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Final Tumblr project

I choose the theme “ Girlhood and heteronormativity” for my final tumbler project because I feel that the theme relates a lot to my relationship in a society as a girl, and how gender socialization, gender ideology, and heteronormativity influences how I experience and understand more about my gender and girling process. 

The picture above show that I had girls night out on my friend’s birthday. All of us wear black dress which shows our feminine side. Even though each of us has a busy life and and do not see each other often, it is always fun and relaxing when we reunite. We laughed, danced and joked about life and our relationships with boys. The second picture is of me and my cousin bonding, take selfies, and share secrets and talk about crush after a long time that she has the chance to visit me. The reading of Thorne and Luria (1986) stated that early adolescent boys and girls constructed heteronormativity differently. “Girls in their study shared secrets to establish intimacy, making them “mutually vulnerable through self disclosure” (p. 183)

The picture is about my friend’s baby shower that I attended with my other friends at her house. She was going to have a baby girl. The house was decorated with pink color dominant such as pink balloons, pink flower cake, pink photo booth props wording “ I’m a girl “with pink shirt and blue skirt. The gifts and mostly pink onesies my friend recieved contains the words like princess, daddy’s little girl,.. and things that represent the baby’s body. People think that giving out pink cute gifts are normal and make sense. Heteronormativity is also normative in a moral sense, defining what is within the bounds of "normal (Martin 191) These are examples represent the girling process and show that before the baby is born, parents and society strictly assign feminine gender (pink)  for the baby and force them into heteronormativity. Jackson (2006) argues that heteronormativity "governs" both gender and sexuality and operates through multiple dimensions of social life (Martin p191).

http://herzimbabwe.co.zw/2015/07/gender-roles-run-deep/

The picture depicts the woman is holding a pan and cloth and a man is outside cleaning cars. The difference in the object that they are holding illustrates gender construct specific role on to each individual. This gender role happens everyday in the society where it is expected that women’s responsibility is staying home, doing chores, cooking and taking care of the children where men is responsible in going to work, earning money,and build house.. Martin states how heteronormativity is foisted on children by their mothers, who are themselves “enmeshed” (2009, 190) in a heteronormative culture (p.169). When I grow up, my mom often tells me that I have to watch her cooking and try to learn how to cook so that when I get married and go to my husband’s house, I know how to cook for my husband his family. My mom is a example of how traditional gender and gender policing have strong connection in shaping my gender socialization

The graph above shows the huge difference in the cost of car insuranc)e of single men compare to single women. 22% of single men tend to pay more for car insurance due to the fact that women is known as cautious when it comes to taking risks. Therefore, insurance companies insure a woman-driven car for much less than a male-driven one, with the argument that women rarely drive fast and are less prone to accidents. The women is force with the gender role in the society when it is expected that women control things in a gentle way which is opposite from aggressive way that men do. 

This picture is of me wearing a dress to celebrate Lunar New year. My dad took this when I was 4 years old. At that time my mom picked out all the dresses and try different hair styles for me to look cuter as a girl. From a very young age, children are pressed into a rigid heterosexual mold ( raymond p169) heories of sexuality also need “childrening.” Being an appropriately heterosexual child is rife with contradiction (raymond p169)

The picture above shows some of the mist, hair care, skin care product and lotion that I own.  As I grow up from the childhood to adolescent, the girling process has taken part in my life when taking care more of my body and my appearance is essential, I start to use more make up products to make myself feel beautiful, energized and become confident when I go out. Before that time, I faced some of the challenges and critiques from my relative since I did not know how to use make up and they said that I had to learn about it to be able to have a boyfriend. I also thought that they were correct about it. In Myers and Raymond reading, Thorne (1993) found that adolescent girls face “the fall,” when they begin to define themselves primarily through the eyes of boys. However I feel that making myself prettier is a way to make myself happy and confident rather than being identified through men’s eyes. The picture below shows a bunch of rose flowers that I love and received as gifts on special day. G Those experiences create the embodiment through gender socialization practices and play important role in shaping gender. “Gender is a process, not an attribute.”

The pictures above indicates some of the plush toys and my favorite cartoon that I watched. As a girl, I love playing with dolls and plush toys. 

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journal 5

I agree with Armstrong’s argument about the frightening and prevalent of sexual assaults in college campus. She indicates that college women “are at greater risk for rape and other forms of sexual assault than women in the general population or in a comparable age group” (Fisher et al). The sexual assaults are predictable in college environment when it is common when parties are often established for students to present themselves to meet and socialize with new people and have fun. The problems are that they think drinking alcohol is the best way to have fun and show their mature side but they are not aware of the consequence it would bring.  Heavy alcohol consumptions would make them unaware and cannot control their behavior and then rape is not to be avoided. Armstrong’s approach to college sexual assaults focus on beliefs when it is related to “rape myths” where “the nature of men, women, sexuality, and consent that create an environment conducive to rape”(485) and verbal cues that change the position of perpetrator and victims. The rape myth contributes to Armstrong arguments on gendered neutral process when men and women behaviors towards sex are normalized and neglected, support the sexual assaults. Armstrong states how the gendered process influence the differences in social and cultural interaction “Socialization processes influence gendered selves, while cultural expectations reproduce gender inequality in interaction” (485). The gendered process shapes the culture to favor men practices “men are naturally sexually aggressive” (p. 485), judge the victim’s behaviors and blame the victims “belief that women ask for it” (p. 485) that are predominantly women, regarding the explanation from the victims can create more opportunities for the persistent of sexual assaults. At first I thought that any students could attend the party culture but I was surprised when the requirements is narrowed to only heterosexuality and involved the dominant of race and ethnicity “To participate, one must typically be heterosexual, at least middle class, white, American-born, unmarried, childless, traditional college age, politically and socially mainstream, and interested in drinking” (p.486) This demonstrates clearly gender inequality in the arguments and tend to be gendered focus when “the concentration of homogeneous students with expectations of partying fosters the development of sexualized peer cultures organized around status” (p. 484) This is a predictable outcome given the landscape of gender and sexuality on college campuses and the infrastructure of universities' sexual health policies when Armstrong highlights that the gender neutral expectation such as having fun combine with institutional interaction will promote sexual assaults with the pressure from peers. “illustrate that gender inequality is institutionalized on campus by “formal structure” that supports and intensifies an already “high-pressure heterosexual peer group” (p. 180) I think most if not all are considered gendered process.The heterosexual scripts also dignify the expectation about men’s acts and disadvantage women acts in a certain way make men becomes perpetrator and women are possible target for sexual assaults.

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In the discussion in class we talked about rape culture, which describe a setting where rape is pervasive and normalized due to society ‘s attitude about gender and sexuality.  This topic opens my mind in different aspects. In rape culture, the women is the one mostly get hurt physically and emotionally because of the sexuality force that men put on them even though the women are not willing to have sex. However, the women which is a victim in rape culture are known as suspicious and accused as the one who causes that rape to happen due to the sexy clothes they wear or if they consume alcohol. And surprisingly, the rapists are usually the people we know or it can be our friends’ friends rather than strangers. That situation makes me wonder why women is always the one have to suffer and be degraded and are at fault but not men. Rape happens everywhere nowadays and it becomes dangerous problem that make women has to address to protect themselves whether taking karate class, keeping protective devices on hand, or basically using pepper spray ... Rape culture is prevalent lead to the development of various gadgets and apps to help women prevent rape. Moreover, it is also interesting that these devices disguise as nail polish to jewelry and watch that is called safelet, stiletto jewelry, skitestring app, watch over me app… I think these creative and effective innovations are great ideas and make a big different in preventing sexual assaults and life threatening for women.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/10-best-gadgets-to-prevent-rape_us_58e799c4e4b06f8c18beeae4

This picture represent a device called guardian locket that mimics a necklace for women to prevent rape

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The article address the discourse and development of a policy that protect the  sex workers with crucial human rights issues. Sex workers experience many issues and risk of abuse that sex workers are victims such as discrimination, rape, beatings and harassment. Sex work is still consider work, however, sex workers are treated as criminal and get denied for basic health access and housing services. They are many reasons behind their jobs, it can be a result of poverty, better pay or basically explore and express their sexuality. Regardless of any reasons, they should have rights to get health service and safety as any other jobs. Amnesty International is a human rights organization which address advocate the decriminalization of consensual sex. The policy does not protect pimps and focus to eliminate exploitation, trafficking, and reduce the threat of violence. The law enforcement should pay more attention and cooperate in recognizing who is victim and who is susceptible for criminalization to ensure a safer environment and protection for sex workers. The article also mentions other organization such as WHO, UNAIDS, human rights watch… also support the policy. 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/08/sex-workers-rights-are-human-rights/

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journal 4

The photo I choose for this week surrounding themes about sex work, violence and sex trafficking.The photo illustrates a guy holding a sign says “sex work is real work” and other girls hold sign that support decriminalization and represent job equality where as the race and gender does not matter. The photo involves that people from around the world are trying to use protests and campaigns to raise concern on legislation to avoid the violence, prove that sex workers are also human and deserve the rights to do their job, and sex work should be decriminalized. I choose this photo because it reflects the difficulties that sex workers encounter with their jobs, the way society treat them, and the strategies they choose to solve the problems. I think that society and law enforcement need to distinguish between who actually is victim and who involves in sex trafficking abuse in order to make a better decision before framing sex workers as criminals, where sex work is also considered a form of work that they earn money to make a living and do not cause harm to other people.  Katsulis reading demonstrate the significant impact of work place on sex workers with Wahab (2005) reports that 50–100 percent of those working in outdoor (street-based) settings experience violent encounters while on the job. The studies also examine that (includes both indoor and outdoor workers) about 27 percent of sample had experienced violence at the hands of a customer(345). Since sex workers experience violence and dangerous problem at the workplace, decriminalization would enable them to have a safer working condition. It also a message that sex workers want to send to traffickers that they are not alone and have strong support as a community. There are many opposite opinions and misperceptions when it comes to discourse and complicated stigma about prostitution and sex trafficking. For instance, framing prostitution as violence obscures the “broad continuum of occupational health and safety issues negotiated by actual sex workers”. The lack of understanding and fail to distinguish between prostitution and sex trafficking of society and law enforcement turn sex workers to become a victim when they are arrested for prostitution in which they are not coerced or forced into their job, but they choose to do it for a various reasons but primarily because they enjoy it, and other life circumstances. Moreover, Peter article also stated that more people get arrest for prostitution than sex traffickers themselves left them with criminal records that is a burden when they look for new job. Sex workers are likely to be sex trafficking victims where they suffer emotional and physical problems such as PTSD, depression and sexually transmitted infections from the clients abuse. The article shows that the Criminal Justice sector, “viewed women in forced prostitution as victims in need of rescue, while he saw men and women forced into other labor sectors, no matter how deplorable their conditions, as partly responsible for their suffering.” (99).

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Which Countries Have The Best Sex Education?

The video highlights the difference in teaching methods approach sex education that affect the rates of teen birth. The video emphasizes the surprising data compare teen birth rates in the US and Europe countries in which US has the highest teen birth rate while Europe has the lowest teen birth rate. The reasons for this problem is that sex education has not been introducing properly and comprehensive at school. The school only focuses on teaching students about the anatomy, menstrual cycle and puberty for the most part, but school repress and forget to provide in details about the essential part of the sex itself, which will bring the consequences that teens get engage in unprotected sex. This indicates that the US need to remove the conservative methods and improve the class structure effectively by combining abstinence with sexuality to enhance teen’s knowledge and open their minds on how to practice safe sex, prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease among teens. Moreover, the positive attitudes, programs and discussion also play important role in helping teens understand and make the best decision in sex and relationships. 

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tumbler post week 7

The discussion in group we had in class focused on female masturbation and sex education. Since the topic about female masturbation is barely brought up in media, and because girls considered it as personal things and people might think it is a strange thing for girl to do, I have little understanding about it. When our group member talked about female masturbation, and issues surround sex toys that girls use for sexual pleasure I found that was interesting. The use of sex toys are portrayed differently across sexual identity including heterosexual, bisexual, or lesbien. Fahswank reading mentions that “heterosexual women’s use of (phallic) sex toys has rarely received the same conceptual interrogations and empirical analysis that has been directed toward lesbian women’s dildo usage.” The misperception and ignorant that people have about the usage of sex toys between sexual identity have caused stereotype and limitations toward the important roles of sex toys in female relationship and sexual experience. I think sex education is necessary for female to be aware of their bodies and maintain a safe relationship with partner. Schools and programs about sex education need to be promoted extensively to prevent unwanted diseases, and pregnancy in teens.

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JOurnal 3 

As we all know, female sexuality is not an old topic, it has been discussed widely all over the social media and popular culture. There are some positive discourses concern female body, however there are other negative discourses that not only affect female physically but also psychologically. Societies and men often look down and have attitudes on female body, their appearance, and the way they show sexual pleasure. Female who dress pretty, they want to show their pretty curvy body by wearing a tight bodycon dress that show some skin are considered hypersexual. Females who want to feel comfortable and like to express themselves, engage in the party by dancing to her favorite song with sexy move is considered inappropriate and attract the man sexual attention. Females who put in effort to lose weight to feel good about themselves, posting selfies and skinny body pictures with their pyjamas, or after working out also get adverse sexuality perceptions. The ideal women on social media are mostly portrayed as sexy, skinny, and successful which is impossible standards that keep women get out of their comfort zone, and try to be the women that societies force them to be. This negative discourses have lead women to get plastic surgery or other forms of beauty surgery that will cause harmful consequences later in their life. In addition, there are other discourses in social context regarding female masturbation. In the movies, particular men sexuality, masturbation is considered normal but when it comes to talking about women masturbation, it is portrayed as not healthy and not the thing women should do. Because this topic about female masturbation is sensitive and rarely mentioned in medias, women might not feel comfortable discuss it in daily basis and in their relationship. I believe that women should have the right to feel sexy and express their sexual desire in the way that they are confident in regarding any forms of judgments from social media.  

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tumbler post 5

After discussion in class about hysteria, I found that the article about the Shaking woman: a history of hysteria exemplifies the studies of Hysteria, which relate to female patients that show eccentric symptoms with undefined biological cause. The case studies were conducted by Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer. The symptoms can lead to severe illness includes temporary blindness, limb paralysis, catatonic.. Hysteria is known to associate with female sex organs. There are many hypothesis that contribute to the cause of hysteria. For example, Egyptians refers the cause of hysteria might come from “undersexed uteri that wander throughout the body”. However, Freud opposed that it came from psychological stress that lead to illness. Another opinion comes from novelist Siri hustvedt, where he mentions that a person’s mind create a big impact on the body function. Today, hysteria is converted to “conversion disorder”, and this disorder is still vague at other regions around the world. In conclusion, more research need to be conducted on the brain to understand and discover the reasons behind the rare disorder called hysteria.

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tumbler post 2 

The video about intersex we watched in class got me thinking about the life of intersex people. They have suffered a lot of pain and teasing from the society even though it is not their fault. To get away from all the bullying and critiques, the majority of the intersex had no choice but to hide and keep it as a secret from the society.  Others come out with the intention to help ending the stigma for other intersex individuals. This article about the aspect of a supermodel Hanne Gaby Odiele, who has androgen insensitivity syndrome come on social media to show how genital reconstruction surgery has caused serious effects on children, and how intersex should be treated as a normal person with the legal right to make decision with their own body. She said "I'm speaking out because it's time this mistreatment comes to an end. It caused me way too much pain”. She believed that intersex is a common thing and it is considered normal. Her discussion and advices about intersex on social media has encouraged variety of intersex people that they should believe in themselves because every person is unique and has right to express their body in their own way. She adviced parents of intersex children that the way to get through it is to get together, try to understand what the children want and let them decide who they want to be. Odiele gets a lot of support from the intersex and her video helps spreading the awareness and reduce the unnecessary surgeries in the future. I admire her for speaking out for other intersex people and open the way for intersex people to integrate with the society and live a happy life.

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journal 2

The major themes of the readings and video this week concern a variety of abnormal ambiguous genital conditions occurs in individuals, which is called “intersex”, and the impact it has on their intimate relationship and daily life.  Intersex individuals are described as “children are born with "normal" male or female external genitals that do not correspond to their hormones”. Others are born with a noticeable combination of male and female external features, and still others have visually male or female external characteristics that correspond to their chromosomes but do not correspond to their internal gonads (Haas, p 43). They are deviated from binary categories and classified as neither male nor female. Because of this abnormal characteristic, many intersexed infants, or even adults have suffered numerous unwanted genital reconstruction surgeries, that shape them as a particular gender under medical standards. The incorrect assumptions about traditional heterosexuality lead to medical intervention consequences, which “leave them with permanent physical and emotional scars” (frank p.41). Even though “genital reconstruction is rarely medically necessary”, many parents thought that surgery would prevent their children from suffering mental destruction, and help them become a normal person like others, but the outcome turn out to be opposite. With the lack of explanation and medical resources, it will lead to transparency confusion regarding gender identity and sexual orientation (Haas 42).   It is sad and unfair that the children do not have a choice in determining the gender that they supposed to be born with. However, the release of Columbia Constitutional Court decision about genital reconstruction surgery has” limited parents' rights to choose genital reconstruction surgery for their children in Colombia.” This rule opens a new life to intersexed people, which they can have legal responsible to their own gender. The video indicates that the intersex people face many challenges in developing the intimacy relationship with other gender, including pain during sexual intercourses, and experiencing uncomfortable physical activities. In frank’s reading, the intersex people showed the sense of isolation and difficulties in inner self not engage in relationship due to teasings and negative opinions derived from heterosexuality from society. Jones et al. concluded that ‘‘the data suggest that it is indeed common for people with intersex variations with a range of body types to date and have partners (despite whatever social myths or medical warnings may sometimes obscure this fact)’’ (2016, p. 172). Overall, the social pressures influence the way intersex individuals experience their gender and sexuality. The heteronormative assumptions put the intersex in difficult situation, where they do not have the right to be themselves and suffer continuous pain that affect them both mentally and physically. The genital surgery has both positive and negative aspects, but intersex people deserve the right to choose what is best for them and be satisfy with what they are.

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week 4 post

"So full of myself as a chick" is one of the reading this week which got my attention. The article describes the way women express sexuality with one another, and how they have to act properly to adjust to the critique and strange look from heteronormal people. This article reminds me of the old song “I kissed a girl” that singer Katy Perry released in album One of the Boys. The lyrics along with upbeat chorus really bring a powerful energy and illustrate the magical beauty of a woman. In the lyrics, the girl feels the curiosity and wants to try something fun, and kissing is the way she shows affections towards the other girl due to her beautiful features. Even though the song is just highlight the friendship intimacy, and silly moments between young girls, the social media portrays it as a controversy about homosexuality. That surprises me in a way that women sexuality is not accepted and seen as unusual compare to heteronormativities, even though women is also a unique human beings who have thoughts and feelings. I feel that society should be more open and put themselves in women’s shoes to experience and understand more about women sexuality, since women deserve to have happiness and love in life.

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journal 1 post

Some processes of gender socialization that I have experienced in my life come from my parents, peer groups, and school. (p.169). My mom is the biggest influence on my heterosexuality. When I was young, my mom and my relatives always bought me cute and girly toys such as barbie dolls, baking stuff and cooking stuff… while my brother received other toys such as airplane, cars, robots ... I felt that my brother’s toys seem more fun so I put my toys aside and started playing with his toys. My mom came and told me that I should play with the barbie doll because it would fit my personality as a girl. As I grow up, my mom would expect me to do chores, cooking and cleaning the house for my brother, when he learns to take care of electricity, gardening, carry heavy stuff and fix cars... In the article the Girl project, Connell (2005, 15) argues, “Heterosexuality is learnt, and the learning, for boys, is an important site of the construction of masculinity.” (p.170) My mom only allowed me to hang out and go home before midnight where my brothers can hang out overnight and my mom would not care. She thinks that I am a weak, gentle girl and I would not be able to protect myself in a certain situation. My mom is also a clear example of how traditional gender and heterosexuality have strong connection in shaping gender socialization where she used to stay home and did chores while my dad went to work. My group of friends are mostly girls because I feel comfortable talking and sharing stories with them, as Thorne and Luria (1986) showed that early adolescent boys and girls (ages 9 to 11) constructed heteronormativity differently. “Girls in their study shared secrets to establish intimacy, making them “mutually vulnerable through self disclosure” (p. 183). Boys expressed “contagious excitement” (p. 181) when they violated rules together”. Heteronormativity occurs in everyday life and affects how girls and boys behave the way they are, and the career that they do. For example, men conquer the jobs that need strong power, energy, leadership skills, and tough personality such as engineer, director, mechanics.. where as women’s occupations tend to be more on the gentle and feminine side include make up artist, nurse, chef, model… The differences in both gender behavior also represent clearly when girls use make up and wear dress to school which guys do not. My mom used to press me to learn different kinds of piano, violin, or swimming… or the sports that were meant for girls. However, my brother would get to learn basketball, karate or soccer... the sports that are masculinized. In heterosexuality relationship, when a group of us girls hung out with a few boys, we started a conversation about my friend’s boyfriend and their progress in her relationship, my friend would blush and tried to get away with that by changing to a different topic. She wanted to keep the secrets among our group. “They established intimacy, an important part of femininity” (Thorne and Luria 1986)(p.175) Some of my friends also express excitement and thrills towards their cute, handsome idols, singers or model with muscular body.They perceive them as their lover,a nd they even used sexualized term to describe the boys.