Unreal Expectations of Mothers Thanks to Celebrity Mothers

A few months after giving birth to my daughter, I read how Jessica Alba lost weight from her pregnancy in about six weeks. Sadly, I could not find that article for this post. However, I did come across another article about her weight loss. I know that for most actresses, they rely heavily on their looks and body image. But to lose 25 pounds or more in such a short time period is unhealthy not to mention unrealistic, baby or not. The other thing that bothers me is how women hear about this "miracle" and expect it to happen to them. Celebrities have money, time, and a support system (paid for or not) to help them with the baby. This allows them to be able to focus on losing weight in an unhealthy time period. I'm all for women wanting to be healthy for health sake, but I'm sick and tired of the one size only image that is seen in today's media.

KP

http://www.howcelebritiesloseweight.com/how-jessica-alba-lost-her-baby-weight/

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a depression that a woman suffers after giving birth. In an article from PreventDisease.com, doctors in the UK attempted to tailor-make health care for women in the first 28 days of motherhood with a follow up in 10 to 12 weeks. In a study in 2002, they found that women who received the extra care to have a 40% reduction in risk of depression. I know that some women need to be medicated for depression after having a baby, but in the United States we have a society that needs to have results at a snap of a finger. I never thought I would have PPD until after it happened to me. I was lucky in that I was never in any danger of suicide or harming my daughter, but PPD is real. I think that the medical community needs to talk to women about PPD, the effects it can have, and inform women of who they can talk to get help. A change in healthcare for mothers would be nice too. While its great to see the baby growing and reaching milestones at checkups, we need to have wellness checkups for mothers as well. Six weeks is not enough time to see if a mother is mentally fine in her new role as a mother. The major misconception is that PPD occurs very early after giving birth, but it can occur upto a year after giving birth. Another misconception is that if a woman has PPD, that she is suicidal and her baby is at risk. With such a scary description for PPD and how it is portrayed in the media (along with the misconception of PPD being postpartum psychosis), we honestly need to have support systems in place for new mother.

KP

http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/midwife_depression.shtml

Sex Education in High Schools

High schoolers in Albuquerque are taught about sex education in the realm of how it affects both boys and girls concerning STDs and how babies are conceived, the stages of the fetus, and that babies come out of the girl's vagina. Parents are worried that their kids are going to have sex and warn them of the same consequences. However, this is not enough. These same students need to be taught about the dangers of pregnancy to the girl and fetus (ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption, miscarriage), the dangers of labor (bleeding to death), and the dangers to the girl after labor to a year later (stroke, aneurism). They should be taught that if they chose to stay pregnant that they need to take prenatal vitamins and stay hydrated. We should also educate them on what postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis is, how to recognize, and how to receive help. On the other hand they should be taught about the dangers of abortion and the "morning after pill".

Abstinence is not realistic for some teenagers. Even Bristol Palin admitted this before she changed her opinion. Teaching them about why sex can be dangerous in terms of contracting a STD and getting a girl knocked up is great, but we should educate teenagers about the health concerns that could and do affect girls nationwide when they have sex, discover they are pregnant, and are faced with making decisions that could potentially change their life forever.

KP

Why So Few.

The articles below discuss why so few women are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Very interesting, everyone should read these fully or at least skim them.

http://www.aauw.org/research/upload/whysofew.pdf

http://www.historiann.com/2010/03/23/women-in-science-why-so-few/

Discussion to come!

True Story!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35793316/ns/us_news-life/?GT1=43001

So, this article suggests that the majority of babies born this year will be ethnic minorities. Now we all know that it's because white women aren't having enough babies. [so abstinence is obviously working, right!?] And for the record, this is only a story because some White, heteronormative, middle class asshole is afraid that when White is a minority that the *colored people* are going to treat the new minority as shitty as the majority has treated them all this time.

There are some new numbers I would like to add as well:

-On average, Hispanic women have 3 kids and White women have 2

-The numbers are 2.99 for Hispanic, 1.87 for Whites, 2.13 for Blacks, and 2.04 for Asians, here in the United States.

So CLEARLY. This whole issue of White people about to become outnumbered is all feminism's fault, because we are all advocating to be baby-free.

SO WHITE WOMEN OF CHILD BEARING AGE! PROCREATE, ON THE DOUBLE! JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE!

unbelievable.

that's all.

National Day of Appreciation

March 10th is the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. This is a very important day to notice. Following the death of Dr. Tiller, anti-abortion protesters have become empowered. Although it is true that not all of these protesters will ever murder a doctor because of their beliefs, it is also true that they make the work of the doctors harder. Many doctors who perform abortions no longer feel safe practicing their work because of the violence and anger that surrounds them. The doctors that continue to soldier on and provide these services to women that need it are heroes. The right for women to choose what happens to their bodies cannot be taken away. Without these brave doctors, we could not have those rights. In many rural areas, women are not able to get safe abortions, not due to the law but rather due to the fact that there is no one to provide the service. Call your local Planned Parenthood and see if they have any volunteer positions open. Make your voice heard.


On another positive note, I was recently reading the latest issue of Ms. Magazine and there was an article about so called crisis pregnancy centers in the United States. These centers disguise themselves as medical buildings that will offer services to women that are struggling with a pregnancy. The problem is that the workers inside the clinics are not licensed medical staff and no medical procedures or help can be given. The women that enter the clinics for an abortion are "counseled" and talked out of getting the abortion. A new law has been passed in Maryland that any clinic that does not offer medical services must make that fact known and that signs must be posted outside the building. Refusal to do this will result in a fine for the clinic. A victory for the pro-choice camp. It is scary to think that you could walk into a clinic and be ambushed by people who are not willing to help you but would rather force their opinions on you

- CA

International Women's Day +more!

Well, today is international women's day, and the theme of this year is "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity: Progress for All." Let's all recommit ourselves to another year of standing up for women and ourselves and what we believe in.

On another note, apparently James Cameron [director of Avatar] is a feminist. In his movies:Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2, Cameron has casted females in more interesting roles than males.. which makes him a feminist. It's interesting because people start throwing out the "f-word" when they talk about J. Cameron, but a lot of people never stop to think about what it means to be a feminist. Being a feminist is not saying that women are better than men, it's saying that women and men should be equal, and that women should have equal opportunity and rights. There is a difference! I am not one to classify Cameron as a feminist or not, but, I think it's great that James Cameron likes to cast women in strong roles, it for sure goes against the Hollywood norm of the victimization of women.

I'd also like to bitch about "Dear Abby" and how this column is bad for everyone.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend "Adam" and I are high school seniors. We have been serious for only three months, but we've been dating for more than a year. He is sexually experienced, but I am not - I'm still the "Big V."
On prom night, I want Adam to be my "first," but because I have been disappointed in the past, I don't want to be left heartbroken. I love Adam with all my heart - he's all I want in a guy. But I feel torn about what to do. Should I go ahead and "seize the day"? Or should I make him wait? Please help!

- TEEN GIRL IN THE GAMBLING STATE

DEAR TEEN GIRL: Your boyfriend may be a wonderful person, but to lose your virginity simply to celebrate prom night is not a mature decision. Sex carries with it responsibilities - and can result in unplanned

"surprises," as the following letter shows. Read on...

The title ought to read: Dear Abby: Ever heard of contraception!? The rest of the letter tells a story of a girl who had sex, got pregnant, married her father, had the baby, dropped out and threw her life away [a very slippery slope]. There are a lot of reasons not to have sex, especially if you're being pressured into it, but there are these things called contraceptives! Not that anyone would know about these mystical things because they don't teach about them in school, but apparently if you use them properly, there's a good chance of being protected from pregnancy and STD's. Even if that doesn't work, and you do get pregnant, we [as women] still have control over our bodies which means that we could terminate the pregnancy as needed [hooray for choice and options!]. When did Dear Abby join the "abstinence is better than thou" lobby?

[Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.]

Identity-- student movements

Identity is one of the most abstract ideas in our world today. People have complex ideas and perceptions of who they are and what they believe. Race, gender, sexuality and beliefs are just a few things that shape our identities. Through forming these identities, we have many choices that we have a right to make.

A lot of people think that when we talk about choice politics, we are talking about abortion rights and reproductive rights[which is true], but it's also about GLBT rights. It's a common response that sexuality is fixed and standard, however, I will argue that people have a choice to first, be open about their sexuality, and second people have a choice to accept and give respect to the people who are exercising their right to free choice. People are coerced into thinking that they might not have these choices or rights but it's more so that a lot of people are afraid to use them.

Student movements surrounding GLBT rights/awareness have been happening for decades. The Creating Change Conference. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force started this conference in 1988 and it's purpose is to bridge the gap between GLBT issues and various other forms of discrimination including, but not limited to: disabilities, race, gender, religious beliefs and socioeconomic status(2). This is a really cool conference because a lot of times people think that these difference identities clash with one another and they feel as they can only be one. The workshops that this conferences produces is based on non judgement and openness to new ideas and perceptions. Everyone sees their identity from a different angle and it's important that people participate in these kinds of things because it creates awareness. It only takes one good impression to take away the stereotypes in a person's mind. As we are living in such an oppressive society, we all need to fight against it and free ourselves!

1. http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=2014
2. http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2010/02/11/news/student-conference-redefines-lgbt-movement

Apparently, women are responsible for men trying to hurt themselves.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255338/Men-accident-prone-beautiful-women.html

"Research shows that just looking at an attractive female makes [men] more likely to indulge in 'physical risk-taking' which results in embarrassing failure or even injury."

According to this article, when a man sees a woman [only attractive ones though] he might hurt himself trying to impress her. Evolutionary Psychology suggests that males will try and find the most fertile mate and will go to personal loss if it might get her attention. I love how these things are always explained with heteronormative, biased, Freud-like views that everything can be traced back to a tiny little thing in "evolution". If we have evolved into more advanced beings than ever before, why do we have things like this:

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-make-your-bed-date-rape-friendly/

That's right, a rape pillow. It's purpose is to make one's bed more "rape friendly". I find this to be an absurdity in itself because rape is not friendly at all! All the time women are coerced into rape and/or keeping quiet about it. It's such an outrage that some smart ass had to come up with this to encourage the Rape Culture and make it more normalized in our society, not to say for one minute that it isn't already.

This is only the tip of an unfathomable iceberg of misogyny, sexism and a depressing reality.

KW

March is Women's History Month.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of Women's History Month. The theme of this particular month is "Writing Women Back into History." Women have not always had a voice in the way that they are treated but we know have the power to make our voices heard. In a time where our bodies are not our own and our rights can be taken away in the name of freedom at any moment, it has become our responsibility to stand up and make our voices heard. We must do this in order to honor the women that came before us and empower the generations that will follow us. Many women's voices have been lost but their spirit lives and we must keep their fire burning.We are taught about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but never about Alice Paul or Lucretia Mott. We discuss the Declaration of Independence but never the Declaration of Sentiments that was introduced in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848. We must raise our voices louder until they are heard and paid attention to. We can no longer allow women's voices to be buried and forgotten.


For more information on women's history month visit www.nwhp.org

- CA