Media Equality

     The Emmys have been around for 67 years. The fact that this is 2015 and Viola Davis is the first black woman to win the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is ridiculous. White-washing on television, movies, and commercials must come to a screeching halt. 

Representation is important.

Just watch the reactions of Taraji P. Henson (black dress) and Kerry Washington (silver dress) from the audience. 
When an entire group of people is voicing their oppression, who are you as an outsider to deny them?

Distractions

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     Leggings. Yoga pants. Skinny jeans. The most basic items in anyone's closet, great to wear as pants or otherwise. However, for some school districts, they are seen as "a distraction" to the male population of schools, including teachers. Even going so far as to ban these clothing items all together, our education systems are worrying less about education and more about sexualizing the bodies of prepubescent girls and young women.

     The disgusting ruling of a North Dakota high school states that these clothing items are not allowed on the girls of their school. If the rules are violated, these females are forced to wear humiliating suits and signs saying that they broke the dress code. I cannot contain my disdain at these claims that male students and teachers have a hard time controlling themselves or focusing while seeing a girl in leggings or jeans. If that is the case, your son needs counseling. 

     I am through putting up with the blaming of women for the shortcomings of men. Especially at such a young age, the districts and media supporting the new rules are negatively influencing young girls. By mandatory body-shaming girls into wearing baggy clothes, you are telling them that they are at fault for any sexual attack or unwanted advance made towards them. Which, in turn, creates a culture sick with victim-blaming. This wretched ruling must change, or the young women of our nation will never have their freedom.

Body Positivity

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     Lately, there has been an uproar concerning a video called "Dear Fat People." Six whole minutes of a thin woman discussing the existence (or rather lack thereof) of fat-shaming. Nicole Arbour believes that the phenomenon of judging, bullying, and stereotyping people by their weight does not exist. She doesn't know how wrong she is. Putting negative content out into the ether can never end up well. In this case, she was being considered for a choreographer position for a film, but was dismissed after the director of the body-positive flick saw her commentary.

     Stand against bullying. I don't care if they claim comments to be a joke, as the popular YouTuber did in her video above. The reality is, people are judged by their looks over everything else. We must work to change this, overshadow the preconceived notions by getting to know someone before assessing them. 

     Let's get something straight: There is absolutely nothing wrong with any body type. Sure, some that have resulted from eating disorders are unhealthy, but those are special circumstances. Whether you're round, thin, or anything in between, you are perfect. Loving one’s self is the first step to living with a healthy mindset. 

     Ending on a positive note: One of my favorite retaliation videos from the Nicole Arbour fiasco.

Who's to Blame?

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     You feel like watching a romantic comedy. Chances are, at least a third of these plotlines involve a couple falling in love; only to have one partner choose to be with their best friend over their current partner by title's end. Speaking from personal experiences, these types of films instill a quiet insecurity in many budding romances.

     Discovering new love is the purest form of magic that humans can feel. It's all fun and flowers until the first bump comes along. As soon as we see him (or her) smile at a message from a female friend, especially early on in the relationship, the feelings start to slowly emerge. Jealousy. Suspicion. Anger. Insecurity. We are taught by these plots to be upset with the other woman, not our significant others. Situations such as these usually escalate with female name-calling, even heated arguments over the other woman's intentions. This, in turn, causes a strain on the romantic relationship that was never there before.

     So next time you are faced with a situation such as this, calmly confront your significant other to discuss your concerns before feelings build, bottled up inside. We must fight the urge to blame another woman for our partner's mistakes. If someone does not make you feel secure in their arms, maybe that relationship isn't the healthiest option.

   

     

Small Steps

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     Today, many women are judged simply for exercising their rights as human beings. For example: Having sex, not having children, dressing freely, and working in provocative fields (stripping, etcetera). Society has always promoted the ridicule of female freedom, popularizing derogatory terms to describe their behaviors. Recently, a song was released by Usher to sort of soften closed-minded views on this subjects. "I Don't Mind" featuring Juicy J, released earlier this year, surfed radio waves on just about every contemporary channel you chose.

     Throughout the tune, Usher describes his relationship with a stripper whom he met in a nightclub. He croons his approval of her activities, even saying that he doesn't have the right to comment about the profession- since it's the whole reason he met her. While this type of song is a small step towards acceptance of women's rights, it's also a catch-22. By saying that her profession doesn't qualify her as being a "ho," this still negates that certain activities can lead to a woman being branded a "ho." Another thought the song raises is women needing approval from men to exercise their basic rights. "I don't mind," he says. Well, we do not need permission from a significant other or male to continue on with our existence without harmful labels.

     So, while a semi-great achievement for non-bullying, we are not quite there yet. I do appreciate the rise in the male music industry being able to respect women instead of exploiting them in lyrics.

Let's Talk About Meninism

     This is a subject near and dear to my heart. Feminism is what I live and breathe, but this post is about something slightly different. We're talking about the "Meninism" craze today. First of all, that awful name. The pure thought that one cannot support women's rights (or equal rights in general) without putting a male pronoun with it defeats the purpose of feminism. The word's feminine roots are the whole point. If you can't do anything without making it about your male-ness, you probably don't have the best intentions while becoming part of a women's rights movement. 

     Second, that Meninist Twitter account puts all seemingly good intentions to rest. With its tweets making light of domestic violence, sex-shaming, unwarranted sexualization of women's bodies, and just-plain mocking feminists in general, this account and "movement" is poison. We would love for men, women, and others to join up in the feminist cause, but not on their own derogatory terms.

     Third, we had a hashtag starting up not too long ago- after the fatal Santa Barbara university campus shooting, in which a male student shot females for turning him down on dates. This sparked an internet revolution, #YesAllWomen. The hashtag as designed for women to share their stories and bond over our mutual experiences involving male harassment. Fueling the hate-fire against feminism, "meninists" created their own hashtag, #NotAllMen. Which is, again, turning something from being about women into being about men. The truth is, all women have experienced some sort of injustice (catcalling, rape, fear of walking down the street, pay gaps, etcetera) simply for their gender. It was not meant to call all men disgusting pigs, but to show the world how discerning it is to be female in a male-dominated society.

Menial Millennials

   
     Let's take a minute to review all the things that some non-millennial adults in today's world seem to think of us. Impolite, selfish ("The Selfie Generation"), and no respect for authority. I know some of us embody all of these qualities, but certainly not all. The kids of this generation are some of the bravest, hard-working, and intelligent people I have ever encountered. We are strong and don't scare easily.

     Impolite. A word I have heard over and over again spoken about young people these days. However, I have yet to experience more than a handful rude encounters with people my age. I have, however, experienced impolite actions from the Baby Boomers in far more situations. We may have our phones in our faces most of the time, but we never miss a single "Please," "Thank you," or "Pardon me."

     Growing up with technology at your fingertips can change everything about how we view our world. Sure, the invention of Twitter and Facebook may have tweaked up everyone's sense of self-awareness; but it also banded us together, for the first time, people from across the globe could relate to each other in their happiest or most difficult of times. Are you a LGBTQ society member who feels isolated in your hometown? There are people out there who understand and can help you conquer the seemingly everlasting struggles. So yes, we may enjoy taking photos of ourselves more than necessary, but at least we are self-loving as a majority instead of the opposite.

     I personally have a high respect for police officers and other law enforcement agencies, but fight any way I can to diminish the inherently violent and racist system of injustice that many Americans face daily; which includes police force corruption. This "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later" machine the force has become today is not okay. We millennials are tired of facing and witnessing racial and violent injustice, and we're rising up.

Meet the Author

Shelby and Sushi

     Hey everyone, I’m a new transfer student from Wichita. I’m a junior at Washburn University, coming in with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts from Butler Community College. Singing and performing are my life. I was on a full-ride Vocal Music Scholarship at Butler for two years and loved every second of it. Switching gears here at Washburn, I am a Communications major with emphasis in Advertising. I have a pug puppy named Sushi, whom I adore! 

Tired pup after a fun day at the dog park!

 

Check out my professional portfolio to learn more about my professional skills or to contact me via email.

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     My blog will be focusing on pop culture and feminism in the world today. Join me in exposing the injustics all around us and doing better by them every day.

"Don't allow the world to define your greatness, for most of this world is blind."

-Unknown