Unslut

Unslut  Documentary 

October 28, 2015 

Emily Linden

This documentary uses personal stories of women/girls who have been the victims of sexual bullying and "slut shaming"and interviews with sexuality experts. It demonstrates the effects it has on the victims. It is hopefully able to promote gender equality, positive sexual experience and better sex education classes for students of all ages.

The idea for the documentary came from Emily Linden, who had started where she wrote about her experience in middle school. Throughout middle school Emily was sexually bullied online and in person simply because she let her boyfriend put his hands down her pants.

There were a couple of quotes that really stuck in my mind.

1.  Dr Hernando Chaves who promotes  sex positive studies said " This isn't simply a female issue it's also a male issue and really a human issue.  A great example is the recent viral video of a man being "sexually assaulted" by two women at a gas station.

http://www.jamn945.com/articles/weird-news-104673/woman-faces-10-years-for-twerking-14114831/

2.  Criminologist, Freda Adler said "Rape is the only crime where the victim becomes the accused".  There were 2 examples in this documentary that shows exactly how true this is.

Samantha Gaily Geimer was publicly shamed by the media after she was drugged and raped by director Roman Polanski at the age of 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxOpG8Ujm-8

Gina Tron, was beaten, choked and raped was accused of "asking for it" because of appearance and the way she dressed.  They used pictures from Facebook to prove their case, without knowing the circumstances for the pictures. 

The saddest story that was talked about was Rehtaeh Parsons. It showed that sexual bullying and "slut" shaming has real consequences. Girls have a higher risk of becoming depressed, committing suicide or developing self harming behaviors. In Rehtaeh's case she was never the same, she lost a sense of who she was, was afraid to leave the house, started using drugs and became suicidal eventually taking her own life after being bullied for more than a year after being gang raped.

Mike Foley a former wrestler who volunteers his time at RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) said "What's heartbreaking about slut shaming and sexual violence is that 100% of these incidents are avoidable. We can stop it, it just takes a little bit of effort and the most basic human decency." So when are they going to start talking more about sexual violence and slut shaming in schools. If the kids are old enough to learn about sex education, shouldn't they be old enough to learn the consequences of their actions.

Like Dr Shira Tarrant said "Once we start noticing, we can't stop noticing. We cannot not see the "slut" shaming that is everywhere in our culture". I must admit I have been guilty of "slut" shaming without considering I was doing it.  Who has seen a girl/woman dressed provocatively and not made a comment?

I'm Not Fat, I'm Latina

I'm Not Fat, I'm Latina

Christy Haubegger

"Real self-esteem cannot come from male attention alone."

This article is so true and made me laugh.  I had the opposite problem but I embraced my skinniness. My nickname was "Flaca" which means skinny. I was always underweight but I didn't feel any shame, I accepted the fact that I was skinny, the only thing I wish I had were bigger boobs, but I improvised with padded bras. Today, I am anything but "Flaca" and it seems that everyone that knew me in my skinny days tell me how much better I look with some meat on my bones. It took me having 4 kids to finally be of normal weight. I left the hospital wearing my own jeans for my first three pregnancies but for the fourth I needed my then husband's jeans. And yes while "food is a central part of Hispanic culture" my diet has not changed but my metabolism sure has. This was a big adjustment for me because I was not used to the extra weight, I felt fat not healthy. When people tell me how good I look, I immediately think " oh God, I'm so fat". But, I have come to accept my new figure.

http://youtu.be/dfKnga-a-7Q.

Magazines should be classified as "fantasy" just like movies especially nowadays with all the Photoshopping being done on pictures. Anyone can look beautiful if they had a make up artist, hairdresser and nice clothes.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EFj-LCvM1Cy6OQwXjqCgyx3AN1ZkA5qCCsebtSoci3c/edit?usp=docslist_api

The Master's Tools.....

The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House

By: Audre Lorde

Prospero, you are the master of illusion. Lying is your trademark. And you have lied so much to me (Lied about the world, lied about me) That you have ended by imposing on me An image of myself. Underdeveloped, you brand me, inferior, That s the way you have forced me to see myself I detest that image! What's more, it's a lie! But now I know you, you old cancer, And I know myself as well. ~ Caliban, in Aime Cesaire's A Tempest

What I believe Audre Lorde was trying to convey in her speech is that in order to fight back against the system of society, you must first educate yourself by knowing the differences in women that separate women (race, sexuality, class and age).  If you don't understand and compare the differences of all women especially the minorities (poor, black, third world and lesbians) you are insulting them or as Lorde puts it committing "academic arrogance" when trying to speak of feminism. If women are going to prevail they need to address racism, sexism and homophobia as one not as separate issues. 

The master's tools (racism, sexism, homophobia) will never dismantle the master's house (society) so by educating yourself, coming together and understanding the differences in all women you taken away then power of the system. Knowledge is power! In order to fight power you need learn how to deal with power.

Like Simone de Beauvoir said "It is the knowledge of the genuine conditions of our lives that we must draw strength to live and our reasons for acting".

I'm not sure where to put this article for I believe it applies to most of the articles we have read for class.

Male Engineering Student Nails Sexism in the STEM Field

By: Jared Mauldin

http://www.attn.com/stories/3607/engineering-student-calls-out-sexism-in-stem-field

Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence

Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence

by: Adrienne Rich

What exactly is "compulsory heterosexuality? It is the idea that female heterosexuality is both assumed and enforced by the "system" aka the government.

When reading this article, I felt Adrienne Rich was a angry woman because she is a lesbian and has met some the challenges she referred to in her article. While most of the challenges are still being faced by the LGBTQ community, they are making progress.

Why is heterosexuality assumed and enforced?  Again, I feel this is something taught to us as children because that is what our parents and grandparents were taught. So, the question is why? Could it be the teachings of the bible? In Genesis 2 it claims that the human race started with Adam and Eve a heterosexual couple. They were commanded to multiply and fill earth. It also states that "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" 

Another point I would like to touch upon is the comment "the lesbian, unless in disguise, faces discrimination in hiring and harassment and violence in the street". I disagree. ALL women are subjected to this behavior not just lesbians.  Woman, regardless of sexual orientation, have been discriminated against in the workplace and continue to be. However, in a recent article I read, it says that lesbian women make more money than straight women. 

http://www.attn.com/stories/3557/why-lesbians-earn-more-money-in-the-workplace

I was disturbed when I read how a married woman who claimed to be a lesbian was subjected to "couch therapy" basically she was raped by her husband simply because she confessed her orientation as being an lesbian. 

After reading and researching this article, I believe that we should have a choice as to how we want to live because just as the bible mentions heterosexuality there is also homosexuality that is mentioned in the bible but because these words were not used during those times it was not identified as such. We live in a society were we put labels on everyone and everything. Why can't we just be?

6 reasons why the Bible is not against gays: http://www.religioustolerance.org/ashford01.htm

U.S.A., Land of Limitations

U.S.A.

Land of Limitations

By: Nicholas Kristof

In the article written by Kristof, there is a statement by Professor Reardon about how "Rich kids make a lot of bad choices" "They just don't come with the same sort of consequences". I totally agree with this statement especially since the not guilty verdict of Ethan Couch. Ethan comes from an affluent family.  He always got whatever he wanted and was never punished for his actions. At the age of 15 he was given a ticket for caught in a parked truck with 14 year old girl who was undressed and passed out. At the age of 16, he was driving with an alcohol level 3 times legal limit and had Valium in his system as well. He ended up killing 4 people and injuring 2 as he plowed into them going 70 miles per hour. When he was being interviewed by the police, he stated "I'm outta here". He pleaded guilty but was let off...because he is rich. Yes that was the reason the defense used and won the case with. Ethan's only punishment....10 years probation for killing 4 people. 

What would have the outcome been if it had been a non white, non rich teen?

Is America still a democracy (an organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights) I don't think so, because it does not treat everyone equally and the above is a perfect example. Are there double standards that begins and ends with the government? Absolutely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g612mdezyDY

I took the Chintz or Shag quiz to find out what class I belonged to on the People Like Us website and the results were Middle Middle Class. But what exactly does this mean? How can they determine this from me picking out furniture for a living room? Maybe I'm just practical and money conscious. Does having best sellers, hardwoods and a piano really mean that I am middle middle class? And does having family pictures and a small dog indicating that I belong to the working class, maybe I'm just family oriented and like small dogs over big dogs. 

http://www.cnam.com/people-like-us/games/index.html

Found this article after our class discussion on how the system is keeping people in their place.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/21/linda-tirado-poverty-hand-to-mouth-extract