Showing posts tagged gender

New wave of activists challenge notions of beauty

How women are portrayed in the media doesn’t just affect women; it impacts all of society. Feminists aren’t just women either. Male filmmakers like  Darryl Roberts are supporting the movement with acclaimed documentaries. MIss Representation, a documentary that aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network last year, is one example of male-created art that promotes gender equality. CNN reports:

Here’s the fantasy: A half-naked women lies across a couch, lips pouty and cleavage prominent as her sultry gaze implores you to buy this bottle of perfume.

The reality: Women make up 51% of the United States yet only 17% of seats in the House of Representatives. They’re 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and 7% of directors in the top 250 grossing films.

(Source: CNN)

  
Say goodbye to super skinny models “A new Israeli law is trying to fight the spread of eating disorders by banning underweight models from local advertising. The legislation also requires publications to disclose when they use altered images to make people look thinner. The ban appears to be the first time a government has used legislation to take on a fashion industry accused of abetting eating disorders by idealizing extreme thinness. It could be a model for other countries grappling with the spread of anorexia and bulimia, particularly among young women.” View high resolution

Say goodbye to super skinny models


“A new Israeli law is trying to fight the spread of eating disorders by banning underweight models from local advertising.

The legislation also requires publications to disclose when they use altered images to make people look thinner.

The ban appears to be the first time a government has used legislation to take on a fashion industry accused of abetting eating disorders by idealizing extreme thinness. It could be a model for other countries grappling with the spread of anorexia and bulimia, particularly among young women.”


  
Stagnant in the West, feminism has taken on new life internationally. “Enlightenment feminism looks at how gender is used to silence and oppress women but its matrix of values and associations is that of universal human rights. Global feminism gets this, which is why you are seeing emerging global feminist leaders fighting for economic rights in western Africa, for instance, to end genital mutilation in Mali, to publish blogs in Cairo, to bring traffickers to justice in Bosnia, and so on. Most instructive is the image scarved and bareheaded, religious and secular young women fighting hard for Enlightenment freedom and Enlightenment feminism in Muslim countries – without feeling that the headscarf or religious affiliation divides them. Indeed, feminists in India, Pakistan, Bosnia, Liberia and other developing or traditional societies are creating discourses about raising the status of women that are completely integrated with family and community life. Unlike us, they have not inherited the existentialist opposition between individual and community that we have.”

Stagnant in the West, feminism has taken on new life internationally.

“Enlightenment feminism looks at how gender is used to silence and oppress women but its matrix of values and associations is that of universal human rights.

Global feminism gets this, which is why you are seeing emerging global feminist leaders fighting for economic rights in western Africa, for instance, to end genital mutilation in Mali, to publish blogs in Cairo, to bring traffickers to justice in Bosnia, and so on. Most instructive is the image scarved and bareheaded, religious and secular young women fighting hard for Enlightenment freedom and Enlightenment feminism in Muslim countries – without feeling that the headscarf or religious affiliation divides them. Indeed, feminists in India, Pakistan, Bosnia, Liberia and other developing or traditional societies are creating discourses about raising the status of women that are completely integrated with family and community life. Unlike us, they have not inherited the existentialist opposition between individual and community that we have.”


  

Forced marriage causes suicide attempt

“An 18-year old Egyptian girl threw herself off the balcony of an apartment building in Kuwait after being introduced to man she was told was her husband. She was hospitalized for 19 days and according to the paper, none of her family members visited her during this time.”

(Source: english.alarabiya.net)

  

Argentine Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion for rape cases

“Under Argentine law, abortion is only allowed in cases where the mother’s life or health are at risk, or if the woman is deemed “of feeble mind”.

The Supreme Court confirmed a lower court’s decision to allow a 15-year-old rape victim to terminate her pregnancy.

An estimated 500,000 illegal abortions are carried out in Argentina each year.”

(Source: nicewebtools.com)

  

Insane sex laws inspired by Republicans

“As Republican lawmakers have pushed ever more intrusive and expansive uterus-related legislation, some of their colleagues across the aisle have fired back with intentionally and equally ridiculous counterproposals. From mandatory rectal exams for guys seeking Viagra to prohibitions on sperm-stifling vasectomies, most of these male-only provisions have, unsurprisingly, flopped. But they’ve scored big as symbolic gestures, spotlighting the inherent sexism of laws that regulate only lady parts.”

One example:

Virginia: As the state Senate debated requiring transvaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions, Sen. Janet Howell proposed mandating rectal exams and cardiac stress tests for men seeking erectile dysfunction meds. Her amendment failed by just two votes.

(Source: Mother Jones)