isamltorres-blog

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Lets support eachother

Let's talk about women supporting each other. I think that this is often something that is overlooked within our communities. Women are oppressed, straight up facts, but what makes it 10000x worse is when women gang up on other women. In order for us to persevere and show the world we are equal and worthy we have to join hands and watch out for each other, it is never to late or to hard to be kind.

Women can be brutal to each other, unlike boys we dont physically fight and call it a day, we play emotional games and hope that it will hurt someone so bad that they will leave you alone…. Kinda messed up. And the worst part is that we do this to each other, when moments get hard we very rarely find the nice and calm way to hash things out, and this leads to devastating consequences.

Drama is so toxic, there is never a good outcome, you take shots and so does the other person, until you are in a never ending cycle of talking smack. And this can in the end, lead to bigger problems, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

As life goes on, it becomes more essential for women to have eachothers backs. The world is a crazy place, especially for women. In the workplace or even on the street always look out for who needs help, if it’s a man or a women it’s important to do your part and be a supporter in this world.

This was a short blog, but really because there is not much to being a kind human. Or to supporting women. If we are going to raise up in society and be a superpower we need to be there for eachother! Be loving and helpful, it will only benefit you in the end.

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Planned Parenthood is an amazing tool

The two simple words “planned parenthood” instantly cause chaos and controversy. Most conservatives side with the pro life movement claiming that the baby is its own person and has a right to live. While liberals tend to be pro choice, however we view planned parenthood as not only a place to have an abortion, but a safe place to get affordable birth control, feminine hygiene products, condoms, and tampons. All of which this society and so many others claim to be taboo, which is exactly why women are fearful and do not understand how much of a beneficial tool planned parenthood could be to their overall health.

Planned parenthood is the biggest provider of abortion services, however only a small portion of planned parenthood is dedicated to these services. What their biggest concern is, is limiting the amount of unwanted pregnancies so that, by doing this, PP will be also limiting the amount of abortions. Which if i may state is a goal for both conservatives and liberals. To do this APP offers affordable prescribed birth control, which these women would have otherwise not been able to afford. Along with prescribing birth control, they also give out condoms, which then takes the the burden of having to spend money and buy them off of the women.

The most important part of planned parenthood, however, is that fact that their main priority is the health of women. PP provides affordable services such as, checking for STD’s/ STI’s a lot of women who are do not have planned parenthood as a tool for themselves will often avoid consulting a doctor for these diseases which if not checked, would otherwise be life threatening, all because the cost is a burden. Women are also given tampons and pads( among other feminine hygiene products). This is so important, for women tampons are a need, however they could be terribly expensive, and for women who cannot particularly afford them, planned parenthood offers these products free of cost.

Not only is planned parenthood amazing enough to offer affordable health care but they also provide therapy services. For women who, for example who have had an abortion, or for members of the LGBT community. These groups often go through detrimental amounts of emotionally or even physical pain. Therapy is such a powerful tool, which is also taboo within our society. Often people mistake therapy as a place where” crazy people” go. But that is a huge misconception. Therapy is available for anyone as a safe space to express your thoughts or seek advice without being judged.

My point is that planned parenthood is not taken the way it should be. Instead of labeling it to be a “death center” instead we should recognize it for what it's actually does and accomplishes. Which is protecting women's, and honoring their lives and wishes. Planned parenthood provides women with necessities, all women should have this at their disposal. No matter what your view is, it is clear that planned parenthood is more beneficial in every way rather than it is harmful.

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Powerful Women: Michelle Obama

Thursday afternoon my mother picked me up early from school because she had a surprise for me. Little did i know that her surprise was to see the first black first lady, Michelle Obama, speak at the forum. When we entered the forum (after barely making it through the traffic) i was taken over by a state of anticipation and awe. The forum was giant and from the speaker came loud music sung by the most influential female artists of our time.

Then it started. Before the former first lady came out a short documentary was played, it showed where she grew up and promoted her new book becoming. After the documentary played the first lady walked out onto the stage wearing this stunning white pant suit, i was completely starstruck.

If i'm being honest, before this night i new very little about Mrs. Robinson- Obama. But when i walked out she had become a new idol of mine. My first impression of her was.. Wow she's funny, from the beginning she was busting out jokes and laughing a contagious laugh, the kind that made everyone laugh with her. Then she told us her story. She began by telling us how she was as a child. She had a fierce and feisty personality, she loved school , but grew up in Chicago in a town where people aren't accepting of one's genius. But she thrived making to the first magnet school in her city. Here she began to doubt herself, she wondered if she could compete with these kids, but was relieved that she could finally raise her hand and learn with other children who had the same aspirations that she had. And by senior year she was accepted to Princeton, then later became a successful attorney and a respected law firm.

At this point, i was sitting in my chair wide-eyed soaking in all of her glory. But then it got EVEN BETTER. She told the story of how she met Obama and explained in detail her journey of marriage and motherhood.

Michelle Obama deserves ALL the hype. She is powerful she is strong she is BECOMING. For two hours i was given the honor of hearing her story. That night she gave me aspirations of who i want to be as a wife, a mother, and most importantly as a woman. She spoke of respecting yourself first and foremost before being in a relationship, she so clearly possessed this divine mix of dignity, class, and self confidence that i hope all women will find, because that is true happiness. Michelle Obama came from a small town, a place where being you was not acceptable. Michelle Obama went to Princeton and at just 25 became an advisor at a prestigious law firm. Michelle obama is a mother and a wife. Michelle Obama was the first black first lady. Michelle Obama is a black women and she is powerful.

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Our bodies are beautiful

Our bodies are beautiful. Something that is has been present in our society for centuries is false ideas of what our bodies should look like. And this changes quite frequently. In the 18th century women were considered beautiful if they had fuller frames, because this meant that they were wealthy because they could afford to eat a lot. Nowadays society calls for women to have tiny waists but have bigger breasts and butts. unfortunately the misconception that women MUST look this way have lead to eating disorders and depression.

Recently i have been struggling with my own body image issues. It made me sad that me being a radical feminist were having these thoughts. I felt that i was almost betraying my whole belief system, i was supposed to be confident and believe that everyone's body is perfect, that's what i had been taught my whole life. But everytime i open instagram i am faced with tiny waisted women. And i think “ how are they so perfect, why can't i just be that pretty”. Or whenever i'd take a shower i'd look in the mirror and just wish i could look like every model. I began to believe that i was not pretty enough and later that i was simply just not good enough. I lost all of my self confidence and was torn apart by my insecurities.

As time goes on and society has become seemingly more “ progressive” i have noticed a handful of plus size models here and there, or maybe a couple of models with acne, but not nearly enough. Because i'm an not the only one who has had these belittling thoughts, thousands of women struggle with unrealistic expectations of their bodies. However unlike me, due to society's pressure women are plagued with these never ending ideas of their bodies not being good enough, this leads to eating disorders which can be life threatening. To these women not eating food this the only way to reach a level of unrealistic perfection. It is heartbreaking that because of what other people say, women will kill themselves just to be pretty. And to many people it is stupid for women to do this, but they have never experienced the bulldozing pressure of society, so dont hate.

And its not just women who struggle with this, so do men.

Our bodies are beautiful. I still don't believe that, and until i do i don't think anyone will be able to change my mind. But i am trying so hard to regain my confidence, and i pray that anyone who has had these thoughts has the same goal as i do. I hope that someday we all have the confidence to say that our bodies are beautiful and mean it.

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South American Caravan

As many of you may know last week thousands of migrants from Hondorans have began a long journey to the Mexican American boarder. This caravan has created chaos amongst the American government. Trump has claimed that these migrents will not enter the United States. He has planned to send the military to the boarder as to make sure no immigrant will touch US soil.

Americans have mixed feelings about the caravan, some feel sympathy and are outraged by the presidents remarks, while others believe that these “illegal aliens” are better left on the other side of the boarder. But why are these hondorians feeling their country?

these desperate migrants are understood to be fleeing widespread violence, poverty and corruption in Honduras, where powerful street gangs rule their turf with brutality. Despite its homicide rate dropping over recent years, Honduras still see 43 murders per 100,000 citizens, making it one of the most violent countries in the world. In comparison, the US homicide rate is 5.3 per 100,000 people. Many wonder why these immigrants do not come to the Unites States “the right way” meaning as legal citizens. Migrants say the process is extensive, it can take years to be grants citizenship, hondoras prefer to reach safe land even if it means risking their lives.

This journey is long and arduos. These poor immigrants have left their homes with less than a suite case, some do not even have shoes. The red cross went to the Mexican- guatemalen boarder awaiting the migrants. Some were crushed while thousands pushed against each other hoping to break down the barrier separating Guatemala and Mexico. Others opted to swim across the river. The red cross supplied the migrents with medical aid, food and water, which encourages them to keep going.

Recently the Mexican government offered migrints jobs, in hopes that the it would stop the caravan from reaching the US boarder, however most turned down the offer arguning that reaching the Unites States was a dream and they knew it held more opportunity and a better future for thier children.

Trump has made multiple statements about the caravan. He is determined to stop the migrents at all costs. But this has not dicouraged the hondoreans from pursuing their dreams.

personally I believe that these immigrants have the right to come freely to the Unites States. They are desparate people who just want to live thier best lives, safely. Just put yourselvs in their shoes. They are hard determined people who are i garntee will work just as hard if not even harder than any American to better the economy.

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what being a feminist really means

Many people hear the word “ feminist” or “feminism” and immediately close off their minds to new conversation. Often when speaking to my peers they tell me that a feminist is just a rowdy women with short hair that yells into ones face and who is herself close minded. If i were to be honest, they aren't completely wrong. Some feminists do present themselves as aggressive, and because of the way society is stacked against women and any other minority, we have every right to be angry. However i think that these women who are almost giving the word feminist a bad reputation should rethink their actions, not to sure society, but rather to show the world that what we are fighting for is equality.

By definition a feminist is a person who supports feminism, okay so what is feminism?

Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. It is really just that simple. Like any political party, or group there are extremists, people who want to go the extra mile for their beliefs, but if were are giving every feminist a bad reputation, the extremists actions need to be rethought.

I am a feminist. For years i have studied and read about feminist values, all to formulate my own opinion on what being a feminist really is. Feminism is a beautiful thing, it is a word that praises femininity and women kind. But not only does a feminist protect women, but every human, every race and color and gender. You cannot be a feminist without advocating for people within the LGBT community, or without protesting the ban of DACA. being a feminist is about Equality of everyone within the human race. It is about women being equal to man, and people being allowed to be who they are, and same sex couples walking down the street hand and hand without having to endure judgement from anyone.

So no, feminists are not simply those aggressive women who yell in your face. We are angry to be living in a time where equality is not present in our daily lives. We are angry that the president of the united states so freely makes misogynistic comments without fear of repercussions. We are angry that people are mean to each other and don't understand what it means to be kind. We are angry that desperate immigrant children are being held in cages. WE ARE ANGRY. Everyday we hope that by fighting for our beliefs, through actions, or vocally that we will eventually make a change.

Being a feminist is not a bad thing, it is not pointless. There Are so many stereotypes surrounding feminists. We do not hate men. We do not what to kill trump. We just want everyone to live freely and be happy.

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The Hate You Give

The Hate You Give written by Angie Thomas, is really a brilliant book. Starr Carter, the main character is constantly switching between two worlds -- the poor, mostly black neighborhood where she lives and the wealthy, mostly white prep school that she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is soon shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer. Facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and decide to stand up for what's right. This book I feel is the perfect book for a teen to read, Starr is a powerful black girl searching for her voice, which most teens struggle with everyday. Not only does this book encourage young ones to speak up against oppression but it speaks on important points that society fails to talk about, young women being pressured to have sex, stereotypes against people of color, and racism.

What impressed me most about The Hate You Give is that Thomas created a fictional story that gave a perfect example of the world we live in today. Starr goes to a mostly white high school, constantly putting on a fake facade, making sure that she never gives anyone a reason to label her “the angry black girl’. Unfortunately this is something that so many people of color go through. Society has a tendency to judge people of color, by their skin color, their attitudes, their manners etc. to avoid comotion POC dial it back afraid that their skin color or mannerisms will cause problems.

The main problem of this book is that Starrs best friend Khalil was shot. This story, although khalil was not a real person, was on fictional. Too many young black men have been shot and killed because of the color of their skin! The police use skin color as a division of those who are and are not dangerous. And because of this everyday there is oppression imposed on people of color by those who are supposed to protect us. How many more people of color are going to have to die before society understands that the lives of people of color matter? I think that question is asked so perfectly in the hate you give, i recommend it to any person, gender, age please read it, educate yourself, and bring justice to your community

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Powerful Women- Frida Kahlo

Recently society has taken a huge step backward, for example Brett Kavanagh just got elected for the highest court of the land. A court where good morals are arguably one of the most important characteristics of a judge, and now an alleged rapists is on that court… never thought Id see the day. Or just the other day members of a far-right men's group violently attacked protesters in new York… and they weren't arrested. So instead of writing about heart wrenching news, let's take a moment to remember and appreciate a powerful woman.

Frida Kahlo was most known for her brilliant artwork, however she was so much more than that he was a romantic, she was intelligent, she was passionate and strong and most importantly, a feminist. Frida was born in 1907 in Mexico. From the start her life was rather difficult. Her mother having many other children never had time for Frida, and at the age of 9 Frida was diagnosed with polio which left her left leg horribly disfigured. However, it was at this time that Frida fell in love with painting. Having nothing to do but lay in bed, Frida's mother installed a mirror above Frida's bed so that she could draw self portraits. As time went on Fridas artwork flourished but her life crumbled. She married Diego Rivera, who is also a famous painter, Frida was in love with this man and tried to give him all of her, but a brutal train accident left Frida physically broken and unable to have children, and years later Diego moved to the U.S and had an affair with multiple women, even Frida's sister.

Frida is my biggest role model, the women I aspire to one day be, and that is because I so admire her ability to persevere through the disaster of a life she was given and be a powerful feminist. Frida fought against gender stereotypes by wearing suits, and pants during a time where this action was not acceptable by society. When Diego had affairs with other women Frida  did the same, with men and women. She did not feel limited by societies judgements, instead she ignored them and was her true self.

There are so many women to admire, women who have made this country more progressive and told society that they will not comply with their standards. I only hope that there are more women following the path that women like Frida Kahlo or Maya Angelo or Angela Davis have created for women like me.

[isamltorres-blog]

Brett Kavanaugh case

Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump's nominee for the supreme court has been accused of sexual assault allegations. Christine Blasey Ford a university professor has issued Mr. kavanaugh for sexually assaulting her when the two were in high school. Thursday Dr. Ford and Mr. Kavanaugh made their statements in front of the senate.

During the emotional testimony Dr. Ford expressed that she was terrified to be speaking in front of not only the senate but also the entire country, however it was her civic duty. Dr. Ford said a drunken Mr Kavanagh and another teenager, Mark Judge, locked her in a room at a house party as Mr Kavanaugh groped her.

To this Brett Kavanaugh responded by telling the court that he was innocent of these charges, and that the entire situation was chaotic and a circus.

Saturday, the senate voted, and heartbreakingly voted to proceed with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh in the supreme court. The vote was 50- 48.

I have to admit that when I received the news that the senate had disregarded Dr. Fords testimony my heart dropped. I was enveloped in sadness for Dr. Ford and every other victim of sexual assault whose stories have been disregarded, but I was not surprised. I felt that this was a huge step back within our society, a time when the me too movement is in full force and sexual assault victims are finally feeling like their stories or rather their voices will be heard.

In a society where women have been scared to speak up for centuries, I felt that we were finally making progress, so the fact that we will have an accused rapist on the supreme court for the rest of his life, making detrimental decisions that will dictate the lives of millions of people, is to say the very least terribly disappointing.

People are angry, women are angry and our voices are loud and only going to continue to get louder especially on january 19 2019. Although this was a setback it is important to keep fighting back, only through that will be make real change.

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Breast cancer awareness month

With tomorrow being the first day of october, i felt that it would only be right to dedicate this post to breast cancer awareness. For those of you who don't know october is breast cancer awareness month! This month is not only for increasing awareness, but also celebrating those who have either survived from cancer or passed away from it.

Breast cancer is a horrible disease, however it is the most common kind of cancer found in women (although men can have it as well. So, even though the thought of having any kind of cancer is terrifying if it is caught in time, breast cancer is relatively easy to treat. Depending on whether or not you catch it in time you many not need chemo, but to be safe some women decide to remove both breasts to ensure that the cancer will never return.

The most important part of this month in my opinion, is that women are more convinced to go to the doctors and get checked up. However, in reality women should be giving themselves self examinations every month. Our society does not emphasize the importance of women knowing and understanding their bodies. From a young age we are told to have modesty, no one ever speaks to us about caring for our bodies or how something is supposed to feel or how something is supposed to look. Breast cancer awareness month changes the narrative, announcing to society that breast cancer is a real and common illness that must be more openly talked about.

If people are not educated they are often afraid. Last january my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a chaotic time, and extremely scary, only because i only associated cancer with the word death. But as time went on and i began to understand her illness it was not so scary anymore, her surgeon explained in detail how this would affect her, so our family was able to manage it. My mother eventually had a double mastectomy, which means that they removed both breasts, she is still going to have more surgeries but because i am not educated i am less fearful.

My mother's cancer is a horrible thing, but it brought a lot of perspective into my families lives, one of the most important was the moment we realized that we need to be more diligent about taking care of our bodies. However we should wait until our family members have cancer to be aware of this disease it should be an everyday thought.

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Mass incarceration in America

The 13th amendment states that “"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."  so basically it was decided in 1875 that slaves could not be held as prisoners, there was only one exception to this law, if you were a criminal you could be held against your own will. This law believe it or no, was passed despite a presidential veto! So basically what this means is that a bill was made with the intention of abolishing slavery, the bill went to the president but he didn't approve, so he vetoed it and stopped it from becoming a law. But the senate wasn't happy about this so they voted on the bill, when two thirds of the senate voted against the president they were able to make it a law! So obviously when this law was passed it was glorified as one of the biggest milestones of freedom, this law was meant to establish basic human rights for black people, however as time went by society did not accept blacks into their communities, rather they set new policies into place to father oppressed people of color. If you think about it the pattern is quite evident after slavery came convict leasing, then jim crow, and finally the phase we are in now is mass incarceration.

The united states makes up 5% of the world's population but we hold 25% of the world's prisoners at 2.3 million which is the highest rate of incarceration in the world. In America black men make up only 6.5 of the population but 40.2% of the prison population. I just gave you a lot of numbers, don't skip over them read them thoroughly, those numbers are horrific.

The prison population was generally flat in the 20th century, but skyrocketed in the 1970s because of a nationally disaster known as the war on drugs first recognized by president nixon. But the person who took this war on drugs to the next level was president reagan who won over the states in the south by promising to throw all of the drug addicts into to jail, because the “drug addicts” he was referring to were people of color. People of color have always been subjected to living in the poorest conditions, living in the “ghetto” where drugs are always present. And because t is hardest for POC to find a good job it might be easier to resort to something they know is always present and will always be relevant. However with drug charges comes extremely large sentences, when white people get away with a slap on the wrist people of color walk away in handcuffs.

It is rather disappointing that in a country where freedom is praised as the biggest characteristic of our identity, that we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world, holding people who don't have the means to get out. Out justice system is so corrupt that it does a better job of protecting the guilty and rich rather than the innocent and poor.

I know this problem seems so big, and that us as high school students can't do anything to fix this, but that is not the case at all, as in any problem in society it all starts with you. Maybe we are not capable of fixing the problem in the moment, but each one of us will become something one day, a police officer, a judge, a lawyer, a doctor, people who will all impact society greatly. So not is the time to educate yourself so in the future you can make the world a better place.

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Slurs- and why they are better left unsaid

Racial slurs, misogynistic slurs, slurs about homosexualtiy or gender identity, they are all hate speech. There is no dual meaning to what these terms mean, they are simply derogatory phrases, words, slurs and expressions that are meant to oppress.

Already POC, woman and people within the LGBTQA+ community, face a silent uphill battle just getting through the day. We are not paid as much, we are looked at differently, we are treated as if we are less. Attitudes that we receive are demeaning and more often than not the other person in the conversation is oblivious to their attitude. Because of the way society works, it is not necessary for the straight white male to understand how his latina lesbian peer perseveres through the attacks of oppression she goes through everyday. However what is worse than oblivious demining attitudes, is hateful actions that are thrown into in an environment with the one and only goal of oppressing a minority making them feel small and weak.

Slurs go back to the beginning of time, if you think about it, hate, as cruel and unnecessary as it is, has always been around. There have always been communities of minorities that have the short end of the stick. To this day people constantly say the n word when referring to black people or “ wetback” for latinos, and while they might not always be used in a  hateful manner, its roots go back to some of the worst times in history. The n word for example was used by white people during the time of slavery to order a black person… see a word to oppress a large community of PEOPLE, not servants or animals but people. The n word goes back to a time when black people were considered ⅓ of a person they were dehumanized and treated as nothing, so why would we want to take that word and use as effortlessly as slave owners did in the 1700’s?

Or terms like faggot. This word was often used as a way to label a gay man, then it became a way of again, oppressing an entire community of people. For the longest time being gay was not acceptable, although there is progress being made this word comes from a time when society thought that being gay was a mental illness.

This world has so many problems, war, corruption, discrimination, the one thing that all of these problems have in common is hate. Hate is evil, it overcomes a person and makes them do unthinkable things. Most often, this hate comes from society, a society that we all play a part in. and although it sounds cliche if we are all kind and thoughtful and accepting, this world will change. You might think because you are only one person you can't do anything to make the world better, but that is not true! If you stop saying an oppressive word then inform your friend of its origin they might pass it on creating a domino effect of kindness, and kindness is such a beautiful thing. So next time you see hate, if its a slur or a gesture point it out, because I promise you are making the world just a little bit better by doing so.

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Powerful women- Serena Williams

The world is always in need of more powerful women. Malala Yousafzai, Angela Davis, Michelle Obama, Frida Kahlo the list goes on and on. Unfortunately these women are often scrutinized for standing up for themselves. However when man defend themselves people take their sides, telling them that they have every right to be angry, but when a woman does the same thing she is labeled as “ angry” or “crazy”. Because of this women are taught to have modesty, and to stay classy and graceful. One women who is not braking this standard is Serena Williams.

Serena Williams is an African American professional tennis player, wife and mother. She has won the second-most singles titles (23) in women's Grand Slam tournaments of all time and been recognized as a role model for women around the world.

Recently, Serena played in the US open 2018 ( which if she had won would have been a 24th grand slam singles record) against Naomi Osaka. During this match Serena received multiple violations, the first one being a violation after the umpire, Carlos Ramos, judged a gesture from Serena's coach as a sign that he was trying to help her during the game. Williams then went up to Ramos and explained calmly that she had not received any coaching and that she would “ never cheat to win and would rather lose”. Her next violation was when Serena smashed her racket, destroying it, meaning that she would lose again more points. Serena then went up to the umpire, this time very angry. She pointed out again that she would never cheat and that she has a daughter and will always do the right thing for her. Then she told the umpire numerous times that he owed her an apology and that she never wants him to umpire a game of hers again (because she has been violated for issues like this in the past during US open finals).At this point Serena felt as if her character were being threatened and decided to stand up for herself as anyone else would. During this match Serena made very bold statements calling the umpire a thief for stealing points from her and accusing Ramos of sexsim because violated her due to “verbal abuse”. Williams said that cases like this have occurred before the only difference was when it was men playing they have never been penalized.  

Serena now is facing a fine of $17,000 an insane amount of money for standing up for her character. Again we are presented with yet another case of sexism… when will this end? Unfortunately it takes times like these, when women are fined $17,000 for people to wake up and smell the patriarchy! Everyday women face these problems, yes maybe on a smaller scale definitely not in front of an entire stadium, but how amazing is it to see women have the power to stand up to their oppressors?

Women are expected to keep our anger inside of them, we are expected to keep our voices small and our heads down. But enough is enough! We are equals! We deserve to walk outside and have the exact same rights men around us take for granted every moment of everyday.

Before this incident I had never thought much of serena Williams but now I consider her an inspiration, paving a way for not only women but women athletes a field where equality is definitely called for.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed and keep your eyes open for moments of injustice.

[isamltorres-blog]

Dress code- is this just another way of oppressing women?

Hey everyone, so this week as we all know i poly decided to make it known that teachers and staff will be enforcing the dress code. So i thought that my first post should be about- that's right you guessed it the dress code.

Everyday students wake up and pick out an outfit for school. This should be an easy task, however certain rules and guidelines are drilled into the students heads, more specifically female students have to worry about a dress code that was made for them. Everyday thoughts like “ oh i can't wear this my bra strap is showing” or “ maybe i should not wear this shirt it's showing just a lil bit too much of my stomach” and “ are these shorts too short… im not going to risk it i don't want to get in trouble”. These rules oppress women from the very beginning molding them into “ conservative” little girls who won't “distract” boys… im sorry but boys should be held accountable for their own actions rather than girls having to pay the price.

Let's take it back 4000 years to when women had the freedom to wear whatever they wanted even if that meant wearing nothing at all. It wasn't until 3500 years ago in Greece that men decided that women's bodies would be taken for granted and only seen as sexual objects. Instead of wearing togas like men did, they were made to cover all of their bodies as to conceal their breasts. Years later at the time of the Renaissance in England it was made fashionable and desirable by men for women to have tiny waists. Women would achieve these waist by wearing corsets made out of whale bone that women would tightly cinch their waists. The goal was to have the smallest waist which meant 14- 16 inches, which is not only ridiculous but unhealthy, I mean come on! These poor women couldn't even breath. Is it just me or is the pattern pretty obvious here? Men have always been the subtle yet very apparent dictators of women's bodies.  

Even now if you look at most dress codes they are directed, unfortunately, towards women. Even if you look at i polys dress code you will see what i'm saying. In at least three of the guidelines girls are being singled out. The one rule that disappointed me the most was; “ undergarments must be worn but not be visible ( girls all parts of your bra must be covered by your top)”. There are so many things wrong with this, first do you see what i am saying? It specifically pointed out GIRLS as the problem. Second, it is stating that our bras have to be covered, sometimes that is impossible, it gets hot especially where we live, do we have to wear polos and turtle necks for the rest of our high school careers? The truth is women have breast and it is necessary for some women to wear bras for back support, is this something we should be ashamed about? And last but finally not least the dress code is telling us that we MUST wear bras… what? Let me break it down for you bras are two cups of padding attached to two wires wearing this can get very very uncomfortable, bras are itchy and poky. I don't see boys having to go through the struggle of wearing bras everyday.

School is a place for people to find who they are in their own unique way. Any era in history is distinguished by a couple of key things like music, art, four and one more relevant to everyday life is fashion. Especially in our modern day lives people, boys, girls and everything in between pride themselves on their beautiful thought out outfits. It's not only pieces of fabric but a way for people creativity to come alive. We do not try to show off our bodies for attention we just think out outfits are cute, it is just that simple.

So is the dress code oppressing women? I think yes. Now with all of this information i will let you all make up your own minds. Have a great rest of your week everyone!

Even now if you look at most dress codes they are directed, unfortunately, towards women. Even if you look at i polys dress code you will see what i'm saying. In at least three of the guidelines girls are being singled out. The one rule that disappointed me the most was; “ undergarments must be worn but not be visible ( girls all parts of your bra must be covered by your top)”. There are so many things wrong with this, first do you see what i am saying? It specifically pointed out GIRLS as the problem. Second, it is stating that our bras have to be covered, sometimes that is impossible, it gets hot especially where we live, do we have to wear polos and turtle necks for the rest of our high school careers? The truth is women have breast and it is necessary for some women to wear bras for back support, is this something we should be ashamed about? And last but finally not least the dress code is telling us that we MUST wear bras… what? Let me break it down for you bras are two cups of padding attached to two wires wearing this can get very very uncomfortable, bras are itchy and poky. I don't see boys having to go through the struggle of wearing bras everyday.

School is a place for people to find who they are in their own unique way. Any era in history is distinguished by a couple of key things like music, art, four and one more relevant to everyday life is fashion. Especially in our modern day lives people, boys, girls and everything in between pride themselves on their beautiful thought out outfits. It's not only pieces of fabric but a way for people creativity to come alive. We do not try to show off our bodies for attention we just think out outfits are cute, it is just that simple.

So is the dress code oppressing women? I think yes. Now with all of this information i will let you all make up your own minds. Have a great rest of your week everyone!