Women and the Workforce

Women and the Workforce

Service Learning Log Week 1

Activism: Unfortunately, this is my first service learning log entry. I am not really sure what I should write about.  Our event with Pink Art for the showcase is in a little less than a month and there is much to do till then. Our pitfall is that our group has not met outside of class, but we have discussed the communication that has been made with our community partner. Next week we need to meet to start setting thing in motion. It is crunch time and things need to start happening. I am very excited to do a community service event since I like to help people.

Reflection: The activism that I have done this week has truly inspired me. Since I attended the Take Back the Night event I have felt extremely empowered as a woman. I see how important it is to stand up and speak out. It made me realize how very important it is to be an activist. If you do not take a stand then nothing will change. But I also know how much work it really takes to bring people together to take that stand. As they were thanking one young woman for all of time and work that she had put into to make that event a success, it reminded me of something we learned about in class this week. It made de think of the “second shift” (WLMP 307). As a student I am sure she had her school work and her “second shift” would be to put together that event. Being an activist is like working a second shift, it is a lot of work and it can be very stressful but the work that you put in at the end of the day will help the movement to promote change.

Reciprocity:  Although I have not done anything yet with my service learning partner to service the community, I feel that I am still getting things in return from my community. After this week’s event I have taken a turn in my mindset this week about how I see feminism and what an activist can do. Activism takes a lot of work but more importantly is takes change. To be a feminist and an activist you must change the way you think and what you do. It’s more than just saying it, you must live it.

Word count: 396

 Works Cited

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "The Second Shift." Women's Lives: 
        
             Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 166. Print.

Extra Credit

As I watched the movie The Business of Being Born and the Lifetime show One Born Every Minute, I noticed there were many differences. I enjoyed watching the movie, I learned a lot of information about women and the process of giving birth and I also was also informed about options of giving birth that I had never considered before. I learned a lot about what is healthy for a woman’s body while giving birth and how many women do not know a lot of information about what they are doing to their body when they are making unhealthy choices. Although, many women who give birth in a hospital, like in the show One Born Every Minute, are not listened to, the doctors and nurses are the ones whose opinions matter because they are portrayed as knowledgeable and who “knows what is best for the baby.” Compared to the women in the movie, The Business of Being Born, where the women giving birth are the ones whose interests and concerns are listened to, they may rely on their midwife for knowledge but at the end of the day it is the woman’s choice of how she wants to give birth.

In the Lifetime show One Born Every Minute they made the birthing process seem very scary and I may be scarred for the rest of my life (haha). I hated that they made it seem as if drugs was normal. In the movie, The Business of Being Born, I like that I learned a lot of new information on giving birth that I did not know before. It is nice to be educated on the options that I have in the future when I choose to have a child. But, I am not going to lie; I did kind of feel like they were trying to brain wash me a little bit in the beginning. As if to make me feel like giving birth in a hospital is a horrible decision and experience, and that if you do then you are less of a woman for doing so; that bothered me a little bit. But I also liked that the way they portrayed the beauty and peacefulness of a natural birth and the strength of a woman who chooses to experience it. I also love how it allowed the fathers to be more involved in the whole process.

Analysis of an Advertisement

Analysis of an Advertisement

By: Shanae Santiago

February 22, 2011

Meredith Tweed

WST 3015-002

            The advertisement that I chose is in the June 2010 Fitness: Mind, Body & Spirit magazine. The advertisement is for John Frieda “Frizz-Ease” hair products.  In the pictures there is a tan, blue eyed woman with long straight brown hair holding a picture of herself with “frizzy” hair and the picture has been lit on fire. At the bottom of the advertisement it says “YOUR FRIZZ REVOLUTION STARTS NOW.”  There is also smaller print talking about the products and a picture of them.

            The first thing that appeals to me is the picture that is lit on fire. In the picture the model’s hair is curly and natural but they are trying to portray that curly hair is not a desired look for women and that straight hair is more attractive. What I feel the advertisement is implying is that women who do not have smooth straight hair do not fit the stereotypical image of beauty and attractiveness in our society (Kirk 208). It also seems that this advertisement is meant to target Hispanic women, since the woman is tan and has rather large lips, yet she has blue eyes which continues to fit the stereotype that having blue eyes is the beauty ideal.

In the smaller print at the bottom it says, “..with Frizz Mending Complex.. It transforms frizz by repairing it, restoring hairs natural defense against frizz.” It seems that the meaning behind this is that your hair is damaged if you allow it to be natural and curly. It is not something that your hair should do naturally, that it is not normal and that this “complex” needs to be fixed.  It then continues to say, “For 100% flawless, frizz-free style.” I feel this is implying that if your hair is not straight then it is not perfect and it is flawed.  By burning the picture with curly natural hair they are sending a message that you should revolt and throw away, forget and burn your idea that to have naturally curly hair is not beautiful and if you want to be flawless you must have long, shiny, beautiful and straight hair.

Word Count: 369

Works Cited

Fitness: Mind, Body & Spirit June 2010: pg. 16. Print.

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey.  Women’s Lives Multicultural Perspectives.  5^th Edition.  Boston.

Service Learning Proposal for Pink Art

Service Learning Proposal for Pink Art

By: Shanae Santiago

February 10 2011

Meredith Tweed

WST 3015-0002

Community Partner Profile

Contact Information: Pink Art. Name of community partner: Angella Warnshuis, program assistant. Group members: Brian, Farrah, Alejandro, Shanae. Date of submission: February 10, 2011. Address: African American Studies and Women’s StudiesP.O. Box 161996Orlando, FL 32816-1996. Pink Art is a free art exhibit that is beneficial for women and participates toward breast cancer awareness. The community partner that will be helping us through this will be Ms. Angella Warnshuis. The mission and goals of Pink Art is help raise money through the art, with the proceeds going to the Woman’s studies scholarship fund and a breast cancer research group. The main mission of this Women’s Studies oriented project is to “…bring women's achievements and experiences into traditional subjects, but also to broaden the underlying assumptions of existing scholarship and to open new areas of study” (Pink Art). It is free for all students to submit art work to.   We as group have a common goal, to help organize, distribute and promote Pink Art, with hopes of receiving a decent amount of donations as well.

The proposal:

Memorandum

TO: Meredith Tweed

FROM: Shanae Santiago

DATE: February 10, 2011

RE: Proposal for the Pink Art Service Learning Project

 Pink Art is a foot in the door step towards breast cancer. This art gallery is in all simplicity, an indirect way to raising funds for research and scholarships. For the art show itself, it will be in need of creative people who are willing to submit art for display. Through this art work we will be able to set up a display that it stirs up awareness within our community about breast cancer and help us to raise the funds that will go to beneficiary women’s scholarship funds and research. Women and girls of all ages will definitely benefit from Pink Art. Our specific audience will be of course, the entire University of Central Florida family, as they come to view the various artworks. This entire exhibit works to not only stir up awareness, but to also give back to women who at times may feel hopeless and empower them as an individual.

Rationale for Women’s Studies:

In relation with our Women’s Studies class, this project will benefit women’s mental and physical health. Women have spent a long time dealing with oppression, sadness and disappointment from society, the institutional systems as well as the work force from the early 19^th centuries to even today. I believe that with Breast cancer (being a predominately female issue), that it is Ok to feel hopeful as a woman of solution. It is OK to publicly recognize the issue and work towards a goal together, with the support of other women and men. Being a With the art gallery underway, other people of many races and ages will associate with breast cancer and find common ground with those that share the same issues both publicly and privately. It will drive initiative to donate money which will go towards funding a Women’s Studies Scholarship fund, for the one aspiring to further their education in Women’s Studies. Breast cancer will always s be in the deep rooted memory of those who see the exhibit because it is creative and calls on all the other creative minds of UCF to participate.

Timeline

My group members and I plan to take this project in a series of weeks at a time. The actual date of the exhibit is on the 16^th of March, so before that we plan on doing a lot of preplanning. Alejandro will assist with creating of additional fliers and Farrah and I plan on recruiting others to the art show.  On the day of the actual Art Show, all four of us will be there  to present and help with various art displays. We will present the project on April 21, 2011.

1. Become coordinated with Mrs. Angella on the 16^th of February

            2. Week of March 7^th, prepare fliers, do promoting

3. March 16, participate in the art gallery.

4. Prepare reviews from the 3^rd to the 9th

5. Present to the class our experience on the 21^st.

Website: http://womensstudies.cah.ucf.edu/files/PINK_ART.pdf


Word Count: 696