Gay Rights in Russia

    Recently, a lot of media has been covering the outbreaks and new development's in Russia's gay rights movement. Protestors and gay rights activists have been in a battle with anti-gay citizens and with the Russian government as a whole over the past few weeks. With fights and rallies turning into places of casualties and hate filled disputes it is safe to say that without support LGBT citizens will have a very long struggle against Russian government and the ideals within their citizens.
    The Russian government has set in place a "gay propaganda law" which prohibits any promoting of "non-traditional" relationships. Taking part in gay rights rallies and even so much as speaking out and saying you support same sex relationships can lead to being accused of violating this law. While this law is in place, only recently have the first two people been convicted of it. However, even though this is a highly controversial jurisdiction system set in place it doesn't show signs of slowing down.
    The next Olympics are being held in Russia and many have brought up the controversy of having the Olympics take place in a country with so much hostility while many athletes themselves are gay, such as Tom Daley. Lady Gaga has openly spoken out at her desire for there to be no support of the Olympic games until the Russian government supports gay rights and is more accepting.

This article from BuzzFeed touches on these topics

http://www.buzzfeed.com/tonymerevick/leading-russian-gay-activists-fined-under-federal-propaganda

TSM: the typical sorority girl

Upon my freshman year at Ohio University I joined the Greek community here on campus. A lot of people when coming to college believe in the the common stereotypes that are placed on the sorority girls of the world. I wouldn't consider myself to fall into most of the stereotypes that are associated with the Greek community, and after following the Total Sorority Move, or TSM twitter, I found that to be true. Sometimes I get slightly irritated with the things that the TSM twitter says just because I know that some of the things are not very characteristic of myself or my sisters. I understand that most of these things are meant as satire and to be taken lightly and a lot of them are really funny, but they don't help to improve the misconceptions associated with "sorority" girls.Yesterday, however, they tweeted a link to an article called "A New Breed Of Sorority Girl" which discussed how being in a sorority no longer meant," Lilly Pulitzer, crafting, bows, MRS. degrees, saying 'like' a lot, being a republican, and basically the opening scene from Legally Blonde." I was happy to see that there is a recognition that all women affiliated with the Greek community are not the same, nor do they like the same things. However, at the end of the article it said, "You do your own thing regardless of what others might think. You're a part of a kickass new breed of sorority girl who does what she wants, and does it well." It's nice that there is more freedom for girls and less stereotypes, but I feel like referring to them as a "breed" is cause for potential new stereotypes to develop.

You do your own thing regardless of what others might think. You’re a part of a kickass new breed of sorority girl who does what she wants, and does it well.
Read more at http://totalfratmove.com/a-new-breed-of-sorority-girl/#GdqvmOK0a9lqiXp7.99

being in a sorority meant Lilly Pulitzer, crafting, bows, MRS. degrees, saying “like” a lot, being a Republican, and basically the opening scene from Legally Blonde.
Read more at http://totalfratmove.com/a-new-breed-of-sorority-girl/#GdqvmOK0a9lqiXp7.99

being in a sorority meant Lilly Pulitzer, crafting, bows, MRS. degrees, saying “like” a lot, being a Republican, and basically the opening scene from Legally Blonde.
Read more at http://totalfratmove.com/a-new-breed-of-sorority-girl/#GdqvmOK0a9lqiXp7.99

being in a sorority meant Lilly Pulitzer, crafting, bows, MRS. degrees, saying “like” a lot, being a Republican, and basically the opening scene from Legally Blonde.
Read more at http://totalfratmove.com/a-new-breed-of-sorority-girl/#GdqvmOK0a9lqiXp7.99

http://totalfratmove.com/a-new-breed-of-sorority-girl/

Women and the Music Industry

Do you think women are wrongly criticized for what they wear and how they act in the music industry?  Personally, I feel that women are criticized with good reason at times for the way they act in the pop culture music industry.  Certain women recording artists dress in an overly promiscuous manner just to attract people’s attention; even if the attention isn’t directed toward their music specifically.  Women use their features to sell their products rather than letting their skills speak for themselves.  There are plenty successful male recording artists that don’t need to get naked on stage and sing about sexual innuendos   to sell records.  Males and females seem to have different strategies when it comes to selling records in the music industry.  Males sell records because they are talented and the public likes their music, and females sell records because they are either talented, or appeal to the general public in a physical manner. 

Women in the work force

http://www.upworthy.com/bully-calls-news-anchor-fat-news-anchor-destroys-him-on-live-tv

In high school I took a class exactly like Women and Gender Studies but it was called Herstory. On Facebook, I am in a group with all the girls who took it over the years and our teacher. Everyday girls post articles, videos, etc. they find that pertain to women. Today, someone posted this video about a female news anchor that received than email criticizing her because she is overweight.

On live television she brings the situation up and reads the email she received to everybody watch. In the article the man says that she is not a good role model to the community, “girls in particular”, because she is obese. This is wrong in so many ways. She brings up that those people in the media as their profession gets a lot of criticism because their job is in the public’s eye. The man who wrote this email is pretty much saying that everyone who has a job in the media or is a public figure to a community, should be skinny. Another point to bring up, as we just talked about gender and work, is that she was criticized because of what her occupation is. Her job is standing in front of thousands of people and delivering them the news of what is going on around their community. She is a public figure. I feel like that man would have never sent that email if she was a man. That man who sent the email only saw it as bad because she is a woman. She is being judged in her line of work because she is a woman that doesn’t look like society thinks she should.He is definitely gearing this towards women especially. In his email he said, “Surely you don’t consider yourself a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular.” He directly related this to girls. He thinks and society thinks that girls should be skinny. This reminds me of one article we read in class called “The Body Politic” by Abra Fortune Chernik. The article focuses on how women are seen by men in society. How women are supposed to be skinny else men wont like them. It also talks about how women do cruel things to their body in order to be skinny and look like what society approves of. I think that it is so inspiring and cool to see a women so sure of herself that she can take such negative comments and turn them into a chance to speak out against bullying. She is now and even bigger role model to the community because she stood up for herself and didn’t let society bring her down.

CEO's and Office Hoes: A breakdown of Greek socials

It’s no secret that Greek organizations socialize with each other many times throughout each semester. Each “social” has a designated theme, where each fraternity and sorority is expected to dress in the decided theme. As a member of a Greek organization, I am often exposed to various social themes that not only degrade the members of the sorority attending, but also almost put the members of the fraternity on a pedestal. Some examples of these social themes that are pretty common are “CEOs and Office Hoes”, “Golf Pros and Tennis Hoes”, and “GI Joes and Barbie Hoes”.  A list of more degrading social themes, such as “Dinosaurs and sluts” can be found here. Each member of the sorority is expected to wear minimal clothing, and is often scrutinized if they do not participate in the social’s particular theme.

Many have asked why sorority members are expected to dress scantily and act promiscuous, and there has been no definite answer given. The truth is, this has been the expectation and the standard for sorority women for decades. Even though the men at these socials are expected to dress the part as well, their apparel can cover all their skin and they won’t be criticized for it. For this reason, I would consider most social themes to be oppressive, and I would consider almost all of them to be sexist. Some might argue that the dress code isn’t oppressive, because no one is forcing these girls to dress scantily. I would argue that they are oppressive, because for these girls to be able to enjoy themselves at these events without receiving criticism, they need to fully commit to the theme, and do it with as much sex appeal as possible.

I would invite anyone to argue that these social themes are not sexist, or that they don’t objectify women. As a result of these women having to dress like “sluts” or “hoes” as many of the social themes refer to them, they often times give the impression that they are interested in hooking up with someone at these socials. As a member of a fraternity, I don’t want to say that this leads to sexual assault, or that Greek men are sexual aggressors, but I think that this dress code definitely plays a role in the attacks that do happen at Greek houses.  In a similar fashion that a woman walking down the street alone in a short skirt is “looking for sex”, one could argue that a girl dressed as an “office hoe” is also looking for sex.

I don’t want to exclude any of my audience by only talking about Greek social themes, because these themes do exist outside of the Greek community as well. From my personal experience, however, the themes that tend to be the most degrading and objectifying towards women seem to come from the Greek community. Another thing I wanted to note was that although many would assume that men have pushed this dress code for socials onto women, articles like this show that sometimes, it is the sorority that makes the questionable calls regarding dress.

The Chive and Chivettes

My favorite website, thechive.com, started out as an entertainment site, but has turned into a sort of cult following.  Their name comes from the locations that the two creators resided in at the time of the site's birth; Chicago, IL (CHI) and Venice, CA (VE).  The Chive encourages followers to practice Random Acts of Kindness, participate in their charities, and also to submit photos showing your love for the site.
The Chive follows a certain pattern throughout the week for which albums they're going to publish.  For instance, Motivation Monday (featuring humorous motivational posters) or Cat Saturday (funny or cute pictures of cats).  However, even though The Chive has a fairly equal following between males and females, every day The Chive publishes at least one album featuring women, or Chivettes.  The photos are usually pretty revealing and focus primarily on The Chivettes' physical attributes.  Wednesday, for example, exhibits an album in respect to "Hump Day" and spotlights rear ends.
Now, I love this site.  I can appreciate the female form and I enjoy the entertainment albums.  My question is, should this site be considered offensive?  I know for a fact that there is a disclaimer if you download the site's app for a smart phone.  The site doesn't show full nudity, but it's still not a site I would peruse with my mother.
One the one hand, the argument could be made that The Chive is using pictures of pretty girls as a means to an end.  Guys want to see the photos, so the site gains popularity and can receive many from advertising.  On the other hand, Chivettes are submitting these photos voluntarily in the hopes of being published on the site as a "Loyal Chivette."
So this was just a concept that interested me.  The site is not evil by any means.  They mostly like to publish stories about charities they are involved in and recognizing people for their Random Acts of Kindness.  They just also happen to post albums of attractive women.  Should that be considered oppressive?

www.thechive.com

http://thechive.com/2013/12/09/chive-charities-donates-50000-to-help-child-burn-victims-find-a-better-life/

http://thechive.com/2013/06/19/jade-elizabeth-is-the-chivette-of-the-week-24-hq-photos/

Hair and Femininity: a Total Frat Douche’s Commentary

Recently I came across an article on the popular college website, TotalFratMove.com, that got my attention. The article, titled “Why Girls Should Not Cut Their Hair Short” discusses different reasons why the author, Roger Sterling, and guys in general don’t like when girls cut all their hair off. As soon as I started reading the article, I was outraged with the comments this guy was making about beautiful celebrity women who chopped their long locks for an edgier pixie cut. His commentary on actress Jennifer Lawrence’s haircut, for example:

“If you have any female interaction on social media, whatsoever, you may also have seen Jennifer Lawrence’s new ‘do. Though every chick on the planet begs “Can we just be best friends? Why is she perfect?” you’d only bang her if she lost ten pounds. Now, shedding some lbs. might not even do it. Lawrence didn’t go full-on pixie short, but the results are equally disastrous. Should have cut her dessert instead.”

He goes on to ignorantly title sections of the article things like, ‘You Will Stand Out, But Not In A Good Way,’ ‘They Amplify Your Flaws To Other Girls,’ and my personal favorite, ‘If Celebrities Can’t Pull It Off, You Can’t.’ Personally I love the look of long, flowing hair, and I definitely have an emotional attachment to my own hair. But why is a woman’s hair such a big part of her feminine identity?

I know that I would never cut all my hair off because it would not look good with my facial structure. In the article, Sterling says, “All of those odd insecurities you have about your looks are only highlighted with short hair. Other girls will notice them immediately as well.” However, if you are one of the few girls that can pull off the pixie cut, I think that is a sign that you are a truly beautiful woman. Without long locks to hide behind, obviously one’s features are more visible to others. In my opinion, pulling off short hair is the ultimate sign of not only a beautiful face, but a confident personality as well.

How to Get Girls to Become Engineers

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/11/19/goldieblox_commercial_rewrites_the_beastie_boys_urges_young_girls_to_pursue.html

                I read an article about a commercial for the female toy company GoldieBlox. When I watched the video  I instantly thought of the article "X: A Fabulous Child's Story" and our class discussions about girls' verses boys' toys. Even though this was not this week's discussion I think this video is too cool to not write about. The video, which is in the article listed above, shows three girls who build a giant Rube Goldberg machine while a remix of the song "Girls" by The Beastie Boys is playing. The song instead is sung by girls who are singing about not wanting to play with stereotypical pink, glittery toys. The girls want to play with engineering type toys that challenge their mind, which is why they build and set off a giant Rube Goldberg machine. The founder of GoldieBlox, Debbie Sterling, studied engineering and was disappointed by the lack of female presence in the field. She decided to start the toy company to add construction toys "from a female perspective" in the girls' toy isle in hopes of drawing girls toward the field of engineering. Making the construction toys pink and girly still plays into the socially accepted gender norms of what a little girl should play with. If a girl were to play with the exact same toy that was not pink it would be seen as crossing the line over into a toy for a boy.

                When I first watched the video I thought of how female gender norms were shaping little girls lives and how the new female engineering toys would help change this. After I thought about it more I realized the video also plays into the article "The Penny Pinch" because it is trying to solve the problem with women not being present in high paying fields. Debbie Sterling thinks she can solve this by introducing girls to the field  at a young age. I'm guessing Debbie does not think the lack of female presence is because other women cannot handle the stress, opps. I think it will be very interesting to see if more toys that are traditionally for boy will be transformed into girl toys and the effect that they might have in the future. If we see a rise in the number of female students fifteen years from now that are declaring engineering as their major then I think it would be more than safe to say that these types of toys really did have an effect on some young girls. 

"Five Reasons To Date A Girl With An Eating Disorder"

I am sure most, if not all of you have read or heard about this article written by an author under the name of "Tuthmosis". His article "5 Reasons To Date A Girl With An Eating Disorder" posted on the returnofkings website has created quite the buzz as you can imagine. This article gives 5 reason why a man should date a women with an eating disorder... disgusting right? Here is a link to the article: http://www.returnofkings.com/21313/5-reasons-to-date-a-girl-with-an-eating-disorder

Since we have discussed eating disorders in class I figured this article would create some good discussion. His 5 reasons go as followed: 1.Her obsession over her body will improve her overall looks 2.She costs less money 3.She's fragile and vulnerable 4.Probably has money of her own 5.She's better in bed

As a women reading this article I was outraged. Although I have never suffered from an eating disorder I can not imagine how women who have took to this article. It is also disturbing that a man can take something that is so awful to a women, and turn it around to show how beneficial it is for a man. This article is encouraging women to have eating disorders, so men like them better. This article is glorifying eating disorders and basically saying "It's better if you have an eating disorder."

In my personal opinion, none of these reasons even make the slightest bit of sense. What makes this article even worse is that the author feels no remorse for what he has written. In fact he made a joke on Twitter in response to the outrage: "All these angry, hater girls don''t see the irony in talking about 'throwing up' over an article about girls with eating disorders."

Another puzzling questions is why the publisher of the website allowed this article to be published. I would like to know how everyone else reacted to this article.

What not to say!

Since I just finished doing a project on the schools LGBT center and all the things they help out with and the issues they face, I found it to be really ironic that I stumbled across this article on the Cosmopolitan website.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/gay-no-nos

Its the top 14 things to never say to a gay man. the responses are written by a gay man himself. While reading through the questions I found some of the statements a little offensive myself so I could only imagine what a man of gay orientation would feel. The writer gives great points to the statements on why people should not say those comments and ask those types of questions.

One of the numbers I thought was really interesting and quite foolish to say was statement number eight. “I wouldn’t want my son to be gay, just because life would be so much harder for him then.” First off, why would someone say this to the face of someone who is gay themselves? To me I think that is just plain rude. Second, yes life would be a little harder but that's when the support of their parents and other peers comes in. Times are changing now and being gay or lesbian is becoming more known and excepted in many areas. I really liked how the writer Charles Manning handled this statement. He said
 "You know what would be really damaging to a kid? If he was gay and he heard his mom or dad say that being gay was a disability that would only make his life harder."
I think that is so true. Just because the child is different doesn't mean they cant succeeded in life. Their parents are the two people that should be their supports the most.

You all see how passionate I am about this topic, I'm curious to know what you guys think the worst number in this list would be to ask?

Race and Gender in Hollywood; White Washing

          I have recently watched a youtube video, which I have posted at the end of the blog, depicting Hollywood's past and current aims to "white wash" their cast.  White washing is a term used to define a person's actions to take lead roles in a movie and assign them to mostly white male actors.  Often times these roles are written for minorities or women to play but become white and male by default.

          Hollywood has traditionally casted white males to portray these minority roles to strengthen its existing gender and race roles.  Most of the time we don't even realize that a person of another race or sex has been replaced by a white male according to the original story, script, or book.  The idea that a minority role must be re-casted by a "universal" star in itself reveals Hollywood's attempts as a means of economics and racism.

Above is an example of white washing 

          On the whole, Hollywood acts as just another institution aimed to strengthen and perpetuate the current system designed to keep minorities and women in less important roles.  White washing is just one of the many techniques used by Hollywood and other institutions to get these same effects.  The truth is far from what we are being fed on a daily basis.

          Until institutions like Hollywood are willing to put past personal gain, economics, and racism/sexism, to cast movies in "real" diversified light, it is going to remain a constant struggle for society to see it this way.  A greater portrayal and outreach of these wrongdoings is necessary for our culture to begin to see the world as it truly is.  The more we become aware of how our growth as a nation and world has been stunted by a misguided few, the more we will be able regroup and believe for ourselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAK0gVeMsfY

Increasing Dress Restrictions on Iranians

In reading the Complete Persepolis, a main issue in the book is the obligation of Marji to wear a black veil at all times due to religious reasons. Marji battles an internal conflict in that she cannot grasp the concept of the veil. She is a very religious person; she thinks she could become a prophet. However, at the same time she is of a contemporary family and the last few years it was not a requirement to wear the veil because the US-installed government did not enforce it.

Persepolis mostly took place over thirty years ago, so today you would think that Iranian culture may have changed and now allows free expression from women. Below is an article detailing how the Iranian government is doing the exact opposite.

More Fashion Bans Coming to Iran

In the last couple of years, steps have been taken to further restrict how women can dress, and now these regulations are also spreading to men. Beginning in 2011, the Iranian government began deploying up to 70,000  trained forces, known as "moral police" (think literal fashion police) to help combat the "western cultural invasion." New guidelines that the moral police is enforcing includes a ban on loose-fitting headscarves, tight overcoats and shortened trousers that expose skin for women, and shorts and necklaces for men.

The fashion police monitor public areas and dole out fines and even arrests for those wearing "bad hijab" clothing. The women have it most rough because they must be covered head to toe, but men are now forced to adapt to the new rule, which poses a more drastic change to how they have traditionally dresses, especially in the hot summer months.

This shows that not only is Iran failing to take steps toward gender equality, but they are actually going in the opposite directions by including restrictions on men. Also, putting 70,000 fashion policemen on the streets to enforce these rules will do nothing but cause panic and uneasiness of Iranian citizens. We mentioned in class that women are forced to wear the veil out of respect for them, and the veil is a symbol of reverence in that nobody is allowed to see a woman but her husband. However, in my opinion the best way to respect women is to give them all the freedoms that men are offered. I suppose extending these stringent rules to men accomplishes that, but ideally they would have equal freedoms, not equal oppression. It is hard to imagine the socialization process that these women go through that makes them adhere to these rules. While currently things are on an unsavory trend, hopefully the state of Iranian women can improve going forward.

Here is a video of Stephen Colbert giving his humorous two cents, while also making some good points.

Wadjda: Women in Modern Saudi Arabia

   I recently had the pleasure of seeing the movie Wadjda while it was still playing in The Athena.  Wadjda tells the story of a young girl in modern Saudi Arabia who desperately wants to buy a bike, a desire that is greatly frowned upon by Saudi Arabian society.  Throughout the movie, the titular character rebels against the cultural norms she lives under by desiring a bike in the first place, as well as playing with a neighborhood boy, wearing her head scarf inappropriately, and many other things.  The film shines a light on the oppression women face within Saudi Arabia.  For example, women are not allowed to drive and must hire drivers to take them to work; Wadjda's mother is forced to rely on a verbally abusive driver in order to support her daughter, having lost her husband to a second wife.  Multiple times during the movie, Wadjda and her classmates have to move inside in order to not be seen by men.
   The making of the movie itself also illustrates the sexism in Saudi Arabian society.  In fact, Wadjda is the first movie to be directed by a Saudi woman and filmed entirely in the country.  Of course, the director faced many obstacles while creating the movie.  She even had to direct out of the back of a van, since she could not give orders "in public" and so she could not be seen by men.
   Wadjda shows that the stereotype held by many that women in patriarchal oppressive countries are submissive and lack agency is false.  The women in the film are shown to strive towards their goals and they are able to work within and rebel against the constraints placed on them.  In some ways, Wadjda is reminiscent of Marjane Satrapi in Persepolis.  Both characters refuse to conform to the oppressive regimes they live under.  Wadjda listens to western music on the radio, doesn't conform to the dress code, makes money by relaying elicit messages between schoolmates, and learns to ride a bike.
   Another false stereotype that Wadjda  confronts is the thought that these women are oppressed by Islam.  In the film, Wadjda and her mother bond through prayer, celebrating their femininity through religious song and reciting the Quran.  Wadjda even uses her religion as a means to work towards getting her bike by entering into a contest of knowledge of the Quran.
   I very much enjoyed this movie and urge anybody with even a slight interest to see it.  It is no longer playing at The Athena, but I am sure that it can be found somewhere (*cough*illicit internet sites*cough*)

Iranian Fashion Revolution

In the past week we have finished reading “The Complete Persepolis”.  In class we have discussed what Iranian women look like, how they behave and their place in the world of politics. All of us seemed to come to an image that was very similar. When we were asked to describe Iranian women most of our responses seemed to include a veil and conservative dress. We also described Iranian women to be very dependent on men and have no political or economical power. This is our stereotypical “image” of these Iranian women. In Satrapi’s novel, she challenges our understanding of third world women. She allows readers to rethink their opinions and stereotypes of Iranian women.

In class we talked about how gender socialization, control of women’s bodies, intersectionality, and sexuality have been overarching themes of the novel. During the 1979 revolution the control of women’s bodies became very prevalent. Women had to conform to very strict dress codes and during that time women’s rights were lost. In the novel, we see Marjane forced to wear the veil even when she didn't want to. While on BuzzFeed I came across an article “How Iran’s Young Women Are Using Fashion to Influence Politics”. In the article they explain the revolution and how women’s rights were diminished during that time but now women are taking a stand. They are expressing themselves in new, bold ways and changing the meaning of the chador. Women wear vibrant colors in order to defy clothing restrictions and show more skin. They are now wearing leggings instead of full length dresses and the jackets have become tighter and more fitting. Iranian women are fighting the oppression that was once put on them through fashion. It is a simple act that is revolutionary. 

In Satrapi’s novel, she shows us how women were forced into dress codes by having to wear a veil. It is interesting to see how far women have come since the development. They are using fashion to show that they are willing to challenge the image of Iranian women and widen their freedom.This is just the beginning of this revolution and still has a long way to go until they reach their goal but Iran’s women are finally pushing back. “The struggle of women’s rights is central to the larger struggle of individual rights.”- Haleh Esfandiari

Gamers - "No Girls Allowed"

As I sat here this morning, a rather startling thought hit me.

"Shit," I would say "I have to write my own blog post this time, I can't piggy back."

A sad realization indeed. Thankfully, being a full time gamer and part time gambler, I was in luck. This morning, Tracy Lien, a writer for Polygon (A gaming publication that emerged recently out of the meld of several top tier writers from other publications), published an article that is exactly what I was looking for.

"No Girls Allowed" examines the stereotype that exists within the gaming community as a whole that women do not play video games. It is a common assumption, and one that perforates the online world almost as prevalently as "Your mom," jokes. An unfortunate reality, if you will.

Lien, to compact it all down into a rather broad and short way, shows us that the existing stereotype for women in games was not formed overnight. Rather, much like the way toys are organized by male and female gender in a toy store, the types of marketing techniques that have been used by big corporations and makers of video games has slowly brought us to believe that, in fact, girls do not play games.

This is largely due to the way marketing numbers work. Across a wide selection of more mainstream titles, take First Person Shooters (FPS) for example, statistics primarily show that male consumers are more likely to buy the product. In other instances, such as the SIMs (A reality simulation that lets you control a character and live their life as you see fit), the demographic most approached was female. The second category is a much smaller market, and much less profitable, so marketing teams have evolved to specifically target male gamers to sell their products, which, by default then, also tend to move towards the FPS genre/type of game.

After years and years of  this (starting, originally, around 1993), we have developed the idea that women do not play games, more than anything, because they are not targeted by the market. They are, as one might say, excluded from the community by its most basic infrastructure, and as such, excluded on the member level as well.

The article is rather lengthy, but a joy to read. I was pleasantly surprised, to be honest. Plus, it brings to light a very troubling issue within the gaming community at large, which, as a gamer, I always support. Enjoy.

http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/12/2/5143856/no-girls-allowed

Regards,
Hunter Smith

Beyond the Veil: Lives of Women in Iran

I came across a video that the Today show did and I thought that it went well with what we have been discussing in class as we read The Complete Persepolis. In the video it discusses in the beginning that women are working and doing some of the same things that men do but they are still not on the same level as men. Also it discusses how some of the women get in trouble for not following the dress code.

Some of the women got in trouble for wearing too much makeup and even letting some of their hair slip out from under their veil. Some of the women do not care, they do not let the dress code stop them and some have gotten arrested because they were not following the dress code. Some women go against the authority but when they are told to wear a certain color they were the opposite. Some of these women believe that people show look past the veil and to stop with the stereotypes that all Iranian women do is sit in their houses, when most of them are out and working.

Another thing that I found interesting from this video is that you see women all over Iran with bandages on their faces. It is said in the video that Iran is a nose job nation. Most of the women get nose jobs and it is said that it is encouraged. One women stated that the only body part that is shown because of the dress code is their face so most Iranian women do what they can do to make it perfect.

I just thought that this video was interesting and informing after the little discussion that we had in class about the veil. Here is the link to the video. http://www.today.com/id/20757597#.Upzi7RYttSU

Iranian women posing nude in video and "the viel" discussion

 

In class this past week, we were to read over half of “The Complete Persepolis”. This graphic novel brought up a major discussion in class concerning the veil that Iranian women were supposed to wear and what Satrapi was forced to wear as a young girl. Almost everyone in class had something to say on the topic, so I thought this article would be a great conversation started for our Blog. These women are fighting against the oppression that they experience everyday through their country, religion, and society by posing nude in a video to help promote liberation and freedom for the females in their culture. I think it is interesting because Satrapi made it seem like wearing a veil was sort of a choice and that there were fair arguments on both sides.

This article reaffirms Satrapi’s viewpoint in her graphic novel. For the majority, the stereotypes of women having to be conservative in dress and action, no having a say in anything, dependent on the man of the household, to not be political or economic leaders, go through abuse by their husbands or fathers. But there is also another side that the media so rarely portrays and that’s why I think that it is so important that people read this article. Satrapi’s viewpoint is dead on. There are some that accept and even praise the veil. There are also some who fight with everything that they have against the veil.

There is a little bit of warning that goes along with this video. There are pictures of nude women, given that their body parts are blurred over, but just in case some find it offensive, now is your chance not to click on the link. Here is a link to the article from March of 2012: Exiled Iranian women pose nude in video protest against sexual oppression on International Women's Day | Mail Online. The video is in a foreign language that I do not understand (I’m going to guess Arabic). But the messages of the women are in subtitles below and are very bold statements for them to make along with saying them in the nude. These women are not asking to be put on a pedestal. They are simply asking to be equal with men. One statement even goes to be so bold as to say “In place of those who want to…but can’t”. I’m personally proud of these women for putting themselves in harm’s way to make their important voice heard not only to the men of the country but also the women.