My Friend’s Horrific Experience—Rape (Trigger Warning!!)

I have always had strong views on abortion and conception. Most of this is due to my family and our religious beliefs. I had always been taught that abortion is wrong and should not be tolerated. I was highly pro-life and believed that life began at conception.  The thought of killing an innocent unborn child was awful to me. I was very opinionated and closed-minded when it came to abortion. I would often dismiss the topic because I didn't want to hear any pro-choice advocate’s reasoning. I can now say that one significant experience opened my eyes and made me “think twice” about my pessimistic ways.

One of my mom’s friend’s daughters had to go through a traumatic experience. One night her and some friends had went to some guy’s apartment to pre-game for the night then they were going out. Yeah, she was a little drunk but nothing she couldn't handle. At the bar, one of the guy’s they were with offered to buy her a drink—she gladly accepted. Little did she know that this drink would be the end to her good night. Shortly after drinking the drink she remembers feeling dizzy but thought it was just because she was drunk. Turns out she didn't have any recognition of what happened later in the night… The next morning when she woke up she was in an unfamiliar shed type building with blood on her pants and severe pain. She immediately called for help and eventually made her way to the hospital where she had an examination and rape kit test done on her. She was given a Plan B type pill (not sure actually what kind). . Long story short, she did not end up pregnant from this experience, but it definitely made me think twice. What if she would have? Carrying that baby through pregnancy would have been a constant reminder of that horrific experience. Why should any girl have to be forced to carry this unwanted child? Being drugged and raped is in itself a big enough issue, without the added stress of pregnancy. So this situation made me think twice. I would have probably considered abortion just as many others would have. I can truthfully say I am much more open-minded on the topic now. 

Objectification

Ever since I can remember, my parents raised me to stand up for myself. I was told never to instigate or start a fight, but to be the one to finish it. I was raised to not let others walk all over me. Because of this, I have grown to be a very straight-forward and headstrong person. In a case of objectification, my reaction typically depends on the situation. Most of the time though if I'm the one being objectified, I fire back (typically in a rude way). For example, if someone yells something at me on the street and isn't trying to say it in a rude way or derogatory tone, then I would just ignore it. No need to start a confrontation if it wasn't offensive or intentionally derogatory. BUT, most of the time this is not the case. Majority of the time when I am street harassed  it is vulgar, provocative, offensive, and dehumanizing. I have had people say very inappropriate comments before. In this instance, I would definitely stand up for myself and fire back with an equally degrading comment. I'm pretty quick on my feet so normally this shuts them up.
In contrast, if I am not the one being objectified, normally I just keep my mouth shut. Especially if I don;t know the person then I normally would not say anything. I don't feel that it is my place to say something. I'm not going to fight other people's battles for them. However, if it is someone I'm very close with such as a friend or family member then I might intervene. Again, it depends on the context of how severe the situation is. If it happens repeatedly  and I witness my friend or family member being walked all over then I will stand up for them.
I haven't had a particular situation that stands out to me. Most of the time they never really amount to anything. They say a comment, I fire one back then move about my business.

Special Topic Post-- "Fotoshop by Adobe" Parody

Women in today’s society are constantly judged by their looks. They are expected to have flawless skin, luscious locks, and perfect bodies—when in reality, that just isn't attainable. Television, advertisements, magazines, and all other forms of media are displaying an unrealistic representation of what women should look like. Photoshop and airbrushing in every advertisement can completely change a woman’s appearance. Today’s technology can completely transform a woman’s body and face more than you could even imagine. Take for example the “Evolution” video marketed by Dove. The video shows how someone can renovate a woman’s face to make her look entirely different and unrecognizable. It’s such a shame that woman of today feel that they have to live up to this false image of “beauty.”

Winterman’s “What Would a Real-Life Barbie Look Like?”, Postrel’s “The Truth About Beauty”, and Sharp’s “Onslaught: Dove vs. Axe” articles we read this week were very interesting and led me to do some of my own research on these topics. I found “Fotoshop by Adobé” from http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/01/13/fotoshop-by-adobe-parodies-beauty-product-ads/. This video is a parody that mocks beauty advertisement commercials who claim to completely transform some part of your body or face through a new science formula. The video is somewhat comical, although it is extremely true.

            Jesse Rosten, the filmmaker, creates her own beauty advertisement commercial in which she is selling an imaginary product called “Fotoshop”. This product is intended to be ‘photoshop’—which is the actual invention that transforms these women in the advertisements. Technology is what changes the women in the media, not the beauty product they are trying to sell you. No miracle drug or beauty product is capable of the transformations that these actresses and models appear to have undergone because it isn't possible without surgery. They make it seem as if a simple cream or makeup or brush can make you look perfect and flawless.

             The parody opens up with stating that ‘Fotoshop” is the new revolution in beauty capable of making a new you—but perfected. It shows how “Fotoshop” is a miracle product that can give you the “look of your dreams”. It shows how actual Photoshop can adjust your body size, remove wrinkles, increase your eyelash length, brighten your eyes, adjust your racial skin tone, remove blemishes, create fuller lips, whiten your teeth, and adjust your hair color. It mimics the exact techniques and methods real beauty commercials do by showing how the product works. It describes the “science” behind the formula that allows the product to work. The average person doesn't even pay attention to what’s actually being said. If the advertisement uses big “scientific” words with an enlarged close-up view of the scientific process, the gullible women of today’s society will believe it.  In reality they have no clue what is meant or what is actually being said or described. They claim that this product will instantaneously erase your blemishes, which is not humanly possible without surgery. The video is very sarcastic which shows how ridiculous beauty product commercials can be. One of the actresses even shouts out “My skin feels like plastic!”, perhaps referring to all of the plastic surgeries women undergo today in attempt to create a “perfect body”. Possibly the funniest part was when this parody was mocking the “Covergirl” commercial by stating “There’s only one way to look like a real covergirl” which claims to be the most natural makeup. It also has an effective slogan which mocks “Maybe It’s Maybelline”. Watch the video to find out! It will have you laughing in no time.

            It’s so outrageous how “perfect” is the aim for most teenage and adult women. What is perfect anyway? And would you really want to be perfect? I feel that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If the media would stop portraying these unrealistic and fake representations of women, maybe women wouldn't feel that they have to live up to the false images of celebrities and models. The best line from this parody was “You don’t have to rely on a healthy body image or self-respect anymore.” This statement is incredibly true. Women are constantly being objectified and used as sex toys or for sexual purposes to sell products.   Self-respect is history. Half of the women today follow no morals just to fit into society. Also, being healthy isn't a concern anymore—being skinny and abnormally thin is. Natural is beauty!

http://vimeo.com/34813864

Liz's Presentation

      Liz Fletcher-Brown's discussion was on body image and eating disorders. She focused primarily on two types of eating disorders- Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. One main point that stood out to me was that anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders. I would have assumed anorexia contributed the least to mental health disorders mortality rate. Learning that extremely violent suicide, such as jumping off building or jumping in front of a train, is the most common way people with anorexia die was horrific. I would have assumed heart failure or starvation would have been the most common. This disease has such a high mortality rate because people with this condition are very resistant to treatment. They are stubborn and think that treatment can harm them more and make them more sick. When the treatment is involuntary, it is less effective because this is a mental health condition. Therefore, the lifestyle change must come internally. Also, the availability and long-term commitment make it tough for patients to stick with treatment. Before her presentation, I thought eating disorders were somewhat rare and that they were easily treatable. I didn't know that over 8 million people have an eating disorder and that the ratio is 1 in every 200 women. I was shocked to know that  60% of people with anorexia nervosa die prematurely and that treating this disease is such a challenge. I was also shocked to find out how many problems there are with the insurance companies to pay for treatment. I feel that the insurance companies should cover all health conditions--mental or physical. Another thing I found especially interesting is that eating disorders are more closely-related to OCD, rather than body dysmorphic disorder. 

Body Image

What is Orthorexia and have you ever dealt with an orthorexia patient? What are some warning  signs? Is this becoming more of a problem? Is it a diversion of anorexia? What is your take on this?

In one of my kinesiology classes, we watched a short interview/clip on Orthorexia. The video didn't go into much detail but it left me very curious. They described it as "extreme healthy eating". You would think that eating very healthy would be a good thing, but in fact it can be very damaging to your body. It shared a story of a woman who became obsessed with eating healthy, that her body was withering away to almost nothing. She stated how she wasn't really concerned with her weight, she just wanted to put pure foods into her body. Turns out her body wasn't getting all the nutrients she needed. How is this possible? We are surrounded by people telling us how to eat healthier and check the food labels and that is exactly what she did. I guess she just went a little overboard and to the extreme.

In the video it said that this new disease may be a type of anorexia. How is it a possible type of anorexia if she was actually eating and not starving herself. Where do you draw the line of healthy eating and extreme healthy eating? Is this becoming one of the main eating disorders along with anorexia and bulimia? Others said it may be a form of anxiety or OCD. 

My first encounter

I have been involved in gymnastics for about 10 years now-- 6 years as an athlete and 4 years as coach. It was at my gymnastics facility where I first encountered gay people. As an athlete, I had 4 coaches; two guys and two girls.When I was doing gym, I was younger so I didn't really have a full understanding of gays. I always assumed that gay men were very prissy, overly feminine, and high-fashion. I always had assumed that lesbians were somewhat manly. I think that the media and other social influences created this false image for me. I had never encountered one so I always assumed that all gays and lesbians were like the ones displayed on TV. My assumption was totally wrong-- not all gays and lesbians act and dress that way. Throughout my 6 years as an athlete, I never knew two of my coaches were homosexual. One female coach is a lesbian and one of my male coaches is gay. I did not find out my coaches (now co-workers) sexual orientations until I became an employee. This is because both of my gay coaches didn't have the "typical" gay personality that I had assumed; or they were just really good at hiding their true colors. The lesbian coach doesn't dress manly and acts just like the rest of us straight employees. Our gay coach is a heavier-set man with a deep voice and  manly characteristics. Both of them are the total opposite of what I thought a gay person had to be like. This really opened my eyes. I was shocked when I found out to be honest. They both talk about their partners and I was confused by this at first. Word spread and it finally clicked that they were gay. Sometimes I still forget that they are gay because they don't act like the "normal" gay that society creates. So as you can see, my first encounter with gay people was over 10 years ago, but didn't even realize it until about 4 years ago!!

Activist Act

      Throughout high school and still to this day, I have kept a very close-knit group of friends. There is a group of 5 of us that have been best friends for a very long time. One of my friends is black, and the others are all white. This never seemed like a big deal to us. We never even really noticed it actually, but others obviously did. I am by no means a racist or discriminate towards other races. I feel that this is because when I would see others make fun of or discriminate against my friend, it would hurt my feelings too. Even though I wasn't the one to get taunted, I still felt the pain because it upset my friend. My friend would always tell us not to interfere and that she could fight her own battles but one time I couldn't just sit back and watch. 

      At lunch we had a big group of people that sat around each other in the cafeteria. One of the guys that sat by us is definitely a racist--he even admits it. We've all known him since we were in elementary school and normally he keeps his comments to himself or his close friends but decided to state his mind one day at lunch. In front of everyone he started to loud-cap and make fun of my friend making rude comments like "Why don't you go hang out with other black people", "why are you always with white people", "you'll never be as popular as them cause you're black", "stop liking white guys-- none of them will date you", etc. He continuously called her a "token", and by that point I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up in front of everyone at lunch and fired back at him. I've never called someone out before for being a racist but he took it too far. I'm normally more of a quiet person and keep comments to myself so everyone was shocked when I did this because it was totally out of character for me. I yelled back at him for a good 5 minutes straight while everyone's jaws dropped to the floor. The kid had nothing to say after that; he was speechless. I felt so accomplished and relieved after doing this. I knew it needed to be done and no one was stepping up to the plate to defend her so I took it upon myself. I would do it again in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose again. His comments were totally unnecessary and someone needed to put the big-headed, racist jock back in his place.  My friend still thanks me to this day for it.