Is the VS Fashion Show Exploiting Women?

During and after the extremely talked about Victoria's Secret Fashion Show I heard and read many comments about how putting on such a show is wrong and sexist. One tweet I read even went as far as to say, "I refuse to watch women parade themselves as pieces of meat... #TakeAStand". I think this kind of thinking is ridiculous. These women are not being forced to show of their bodies to the world. They CHOOSE to. Which I completely understand as they have worked extremely hard for the bodies that they have and obviously want. If they weren't proud of them they wouldn't be "parading" them around. There are always going to be rude and inappropriate people to make gross comments but that should not stop women from loving and showing off their beautiful bodies NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.

"Historically speaking, animating female characters are really, really difficult, because they have to go through these range of emotions, but you have to keep them pretty and they're very sensitive too — you can get them off a model very quickly. So, having a film with two hero female characters was really tough, and having them both in the scene and look very different if they're echoing the same expression; that Elsa looking angry looks different from Anna being angry."

This quote was stated by Lino DiSalvo, an animator for Disney’s Frozen.  Disney said it was stated out of context, but it is hard not to interpret it as saying that not only do female characters need to be pretty, but also that they can only have specific features to be considered pretty. It never personally bothered me before that the Disney princesses were always designed to be pretty, because that was probably how the princesses were usually designed in their original stories. It does bother me that what can be considered beautiful is bound by specific characteristics that few people may actually have. This quote implies that just that. I seriously hope this guy thinks about what he said or gets fired, and that Disney learns from the responses it got concerning the quote. Maybe the quote was taken out of context, but I find it hard to see it in any other light. I know the Princesses are pretty, because pretty sells better, but beauty comes in more than one form.

Obama Care/Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Sine the government shut down many people have asked why has the GOP  want to destroy Obama Care. The law that was passed would help millions of people , many that can't afford insurance for themselves or for those who have been denied because of a previously condition . That doesn't make sense everyone need affordable insurance so they can take care of themselves and family if the become ill. This bill is too good to pass up, it even help states in which they save money for the set up and cost for about three years . The United Staes is one of the countries that pay the most for health insurance because it has many problem that needs to be fixed in which the Affordable Care Act will fix. Countries like Canada has figured this out and just did away with their health care system and made a federal based program, where it is handled by the government . In my opinion the ACA is a great thing which would help the United States, in a time where it needs to save money and create more job , in which the Affordable Care Act (ACA) does.  Obama care is a great thing and when people realize the benefit rather than just not liking it for no reason then the US will be moving closer to decrease its overall debt .

"Feminism is a dead topic..."

“Feminism is a dead topic,” is something I thought I would never hear coming from a girl, let alone in a Women Studies course at college. It really boils my blood when people still don’t see the value in feminism, or when they don’t even understand the concept. Most people are ignorant and even refer to feminists as “feminazis” just because they envision butch lesbians who hate men and want to see them perish. Truth be told even people who call themselves feminists try to pick and choose how a girl should look in order to deem them worthy of being called a feminist. People need to understand that first of all, feminism is about the pursuit of equality between both genders, and secondly any and all type of girls can be considered feminists. It doesn’t matter if a girl likes to dress up in heels everyday and wear a full face of makeup, or if she prefers t-shirts, sneakers, and doesn’t feel like wearing any makeup at all, both of these girls could be feminists and both deserve to be treated with respect.

I think the problem with the concept of feminism is that the patriarchy is so deeply engraved into society, and therefore our subconscious, that it seems impossible that feminism can cover the vast majority of issues it is trying to solve. Sure, the first two waves of feminism were able to make huge strides in tangible areas; women can vote, women can work, and our pay is almost equal to that of men. The third wave of feminism though, seeks to accomplish both tangible and abstract goals. The clearest issue at hand is that of abortion. Why do old men feel that they have the right to tell a woman what to do with her body and actually make laws that prevent a woman’s basic human right to choose whether or not she’s ready to have a child? The abstract goals will of course be much harder to accomplish. Yes, rape is a crime and there are serious laws against it, but why is it that the first thing a police officer will ask a victim is, “What were you wearing?” Sure, sex is everywhere in society, and it’s impossible to watch most commercials that don’t use gorgeous, half-naked women to sell a product, but when will people stop slut-shaming a girl simply because she enjoys having safe protected sex, without causing any harm to anyone? Of course, the fashion industry has changed greatly by creating the market for “plus size models,” but why are women constantly told that beauty has certain standards in today’s society and why aren’t all shapes and sizes of a woman’s body accepted? Honestly, the list goes on and on, but it is abundantly clear to me that feminism is not in any way shape or form a dead topic, and the sooner people are educated on these issues, the sooner society can improve for both genders. 

Stabbed

                                                          Stabbed

Yup, it happened. I read about this in the New York Times and was shocked. I liked the ways of Buddha, they have good quotes and perspectives, but I guess there’s always another side to things.

 So here’s what happened.

Buddhist mobs killed a 94-year old Muslim woman. They also burned 70 homes. Hello? What’s the reason?  If it’s what I think it is, well I don’t have to say anything, we all know how religion can spark some wars. And if it’s for something else…it’s still pretty unnecessary. I mean, come on, a 94year old woman? You’re gonna stab her to death?

Apparently, this was not the first time that they had sectarian violence break out and the President, Thein Sein, arrived at the capitol of Rakhine State…I guess to get some business done, maybe get it taken care of.

The story is short and there are a lot of questions in my mind. I know that this article may be biased and I may only being seeing part of the story, and that this doesn’t mean all Buddhists are violent, but killing is still wrong in my view. Especially in this way. Reading this article just really turned my Buddhist loving world around. I couldn't believe that what I saw as the most neutral religion could be quite aggressive.

Abort Mission!

A protest of the masses, ash the souls, forget the casket

bodies drop -- bodies drop --bodies drop.

Your choices are of my concern, choose your wrongs and you will burn

bodies drop -- bodies drop -- bodies drop.

Do you like war? How about the world?

The Missiles drop, the buildings fall and bodies -- drop.

Life is a jungle, manipulated

Who made the rules, you think it's God?

How are you made? Sexually, asexually?

Do you have parasites? or any disease taking your energy?

Or demons haunting your memory?

Then a seed inside your belly in a month can maybe start to breath

But don't forget that you're the pilot in this world war

 -- Morality won't play a part

When the enemies are shooting, and you've had no guns since the start

Fly away, fly away, fly away.

Irresponsible and unprepared, never learn from your mistakes

The seed's now in you, it isn't safe..

Abort the mission.

Eventually --

Get lost in the air, heavy with -- death on your hands

You're flying down at super speed

Change course or you might crash

-- Abort the! --

Despite it all, who is to judge?

-- We've killed before.

This time it was.. yours

But you're still the pilot.

The Death Penalty

Albert Camus once said: “There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.” I’m against the death penalty. It’s really hard for me to blame someone so harshly for anything that they do because I think actions are shaped by experience, and that person who has committed a crime so heinous as to end up in the position of “death penalty” must have had a terrible past experience that led them to such actions. When defending my position on the death penalty I often think of the movie “The Ides of March” and how George Clooney playing a presidential candidate defended his opinion. It is societies job to be better than the average man. We are animals. This is proven time and time again by how many murders take place, but it is our job as a community to make each other better, to soar to greater heights. I’m against the death penalty because I still believe in humanity and I believe that if we come together as a community we can help each other past violence instead of creating more.