Archive for October 2012

About Yoga and Feminism

On the surface, Yoga and feminism go together like bread and butter. As an inclusive form of holistic exercise that incorporates self-reflection, Yoga is extremely popular with women. Yoga, like feminism, stresses self-actualization and reclaiming one's own power. Yet, upon further reflection, there are notes of discord within the two camps.
The Yoga in America 2008 survey found that just 28 percent of yoga practitioners in the U.S. are men, but male Yogis are disproportionally represented among instructors, especially famous instructors. Consider Max Strom, Rodney Yee, John Friend, Rolf Gates, Johnny Kest, Baron Baptiste, and Bikram Choudhury, as well as the celebrated patrons of contemporary Yoga like Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S. Iyengar, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, and Sri Swami Satchidananda.
Some find that the goals of Yoga and the goals of feminism are in opposition. Women's Studies researcher and Yoga instructor Dr. Beth Berila writes on her Yoga blog, "On our mats, we have the opportunity to cultivate a witness to how things are. We can learn to accept reality as it is, without judgment, and notice our patterns. But as a feminist, I am not accustomed to accepting things as they are."
New York Times Magazine in January 2011 published an article called "Fear (Again) of Flying," by Judith Warner, highlighting women who are rejecting the notion that "personal liberation is to be found in taking an active role in the public world." Instead of fighting for change, women are looking for their "own quiet center" in Yoga and a return to traditional "feminine" activities like cleaning and childcare.
Finally, the relationship between sex and Yoga, which has risen in proportion to the commercialization of the practice, has hit women harder than men. Increasingly body-baring fashions like the Yoga Tart clothing line and books and DVDs like "Better Sex Through Yoga," both developed by New York based Yogi and entrepreneur Garvey Rich, can make women feel as if a last refuge from body image fears has been removed.
In September 2010, Judith Hanson Lasater, one of the founding editors of Yoga Journal more than 35 years ago, wrote a letter to the magazine expressing her sadness and confusion over the "photos of naked or half-naked women," and how they relate to the actual practice of Yoga. The letter sparked an outcry on message boards and websites, many echoing her sentiments.
Fortunately, these divergences need not condone Yoga to the scrap heap for true feminists. Celebrate female instructors and request that they be given equal time at conferences, workshops and events. Finding strength and acceptance in oneself does not mean ignoring realities that need transformation. Reject the idea that Yoga requires a sexy, scantily clad body to be acceptable, and contact advertisers who promote images that oppress. Taking these steps will make Utkata Konasana, or Goddess pose, that much more valid when performed.

Radical Feminists: Reformers or Reprobates

Abigail Adams was wife of the 3rd president of the United States. She and John Adams fell deeply in love and were married in 1764. Their marriage was not just the union of a husband and wife. They were close companions, the best of friends. They counseled each other. They were lovers in the truest since of the word. Abigail was the daughter of a Congregational minister and professed to be a Christ-follower in 1759. She was not so unusual except for one major thing; she was a radical feminist in her time.
The wife of President Adams was continually stepping out where few women were brave enough to tread. John was proud of the fact his wife could run the farm more efficiently than he when he was off on a diplomatic mission. She openly questioned the southern patriots who clamored for liberty when they so blatantly denied liberty to their fellow man. Abigail endured great criticism when she enrolled a black boy in a local evening school.
Abigail Adams fought for the rights of women by declaring they should not simply be attractive ornaments hanging on their husband's arm. They should be educated. They should be involved in the education of others. She insisted that women should have a voice in their government. She continually reminded her husband that women deserved better, "I cannot say that I think you are very generous to the ladies; for, whilst you are proclaiming peace and good-will to men, emancipating all nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over wives." (New Viewpoints in American History, Arthur Meier Schlesinger, p.109)
John and Abigail were happily married for 54 years. Abigail's love for her husband was never questioned. They had many children together. One would ascend to the Presidency of the United States as did his father. Abigail was ever conscience of the need in the hearts of men for the grace of God. She wrote of her assurance "that those who fear God and work righteousness shall be accepted of him..." (Dictionary of U & U Biography, Abigail Adams)
Now let us fast-forward 240 years and look at where feminism has come. This is not your mother's feminism. It is not the feminism of Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It is the feminism of Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan and Andrea Dworkin.
Does Sandra Fluke represent the feminist movement in 2012? Ms. Fluke recently testified before Congress demanding her 'right' to free birth control from Catholic Georgetown Law School. (No laughing please, I know she is coughing up $43,750 to pay tuition at Georgetown University Law Center) Ms. Fluke had no qualms about violating the religious rights of those who oppose such a thing in order to selfishly protect herself from the consequences of her own sexual immorality. (Assuming her desire for free birth control is not for medical purposes.) Abigail Adams would have had a few words of advice for a radical feminist who insisted that her birth control be subsidized by those whose conscience it violated.
Does this mark the death of feminism? Can anyone really take the movement seriously? For hundreds of years the movement was admired because they fought for things that were honorable; education, women's suffrage, equal rights and equal pay. Abigail Adams and her ilk fought to correct injustices and eliminate atrocities aimed at women. Now, the radical feminists are fighting for the right to have tax payers buy their contraceptives so they can participate in illicit, promiscuous sex? Why are these women not trying to emancipate sex slaves throughout the world? Why are they not trying to eliminate the detrimental institution of polygamy? Why are they not committed to the rescue of innocent female children who are being sexually assaulted? Why are they not fighting the spread of pornography and its destructive depiction of women as simple sex objects created for the sexual pleasure of men? There are so many noble causes to rally around but instead they choose to create a battle that involves forcing others to pay for their sexual pleasures?
Abigail Adams was all about how she and her husband could help each other. She was not divisive, she was not hateful. She loved him deeply and patiently worked with him to make him understand. She embraced the Judeo-Christian concept taught in Genesis 2:24 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." The feminism of Abigail Adams was about loving her man, not despising him.
Is this the death of feminism? Can anyone really give credence to a radical movement that is so hate-driven? No one can take seriously the ideas of the Ku Klux Klan because they are blinded by their hatred of blacks. Who could give the Jew-hating Nazis any serious consideration? When Iranian leader Ahmadinejad spouts his hatred for Israel at the U.N. few take him seriously. When radical feminism is no longer about improving the lives of the oppressed, when it is only about hating men, who can take them seriously?
It seems a good movement has been hijacked by those consumed and blinded by their own misandry. Here are but a few examples of man-hatred:
· "All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a women," - Catherine MacKinnon, Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women's Studies.
· "Only when manhood is dead--and it will perish when ravaged femininity no longer sustains it--only then will we know what it is to be free." Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood: Prophecies And Discourses On Sexual Politics - The Root Cause.
· "I feel that 'man-hating' is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them." - Robin Morgan, editor of MS magazine.
The radical feminist movement has lost its way. They are eaten up with hatred, not just hatred for men but also self-hatred. The movement desperately needs to be rescued by women of integrity who know how to love instead of hate. It was a movement that fought for decency, chastity and rightness. Has it now become a movement that is fighting for indecency and immodesty? Sandra Fluke is fighting for the right to have sex anytime, anywhere with anyone and insists that others pay for it. Is this what the feminist movement has come to, demanding the right to be mere sex-objects? Is the totality of a woman's nobility now simply to have earned the right to free birth control in order to fornicate without consequences?
When a love is replaced by hatred it leads to a corruption or perhaps even an extinction of values. It is blinding. Hatred can never extinguish itself; its only antidote is love.

The University Of Michigan Features A Comprehensive Women's Studies Program



The University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor Michigan, is a prestigious and well known university that offers students an array of undergraduate degree programs to follow. One of those programs is the Women's Studies program. The program was first founded at the University of Michigan in 1973 and is dedicated to providing students with an excellence in feminist research, teaching and activism.

The Women's Studies major at the University of Michigan has a number of disciplines that the students in the program follow. Students in the program are offered both theoretical and practical approaches to feminist thinking as well as encouraging students to use comparative thinking when exploring the multicultural nature of feminism.

Within the program of Women's Studies there are also minor programs that students can take. The program offers three distinct minors that include Gender and Health, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, as well as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Sexuality Studies. These minor programs are designed to aid students who are pursuing other major areas of study and want to add the depth of Women's Studies to their educational program.

Students in the Women's Studies program have the ability to become a part of an Honors Program. The Honors Program provides eligible students with the opportunity to complete an independent thesis project. This project is carried out in the students' senior year and students present their thesis orally at the Honors Colloquium, which is held every April. Students have the option to present their thesis in a number of ways including doing an activism project, a standard research project, or putting together a creative performance piece. No matter what form the thesis takes, students must complete a written portion that discusses their engagement with Women's Studies.

Within the Women's Studies program at the University of Michigan, students are given the opportunity to study abroad. By choosing to study abroad students gain further knowledge in the area while also enabling themselves to broaden their perspective on feminist culture and gender issues around the globe. Students who utilize this opportunity gain invaluable experience that they take with them for the rest of their lives, both in their personal aspects as well as in their career.

Within the Women's Studies community at the University of Michigan students are able to partake in a number of different feminist activism activities and groups. Students in the program who participate in such activism groups have said that doing so has greatly enhanced their educational experience within the undergraduate program. Some of the groups that students participate in are the V-Day Campaign, and the Domestic Violence Project.

All students enrolled in the Women's Studies program at the University of Michigan are given the aid of an advisor. Advisors help students determine their academic goals and what path they want to ultimately take within their education and beyond. Advisors work with students to develop the perfect program for individuals as well as help students figure out what classes to take in order to fulfill all graduation requirements.

The University of Michigan offers students a number of great undergraduate and online bachelor's programs to choose from, Women's Studies being one of them. If you are interested in pursuing an interesting undergraduate degree program at a reputable university, or perhaps in taking accredited online college classes, the Women's Studies program could be just right for you.

What is Radical Feminism?

Radical feminism states that the defining feature of women's oppression is the societies sexist and capitalist hierarchy.
The movement believes that only the eradication of our patriarchy society will give women true equality.
The radical identifies that the only way to rid society of patriarchy is to attack the causes of the problems and also to address the fundamental components of society that support them.
The radical feminists ideology is, "A male-based authority and power structure and that it is responsible for oppression and equality, and that as long as the system and its values are in place, and society will not be able to be reformed in any significant way."
The feminist identified other oppression that is apparent in a patriarchal society. The oppression is also based on gender identity, race, and social class, perceived attractiveness, sexual orientation and ability.
The radicals theory of patriarchy recognises the key element is a relationship of dominance and exploits others for their own benefit.
The use of this oppression is a social system that includes other methods that are incorporated to suppress women and non-dominate men.
In 1984 Ellen Willis wrote, "That radical feminism got sexual politics recognised as a public issue. They sparked the drive to legalize abortion and were the first to demand total equality in the so-called private sphere."
The private sphere consisted of equality in sexual and emotional needs, childcare and housework.
Another form of radical feminism is the separatist; they do not support heterosexual relationships. They believe that sexual disparities between the sexes make it impossible to resolve the main issues in society.
The separatist feminist purports that men are a hindrance to the feminist movement as they "replicate patriarchal dynamics."
Marilyn Frye a writer on radical feminism purports, "Separatist feminism is separation of various sorts or modes from men and from institutions, relationships, roles and activities that are male defined.
"Also being male dominated and operating for the benefit of males and the maintenance of male privilege - this separation being initiated or maintained, at will, by women."

Feminist Media Studies And Soap Opera

The word 'feminist' is still a problematic term, with both feminism and media studies having suffered considerable disdain from the general public and educational authorities for decades. The relationship between feminists and feminist television studies has been similarly uneasy. Still a stigma surrounds such shows; despite evidence that soap audiences are both male and female, the soap opera is still generally regarded as a women's genre. Soap opera has significantly aided the development of feminist television studies, and the growth in research on the subject that initially centred on the soap opera, but expanded into other genres during the eighties.
The term soap opera originated from the sponsorship of early radio broadcasts by detergent manufacturers, afternoon shows aimed at the housewife, and the episodic structure of this genre has changed very little. The earliest British soaps starred what Brunsdon referred to as 'realist paradigms'; real women, imperfectly formed, hard-working, multi-ethnic, and extremely various. These representations are still found in shows such as Coronation Street and EastEnders, where overbearing characterizations of bygone female stereotypes are now celebrated. Though feministic attitudes, and the analysis of women in television, have changed in last 20 years, both are now considerably more acceptable, and yet the portrayal of the woman in soap opera has arguably developed little beyond housewife, maternal or sex-object archetypes.
Despite the feminist objection to the portrayal of women in soaps, the soap female was always a dominant presence, an enthusiastic contrast to television in the 60s and 70s, when women rarely featured in current affairs and television presenters were predominantly male. Feminist genres have expanded considerably, generally concerning two types of program - those for women and those about women, though other genres such as comedy and crime series now feature strong female leads that often appeal to viewers of both genders. Television producers now realize fan identity, and the medium, now more than ever, is attempting to cater for every demographic; gender is now determined by media output. Both the analysis of television as text, and the study of the inscription of sexual difference are modern practices. For the most part, feminists have not been drawn to making feminist soap operas.
During its growth in the 1970s, many conflicts have arisen from feminist television studies, many that hindered the development of latter 20th century feminist studies. Feminists, specific only to the Western middle-classes, were only interested in watching soap opera to diminish its representation of women's roles, and regarded its female viewers with contempt. The soap opera was previously considered a genre that only non-feminists watched, and the feminists that watched such shows in order to denounce them considered themselves closet watchers, forced to enjoy the shows from a desire to hate and criticize them. Feminism could not celebrate soap opera, and as a result many women felt excluded by the ever changing interests and ideals of early feminist media studies.
The development of media studies has changed these views; the study of the soap opera and junk culture is often seen as a political analysis of pleasure, and the modern feminist student now able to study both the merits of the genre as well as its faults. Perhaps the greatest achievement in the field of feminist studies was the distinction between the personal and the political, which redefined media studies and elevated the importance of the study of life in the home.
Taking soap opera and its loyal fan base seriously also allowed modern feminism to be taken more seriously, and in return such feminine studies aided the development of television studies in general.

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