Stoopid Beauty Gadgets

The video Killing Us Softly 3 has had a strong and long-lasting impact on me. Every day I think about standards of beauty (even in my small little circle of reality here in the corn-fed Midwest), and who has created them. This film has really changed my perspective about things. I strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn't already seen it. It is by Jean Kilbourne, and it examines how women are portrayed in the media, and the kinds of implications that it has on our society as a whole. She did her first versoin of the video in the 1970's, and the third version came out in the 1990's. I have yet to see the 4th one, which came out earlier this month.

On a related note, one of my favorite websites ever, Everything is Terrible, contains several infomercials featuring some absolutely ridiculous beauty gadgets and gizmos. Obviously, a lot of women recognize that these products are worthless and a waste of money, but SOMEone out there must be buying this crap. Why else would they keep making more??

Here is a sampling of some infomercials for your entertainment:
The Revo Styler (um, since when are we too lazy for a round brush??)
This is gross
Facercize
The Art of Scarf Styling
This thing is just really creepy
Of, course the Shake Weight (and their version for men!)

So, on a completely UNrelated note, to take us out with a smile this Thursday afternoon, I give you Tappercise.

Fire Safety (cont.)

Also, if anyone is interesting in a funny video on what not to do for fire safety, check out this awesome clip from the office!

Fire Safety Day at the Dub C

So today we got trained in fire safety and learned how to use a fire-extinguisher! The WRC is now prepared to handle fires safely and effectively!


Here is the gang after taking care of the fire.




Here is the roaring fire that we needed to tame.

Here is Kate taking care of business. She took the prize with the fastest time, although Jill might tell you otherwise...

Jill taking a second shot at it....

Overall, just another fun day at the Dub C!

Fembots: From Fantasy to Reality

No one disputes that technology has certainly done some amazing things for society as a whole. But in our quest to create efficiencies and solve the world’s problems, I think it is crucial to ask not whether we can, but whether we should. This video explores the creation of the Fembot fantasy and its portrayal in the media as the “ultimate misogynistic male fantasy.”



While fembots do seem extreme, I fear that our society’s preference for a technological mask instead of human interaction is harming our sexual relationships and our friendships (at the moment this trend can most readily be seen in the explosive use of texting). It seems as though we are moving further away from face-to-face encounters and preferring an artificial world where it is not necessary to use social skills to have an interpersonal relationship. The next video of an actual fembot seems to indicate that in the near future we will have a “human” face imposed on technology, and not just any face, a female face.



Why does the robot have to be female or be assigned a sex at all for that matter? I thought the point of creating robots was to serve human kind and perform tasks that humans can’t. So I wonder what it is that woman are not doing that a robot can….perhaps fulfilling the “ultimate misogynistic male fantasy”?

Victims of Child Sexual Abuse Need to Get Therapy, Not Give Birth

I blogged last summer about a Brazilian 9 year old girl who had been sexually abused repeatedly by her stepfather since she was 6 years old. She became pregnant, and had an abortion. Despite the fact that it would be physiologically impossible for the 66 pound girl to carry the twins she was impregnated with to term, the Catholic Church excommunicated the girl’s family and the doctors who helped her. This strikes me as a particularly callous thing to do; a family in the grips of such a crisis might need their church more than ever, to try to find comfort and heal.

Now a 10-year-old girl in Mexico, who is also the victim of rape by her stepfather, has become pregnant. The girl’s home state of Quintaroo allows abortion in rape cases within the first 90 days of a pregnancy, but the girl is just about a month over that limit. However, the girl and her mother weren’t told about their option to get an abortion when her mother reported the assault last month (and apparently no one was sure how far along the girl was at the time).

Who in their right mind would insist that a 9 or 10 year-old girl carry a pregnancy to term? The average female’s hips don’t widen until the end of puberty (when she is closer to 13 years old), so neither of these girls would have been or will be able to deliver vaginally. The cognitive development of children must also be considered in these kinds of cases; children under 11 or 12 don’t have the full capacity to think logically, and are still egocentric in nature (according to Piaget, who is pretty much the most widely revered and respected authority on children’s cognitive development).

These girls are victims of child sexual abuse, and require extensive therapy to facilitate the healing process. Child sexual abuse has absolutely devastating and long-lasting effects on its victims. An experience that is physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting like pregnancy and childbirth is simply way too much for these victims to handle. And it is criminal for someone to insist that these girls go through it.

Cases like these really make it clear that our nation AND world need to raise awareness about child maltreatment, and specifically child sexual abuse. We must do much more in they way of prevention, and do what we can to stop cases like these from ever happening in the first place. The well-being of our world’s children needs to move from the backburner of our agendas to the forefront of our minds.

Relationships: Healthy vs. Unhealthy

While most are versed in the basic characteristics of an unhealthy relationship (such as violence, jealously, or manipulation), there are many more signs that are important to recognize. A few of these lesser-known characteristics can include the following:

· Unrealistic expectations of your partner
· Dishonesty or omissions of the truth
· Lack of trust, reliability
· Social isolation
· Cycle of pain, betrayal, lies, or blaming
· Erratic, unpredictable, or mysterious behavior
· Self-centeredness
· Lack of responsibility for own actions.
· Wanting you to conform to them (criticism of your ideas, belittling your feelings, making you afraid to disagree)
· Come on strong (i.e. loves you instantly, insists on being with you all the time)

Sources:http://www.messiah.edu/offices/engle_center/counseling_services/self_help/unhealthy_relationships/ http://theadventurouswriter.com/blog/quipstipsachievinggoals/love-relationships/signs-of-unhealthy-relationships-recognizing-problems-in-love/

Reflecting on these signs, I found it difficult to think of many couples, friendships, etc in my life that don’t in some way manifest these characteristics. All the sources stated that self-confidence is the first step in having a healthy relationship. Is it even possible to have a truly healthy relationship? Another list that compiled the “10 characteristics of Successful Relationships” was a bit more affirming, though again poses issues. It includes: friendship, humor, communication, chore sharing (KEY!), sexual intimacy, affection, no “horsemen of the apocalypse” (term coined by researcher John Gottman who listed his four ‘horsemen of the apocalypse’ as criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling), mutual and separate friends, reliability, and a similar relationship vision.

Assuming that “no one is perfect,” how do you know when enough is enough? How do you know if your relationships are worth fixing or when they are beyond repair? There are ways to attempt to create healthy relationships, according to the Texas Teen Page, including:

1. Have independent interests and activities that fulfill you. Never depend on the other person to make you feel complete.
2. Choose a person that you like and admire and who likes and admires you in return.
3. Accept the other person for who they are. Never count on someone changing themselves for you.
4. Become a good communicator.
5. Develop skills to manage conflict without violence.
6. Keep the friendship alive.
7. Learn what makes the other person feel loved and appreciated.
8. Discuss your expectations with each other. Honor any commitments that you make. When each of you behaves in a trustworthy fashion, you can learn to trust each other.
9. Respect each other’s opinions, limits, need for individual time, etc.
10. Know where to get support or help if you need it.

With this list in mind, be on the look out for some of the potentially less familiar signs of an unhealthy relationship and remember that self-confidence can pave the way to happier relations with others.

Watch This Video!!

The WRC is putting on some programs at some DeKalb area middle schools this month. For one of them, we are going to watch this video, Killing Us Softly (3). It is about how women are portrayed in advertisements. I watched it for the first time the other day, and I really enjoyed it. So I decided to share it with y'all. If you haven't watched it yet, I strongly recommend it!!