Halloween

My blog this week is about halloween. This is because this year I really thought about Women's studies when I went to a halloween party last night. This holiday has become an excuse for teenage girls to wear as little clothing as possible, get drunk, and be taken advantage of by the boys who find these "costumes" attractive. Last night I was one of few girls with more clothing on than just a mini skirt and a bra.

It has never been cute or attractive for me to see these girls disrespecting themselves at these parties. I am embarrassed for people who feel the need to expose their bodies just for the attention. Halloween should not be used as an excuse to dress like a slut and I feel bad for any girl that feels she has to wear skimpy clothes to fit in on halloween.

Sexuality

The slide show that was shown in class on Thursday was one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen. Although I knew pornography of this sort existed, I had NO idea it was so popular and that it could be found so easily. The fact that we didn't even watch actual pornography, but only pictures, and it still made me sick to my stomach is saying something.

It is unbelievable to to me that men "get off" to this violent and disgusting form of porn. It is the most degrading thing towards women that I have ever seen. I can't believe that women are actually okay with being involved with things like this. I think that porn like the stuff that was shown in class should be made illegal. It is sickening and there is no reason any body should need to watch it. Pornography can become an addiction, ruining lives of individuals and the lives of their families.

I still have images in my head of the things we saw on Thursday and I honestly feel completely sorry for any body, man or woman, who finds interest in that type of porn. Women should respect themselves enough to stand up to these degrading men who call us "bitches, sluts, etc."

After reading the first article in this section, I was horrified. I have heard stories about rape and violence but never anything as intense as this story. It reminded me of the movie The Last House on the Left. There is a very violent rape scene in this movie that could hardly watch because it literally made me sick to my stomach. Reading things like this really touch me in a deep place because one of my best friends was raped a year ago next month. She is still traumatized from the experience and there is nothing I could ever say to her to make her feel better about what happened. Rape is such an ugly thing and it is fact that on average one in every three women will be raped in their lifetime, and usually rape happens by someone you know and are even close with.

On the other hand, reading the Getting it Straight article hit home for me. I myself am a homosexual and reading things liek this always get to me. It is easy for a lot of people to believe that we have come so far from violence against gays, but that is not the case. Last summer, a good friend of mine had to be walked to and from class during a summer course at Bellarmine University because she had threats made on her life by students who attended the school. Things like this are the things that make me sit back and look at the world and wonder how long it is going to take these ignorant people to learn that people are different, and that "love knows no gender, race, or color."

Body Image

After reading the article Not Just a Paper Doll, I'd like to say I was shocked at how harsh people in the modeling industry can be, but I wasn't. It still baffles me as to why anyone would want to pursue a career in which you are ridiculed, judged, and rejected on a daily basis. Not to mention the rejection is all based on looks. You are either too fat, too skinny, too short, not pretty enough, or a number of other degrading things. The women that choose to live the lifestyle of a model are constantly forced to lose weight causing eating disorders, and can be out of a job in the blink of an eye.

Shows like America's Next Top Model are a perfect example of the harshness of this particular industry. Shows like these - and many others - tell girls and women around the world that they are not up to a certain standard of beauty. Magazines, billboards, and television have even impacted me and how I look at my self. Now, I would never want to be stick thin like the girls on these shows are, but it certainly makes a teenage girl wonder how other people view her and her body. If it is affecting me, I know for certain it is affecting millions of teenage girls everywhere. It is time for the average 5'4", 140 pound women to stand up and start changing the medias version of beautiful.

Who Am I?

My name is Katie Weddington. I was born and raised in Louisville, KY. I played field hockey and lacrosse for duPont Manual high school. I was very involved in theater for many years before high school but had to give it up because I could not juggle sports and theater with my busy schedule.

I had my mind set on going to UK but my mom made me visit Western "just in case." I fell in love with the school for a number of different reasons including the size of the campus and classes. Plus it is far enough where I feel like I have gotten to start fresh but not so far that I can't take a weekend trip home if I need to.

The thing I am most interested in learning is the many different view points that people have on different situations, theories, events, etc. I love to debate and I have always found it interesting to see and learn something from another's point of view. I am also expecting to learn a lot about the history of women and what we have been through to get to where we are today. And lastly gender roles interest me a LOT. I can not wait to learn about sexual identities and so forth.