Insider and Outsider Approaches

Over the past week, a friend (and cohort member) of mine told me that a mutual friend of ours had quit her work position.  Our friend felt that her feminist identity was not respected or heard, so when she felt targeted by her employer, she decided to resign.  My cohort member and I were both surprised and hated that our mutual friend had this experience.  As we continued to discuss this situation, I expressed that I felt our friend could have worked to collaborate (and even suck up if needed) in order to keep this coveted position.   By gaining her employer’s goodwill, maybe she could then articulate her frustrations and wishes.  I discussed specific strategies that I would have tried in order to change the situation by collaborating with those in charge.  My friend allowed me to keep talking, and she finally said that she thought the fundamental difference was if a person was trying to affect change in the system from the inside or the outside.   Her simple comment struck me powerfully.  

                  

My lack of understanding of our mutual friend’s perspective was striking.  I have been so indoctrinated into my insider approach to change that I did not even recognize her position as taking a stand and being rejected.  I began to wonder from where my affinity for an insider approach developed.  The answer was pretty clear. 

                  

As a middle-child with two brothers, I am self-diagnosed with “manipulative middle child syndrome.”  My friends and I joke about my ability to understand the needs, desires, and motives of others and use that knowledge effectively and skillfully (maybe I should have been a corporate attorney, not a psychologist).  I credit this skill to tirelessly navigating life with two brothers and not wanting to ever have to play alone, so tactical compromise became a necessity.  I recognize how my upbringing aided me in excelling at an insider approach to change, but does that mean I should simply stay with what I know?

                  

So, I began to ruminate on the optimal way to elicit change to societal structures.  Is an insider or outsider approach more congruent with feminist ideology?  Should we jump into the patriarchal system and then collaboratively work to enact change?  Or should we advocate from the outside and reject joining the patriarchal system (as much as we realistically can)? Have I been approaching feminism and social activism the wrong way?   What is the right way?

                  

The more I reflected on these questions, the more I realized the reasons for my insider approach were what I truly wanted to challenge.  Why do I use an insider approach to influence change?  I definitely recognize the benefits from an insider approach.  It allows me to collaborate with those in power and build allies.  An insider approach also allows me to use my positive reputation to influence change with fewer tensions.  If someone’s guard is down, maybe they will be willing to listen.   I am also aware that fear may sometimes drive my decision to pursue an insider approach.  My fear of being “othered.” 

                  

My fear of being “othered” is the same fear that all oppressed individuals experienced regularly.  It is that feeling and knowledge that you have deviated from the societal norms and others recognize your deviation.  It is followed by pressure to realign with the norm.  Failure to realign leads to labeling, judgment, and pathology.  

                  

Of course I am scared.  However,   given my myriad privileges (e.g., Whiteness, upper-middle class status, able body, accepted size), maybe I can withstand being “othered” and use my privilege to fight for others.  Not that being “othered” will cease to hurt, but my privileges may open doors to help me further advocate for those who are “othered.”  My privileges may also lessen my sense of being “othered” if those in power can relate to me around common privilege (there goes my insider change approach creeping in!). 

                  

So after coming to this conclusion, I then felt guilty because I have been affected by fear and have not been a brave, confident feminist, and I am vigilantly analyzing and judging my insider approach and my motives.  And BAM! Suddenly, I am myopically focused on an outsider approach.  However, the more I sat with this tension, the more I begin to rethink it (yet again).  Why do I need to pick an approach?  Don’t both approaches have benefits?  Why can’t I just sit with ambiguity? (Probably because ambiguity is a Type A’s worst nightmare!)

                   

The more I put up a fight and want a clear cut answer on the best way to approach societal change, the more I realize that such an answer does not exist.  My challenge is not to pick a side, but to integrate them effectively.  I know the benefits of an insider approach, so I need to focus and meditate on the benefits of an outsider approach.  In an effort to keep the outsider approach salient in my mind, I have begun a list of positive, feminist reasons to challenge myself to step outside of my insider approach. 

11)   A pressing need for feminist voices exists on our society. 

22)   What I say and do may impact others, whether I know about it or not.

33)   Solidarity exists in the experience of being “othered,” and I have many friends with whom we can deepen our connections through such experiences

44)   Others may experience the same fear that I do, and my actions could subsequently encourage others to act.

This list is far from complete, and I anticipate adding to it as I progress in my understanding of insider and outsider approaches to feminist activism.  My hope is that I increase my awareness of why I chose to advocate as I do.  I also hope to challenge myself to be vulnerable to fear and “otherness.”  I invite others to hold me accountable on this journey and encourage everyone to continue the never-ending process of evaluating and increasing understanding of ourselves.    

Written by Katy Haynes Owen

The Feminist Plateau

I have experienced a plateau, a feminist plateau.  In the past year, I have relocated to a new region with a different culture and set of ideas, and the absence of progressive thinking has worn me down.  I try to reclaim my feminist roots by reading blogs and engaging others in dialogue about feminism.  Sure, I’ve found a few women and men who share these interests, and that has truly been the silver lining in my experience thus far.  When I talk to friends who live in other regions of the U.S., they encourage me to use my voice, while I hear, “The old you would have challenged that.”  One of my friends, who I met at a job several years ago, reminisces with me and will say, “You were the only one who got called into the office so many times without ever getting written up.” With my intolerance for injustice and passion for speaking up, I could argue my way out of a maze; except, I can’t now.  At work and even out and about in my hometown, there were always people there to back me up.  Feminism has never been a solo act.

        The thing is: there is no clear line telling you when the battle is futile and when the iron is hot and ready to strike.  I feel exhausted, powerless, and traumatized by hearing someone assert that “women have penis envy.”  I envy the privilege of getting to say something like that and have it go unchallenged.  Indeed, the experience of self-identifying and participating in feminist activism has a cost in terms of discrimination, alienation from people who feel threatened by feminism, and looking like a “bitch” or “being emotional” because the experience of sexism is nauseating.  So, how do we keep this going?  A month ago, when I asked myself that question, a blog entry on the Rising Tide appeared called “Feminism Isn’t Working and I Give Up.” If you have not read it, the blog is linked below.  In the piece, the author discusses the overwhelming flood of local and global injustice against women while describing feelings of burn-out from what feels like an uphill battle toward equality.  The message turns around, though, reminding the readers of the advances women have made (i.e., more women in Congress than ever!). 

         And that’s where the ray of light streams in, and I look to reminders that there are still outlets and progress being made.  From pep talks with old friends and mentors to going on a hike, I realize the liberating feeling of empowerment through connection in the world with love toward others and appreciation of natural surroundings. The world is bigger than my own frustration in this place, at this moment.  For example, Malala Yousafzai was nominated recently for the Nobel Peace Prize and was the youngest person ever nominated.  The field is rich with examples of women who persevered in the face of extreme adversity.  Though Malala may have felt fear for the work she was doing, her deep and intuitive sense of knowing that education is a right for girls everywhere was far stronger.  Even after being shot in the head, she came back stronger and with an even more powerful voice.  There’s a story within her story for every woman who has felt beaten down and oppressed when working toward social change – to be resilient and use that experience to inform our cause.  There are lots of concrete ways to foster resiliency and to empower, and here are just a few to get started:

1.  SARK’s (2010) lost list: make a list of things or relationships you have lost (i.e., the friendship of someone who did not support you) and then write about how that loss has transformed you in a positive way.

2. Go outside: go sit, ride, walk, or whatever in the REAL world.

3. Call a feminist.  You know you really just need someone to validate the shit out of you.  And you deserve it.

4.  Meditate, journal, or tell someone about why feminism is part of your identity.

5. Help a woman out.  There are levels of intervention from policy work to sticking up for a colleague.

 So, when things get tough, and I realize I’m not with people who value and respect feminism, I remind myself of the Ted talk on ‘willful blindness’ (see below) and write about how happy I am to be the sole owner of a vagina.  Patriarchy might not be dead, but feminism has never been more alive.

 http://womenriseupnow.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/feminism-isnt-working-and-i-give-up/

http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_the_dangers_of_willful_blindness.html

SARK. (2010). Glad no matter what: Transforming loss and change into gift and opportunity. 

Novato, CA: New World Library

Written by Teresa Young

Why Is There a Price to Pay?: The Objectification and Oversexualization of Black Women in America

“And this b!%$# had the nerve to say she didn’t want to f*&k! Bet I won’t take her to Red Lobster again.”

*eyes pop out of my head*

            I overheard the statement above while riding on our campus bus just a few days ago. Two male-bodied individuals who I assert as Black were seated directly in front of me. They were sharing a “private” exchange that was only meant to be heard by them, and yet I had the wonderful misfortune to overhear this one line loud and clear. As I fought back the urge to smack both of them in the back of their heads, I began to reflect upon the misogynist undertones that were nefariously evident within this young male’s angry words.

            
So, my dear young male…

1.     You called this young woman who decided to go on a date with you a “b%&$.” If I ever heard this word exploding from my younger brother’s mouth, he would certainly regret it.

2.     You assumed that purchasing dinner for this young woman would result in your receiving sex from her as an exchange of goods.

3.     You essentially believed that this young woman’s body was worth roundabout $20. That amount of money doesn’t even buy you a full tank of gas nowadays.  

4.     You plan to restrict what you consider as gifts or indulgences from this young woman in the future unless she decides to offer her body to you for these things.

“And she better be glad she has a fat a$$ with her Black self.”

*face palm*

            And like magic, the substantive value of a Black woman’s body has once again been reduced to the pronouncement and fullness of her body parts. Thankfully, for everyone’s sake, this dynamic pair of men got off the bus at the very next stop. As a Black woman, it infuriates me to think that some of my male counterparts would prefer to literally strip me of my education, my love of family, my spirituality, my assertiveness, my leadership roles, and other personal characteristics that I hold dear to me, and place my ultimate value on the roundness of my lips. My thighs. My butt. My breasts. And while I innately embrace my body, my sexuality, and wish that all women experienced an environment in which they felt empowered to do the same, it pains me when my body image and my sexuality, which is just ONE part of my identity, is magnified to encompass my entire being.

            That emotionally-laden bus ride stirred within me a curiosity that I had not previously allowed within my soul, mostly because, well, truth hurts. Especially when I have to live day to day with the present-day repercussions of past wrongdoings of my homeland against people who look like me. What role does the history of Black people in the United States play in this modern-day oversexualization of the Black woman? No need to think too hard. You can rewind history to just 150 years ago to find a painful glimpse of the sexual objectification of African American women in our country’s history.

            Ahhhhhh yes. Slavery. Let’s keep in mind that the picture shown above is still very modest. Narrative accounts by former slaves and slave owners of this time have documented that typically Black women who were on the auction block to be sold to the highest bidder were stripped naked so that potential buyers could thoroughly examine their goods before making an offer. Poking. Prodding. Pulling. Any dignity that remained was thrown out of the window. Then ding ding ding! She was sold to the man with the most money to spend. This slave woman, whose life has been given a price, whose worth has been diminished to the perceived productivity emanating from her back, her legs, her arms, her bones, her soul, is now expected to do whatever this man asks because she has been paid for in full. Let us not forget that noncompliance with her owner’s wishes inevitably resulted in punishment, whether that be a verbal whipping, physical beating, rape, or death.

            The image is a caricature of Saartje “Sarah” Baartman, also known as the “Hottentot Venus.” Sarah Baartman was of Khoikhoi descent and was born in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Baartman was originally a slave to a Dutch farmer near Cape Town, South Africa. In 1810, Baartman was found by a British commander and then sent to London to work as a freak show attraction. During her time in Europe, Baartman was under the supervision of animal trainers and was widely exhibited in Great Britain and France for her large buttocks and her elongated labia, a common attribute among many Khoikhoi women.

            Animal trainers. Freak show. Considered a novelty, a commodity, because of her natural physical attributes. Expected to perform, to strut around like a creature, because she had been paid for. “I bought you, now you must do whatever I ask. If you don’t, you risk being yelled at, beaten, raped, or worse.”

Now let’s return to the 21^st century. A person does not have to search far to find the modern-day oversexualization and objectification of Black women on their nearest TV music channels or radio stations.

            Black women continue to be devalued within mainstream American culture and predominantly through the mode of music videos. The modern-day slave woman’s auction block is now called a “stripper pole” and you can find a plethora of Sarah Baartman’s in the sultry, painted faces and curvaceous bodies of any rapper’s video vixens. In his song, “Buy You a Drink,” rapper T-Pain croons “I’ma buy you a drink, then I’ma take you home with me.” Throughout history, this particular message regarding the worthiness of Black women in society has been made to be very clear. We are property. We are to be at the sexual disposal of any man who “invests” in us. “I took you to dinner, therefore you must have sex with me. I bought you a drink, therefore you must have sex with me. I helped you pay your light bill, therefore you must have sex with me.” And if you refuse to finish this transaction, this trading of goods, then you are potentially subjecting yourself to…

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

PHYSICAL ABUSE

VERBAL ABUSE

RAPE

MURDER

How much longer will we allow misogyny-induced fear control the physical representation of Black women within the media and within our homes? How do we go about destroying the assumption that a person is entitled to treat a Black woman in whichever way they please as long as they have paid some type of “price” for her “goods?” And to my Black women, in what ways can we solidify a positive and cohesive front in denying our placement on our modern-day auction blocks, take back our sexuality, and hold firm to the fact that we are more than our butts and thighs?

Written by Ciera V. Scott

Meet your Campus Representatives!

Division 35 has campus representatives from a number of programs throughout the US and Canada. Campus representatives are charged with the task of promoting the philosophy and mission of Division 35 on their respective campuses through programming efforts. Continuing checking the blog to learn about the wonderful programs these representatives are implementing!

Adrian Tworecke holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from the New School for Social Research, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Child Clinical and School Psychology at Pace University. Her research interests include the psychological and cultural influences on women’s development and identity; how social media effects women's self-esteem and body image; and issues concerning sex, gender, and sexuality. Adrian has presented at the Association for Women in Psychology and American Psychosocial Oncology Society conferences on these topics as well as health psychology. Adrian is currently continuing her work on women’s issues under the direction of Dr. Florence Denmark.

Carlie D. Trott, M.S. is a doctoral student of Applied Social Psychology at Colorado State University.  She is currently involved in research projects exploring women’s pursuit of science education and careers; U.S. and global women’s rights; HIV/AIDS prevention in Kenya and Tanzania; domestic violence in Ethiopia; and sexual risk reduction the CSU campus.  Carlie co-founded CSU’s Gender in Film series, an on-campus organization that holds film screenings along with panel discussions on relevant, gender-focused content.  She also teaches the Psychology of Gender course at CSU, which takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how dominant gender ideologies shape our everyday lives.  

Hello everyone, my name is Cashuna Huddleston and I am your Division 35 Student Representative at the University of Houston. I recently completed my 3rd year of doctoral training, and I look forward to my 4th year to begin my quest towards internship. This is the second year in which I have served in this position. This year I plan to be diligent toward bringing awareness to feminism and feminist issues on my campus and beyond. Serving in this position has allowed me to gain invaluable insight and require that I be an agent in facilitating better circumstances for women - regardless of task, big or small.

By transplant and the quest for upward mobility, I have resided in Houston, Texas, for 8 years.  I was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, and, yes, I consider myself a country woman! I am currently a 3^rd year doctoral student in the counseling psychology program at the University of Houston.  My research interests revolve around the health and well-being of women. More specifically, I am interested in health disparities, health prevention, and promotion as well as understanding ways to increase quality of life among individuals with chronic diseases and weight-related issues. In my spare time, I like to do what most women enjoy doing . . . shop!! I also enjoy running, traveling, and reading.

Ciera Victoria Scott is a second-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Ciera is a native of Macon, Georgia and received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Spanish minor from Mercer University in Macon in 2008. Ciera proceeded to earn her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. Her research interests include childhood trauma, depression, personality, and substance abuse in ethnic minority women. Her hobbies include reading fiction novels, watching college and professional-level basketball, attending cultural events, and spending time with her family and close friends. Ciera is passionate about feminist psychology, and she is excited about furthering the mission of the Society for the Psychology of Women as your 2013-2014 Campus Representative at the University of Georgia!

Elisabeth Knauer-Turner is currently a doctoral student in the University of La Verne’s Clinical-Community Psy.D. program. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Sexuality Studies from Western Kentucky University. She is a student affiliate of The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students and student member of Divisions 35, 44, and 51.

I (Emily Barnum) grew up in Greenville, OH with my older sister and parents. In 2010, I graduated from Miami University (OH) and two years later, received a dual master's degree in Social Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Ball State University. In the Fall, I will be a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Counseling Psychology at Ball State University. My career goals include counseling at a university counseling center, with a focus on sexuality and sexual trauma. My research interests include gender studies and the effect of previous sexual trauma on current romantic relationships and sexual health. 

Jameta N. Barlow is a doctoral candidate in Community Psychology at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has spent the last 13 years in transdisciplinary collaborations with physicians, public health practitioners, researchers, policy administrators, activists, political appointees, and community members  in diverse settings.   Her community interests are the psychosocial and environmental stressors contributing to intergenerational health behaviors among African Americans, particularly depression and obesity. Her primary research interests include understanding the production of health inequalities by race, class, gender, and geography. Specifically, Jameta is interested in the psychosocial and environmental stressors contributing to health inequities among Black women, such as obesity.  A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, she have been active in Southern communities in Virginia, Georgia, the District of Columbia, and for the last seven years, in North Carolina, around issues of food, family health, and social justice. She is particularly interested in the mechanisms explaining the high rates of overweight and obesity in Southern Black women and employing a strengths-based, civic-oriented approach towards a community-based, holistic intervention. Her dissertation is focused on the development of a measure that addresses identity consciousness and collective agency, and its potential relationship with Southern Black women’s mental health, well-being and weight.

Katy Haynes Owen is a second-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Kentucky.  She received her B.A. in Honors Psychology from the University of Tennessee (GO VOLS!) in 2009 and her M.Ed. in Human Development Counseling from Vanderbilt University in 2012.  Her main research interests are the experiences of marginalized mothers and access to therapy services for low-income populations, particularly women.  Previously, Katy provided counseling services at a crisis pregnancy center and facilitated children's therapy groups for low-income middle school children and child survivors of domestic violence.  When Katy finds some free time, she enjoys hiking, canoeing and running outdoors as well as reading for pleasure.

Lauren Gutman is a third year post-bac student in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program at The University of Miami School of Education and Human Development. Both her research and clinical interests involve under-studied and under-served populations, including undocumented and unaccompanied immigrant minors, adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV, and young victims of sexual abuse. In addition, Lauren is co-founder and president of FemEx Miami, a community based course aimed to empower and educate women. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys practicing yoga, going to the beach, and experimenting in the kitchen. 

Lisa Hoyman is a third year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University.  Her emphasis is in Clinical Neuroscience in Women's Health through Stanford University School of Medicine. Her plans to promote women's issues include hosting a one-day seminar for graduate psychology students that focuses on introducing women's reproductive health, applying it to everyday clinical practice, and reducing stigma.

Nina Silander is a 3^rd year Psy.D, student of clinical psychology at Regent University. Her interest areas span sexuality, specifically sexualization, character development, positive psychology, and resiliency, and she is also interested in health psychology and the overlaps between psychology and political science. Nina is also enrolled in the Robertson Government School to complete a certificate in law and public policy. Currently, she is beginning work on her dissertation, a parental handbook for parents to counter the impact of sexualization through character development.

Noelany Pelc is a third-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Texas Woman’s University. She completed her master’s degree in Clinical Professional Psychology at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, and worked previously with community mental health agencies in raising awareness and providing services for women and children who were victims of intimate partner violence. Born in Puerto Rico and relocating to various states before reaching Texas, she has a passion for understanding and approaching women’s issues from the complex multicultural intersections that shape socialization. She is currently interested in facilitating interdepartmental forums for students focusing on reproductive justice, dispelling myths about feminism, and facilitating opportunities for women to learn specific advocacy skills that can be applied in whatever academic context women choose to pursue. 

Rachel Brosamle is a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology and is excited to represent SPW at CSPP, San Francisco, this year.  She looks forward to helping to develop a community for those interested in feminist psychology on campus and hopes to cultivate an environment for discussion, awareness, and curiosity about feminism and women’s issues.  Her research has focused on gender ideologies and role stress, and her dissertation will examine the influence of gender stereotypes and sexism on hiring pregnant women in the workplace.  Clinically, Rachel has worked with diverse populations in community mental health and college counseling settings and is interested in feminist therapy.

Samantha Christopher is a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Texas Tech University and also a Graduate Certificate student in Women’s Studies. Her research pursuits involve human sexuality and feminist identities.  She is a member of the American Association of University Women and also serves as a mentor with a well-established mentorship program through the university.  In addition to serving on the executive board of the counseling psychology student counsel for the last two years, she serves on the board of directors for a local non-profit whose focus is on holistic living and has initiated a mentorship program at a local high school.  She received her Bachelor’s degree from Ohio University.

Teresa A. Young, M.S. is currently working on her Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Tennessee State University.  Previously, she earned her M.S. in clinical-counseling psychology at Illinois State University.  Teresa is committed to the equity and equality of women from diverse backgrounds, serving as both public relations representative and vice president of the Feminist Led Activist Movement for Equality at ISU.  Her research interests revolve around gender and existential issues in counseling, and she is working on several projects involving women and the work-life balance, pathways to success for women, and help-seeking interventions for men. 

Urska Dobersek is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems (EPLS) with specialization in Sports Psychology at FSU. She earned her B.A. in Psychology in 2007, and her M.A. in General/Experimental Psychology in 2009 at the McNeese State University. She spent most of her life on the tennis court, either playing professionally or at the collegiate level. After retiring from the tennis circuits, she found passion in teaching, doing research, consulting, and coaching. Her primary research interests are self-related constructs (e.g., self-objectification, self-esteem, social physique anxiety), body image, and reasons for exercise from social, cognitive, emotional, and physiological perspectives. Urska hopes to find a professorship at the university level where she can teach and do research. Urska is an avid runner and competes in distances ranging from 5Ks to marathons.

Originally from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas, Victoria Wu is currently a third year Ph.D. student studying Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University in California. She is a member of the International Institute for Internet Interventions for Health research group and her emphases are in Diversity and Community Mental Health as well as LGBTQ Psychology. She has trained in the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic at PAU’s Gronowski Center and is currently secretary for PAU’s LGBTQ organization the Student Association for Sexual Orientation. Victoria also has her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee where her master's thesis was titled “Attitudes Toward Victims of Intimate Partner Violence as Perceived by Relatives and Friends.” She is co-representative with Lisa Hoyman.

My name is William Osei, and I am excited to be a campus representative for Division 35. I did my undergraduate work at Muhlenberg College where I first found my passion for the psychology of women and feminism. I then took this passion to The University of Pennsylvania where I was on the research team of Dr. Karin Rhodes where we examined intimate partner violence and alcoholism among women. I am beginning my doctoral studies at the University of Akron; my current interests include discussing sexual assault with adolescent men and researching issues surrounding adolescent at-risk minority women.