Youth is Wasted on the Young: The Intersection of Ageism and Sexism // Talia Schulder

Photo source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/17/call-better-services-culturally-diverse-aged

           

            Everyone grows older, but the process of aging for women in particular can be exceedingly stressful. As a young woman who is surrounded by aging women, I often wonder why friends will speak of their constant fears of wrinkles, or, why older women will always make compliments to each other, such as “you look so young,” or, “you haven’t aged a bit.” Why is there such a large obsession, especially for women, with fighting against time? Firstly, I looked towards the endless advertisements that surround me. While watching television or the internet, I was guaranteed, almost hourly, to find an advertisement selling a product that will keep women looking just as they did when they were in their twenties. From a young age, women will see these advertisements and assume that the goal as they age is to appear as though nothing is actually occurring. These advertisements also almost always use white cisgender women models, creating a popular culture that not only tells women they must buy any product that they can to stay young and “beautiful,” but also one which perpetuates the racism and transphobia inherent in mainstream beauty standards.

            Public discourse on the aging of women is often biological, continuing the characterization of women as biological and medical objects (Rosotsky & Travis 2000). Menopause, though rarely mentioned in much of popular media, is often the mode through which people speak of the aging women’s body. Representation is mostly negative, which has actually been proven to lead to greater physical distress for the women that endure it (“Menopause Around the World” 2014). Western and American cultural stance on menopause disregards the positive outlook that indigenous, south Asian, and many other cultures have surrounding this hormonal shift, excluding other cultural views from the conversation (“Menopause Around the World” 2014).  I never understood the western ideal of youth, it often leads to the perspective of life’s processes as a decline rather than the more logical positive incline that many other cultures hold dear. This focus on youthfulness also creates a culture in which elderly are not welcome and are often seen as “ruining the fun.” The emphasis on menopause in particular also ultimately excludes many transgender women who may not endure menopause, showing that the discourse surrounding the aging of women must shift away from the purely negative and physical.

            If we are to focus on the physical aging of women it should be to improve healthcare access to all women. My grandmother is so grateful to have doctors who care about her wellbeing and are always available when an emergency occurs. However, our family is aware of the privilege we have in the medical team that supports her. Hispanic and black women are shown to have significantly less access to healthcare than non-Hispanic white women (Kosiak, Sang, & Correa-De-Araujo 2006). The gender and racial wage gap also plays a large part in retirement funds and savings, with women overall at a large disparity to men, but women of color (“Racial Gender Wage Gap” 2016) and transgender women/of color (“The Gay and Transgender Wage Gap” 2012) at a much more significant monetary disadvantage. The less income a woman has accumulated over her lifespan, the less she has to spend during retirement (“The Lifelong Effects” 2016). This means she could not afford making many changes to her home to stay actively mobile and may not be able to afford very vital aspects of medical care.

             I realized recently that although growing older may always have particular struggles both psychologically and physically, the culture that surrounds us is largely responsible for the stressfully negative view that is associated with aging. These gender and racial disparities are only a result of racism, transphobia, and sexism that exists in our culture and require immediate large policy and cultural shifts to work towards improvement. I only hope that these improvements can be made as soon as possible so the next generation of women need not dread what’s to come. I hope that a positive outlook for the elderly can help our conversation starters shift away from, “you look great!” to something along the lines of, “you're a powerful woman, just as you were decades ago.”

References:

Call for better services for culturally-diverse aged | SBS ... (n.d.). Retrieved October

23, 2016, from http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/17/call-better-services-culturally-diverse-aged

The Gay and Transgender Wage Gap | Center for American ... (n.d.). Retrieved

            October 23, 2016, from

            https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2012/04/16/11494

            /the-gay-and-transgender-wage-gap/

Kosiak, B., Sangl, J., & Correa-De-Araujo, R. (2006). Quality of health care for older

            women: What do we know? Women's Health Issues, 16(2), 89-99.

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2005.01.003

The Lifelong Effects Of The Gender Wage Gap. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2016,

            from https://thinkprogress.org/the-lifelong-effects-of-the-gender-wage-gap-

            8b4d7049c64c         

Menopause Around the World | Women in Balance Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved

            October 23, 2016, from

            https://womeninbalance.org/2014/09/17/menopause-around-the-world/

Menopause and sexuality: Ageism and sexism unite.

Rostosky, Sharon S.; Travis, Cheryl Brown

Travis, Cheryl Brown (Ed); White, Jacquelyn W. (Ed). (2000). Sexuality, society, and feminism., (pp. 181-209). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association, viii, 432 pp.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/10345-008

Racial, gender wage gaps persist in U.S. despite some ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 23,

            2016, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/01/racial-

            gender-wage-gaps-persist-in-u-s-despite-some-progress/

Females In The Workplace: You Should Really Be Kinder // Jessica Graham

Photo: Solden, M.S., LMFT, S. (2016, October 24). The Happiness Project for Women with ADHD [Audio blog post]. Retrieved October 26, 2016, from http://www.additudemag.com/RCLP/sub/12174.html

Sexism isn’t a thing anymore right? Gender equality is present, especially in the workplace, is what we’re told. Today, one of my employers was discussing an e-mail they received. Part of our job is to be advocates for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves. In that process, sometimes we wind up having to advocate for ourselves as well.

In this particular case, a male professor was upset with a response he was given by my supervisor, whom is a female. Another party informed my supervisor that she should apologize to this other professor because she was too “harsh”. I’ve read the e-mails and the response from my supervisor was very matter of fact and to the point, however was not in my opinion “harsh”. When discussing this with my supervisor, her response was, “It’s because I’m a woman.” Luckily, her supervisor agrees that there is no reason for an apology on her part based on her response.

We’re told as women to “be nice”, “help others”, and generally to stay out of the way in the workplace unless called upon and even then we must exceed expectations or we’re considered failures. That last point alone could be another blog post on its own. Misogyny is subtle, however the blatant disrespect based on one’s gender is blaringly loud (Miner & Cortina, 2016). There are harmful effects to all in the workplace who observe such misogyny (Miner & Cortina, 2016). I know that I personally feel that I must be more cautious based on this interaction or to be more aware that it’s a possibility to be targeted myself. It also brings to question that my employer, whom I respect, has been disrespected and asked to uphold a societal norm, that wasn’t even necessary in the given situation.

I’d like to clarify that I’m all about being nice and caring about others. There are situations though where the facts are all that’s needed. As women and females are we expected to put a glaze on everything in order to be perceived as fitting into a societal role that we may not necessarily intend to fill? Is flowering a topic necessary for job duties? Should we apologize for not upholding a societal standard? My answer to all of these is no. I’d love to hear your opinion though!

Miner, K. N., & Cortina, L. M. (2016). Observed workplace incivility toward women, perceptions of interpersonal injustice, and observer occupational well-being: Differential effects for gender of the observer. Frontiers In Psychology, 7

Locker-Room Talk // Megan Mansfield

Photo by: Steve Sack, Star Tribune

            While there have been enough derogatory statements made throughout this election season to create an entire book series, I would like to hone in on one in particular.  Recently, a video recording of our potential next President, Donald Trump, was released in which he repeatedly demeans women’s bodies and exerts his perceived entitlement to any woman’s body (Fahrenthold, 2016).  Of course, his recent comments are beyond disturbing but hearing a notorious misogynist  (Cohen, 2016; Bahadur, 2016; Bloom, 2016; Graves, 2016; Mak & Zadrozny, Mindock, 2016; 2015; Nelson, 2016) speak as though he is entitled to any woman’s body was far from surprising.

            The statement I would like to focus on is, “locker-room talk” (Jenkins, 2016).  Upon the public release of this disturbing recording, Donald Trump did not admit to any wrong-doing, did not genuinely apologize for his vulgar statements, but instead attempted to take down every man with him.  At that moment, Donald Trump did much more than confirm what we all already knew about him; he elicited significant and powerful reactions, and gave us the opportunity to respond.  On one hand, this incident has been a wonderful opportunity for men, particularly athletes and feminists, to stand up against rape culture and overtly express support for their mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and friends.  On the other hand, this deplorable attempt at an excuse has also given men the opportunity to admit they too, perpetuate the very rape culture that has undoubtedly impacted their mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and friends.  Let me be clear: Trump was discussing acts which constitute as sexual assault, discussing sexually assaulting women is not “locker-room talk,” it is not to be dismissed as “boys will be boys,” it is not an indication of power, and it is so far from anything we, as a society, should accept from anyone, let alone someone who may be handed a wealth of power.  This hateful and derogatory speech, which promotes violence against women and girls, could only possibly be produced by an emotionally impaired and deeply insecure being.  As Michelle Obama recently so gracefully put it, “strong men don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful” (Cillizza, 2016).  In addition to being insulted as a woman, I feel as though the good men in my life have been insulted as well.  By eluding to the idea that this is how men speak with each other, Donald Trump is accusing all men of being as emotionally impaired and as deeply insecure as he.

            Donald Trump has made an effort to divide groups of American’s, and we are being given the opportunity to either fall victim to his attempts or stand up against his attempts.  I invite you to use this opportunity to learn more about those you surround yourself with and use your personal experiences to teach.  Get curious, ask uncomfortable questions, make this personal, and use the opportunity to empower not only yourself but also those around you.  When someone claims it is acceptable to “grab (a woman) by the pussy,” clarify if they are admitting they are okay with another man bragging about about sexually assaulting their mother, wife, or daughter.  Offer a new perspective, “can you please repeat your comment with your mother, wife or young daughter in mind?”  Discuss rape culture and use the opportunity to educate, "these are just words until your loved one becomes the one of the millions of women who have been sexually assaulted” (RAINN, 2016).  While this incident is undoubtedly angering and upsetting, I truly believe that we as feminists should be able to use our emotion in a productive manner by engaging in civil, data-driven conversations regarding the devastating impact that the perpetuation of rape culture has on all of us humans.  I encourage you to use this opportunity we've been given to genuinely appreciate feminist men who object to this behavior as well as the opportunity to learn more about, empower, and influence those who feel the need to support rape culture.  Conversation leads to action, let’s do what we can to produce actions that lead to empowerment and equality rather than fear and oppression.

  

References

Bahadur, N. (2016). 18 real things Donald Trump has actually said about women. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/18-real-things- donald-trump-has-said-about-women_us_55d356a8e4b07addcb442023

Bloom, L. (2016). Why the new child rape case filed against Donald Trump should not be ignored. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/why-the-new-child-rape-ca_b_10619944.html

Cillizza, C. (2016). Michelle Obama’s speech on Donald Trump was remarkable. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/ 2016/10/13/michelle-obama-just-put-a-huge-and-emotional-exclamation-point-on-trumps-hot-mic-tape/ 

Cohen, C. (2016). Donald Trump sexism tracker: Every offensive comment in one place. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/politics/donald-trump- sexism-tracker-every-offensive-comment-in-one-place/

Fahrenthold, D. A. (2016) Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html

Graves, L. (2016). Jill Harth speaks out about alleged groping by Donald Trump. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/20/donald-trump-sexual- assault-allegations-jill-harth-interview

Jenkins, S. (2016). Donald Trump’s idea of ‘locker room talk’ is as demeaning to men as it is to women. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/donald- trumps-idea-of-locker-room-talk-is-as-demeaning-to-men-as-it-is-to-women/ 2016/10/10/7e34718a-8eee-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html

Mak, T. & Zadrozny, B. (2015). Ex-Wife: Donald Trump Made Me Feel ‘Violated’ During Sex. The Daily Beast. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/27/ex-wife-donald-trump-made-feel-violated-during-sex.html

Mindock, C. (2016). Donald Trump accused of raping 13-year-old girl: Lawsuit from Casey Anthony attorney allowed in federal court. International Business Times. Retrieved by http://www.ibtimes.com/donald-trump-accused-raping-13-year-old-girl-lawsuit-casey- anthony-attorney-allowed-2430441

Nelson, L. (2016). Donald Trump's history of misogyny, sexism, and harassment: a comprehensive review. Vox. Retrieved from http://www.vox.com/2016/10/8/13110734/ donald-trump-leaked-audio-recording-billy-bush-sexism

Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). (2016). Retrieved from https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Amplification: Ways Women Can Ally for One Another // Johanna Riojas, B.A.

Photo cred: The University News. 

Recently, an article was published about women in White House using a technique called “amplification” in order to increase the likelihood that women’s ideas and voices would be heard rather than ignored by the men (The Washington Post). Women would repeat ideas from each other while giving credit to the original individual (The Washington Post). I found this article intriguing, and it seemed to answer another question a colleague and I had been discussing. She is a white woman in my cohort, and I am a Hispanic woman. She has verbalized to me that she wants to learn how to ally for women of color in our program but what is a strategy that she could learn and utilize?

            I pondered this for several weeks and it was not until I read this article that I found a really excellent starting point. Women, by default, are generally not listened to as much as men are. Women of color even less so. The idea of amplification struck me as something that all women in a higher education program can engage in for one another. Amplification can cross race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification, and position in the program. Amplification is easy and simple to engage in and it requires one thing taught across all masters and doctoral psychology programs: active listening. Listen to your fellow women in your program and help them get their ideas heard by people who would otherwise ignore them. In the White House, women found that amplification served to increase the number of women who were invited to important meetings with President Obama and increased the number of women he would refer to for feedback and ideas (The Washington Post). This effect can be recreated in academia and other psychological professions across the country by women starting to engage in this practice.

            A humorous anecdote was relayed to me from a friend I have in another doctoral program. In her class, there was a male presenter struggling to get a link to work using Internet Explorer, however the link refused to work. After watching the presenter attempt to open the link multiple times, a female peer of his spoke up about how perhaps the male student should attempt to open the link with Google Chrome. This suggestion was not acknowledged and the presenter continued attempting to open the link with Internet Explorer, to the frustration of his student peer audience. Shortly after, a second woman peer suggested using Google Chrome. At this point, my friend emphatically stated that the entire classroom heard both of these women suggest the same thing only for it to again not be heard or acknowledged by the presenter. Finally, after the presenter almost gave up on the link, the professor – a woman – suggested using Google Chrome. To the students’ chagrin, the presenter followed his professor’s suggestion and successfully opened the link with Google Chrome. While my friend told me this story as part of a venting session to process her frustration out the male student ignoring his women peers, I saw it as an example of women combating the very thing my friend was frustrated about. Whether it was purposeful, eventually the presenter acknowledged that first peer’s idea of trying another browser to open his presentation link.

            While this is a small scale example of amplification at work, it demonstrates that women may not be heard until the third or fourth iteration of an idea. Whether the student intended to overlook two of his women peers’ suggestion, the reality is that he did. Despite them saying the suggestion loud enough to be heard by the rest of the classroom, even the professor. This anecdote also demonstrates the power of amplification at work. This is officially a call to women, regardless of how you identify, in higher education to begin purposefully utilizing amplification in your professional and personal worlds. Help your fellow woman get heard so that women are invited in larger number to important meetings. Let our sisters in the White House serve as an example of women raising women up. Let us use our collective voices to make sure we get heard, even if it takes three or four iterations of the ideas.

Written by Johanna Riojas, BA

References: Eilperin, J. (2016). White House women want to be in the room where it happens. The Washington Post.

How We Can Change the Way We Think and Feel About Our Bodies (With the Help of Women Around Us) // Ronna Milo Haglili

Picture link: http://suzigodson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/women.jpg

Picture source: http://suzigodson.com/

To what extent do women’s looks interconnect with their self-esteem and self-worth? What do women gain and what do they lose from appearances being part of their identity? What change do we want to induce in the way we shape our identity and the identity of our daughters? And how is it even possible?

The appearance and body image of women not only significantly influence their self-esteem but are part of their identity formation, which starts in early childhood and lasts throughout their lives. It is a lens through which women experience the world and by which they define themselves. Identity is multilayered and how a woman looks is only a single element of it, but it takes up much more space than it should. We need to rethink the relationship between women’s looks and their self-identity.

On one end of the spectrum, there is an objectifying look, by which women are defined solely or prominently by their bodies. This look is different from an internal look, which carries out one’s subjective desires, actively searches for meaning, and is directed from the inside outwards. The latter helps us to define and fulfill our goals in life and enables us to thrive intellectually and professionally. Interestingly enough, under certain circumstances, women can and should enjoy being objectified. For example, when they are being praised by their partners for wearing a new dress, a nice set of earrings or sexy lipstick. They can most certainly benefit from objectifying their partners too. This is part of a playful, joyful, healthy relationship. Yet, the self objectifying look comes with a high price. From a personal perspective, it connects how we look with our self-worth and self-esteem. Many women are familiar with how bearing a demeaning internalized perspective on their bodies can be extremely vicious and derogatory. For example, when a woman feels a tremendous sense of shame when entering the water in her swimsuit while hanging out at the beach or by the pool. From a societal perspective, this perspective perpetuates discrimination and injustice against women, creating gender driven segregation in the workplace, reinforcing sexual harassment and sexual assault, dehumanizing women and diminishing their rights for equality and dignity.

What should we do? Can we disconnect completely from how we look? Merav Michaeli, an Israeli Parliament member and a groundbreaking feminist, wears only black clothes. She has chosen to put on a neutral stance with regards to her appearance so that both she and the public would concentrate solely on what she does and how she acts, rather on how she looks. Do all women need to do so as part of a struggle against the objectification of women and the internalization of it? Is this step required for redefining the relationship between women and their looks? Would it help to reshape the beauty ideal?

It may be a question of choice, but can women willingly transition between the dual positioning of oneself as an object or as a subject, depending on the context? Unfortunately, as much as the objectifying look is easy to put on, the internal look is much harder to embrace. Well, there might be an intra-psychic exercise that could support the embracement of the internal look that connects with one’s inner desires and aspirations. Let’s take as an example two powerful women we have observed for the past few years and who have begun shaping our minds through the media, namely Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham. These are women we can identify with, can look up to and who inspire us. They are feminists, successful, talented, astute, hilarious, and blunt. Also, their presence is important as they ostensibly deviate, to various extents, from the unbending model of beauty reinforced by the western, capitalist culture that is imprinted through the media. What I would like to suggest is first to recognize the importance of having these two fabulous ladies in our lives, as well as other women who do not necessarily adhere to the engrained model of beauty but nevertheless serve as an inspiration, regardless of their looks. Second, think of how each of the women I mentioned, in her subversive, revolutionary, unique way, changed the current discourse relating to women’s appearance. Among other things, Lena Dunham is doing so by proudly displaying her body although the ostensible deviation from the Hollywood prototype; Amy Schumer is doing so by surfacing contemporary issues women face in relation to appearance as part of her comedy and satire, including a remarkable sketch where she mocks Hollywood ageism and sexism toward women; as mentioned, Merav Michaeli is doing so by purposefully neutralizing her looks. Now, if women feel that an objectifying look is being imposed on them, and that this look is jarring and toxic; if they have difficulties disconnecting from a demeaning self-objectifying look that inhibits their passions, they can use these women not only as role models, but also as objects to identify with for an internalization of a more respectful, empowering look on themselves; a look that embraces higher self-esteem, self-cohesiveness and self-fulfillment.

Women’s value is filtered through how society views their bodies. Sadly, to a large extent, our self-esteem is filtered through this as well. We do not want to be measured by how we look, not by society nor ourselves. We can choose to be objectified, meaning to be an object rather than a subject, if it makes us feel good; but we should be able to make this choice ourselves. This is especially true in a reality where women who have an ambivalent relationship with their bodies is an epidemic; where in addition to loving and nurturing feelings toward their bodies, women hold feelings such as hate, fear, anger and contempt too. This is one high price paid by women of the thin ideal, driven by patriarchy and capitalism. As long as society judge and evaluate women by how they look, they should make a conscious effort to do the exact opposite. In order for this to happen, women should embrace an internal look that stems from their inner selves and which disregards external appearances, either completely or upon their choice. Nevertheless, when the demeaning external look is inflicted on us, let’s think of Amy, Lena, Merav and all other women in our lives who inspire us, not only because they are marvelous, but also because they set themselves free of this potentially harmful look.

The Impacts of Racial Trauma on the Mental Health of Communities of Color // Kenya Crawford

Picture: NY Times           

On any given day, you can turn on the news and be subjected to witnessing the murder of a Black body. Witnessing these gruesome and inhumane racially traumatic images can have substantial impacts on the mental health of communities of color. Furthermore, hearing these deaths gone unnoticed and rarely met with any convictions can ignite frustrations, sadness, despair, anger, and exhaustion.

What is Racial Trauma?

Racial trauma is one term used to describe the physical and psychological symptoms that people of color often experience after being exposed to stressful experiences of racism (Carter, 2007).

Effects of Racial Trauma on People of Color

After experiencing racial trauma, people of color are susceptible to fear and hypervigilance, headaches, insomnia, body aches, memory difficulty, self-blame, confusion, shame, and guilt (Bryant-Davis & Ocampo, 2005; Carter, 2007; Helms, Nicolas, & Green, 2010). The way in which people color experience the effects of racial trauma varies. Yet what is consistent is that when people of color experience racism more frequently, their symptoms tend to intensify (Bryant-Davis & Ocampo, 2005).

What you can do?

Many of the people who took the moment to read a blog titled, The Impacts of Racial Trauma on the Mental Health of Communities of Color, are likely to have some experiences with racial trauma. Therefore, instead of educating you on a lived experienced this blog hopes to highlights ways to preserve mental health.

Acknowledge. Dismissing and suppressing these emotions will not make them go away. Instead they will surface in other aspects of your life, many times in an unhealthy fashion. The first step is allowing yourself to feel. Regardless of what that feeling is, you are warranted an emotional reaction after witnessing a murder.

Self-Care. This has become a phenomenon that has gain greater attention recently. Yet to date so many people still struggle with finding a healthy balance between existing in this society and finding time for themselves. Take an hour out of your day to completely spoil yourself, you deserve it! Whether it is Netflixing, taking a walk, or yoga, use that time to recharge.

Seek Support. America has been referred to as an individualistic culture time and time again. For people of color, a community is paramount for our well-being. Find the time to seek mentors, community based organizations, or a just a space where you can be unapologetically you.

Therapy. No, I’m not just saying this because I work in the field. Therapy provides you a space to explore your emotions in a safe and nonjudgmental space. I’m sure talking to your best friend helps but their assistance is nothing compared to a trained clinician. In order to survive this world your mental health is of the utmost importance.

Remember we are RESILIENT!

As a community, people of color have proven our resilience time and time again. Regardless of the systemic oppression we face on a daily basis, we still find a way to thrive and survive. Our narrative will not begin and end with racial trauma. We are strong, melaninate, and beautiful!

Carter, R. T. (2007). Racism and psychological and emotional injury recognizing and assessing race-based traumatic stress. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(1), 13-105.

Bryant-Davis, T., & Ocampo, C. (2005). Racist incident–based trauma. The Counseling Psychologist, 33(4), 479-500.

Helms, J. E., Nicolas, G., & Green, C. E. (2010). Racism and ethnoviolence as trauma: Enhancing professional training. Traumatology, 16(4), 53.

Dora the Explorer: When Gender Representations in Children’s Media Backslide // Abigail Walsh, M.A., M.Ed.

Photo from photobucket.com

Dora the Explorer has been a beloved children’s television program since it aired in 2000. With a focus on problem solving and Spanish literacy, Dora the Explorer was a well-received show that both parents and children could agree on. Dora was a spunky child interested in exploring the world, solving problems, and helping her friends. She had a talking backpack that carried around a talking map and all the tools they might need along the trip with her talking animal friends.

Most importantly, Dora was a remarkable character that presented boys and girls with a non-traditional representation of what a girl can be and do. As a preschooler herself, Dora was portrayed with a chubby physique, short hair, and few gender-typical markers – she wore a pink shirt, and a flower bracelet. She was not swathed in pink or accessorized to the nines. Dora was a character that provided gender-neutral empowerment to young girls (Ryan, 2010). This is especially important during the preschool age because children are creating gender schemas, categories of what it means to be a girl or a boy (Martin & Halverson, 1981).

            Now the tide has turned, and Dora is growing up. Nickelodeon announced Dora would be growing up back in March of 2009 (Associated Press, 2009; Rock, 2016). Partnering with Mattel, they would be bringing an interactive online and Dora doll experience for the tween audience. However, when Nickelodeon released an image of the new tween Dora there was uproar from the parenting community (Associated Press, 2009; Rock, 2016). Dora was a slim and lanky girl, with a pink flowered tunic, purple leggings; she had grown out her hair, taken to accessorizing, wearing more jewelry, and make-up. Parents were outraged by exactly how thin this new Dora was going to be, worrying that she would be portraying poor body image to their children. Parents protested this change until Nickelodeon and Mattel changed Dora’s silhouette to show a more typical and healthy body image. The debate, however, hasn’t gone away and parents are still concerned (Rock, 2016).

            After the parent backlash from the initial image, the new Dora was promoted online before getting her own show on television. It took more than five years between the release of the first image and the premier of the new Dora and Friends: Into the City in August of 2014 (Wikipedia, 2016). The new tween Dora remains as gender stereotypical as the teaser image released back in 2009. This imagery strips Dora of the previous empowerment she gave to preschool girls, telling them that as they grow up it is important to dress and act like a stereotypical girl. This message, alone, is cause for concern at this new show. Especially in an era where we acknowledge the media’s shortcomings of representing girls and women.

Other aspects of the show have also changed considerably. Dora has traded in her backpack for a magical camcorder and swapped the talking map, which promoted spatial skills for young girls, for a smartphone app, perpetuating the lure of technology for younger and younger children. Dora’s friends have also gotten an upgrade. Dora no longer spends her time with the beloved talking animals, but with other children. Each character in the new show has a special interest: Kate is an avid reader who is dramatic and artistic, Naiya is a smart girl who excels at math and science, Emma is an accomplished musician with a drive to be the best, Alana is an athlete and animal lover, and Pablo, the token boy is a smart, playful, athlete and explorer (Wikipedia, 2016).

These characters represent an empty attempt at diversifying the portrayal of gender in children’s television. Each girl embodies a few select skills that are her trademark. By compartmentalizing these traits, Nickelodeon perpetuates girls’ beliefs that you can be good at one thing but not another. Pablo presents another issue entirely. He is the token boy of the group and while Nickelodeon seems to have made an effort, though misguided, in showing a diverse view of girls, they fell into a trap of portraying the one boy on the show as a stereotypical boy. Pablo is a smart athlete and explorer. These traits already express the typical traits boys are allowed to express by society’s standards. As Nickelodeon tried to portray multiple options for girls, they neglected to allow boys the same opportunity for diversity and growth.

Dora and Friends: Into the City maintains the importance of problem solving, Spanish literacy, and incorporates more music and singing than the earlier Dora the Explorer version of the television show. Unfortunately, while the overt mission remains the same, and promotes many skills, the underlying gender messages undermine the progressive gender-neutral stance that Dora the Explorer was championed for. It was announced recently that Nickelodeon has canceled Dora the Explorer. In growing up, Dora lost who she was.

Written by Abigail Walsh, M.A., M.Ed.

References

Associated Press, The. (2009, March 16). New Dora the Explorer, not a tramp. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/tween-dora-not-tramp-nick-mattel-soothe-moms-uproar-article-1.372211

Martin, C. L. & Halverson, C. F. (1981) ‘A schematic processing model of sex typing and stereotyping in children’, Child Development, 52, 1119–34.

Rock, A. (2016, August 4). Controversy around tween Dora. Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/nickelodeon-announces-plans-for-a-new-dora-2765008

Ryan, E. L. (2010). Dora the Explorer: Empowering preschoolers, girls, and Latinas. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54(1), doi:10.1080/08838150903550394

Wikimedia Publications. (2016, September 5). Dora and Friends: Into the City! Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_and_Friends:_Into_the_City!

Feminism: Now for Men // Renee Mikorski, M. S.

Image from feministing.com

My first encounter with the idea that feminism is important for men came after watching a Ted talk by Jackson Katz. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Katz’s work, he is an educator who talks about how violence against women is essentially a men’s issue. Katz discusses how men must take responsibility for this epidemic of violence by making changes to their masculine code and their adherence to toxic masculine norms (Katz, 2012). 

Although this idea may be old news in our feminist circles, at the time the concept of “charging” men with taking responsibility for their own role in the oppression of women seemed like a radical notion to me. My thoughts at the time were that we as women were the ones responsible for fighting the patriarchy and gaining justice for ourselves. However, my viewpoint has shifted drastically on this issue. Men need to start taking this responsibility on their shoulders and serving as allies to the women they care about. 

So, why is this so important for men? First, constrictive gender roles affect us all. Not only do they harm women who are expected to be timid, demure, and emotionally supportive towards others at all times, these harmful roles affect men by “placing them in a box” (as Katz would say). In our society, men are expected to be strong, tough and to absolutely NEVER show emotions. This is a huge burden for men who feel unable to reach out to others when they are feeling vulnerable. Men are expected to shoulder their burdens themselves without the support of other men. (The idea of using a female partner to shoulder their emotional burden is an issue for another time). This seems like a big cross to bear and one that feminism can certainly help with in encouraging flexible, malleable, and changing notions of gender that allow both men and women to express who they really are rather than forcing them to fit into society’s idea of how a man or woman should be. This allows men to truly be their genuine selves. 

In addition to being more connected to themselves by abandoning these constrictive notions of gender, by adopting feminist principles of equity and flexible gender roles, men are more likely to feel connected to the women they care about in their lives. By adopting feminist values, men will be better equipped to genuinely listen to and validate women’s experiences in general but with sexism in particular. Men will be better able to connect with those they care about in this way. 

Not only should men care about feminism to improve their own psychological and relational well-being there are endless other ways in which men are harmed by patriarchy, including becoming victims of violence or sexual assault themselves as well as having the self imposed burden of being the provider of the household. There are a myriad of ways in which patriarchy creeps into men’s lives, but before concluding this brief post, I want to share some ways in which I have personally experienced men suffering from this toxic masculinity imposed on them by our society. 

I am currently conducting my clinical work at a substance abuse treatment center working primarily with adult men. It is astounding how many men come into my office talking about their fears of being vulnerable and, in turn, resort to using the maladaptive coping mechanisms of drinking or using drugs in order to cope with their emotions. Because of the harmful societal messages of toxic masculinity, these men feel as though they cannot reach out to others and instead turn to drugs or alcohol and, in some instances, ruin their relationships and their physical, emotional, and psychological health in the process. 

Not only do I see toxic masculinity play out in my clinical work but in my friendships with men. Recently, I have had some experiences where my male friends have questioned my experiences with sexism and asked “are you sure you aren’t misinterpreting?” or “aren’t you overreacting?” Not only does this invalidate my personal experience, it makes me feel disconnected from a friendship I have valued. By adopting the skills of genuinely listening to their female friends and partners, men can better connect and support women in their lives in an equitable way. 

I realize I have not been able to touch on the endless ways in which feminism is valuable to men (and people of all genders). However, it is about time that men begin to realize that embracing feminist values will not only be empowering for themselves and their emotional health, it will help men better connect in their friendships and romantic relationships with women. So, I will end this post with a call to all men: come join us, we need you in the struggle and I think you need you too.

Katz, J. (2012, November). Jackson Katz: Violence against women: It’s a men’s issue [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jackson_katz_violence_against_women_it_s_a_men_s_issue?language=en