, and they were labeled as "fighting anorexia." The media was all a buzz as I watched my childhood idol become a disturbingly thin girl who fell into society’s trap for thinness.




Sadly, this wasn’t the only example that I was exposed to. Not only was my favorite TV show star converted into a ‘thin-obsessed’ teen, my favorite movie star followed in those same footsteps. I can’t even begin to guess how many times our VCR played Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan. She was a sweet freckle-faced kid who went off to summer camp (my personal dream all throughout childhood) and surprisingly discovered she had a twin sister. She lived in California but got to fly to London to see her mom. Who wouldn’t want to be that girl? But just like the Olsen sisters, my view of Lindsay Lohan also lost its luster; she too was put in the spotlight for drug use and anorexia. Her cheekbones were sunken in and her arms looked as though they could snap at any moment. BUT... the Olsen sisters and Lindsay Lohan were beautiful and famous; they were role models to many girls around the country, but their skinny images were influencing young girls in a negative way. A negative way that apparently the media missed completely.




These two examples make me realize how lucky I am that I wasn’t the typical vulnerable child. I had two older sisters who taught me how to be an individual, no matter what everyone else said I should do or look like. But what about the other girls who aren’t that lucky? Without strong female role models, those young impressionable girls turn to the media. They see girls just like them becoming popular stars, making money, and modeling their beautiful appearances. However, society is incorrectly labeling that beauty. The ideal is portrayed as “thinness gets you beauty, popularity, riches, and stardom.” And then people wonder why 90% of anorexia cases are females from ages 12-25? Or that 1 in 5 women suffer from some form of an eating disorder? We’re telling them they SHOULD be doing this if they want to be beautiful. It’s disgusting that our society is capable of talking out of both sides of our mouths, but we can’t seem to find a prevention or cure for the staggering numbers. Girls need to understand individuality; personality is what makes beauty, not the exterior. We made a solid effort at jumping over the racial issue and the gender issue, but where’s the effort at tackling the beauty issue? The rates of eating disorders continue to rise, but society and the media aren’t slowing down a bit.

Can I Get A Little Respect Here?!

Sterilization abuse and abortion were the main topics of the reading for this week. The pair of articles discussed aspects of fertility control from historical to current practices as well as numerous areas around the world. Beyond the facts about unsanitary conditions and procedures to prevent reproduction, the articles reviewed discrimination within this realm. A few of the stories particularly stuck out to me. One case was about Native American Indians being targeted by government propaganda about sterilization. Pamphlets depicted the difference between many and few children as a determinant of wealth: the fewer the children, the wealthier the family will be. A particular statistic illustrated the discrimination towards another minority group. “7,686 sterilizations had been carried out since 1933. Although the operations were justified as measures to prevent the reproduction of ‘mentally deficient persons,’ about 5,000 of the sterilized persons had been black.” I never imagined discrimination could reach this height of affecting one of the most important and priceless qualities of a woman: motherhood. Too many problems and misconduct are appearing concerning fertility control in women. It seems despicable enough that procedures are done without proper sanitation and instruments, but further, women are being encouraged to have the procedures (whether they’re ready or not to give up childbearing). They’re also not always fully informed of the irreversibility of the operation, and labels are being placed on them to excuse the doctor’s decision to prevent her further reproduction. With a permanent change, women should be allowed much more control over the situation and a chance to be educated on the procedure.






My next topic for discussion partly connects to this weeks readings; it deals with discrimination and treatment of women in our society. Listening to the radio, I found myself analyzing songs and the true meaning behind the lyrics. I realized that many songs that currently run on the radio are portraying a negative image or stereotype towards women. The first song is performed by David Guetta and features Akon. The lyrics go as follows: “They say she needs to slow down. The baddest thing around town. She’s nothing like a girl you’ve ever seen before. Nothing you can compare to your neighborhood whore. I’m tryna find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful. Damn Girl. You’se a sexy bitch. A sexy bitch.” So many red flags went off in my mind while listening to this. The scene is set of a girl who must be very attractive, with every other girl wanting to be just like her. She’s promiscuous, as indicated by being the “baddest thing around town” and needing to “slow down.” So what’s the best way for the two men to describe her (may I add WITHOUT being disrespectful)? She’s a “sexy bitch.” Not exactly my preferred, respectable compliment.
I assumed that the previous example was something somewhat common of rap songs, but I never considered a country song to fall into the same disrespectful lyrical form. Brooks and Dunn are a famous country duo that came out with a 2007 hit song ‘Put a Girl in it.’ Here are their words: “If you’re ridin’ in your truck, put a girl in it. If you’re gonna have a party, put a girl in it. If you want to live the good life, better put a girl in it. Til you put a girl in it, you ain’t got nothin’… If your world’s got something missin’, just put a girl in it.” This song shows two noticeable views. First, a man cannot live a ‘good life’ without a woman. Secondly, it obviously gives a negative view to the lifestyle of homosexual men. Whether intentional words of the musicians or not, those lyrics reveal discriminatory opinions that can impact society. Before we can break stereotypes and end sexism and discrimination, the media’s influence needs to be much more cautious of what is distributed to audiences.
(Need further evidence of the songs’ influential viewpoints? Try watching the music videos: lyrics and a visual of what a woman should look and act like.)

Manlier Men and Crazy Women

The general topic of this week’s readings was reproduction and healthcare. The majority of the articles focused on the aspect of female reproduction and the processes of menstruation and menopause. Culturally different viewpoints on menstruation make this an interesting topic for discussion. As seen in a class video, some cultures celebrate a female’s first period; they see it as one of the strongest points in her life and an event to be shared and celebrated with the entire community. However, the United States tends to perceive menstruation in a much different light; it is “that time of the month” when we’re irritable, cramping, bloated, and just need to be avoided. Why the differences? Aren’t all women around the world experiencing a similar menstrual cycle? That cycle has the same meaning around the world: it’s a symbol of fertility, revealing that a woman is capable of reproduction. Instead of looking down upon the monthly visitor as bringing out the demon inside of us, why can’t we all embrace it in the same celebratory fashion?
In looking at different perceptions among people, I found two very interesting points specific to the American culture. Our society has extremely contradictory views about hormone fluctuation in men and women. For women, this is called menopause. The estrogen levels lower, and women experience or believe to experience irritating symptoms such as hot flashes, moodiness, and forgetfulness. Men also have a problem with hormone fluctuation. As Jerome Groopman examines in his article, “Hormones for Men,” andropause is a condition in men that is currently seeing additional research. Andropause is “treated” with testosterone replacement therapy. I was casually searching for information about these topics and I stumbled upon a very interesting realization: these two very similar conditions are treated by American society in two extremely different ways. It’s very well known that our society sees menopausal women as second to the devil and something meant to be left alone and not spoken to. This youtube video gives a perfect reflection of American society’s perception of menopausal women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A5nTUtJtIs&feature=related

The first woman gracefully recognizing her menopause discusses hot flashes, memory loss, and an occasional ‘leak’ of the bladder (common yet frustrating symptoms of menopause). The next woman, looking rather unsightly, stands up yelling about the “sands of time running through her hour glass” and is warned by fellow menopausal women to “contain the monsoon.” This perception shows that menopause causes women to become terrifying creatures that pee their pants and have night sweats. Interesting… but that takes me to the other side of the spectrum: men who have lower levels of testosterone are ‘treated’ with steroids. When their hormones are fluctuating, the perception is polar opposite to that of women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ElP0ZJ1-U&feature=related

This video entices men to become the muscular, sexy man they want to be instead of the wimpy, Steve Urkel-type with no muscles. The background music pumps them up with lyrics about being “harder, better, faster, stronger” and what doesn’t “kill me, can only make me stronger.” What a comparison! During hormone fluctuation (a biologically normal process in life) women are viewed as crazy and moody whereas men are encouraged to build their muscles and become manlier men. Society’s perception puts women in a negative light whereas men are given the chance to make lemonade out of lemons. No wonder women feel terrible during menopause…society is telling us to be!

Screaming But Still Unheard

Recent readings about the “Modern Plague” flooded my mind with new information, personal stories, and astonishing statistics about HIV/AIDS. Similarities among the articles were not hard to come by as all three dove deeper into the subject of this devastating disease. The main idea that stuck out to me was globalization. AIDS is not a disease isolated to those, for example, in Africa; it can affect anyone and in fact, does in some way affect us all. In the first reading for the week, Lorber and Moore draw attention to the fact that “Globally, AIDS is the fourth highest cause of death.” As a universe, every person shares a piece of that statistic. I can remember a time when I was younger where I believed that AIDS was a disease for only those in Africa. All I was exposed to in the media (magazines, television, newspapers, etc.) kept headlining “AIDS in Africa.” I see now how naïve my perceptions were about the disease; unfortunately, there are many (even adults!) who carry that idea. Before we can fully start our fight against HIV/AIDS, people need to be aware and willing to know more about the disease. Until a recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy, I had no clue that AIDS wasn’t really heard of in the United States until the 80s. Beyond that, most people referred to it as GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency). America was guilty of stereotyping and creating a national/worldwide belief that AIDS was a disease of urban, homosexual (most often Caucasian) men. This screams to me how closed-minded we must be and have been about new developments and obvious evidence supporting a cause for change. Now that our perceptions have changed, many people remain with the closed-minded attitude. Only now, since it’s commonly heard of as affecting those in Africa, we seem to think that AIDS here is a big problem. Since we don’t see it everyday, it’s not our problem right? How can people honestly believe that? Perceptions need to change. To make that necessary change, people need to become more aware.

Thinking about this change and need for awareness simply brought up a new problem for me. Our class has examined commercials, advertisements, articles, and book excerpts about HIV/AIDS. There is an entire month dedicated to AIDS awareness in the U.S. Organizations, groups, and individuals have protests, marches, and rallies to raise awareness. Television shows feature the disease as a main topic. People are standing on the streets in condom suits, begging others to use condoms. For heaven’s sake, all this dedication to AIDS awareness should be making a difference! But the results are yet to be found. What more can we do? How far do we have to go for everyone to realize how important this fight is? It’s a global problem that not everyone in the universe is recognizing. My biggest fear is that substantial progress can’t be made without more awareness.

This globalization idea is something we all need to take notice of; we all play a part in creating history throughout the world. So what can I do to help reduce the false ideas about AIDS? Open my ears and eyes, learn about it, then open my mouth and help tell others. If they aren’t willing to do the work themselves of absorbing the information, I can do my best to encourage them to. We’re all affected somehow. Therefore, we all have a role in preventing, treating, and creating awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Perception and Repetition

The collection of readings we’ve reviewed and discussed all targeted a different aspect of gender, health, and/or medicine. All varying from each other, the topics ranged from definitions of “illness” and medical perceptions of gender to global health issues and the idea of health being a right to all humanity. No matter how different the topics appear on the exterior, they still shared commonalities. The main viewpoint that I kept seeing as an underlying message in most of the articles was the discrepancy among perception. Our world has such differing societies and cultures and with that comes different beliefs and viewpoints on life; health is no exception to those diverse viewpoints. Health and illness do not even share the same definition in all areas of the world. In the text written by Judith Lorber and Lisa Jean Moore, they explain, “Illness is not just a physical state; it is a social phenomenon. Different cultures consider some physical states “illness” that others consider “normal.’” Maybe this is why our world cannot seem to come together and agree on simple necessities of health. As displayed in some of the later articles, health disparities are occurring all over the world, examples including poor healthcare and treatment for “non-white, non-upper class” individuals in our own backyard and the HIV/AIDs epidemic leaving fellow human beings with daily suffering, death, and becoming orphaned. Can it possibly be that all the health “problems” in our world are connected to the fact that humanity simply can’t agree? What is illness to some is not to others, yes. But when illness is recognized by all, not everyone receives help or treatment to promote better health. This leads into the debate about health as a human right. Without good health and sufficient healthcare, we find death to be more frequent and occurring at earlier ages. We don’t all need the exact same healthcare plan, but everyone deserves the chance to maintain (what he/she or his/her culture believes to be) good health. No factors should predetermine whether or not one receives care; a basic form of healthcare should be accessible and affordable to everyone. Whether that means coverage for a yearly doctor appointment/check-up or assistance in paying for vital medications, the definition shouldn’t matter. We can’t continue to make the excuse that one culture perceives health totally opposite from what we perceive as health. We all have the right to live. But in order to fulfill that right, every individual needs the chance to access basic healthcare.




The buildup of discussion and readings about health and its diverse definitions made a large difference in how I reacted to the video, “A Closer Walk.” It tied together my thoughts about healthcare and struck home with a crucial message of the need to help others. Watching the video, images and facts were being thrown at me about the horrific epidemic killing millions of men, women, and children. HIV/AIDs is effecting people all over the planet, and it seems that few are taking notice and helping to change its detrimental affects. The movie immediately made me think of the connection of AIDs and the Holocaust. Over J-Term, I traveled to Central Europe and studied the Holocaust; I was exposed to photos, stories, and sites of former camps that flooded my mind for weeks. People were being killed, tortured, and denied food simply because they did not fall under one man’s definition of “the perfect human race.” One speaker we had during the trip continually emphasized how important awareness is so we do not let history repeat itself. But after watching “A Closer Walk,” I couldn’t help but think that we’re letting history do just what we’ve wanted to avoid. On the exterior, AIDs seems to be unstoppable which is equivalent to the Nazi party in Germany in the 1940s. It’s destroying lives and torturing people, and we sit by watching it happen, doing nothing. Are we scared of taking on the difficult battle just like the Allies were of taking on the Axis Powers in World War II? We can’t let history repeat itself. We can’t stand by watching while a million more innocent lives are taken. The only way to stop it is to fight; we need to fight for medical assistance, proper healthcare, and the education to prevent this from continuing. As history shows, it’s possible to stop the “seemingly impossible” by doing what is right and helping fellow human beings gain back their opportunities to live.