Women and the Workforce Assignment “Julie and Julia”

The movie I’m covering in this article is the story of Julie and Julia. In this movie, a young married woman named Julie is an aspiring writer that works as a call center. She tries to find enjoyment in her life and decides to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child a world renowned chef. She writes a blog in which she discusses her trials and tribulations in cooking, and her progress in her writing as she gets farther and farther into the cookbook. The view towards Women’s work in the US is a dismissive one especially in the field of writing. This representation shows Women’s work as expendable, and not at the level of men. In the film Julie’s work is more private in the form of her creating her blog, and her work is in the home space, and that of the private sphere. From the text, I believe the idea from the article “To Whom Much is Given,” that women experience a double edged sword, and they don’t take care of themselves, and take responsibility of everybody else and she was suffering because of it (Kirk, 363). Also from the article “Making a Home, Making a Living,” I felt the idea of the Glass Ceiling pertains to Julie because she saw the top echelon where she wanted to be, but no matter what she did in her writing career she couldn’t be successful (Kirk,311).  Women must try to overcome being seen as weak or incapable, and if they are effective leaders NOT being seen as ball busters and a “bitch.” The representation of Women’s work, I must say does match my experiences, because I’ve been seen as the ball buster just because I had a voice and wanted to speak out. I have higher expectations of where I want to be, and I don’t want the glass ceiling to affect me. It is seen that a woman can’t be strong, but can’t be subservient either (Kirk, 368). This idea is reinforcing the double edged sword. Julie’s recognition only came after she obtained a loyal following from her blog. The story of Julie and Julia is one of power, strength, and perseverance, and her work ethic proves that women in certain fields can through hard work and sticking for their craft reach a level of success.

Work Cited

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa- Rey. “ Making a Home, Making a Living." And “To Whom Much is Given” Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Kirk, Gwyn and Margot Okazawa- Rey. McGraw Hill, 2010. 301-369.

Week 4 Activism Post

Activism:  This week I had another big sister meeting, and this week the theme that we were covering was body image. We did multiple activities where we had to describe the positive and negative attributes of magazine ads, and we also had to name our favorite body parts and describe why we felt that way. I’ve had continual contact with my little sister, and she’s currently battling a cold and preparing for chorus try- outs. We also learned some effective ways to ask open ended questions, as a way of getting the girls to express their feelings about body image. Next week to effectively handle body image with the girls we can let them know that it’s ok to feel how they feel, and by providing them reassurance that they are great girls and are beautiful inside and out. We should also discuss the impact that body image has on the girls day to day lives in school as well as home. The big sisters should provide advice on how to combat negative body image issues that they face or that are around them.

Reflection:  In class the unit we discussed was Women, Work, and Family, and honestly I saw no obvious connection to that and body image. The unit mainly dealt with family, work, women, and the unencumbered worker. The thing I would say is that the situation of women and the unencumbered worker is a sad one, women are told to reach for the stars, and that they can be anyone they want to be, and indeed they can as long as they are unencumbered. But, as soon as they make the decision to have a family their potential net worth drops and they lose hundreds of thousands over the course of a lifetime (Kirk, 2010). I believe my community partner is definitely against this capitalist way of thinking, and that’s why there are programs to keep girls in school. The impact this course and my service learning in YWLP is having on me is remarkable. I see so many things wrong with the system and so many ideas that need to be revaluated, I strive even harder to encourage my little sister that she can accomplish anything, that her mind is one of her best assets, and that she is a strong girl, and should be treated with respect and as an equal.

Reciprocity: Personally, I’m gaining much more respective for the next generation. These pre-teens are wise beyond their years, and house a wealth of knowledge that those around them take for granted. I see that they are girls with goals, dreams and a purpose. They are the future, and after being involved with this program I feel comfortable that one day I may be working side by side with them. They are truly amazing little girls. From a feminist perspective, I see a wealth of potential and a bright future for the feminist movement. With these girls as the future forefronts of the initiative of womens' rights, we’ve come so far, and yet there is farther we can go.

Work Cited:

1.    Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Week 3 Activism Log

Activism:

This week I had my first big sister meeting since spring break, and we played the "Cross the line" game. It involved crossing a line on the floor if certain questions pertained to you. The questions were really thought provoking, and at the end of the game we had a discussion so that we could express our feelings. Then our coordinator informed us that we would be playing this game with our little sisters for our next meeting with them. My fellow big sisters and myself wrote letters to our little sisters just encouraging them and reassuring them that they are amazing. Our facilitators are going to put them in their book bags during sister time. We also signed thank you cards for the establishments or individuals that donated money etc for our UCF Day on February 26. I've been texting my little sister just checking on her, and seeing how her week is going as well as providing assistance on any homework that she has questions about. I believe we should discuss more ways on how to answer questions from our little sisters so they feel more reassured about the topics being discussed in the next little sister meeting.

Reflection:

Our unit this week was Women's Sexuality, and at first I had a hard time relating it to my activism this week, but then I remembered that during our meeting we discussed how to combat questions posed from our little sisters regarding sex since Seminole County is an abstinence only county, we are not allowed to discuss sex with our little sisters. However, we will be making phonebooks of reliable adults that the little sisters can talk openly to in subjects like sex and sexual practices among others. It also relates because a couple questions of the crossing the line game involved body image, and that definitely plays an important role in Women's Sexuality. For instance, one of the statements in the game was "I've had an eating disorder." , and another was "I've felt overweight before." This relates to the article "Uses of the Erotic" in how it redefines the term erotic completely, and relates it to having passion in all aspects of one's life including hobbies, family life, and your body (Kirk, 2010). All these are topics that will be discussed with the girls during our next little sis meeting.

Reciprocity:

Personally, I believe YWLP has given, and continues to give me a new way of looking at certain subjects like having self esteem, bullying, and what it means to be a support system. I'm also learning more effective language and how to speak to people/convey good nonverbal communication. From a feminist perspective, this may be redefined as women supporting women, and formulating positive relationships among women, and building effective communication.

Word Count: 489

 

 

Work Cited:

1. Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
   

Extra Cedit Comparison and Contrast

I performed the extra credit activity, and watched, “One born every Minute” which I then compared with “The Business of being born,” and I noted some very interesting similarities and differences. These two shows provide two different views of the birthing experience. The Business of Being Born (BBB,) changed my entire mindset of how a woman should experience childbirth. I knew that I wanted a natural birth, but I also planned on being in a hospital. The Business of Being Born opened my eyes to the big business and capitalist nature behind giving birth in healthcare today. It showed me that’s what’s best for  the mother and baby wasn’t being taken into account, and it really made me question if I even wanted to continue in the career path of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The natural births provided such a completely different experience then the births I witnessed in One Born Every Minute (BEM). For instance, in BBB it clearly stated that the vertical position was the most optimum position for giving birth, and that lying down provides the biggest chance of an episiotomy. Yet, every woman in BEM used that position of birthing, and every woman was set up to an IV.

One of the mothers; Nicole 34, had a full day of active labor. At first when a C-section was mentioned as a possible option for delivery she cried and was very against it, but after a full 24 hours in labor, she submits with the reason of exhaustion. Although, one of her main reasons for originally being against a C-section was because she felt like she wouldn’t get that initial bonding time with her baby. The mothers in BBB had stronger and more active birthing support from their partners as opposed to BEM. The home births had male participation where the males would actually get into the birthing tub, and holding their significant others during the most active stages of labor. While the males in BEM just looked on with helpless expressions as their wives moaned and groaned through labor. The husband of Christian 33, who was having her fourth child, even dropped his camera on their new baby girl! The amount of medical intervention also greatly differed in the Business of Being Born; the women were only monitored by the midwife and she served as an extra aide to help the body do what it does best. Their bodies were truly the stars of the show. 

In One Born every Minute however, once the women were fully dilated it seemed as if the responsibility was taken out of their hands. The doctors in Christian’s case used the vacuum and had three pop offs.  None of the women were able to eat, and two out of the three mothers would get epidurals. The only thing I really saw that the two views of birth had in common was that they were actually giving birth and there was family support, but the experiences of the mothers in the two situations was drastically different.