Jen Ackerman
Nina Perez
3/5/10
Introduction to Women’s Study
Activism: This entire week I have spend much of my time collecting signatures for our petition and cause. On Tuesday I began tabling and trying to get student walking by. I did not do so well this first day, I was extremely nervous and also had a lot of my mind because of classes and midterms. I tabled again on Thursday however it was a much different experience. I arrived to campus early and went straight to work. I wasn't actually sitting the table very long because I got up and basically turned into one of those student union petition stalkers. I asked every student that happened to pass me and before I knew it I had multiple sheets filled out. I tabled for two hours that day and went on to ask two of my professors from my classes that day if I could present my cause to the class. My anthropology teacher was completely supportive and I got close to 80 more signatures in that class. This week has gotten me so much closer to the campaign and after I was actually a little disappointed by the timing of spring break because I want to keep going.
Reflection: This week in class we discussed a lot about violence against women and specifically rape. In the "Violence Against Women" chapter from our text there is a quick sentence about that violence also very much affects women in the gay community and also transgendered women( Kirk, Gwyn 264). The campaign I am working on is trying to combat these exact things. It upsets me so much to think that an entire group of people, people so prone to violence, abuse, and harassment are not included in UCF's non-discrimination policy, but also that we as humans even need a non-discrimination policy. This chapter talks about all the horrible things that women go through and how the violence is being challenged. Just as people are starting and continuing to stand up against violence towards women, we at UCF are standing up to defend a group that cannot stand up alone and need help ( Kirk, Gwyn 271). Just as women need all people to support them, the transgendered community at UCF needs everyone's help.
Reciprocity: This week has been such an amazing few days for me. I went from bring so shy and slow about our entire campaign on Tuesday, to being so inspired and pumped by Friday. This entire project is constantly on my mind and is teaching me more and more what it means to give of yourself. Honestly I am not very connected to any transgendered people, but this does not mean anything to me. As a feminist I feel like I am gaining more and more skills to be a active and productive member in the movement. I do not think myself or the other volunteers in this project are going to really rest until we have this accomplished.
Works Cited
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 257-300. Print.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Carrie Fights Back
Jen Ackerman
Nina Perez
7 March 2010
WST 3015
Carrie Fights Back
In Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” the singer brings to the life the popular saying “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned” (Congreve). As she tells the narrative of her destroying a presumable ex-boyfriend’s car before he can cheat on yet another woman, Carrie turns the tables of the familiar violent scenes we are usually exposed in to our media and features a woman behind a swinging bat.
This entire song challenges the not only the system of the violence against women, but on a bigger scale, the male, female dynamic when it comes to the a woman standing up for herself. “Slashed a hole in all four tires. Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats,” Carrie does not sit back and let the man that wronged her walk away unpunished and also more importantly she strives to protect the next girl he might possibly cheat on with “I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl” ("Before He Cheats"). I think what Carrie is going for in this song is really an anthem for an independence woman. While the lyrics preach violence against her offender, which isn’t the correct response to anything, Carrie is more so singing about a woman who stood up for herself. The textbook definition of the violence against women extends the term to the cover any violations of “physical, social, and or physiological integrity of another person or group ( Kirk, Gwyn 258). Under this definition cheating on a spouse or partner can be considered violence and if you look at cheating this way than this song is really about a woman standing up for herself against the violence she experienced. I believe that this song is about empowerment and really a blatant power shift for women.
In the text Fight Like A Girl, author Megan Seely explains how women are indeed warriors. She goes on to list all the different contributions women have made for in battles, wars, and even espionage. And at the end Seely brings attention to the fact that so much of women’s heroic and strong moments in history are quietly left out, leaving little girls with no knowledge of how strong we really are. I think this song is a perfect example of what Seely means by “We need to reclaim our history as warriors, respect the fight within us” (186). Carrie is a woman scorned, but more importantly a woman acting. When looking back into history there are countless stories of men who had been wronged and who took their revenge or stood up to the oppression they were facing. This song does that in a very modern way. I do not think that Carrie Underwood is calling for women to use violence against the men or other women who cross them, but more so to stand up to those who treated you wrong.
For feminists, I believe this song represents empowerment. While it is easy to just call the woman in sing song some man-hater, I think people know it represents something much deeper. This song features a woman unwilling to stand idly by, which is a lesson many women and men need to remember when it comes to the feminist movement.
Works Cited
"Before He Cheats." Rec. 15 Nov. 2005. By Carrie Underwood. Arista, 2005.
Congreve, William. The Mourning Bride: a Tragedy. London: Printed at the Chiswick for Whittingham and Arliss, 1815. Print.
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 257-300. Print.
Seely, Megan. "Fighting Back." Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. 185-218. Print.
Nina Perez
7 March 2010
WST 3015
Carrie Fights Back
In Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” the singer brings to the life the popular saying “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned” (Congreve). As she tells the narrative of her destroying a presumable ex-boyfriend’s car before he can cheat on yet another woman, Carrie turns the tables of the familiar violent scenes we are usually exposed in to our media and features a woman behind a swinging bat.
This entire song challenges the not only the system of the violence against women, but on a bigger scale, the male, female dynamic when it comes to the a woman standing up for herself. “Slashed a hole in all four tires. Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats,” Carrie does not sit back and let the man that wronged her walk away unpunished and also more importantly she strives to protect the next girl he might possibly cheat on with “I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl” ("Before He Cheats"). I think what Carrie is going for in this song is really an anthem for an independence woman. While the lyrics preach violence against her offender, which isn’t the correct response to anything, Carrie is more so singing about a woman who stood up for herself. The textbook definition of the violence against women extends the term to the cover any violations of “physical, social, and or physiological integrity of another person or group ( Kirk, Gwyn 258). Under this definition cheating on a spouse or partner can be considered violence and if you look at cheating this way than this song is really about a woman standing up for herself against the violence she experienced. I believe that this song is about empowerment and really a blatant power shift for women.
In the text Fight Like A Girl, author Megan Seely explains how women are indeed warriors. She goes on to list all the different contributions women have made for in battles, wars, and even espionage. And at the end Seely brings attention to the fact that so much of women’s heroic and strong moments in history are quietly left out, leaving little girls with no knowledge of how strong we really are. I think this song is a perfect example of what Seely means by “We need to reclaim our history as warriors, respect the fight within us” (186). Carrie is a woman scorned, but more importantly a woman acting. When looking back into history there are countless stories of men who had been wronged and who took their revenge or stood up to the oppression they were facing. This song does that in a very modern way. I do not think that Carrie Underwood is calling for women to use violence against the men or other women who cross them, but more so to stand up to those who treated you wrong.
For feminists, I believe this song represents empowerment. While it is easy to just call the woman in sing song some man-hater, I think people know it represents something much deeper. This song features a woman unwilling to stand idly by, which is a lesson many women and men need to remember when it comes to the feminist movement.
Works Cited
"Before He Cheats." Rec. 15 Nov. 2005. By Carrie Underwood. Arista, 2005.
Congreve, William. The Mourning Bride: a Tragedy. London: Printed at the Chiswick for Whittingham and Arliss, 1815. Print.
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 257-300. Print.
Seely, Megan. "Fighting Back." Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. 185-218. Print.
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