A mother’s balancing act:
Photo essay shows the multiple roles of a student mother. pages 4-6
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Protecting more than futures
Project helps African girls stay in school. pages 10-13
“There are lots of reasons girls miss school. Being a girl shouldn’t be one of them.”
Fighting for the other 50 percent: Campus group breaks stereotypes to unite genders. pages 14-15
Rallying feminist bona fides:
Feministing.com creator Jessica Valenti. pages 17-18
Artemis Spring 2008
We Are Artemis: Artemis Speaks
Thisissue,weteamedupwithformer staff writer Jackie Mantey to give memberswhobelieveinstandingupfor equalityaforumfordebateandsenseof community. OnArtemisSpeaks,memberscreate pagesandpostphotos,linksandblogs tocontributetothecommunitydialogue.
Artemis Spring 2008 Staff Clockwise from top left:
» Editor-in-chief: Theresa Bruskin »Managingeditor:AlyssaSparacino » Art director: Kristina Deckert »Photo editor:AbraWilliams-Witzky
Logontoiamartemis.ning.comtojoin.
From the editor-in-chief Dear readers: One night in 1887, Nellie Bly prepared for her performance. She practiced insanity in front of a mirror, and, when she was ready, feigned a breakdown and had herself committed to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island in New York. She spent 10 days there, experiencing the trauma that the women, many of whom she believed were as sane as she was, suffered through every day. When she was released, she told the world about the abuse, beatings and near starvation inflicted on the women she met. Today, Nellie Bly is recognized as one of the first female journalists to make a difference in the world and have the public take her seriously. I owe everything to her. Female journalists are now extremely successful in the industry and no longer sacrifice their safety to break into a male-dominated field. We can write about our interests, and when we do, people listen. So that’s what we tried to do with this issue of Artemis. We wanted to bring you a wide range of stories to pique your interest because we know, as Nellie Bly did, that people enjoy reading about more than fashion and makeup. We offer you today a sampling of the world: a student-mother in Kent, schoolgirls in sub-Saharan Africa, a blogger in New York City. Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at artemismag@gmail.com or sending a letter to Artemis Magazine, 204 Franklin Hall. And don’t forget to check back next semester. Sincerely,
Theresa Bruskin Editor-in-chief
» Copy desk chief: Erica Weisburn » Web designer: Lauren Buckosh » Staffwriters: Kristina Deckert,Ted
Hamilton,KristenKotz,SarahLelonek, KieraManion-Fischer,SarahNusinow, MeganRozsa,AndrewSchillerandAlyssa Sparacino » Photographer: Jill Byerly » Designers:KatieCarlson,NicholeFrye and Lisa Sekerak » Copyeditors:RobertCheckal,Caitlin Saniga,CaitlinVandergroundandSara Williams » Cover designer: Kristina Deckert »Production manager:EvanBailey » Ad manager: Tami Bongiorni » Ad sales: Anna Masters » AdvisEr: Jan Leach » specialthanksto: Danny Doherty
THIS ISSUE: Page 2
Pages 10-13
Page 3
Pages 14-15
The Starbucks phenomenon by Sarah Nusinow: Starbucks began as a trendy local coffee shop, but has been McDonaldized. That is, it’s joined the ranks of our fast-paced lives, and maybe it’s time to go back to the beginning.
Protecting more than futures by Megan Rozsa: An unlikely partnership has developed to help keep Sub-Saharan and southern African girls in school.
Creative souls by Kristen Kotz: Two Cleveland artists discuss their love for their crafts and how they established themselves in their respective industries.
Pages 4-6
A mother’s balancing act by Jill Byerly: A photo essay takes an intimate look at the life of a student who balances school, work and caring for her two young children.
Fighting for the other 50 percent by Ted Hamilton: “The whole point of feminism and women’s rights activism is to bring equality to the sexes,” Women’s Liberation Collective creator Beth Vild says.
Page 16
It’s time for a series finale for the celebrity female soap opera by Kristina Deckert: Male celebrities undoubtedly have just as much drama in their lives as Britney Spears and media coverage should mirror that.
Page 17-18
Page 7
Rallying feminist bona fides: A Q&A with the creator of Feministing.com by Kiera ManionFischer: Jessica Valenti discusses the Web site that has grown to be one of the most popular blogs targeting young women.
Know your options by Andrew Schiller: When Americans go to the polls in November, it may be the most important election of our generation. Here’s a guide to the candidates and their takes on some important issues.
Pages 8-9
How to deceive the man of my choice by Sarah Lelonek: Writer Margaret Kent says women can fool men into loving them by following some simple rules. Our reviewer disagrees.
Page 19-20
Taking nothing for granted by Alyssa Sparacino: Americans don’t often question their safety. Denisse Andrade, an international student from Ecuador, has always had to.
Check out artemis.kent.edu for our Web-only content, including:
Mother, student, intern: Jill Byerly’s multimedia piece with pictures and audio of Alexia Harris and her family. Discovering their inner strengths: Kristen Kotz’s story about a self defense class that helps women build self confidence.
Need more Artemis? Artemis | Page 1
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The Starbucks phenomenon Story by Sarah Nusinow
What started out as a trendy coffee shop has morphed into an internationally recognized corporation.
T
he thick, familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee is calming as it whisks the mind away from daily squabbles and energizes one’s thoughts. Walking into Starbucks, however, may have the opposite effect depending on whom you talk to. Has our “fast food nation” added Starbucks to its list of “McDonaldizations?” Some people seem to think so. From loud background music to clamoring customers and shouting employees, Starbucks may seem more like a trendy assembly line of people who are always in a hurry than a relaxing coffee shop. Some customers say a visit to any Starbucks can be nerve-racking. When they walk in the doors, they immediately feel like they’re in someone’s way, either because they bump into people who are waiting for their coffee or they bump into displays of items for sale. The chaos begins before they ever order their drinks. Caroline Liebman, Susan’s Coffee and Tea employee says, “Starbucks is competition. We wouldn’t make money if we didn’t compete with their prices, especially since they’re right across the street, but here, it’s a different environment — and we remember our customers. We don’t put them through a chaotic
Page 2 | Artemis
assembly line.” As Starbucks continues to expand its brand, there are positives and negatives, like any business. For many, the background noise of music and in-a-hurry customers fits right with their personality and setting preference; however, for others like senior nursing major John-Paul Caldwell, it isn’t the right environment. “When I think of coffee, I think of somewhere comfortable, somewhere cozy, and for me, it’s Caribou Coffee,” he says. Alyse Kimble, senior fashion design major agrees, “I like going somewhere that has a local atmosphere.” She says she prefers Susan’s Coffee and Tea over any other place because it has a nicer feeling. As our society becomes more hooked on caffeine and coffee, how could we expect anything less? The phenomenon that is known as Starbucks is the definition of what our culture has become: fast-paced and looking for new trendy aspects to set it apart from competition, afterall, making money is the goal. A piece of its mission statement even states that it “recognize(s) that profitability is essential to future success.” Caribou Coffee employee Emily (who wished to have her last name remain anony-
mous) says that there is always a symbol of status associated with carrying a coffee cup, no matter where it’s from. “People who drink coffee tend to have a higher income and can get coffee at their leisure, which is why I think there will always be a status symbol attached with it,” she says, “Starbucks is definitely more expensive than we are, but I think people go to all different coffee shops; it depends on what is in the area and what mood they are in.” Ashley Gowins, senior criminal justice major, says, “I love going to Starbucks because their coffee tastes great and the mugs that they sell are always so cute, plus they’re everywhere.” No matter where you travel, whether it’s down the street from your house or across the ocean to London, you will be able to duck into a nearby Starbucks. And as people begin to feel like they are simply another face in a line of coffee consumers, they aren’t alone. The speedy society that we live in has produced these giant corporations, fully equipped with drive-thru’s and call ahead ordering for our convenience, but perhaps what we are realizing is that it is time to get back to the basics. a
souls Creative
Two local artists describe how and why they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of their crafts. ‘Creating is organic. It’s a feeling and an emotion,’ singer Cheri Dennis says.
Growing up in Medina, the 24-year-old was the eighth of nine children. Dennis says she thinks that growing up in such a large household affected her decision to pursue photography, instead of being a homemaker. “It showed me what that life was all about,” she says. “It made me realize that life wasn’t for me.” But Dennis does not earn
enough money from photography to live off of it, so she has been working full time since she graduated high school in 2001. She has worked at Applebee’s in North Olmsted for the past two years. Dennis says it can be tiring to come home from a long day at work and then have to shoot, but it is worth it. “If it’s important enough, you’ll work for it,” she says. Dennis, who now lives in Cleveland, says she started shooting model portfolios and got her own photography Web site, jilleenphoto.com, up in the past year. She
also assists photographer Micheal Adams, who she used to live near in Brunswick. Dennis also will open her own studio in June. Dennis says she loves photography because it allows her to convey a message. “It is a way to show you have a voice,” she says. “You can get your message across that way.”
family was supportive of her decision. “I decided to go ahead and take a risk and pursue a music career,” she says. In 2001, she signed to Bad Boy Entertainment, P-Diddy’s record label and released her first album, “In and Out of Love” Feb. 26. Currently, Dennis is touring and promoting the album. The first single off the album, “Portrait of Love,” is currently
playing on radio stations across the country. Dennis says the album focuses on the idea of love and relationships. Dennis wrote many of the songs on “In and out of Love,” and says she loves music because it is relaxing. “I can’t tell you what it is,” she says. “It is just a feeling I get when I sing. It’s therapeutic to me.” Dennis says some of her musical influences are Whitney Hous-
ton, Mariah Carey and Prince. She also says she doesn’t like to classify her music, but says it has elements of R&B and hip-hop. “I don’t have a sound,” she says, “I just write a song.” Writing a song is a form of expression, Dennis says, and she does not follow the same formula each time. “Creating is organic,” she says. “It is a feeling and an emotion.” a
Story by Kristen Kotz Photos courtesy of Jilleen Dennis
The Photographer Jilleen Dennis got her first camera as a Christmas gift from her parents when she was 15 years old. It was a film camera from Kodak, which she immediately fell in love with and took everywhere she went. “It got very beat up,” she says. “I used to take it outside with me when I went hiking.”
The Musician
Cleveland native Cheri Dennis has been involved with music for as long as she can remember. She started singing in her church choir at the age of 6 and was in a singing group in high school. When Dennis was 19, she decided to leave Cleveland, where she lived with her dad and three sisters, and move to New York to follow her passion. She says her
Artemis | Page 3
Alexia Harris helps her daughter Jaelah Rigby get ready to leave for day care as her infant son Jonas stretches on the bed.
a mother’s
Balancing Act Public relations major Alexia Harris juggles class, work and taking care of her children, 4-year-old Jaelah Rigby and infant Jonas Mickie. Photographer Jill Byerly captures Alexia’s hectic life and the daily challenges that arise as she works to create a future for her family.
Page 4 | Artemis
“If you would ask me where I would be five years prior to this I never would see myself in this position, I never saw it coming it feels weird but I’m happy now.”
ABOVE LEFT: Jaelah points out a brand of crackers in Giant Eagle as Alexia picks out food on the other side of the aisle. Occasionally, Alexia takes the whole family with her to the grocery store, but today it was just her and Jaelah. ABOVE RIGHT: Alexia makes dinner for her family after working at her internship all day. LEFT: Alexia’s boyfriend, Gerald Mickie, lifts their son Jonas into the air. “He is a really big help — I would not be able to do anything with out him,” Alexia says.
“I think that once you’re put in a position to take care of someone other than yourself, you find a way to manage it and take it one day at a time.”
Artemis | Page 5
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Alexia looks over to scold Jaelah for not finishing her cereal as she feeds Jonas before leaving to drop them off at day care. The day was a more difficult than others because Gerald was out of town. Alexia hurries to eat her breakfast and look over her notes before taking her children to day care and heading to work. Jaelah waits for her mom to pick up Jonas from his chair at Kids Play, where they go to day care. Alexia’s boyfriend, Gerald, feeds their son Jonas as they discuss their days before Alexia starts dinner for the family.
Page 6 | Artemis
In such an important election year, it’s essential to know where the candidates stand.
Hillary Clinton
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Democrat
Barack Obama
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Democrat
Ralph Nader
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Green
John McCain
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Republican
Ron Paul
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Republican
KnowyourOptions
Abortion
Health Care
Equal Pay
Education
Would make Roe v. Wade federal law, reduce unintended pregnancies and overturn the global gag rule.
Proposes mandated universal health care that includes subsidies to those who can’t afford insurance and tax credits to businesses to assist with or provide coverage.
Wants to get rid of punishments aimed at employees who discuss salary information with coworkers; toughen penalties for Equal Pay Act violations.
Would end No Child Left Behind, work for universal pre-K access, cut the minority dropout rate in half, and double the HOPE tax credit to $3,500.
Supports civil unions and the Defense of Marriage Act. Wants to repeal the section that bans federal recognition of samesex marriage.
Opposes a constitutional amendment that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Wants a national insurance plan and universal coverage for children. Except for start-ups and small businesses, those not providing coverage would pay into the program.
Supports paycheck equity, expanding the ability to challenge discriminatory pay and removing limits on damages recovered through lawsuits.
Would reform No Child Left Behind, working towards universal pre-K access, and establishing a $4,000 credit for college students.
Opposes samesex marriage but supports civil unions. Wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
Supports access to safe and legal abortion, and opposes any law or regulation that restricts such access.
Wants to establish a singlepayer health care system, with health care financed by the government and delivered by private non-profit groups, and a watchdog organization.
Supports equal pay.
Supports using vouchers to send kids to any public school, and more funding for school improvements, Pell Grants and Stafford loans.
Supports same-sex marriage
Wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and let states decide the issue. Promotes adoption as an alternative.
Proposes coverage that is multi-year, portable from job to job and can be purchased from any insurance provider. Wants a health care tax credit for individuals and families.
No information found.
Supports No Child Left Behind, finding and keeping qualified teachers and making sure federal aid focuses on letting parents choose alternatives to failing schools.
Defines marriage as being between a man and a woman but opposes amending the Constitution. Supports legal benefits for same-sex partners.
Sponsored H.R. 300, which would negate Roe v. Wade by making federal courts unable to affect state legislation.
Opposes federal health care. Supports letting doctors negotiate with insurance companies and eliminating regulations that discourage small businesses from providing coverage.
No information found.
Wants to remove the Department of Education, give certain full-time teachers a $3,000 tax credit, and make college costs and loan interest taxdeductible.
Supports definition of marriage as between a man and woman but believes states should decide.
Information gathered by Andrew Schiller
Marriage
Artemis | Page 7
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Book Review
How to
by Sarah Lelonek
Deceive the man of my choice
In her book ‘How to Marry the Man of Your Choice,’ Margaret Kent explains how a woman can catch a husband by using manipulation and deceit.
I
am not by any means an expert on men. If you know me at all, you’ll know that I am the complete opposite. So, when my boyfriend of almost three years called it quits, I freaked and didn’t know what went wrong. I turned to my friends for help, and they all told me the same sorts of things: “He’s stupid. You’re too good for him. He’s just immature.” As time progressed, however, the above sentiments changed into words of advice. My female friends began telling me what I should be saying and doing to get my ex back. For example, I shouldn’t call my ex because it would show him that I was OK with the breakup and didn’t care that he had ripped my heart to shreds. I didn’t understand why I should be doing things I didn’t agree with just to trick my ex into getting back together with me. I didn’t understand why I should be trying to not call him when all I wanted to do was talk to him. And then I read Maragret Kent’s “How to Marry the Man of Your Choice” and it all became clear. I shouldn’t be trying to be myself; I should be changing the way I act in order to get the man of my dreams. Kent showed me that I need to never talk about myself in order to marry the man of
Page 8 | Artemis
my choice. I should be making him talk about himself and keep my mouth shut. It doesn’t matter if he knows nothing about me; I should know everything about him. I should be trying to figure out if I want him. Who cares what the guy thinks about me. I should be doing the shopping for my guy; he shouldn’t be looking for me. The book put an emphasis on telling me to sit in the background and let the man do all the talking. Kent says to ask opened-ended questions and “if he stops and waits for you to give him some comments about yourself, do so, and repeat some minor incident about your life. Then turn the conversation back to him.” It seemed like Kent’s own words were contradictory to the ideas in the book. In the first chapter, Kent says to “be yourself, but be yourself at your best.” Now, I don’t know about most readers of this book, but I love to talk. I talk to my friends, family and strangers at all hours of the day. Apparently, me talking about myself is scaring men away. I should keep quiet like a woman from the early 1900s and let my man talk. But then I found myself asking the
Photo courtesy of margaretkent.net question: “How can a man love me if he knows nothing about me?” Then Kent answered my question. Apparently, men fall for women who listen to them talk. Men like to have someone to confide in. The “transference of affection technique,” as Kent calls it, is the concept of a man telling a woman his emotional past and present. One problem I have with this technique is
»
“In a nutshell, if I wanted to keep my ex-boyfriend from breaking up with me, I should have never told him anything about my life. This way, my ex would have fallen in love with a pair of ears instead of the woman lying between them.” — Sarah Lelonek
that the woman is passive. Even if she comes up with questions based on his stories, the man still knows little about the woman. But instead of addressing this problem, Kent continues to emphasize the point of being a listener by saying, “Let him talk until he is finished on every subject he raises while you remain quiet.” In a nutshell, if I wanted to keep my exboyfriend from breaking up with me, I should have never told him anything about my life. This way, my ex would have fallen in love with a pair of ears instead of the woman lying between them. As the book progressed past enforcing the role of being a listener, Kent’s ideas became even more unbelievable. She says that when women talk to their men, they should pause before speaking and try to sound sophisticated by using a superior vocabulary. Her example is: “if he says, ‘I’m mad,’ you say, ‘You mean you’re angry – dogs go mad.’” She says saying things like this will make him respect your mind but also says to never correct him in public. The chapter on sexual strategies is quite different. Kent claims that if a woman is older than 25 and still a virgin, she’s likely to remain a virgin. Kent never considers the idea of religious couples who vow to remain celibate until their weddings. But on the extreme opposite, the “sexpert” should keep her knowledge to herself because men like to think they have more sex knowledge than their significant other, because “the mature
male views his sexual activity as the greatest gift he has to offer to the female.” Yet, with the increasing amount of STDs, I would assume that the man I want to marry would want to know the risk he takes by sleeping with me. The book ends with a few tips on engagement and the marriage itself. Her chapter on preparing him for marriage goes into myths about engagements and asks questions that are supposed to determine if both parties are ready for marriage, but really Kent makes me question the intelligence of some people. Kent includes questions such as his age, sexual orientation, marital status, children, sexual frequency, education, philosophy of life and superstitions. Now, if I’m going to marry someone and actually intend on a long-term marriage, shouldn’t I know his marital status and sexual orientation before I am engaged? The book shows there is more to marrying the man of my choice than being a good listener who has proper grammar and has had sex, but not much more. Kent’s 12 short chapters are full of advice that is easy to understand, but within these chapters, there is little advice that is actually helpful. There is an almost useful list of places to meet men, professions that attract men and questions to ask men when conversation is at a lull, as well as a short, but out-of-date, list of advice on how to dress for dates.
Basically, “How to Marry the Man of Your Choice” is 200 pages of common sense and opinion. Kent doesn’t have a degree in psychology or anything of the sort; everything she says is taken from experience. This leaves me to believe that some, or most, of the book is a bit ridiculous. Kent says there is a “marry within two years or your money back” guarantee, so her methods must work for some women. But for me, the book just reminds me of my friends telling me to act one way when I really just want to be my honest self. This book reminds me of how conniving women have become. We try to trick our men into thinking we’re someone we’re not. I like to talk, wear cheap jewelry, not correct grammar and state my opinion. If I were to listen to a man talk to me for hours on end while wearing diamond earrings and correcting subject-verb agreement, I would be being someone I’m not. If the man did happen to fall in love with me, he would be in love with Kent’s version of me, not the real me. Even if Kent’s ideas are the right way to get a man to marry me, I refuse to have someone marry me for something I’m not. a
Protecting more than futures
Âť
A partnership of Procter & Gamble and the United Nations is working to supply African girls with items we take for granted.
Page 10 | Artemis
Story by Megan Rozsa | Photos courtesy of the Protecting Futures campaign Artemis | Page 9
S
kipping school comes easy for an American girl who is in the middle of her menstrual cycle. For the girls of sub-Saharan and southern Africa, this is not an option. For weeks out of the year, girls stay home from school, embarrassed and behind in class because they don’t have proper sanitary protection while menstruating. In March 2007, Procter & Gamble’s brands Tampax and Always started Protecting Futures, a program aimed at providing sanitary facilities, education and free protection to aid girls in Africa.
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“There are lots of reasons girls miss school. Being a girl shouldn’t be one of them.” Michelle Vaeth — Protecting Futures program director for ProctEr & Gamble
Artemis | Page 11
But it’s not as easy as handing out free maxi pads. In sub-Saharan and southern African communities, water is not easily accessible. So where does the waste go? That’s where HERO comes in. Michelle Vaeth, Procter & Gamble program director for Protecting Futures, says Tampax and Always decided to partner with HERO, a campaign program of the United Nations Association of the United States that works with local partner organizations to provide comprehensive school-based support to those who need it most. Together, they are raising awareness about the impact the lack of access to sanitary protection has on the education of the girls.
From an unprotected beginning to a safer alternative
Page 12 | Artemis
AFRICA
Ethiopia
Zambia Namibia South Africa
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“Both UNICEF and The World Bank reports have issued statements and statistics supporting the fact that young girls are missing school as a result of this issue,” Vaeth says. “In 2005, UNICEF released a report stating that one in 10 school-age African girls does not attend school during menstruation, or they drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in school.” Through the HERO and Protecting Futures partnership, Tampax and Always have committed to provide $5 million over five years to keep girls in school. Vaeth says Procter & Gamble noticed the beginning of a problem in Kenya in 2005, when a test-pilot program started providing girls with free maxi pads. The program was there to provide education about HIV and AIDS but realized the girls had no feminine supplies. When P&G noticed girls dropping out of school because of their period, Vaeth said P&G knew it was time to take action. Protecting Futures estimates that a girl who misses four days of school every four weeks may miss 10 to 20 percent of her school days in her lifetime as a student. “A P&G-sponsored program in its second year in Kenya saw a significant increase in school attendance and performance when
girls received pads and puberty education,” she says. “P&G was involved in a two-year study launched in 2005 by Always in partnership with the Girl Child Network.” She adds that the program will provide puberty education and pads to about 150,000 girls through 2008. “There are lots of reasons girls miss school,” she says. “Being a girl shouldn’t be one of them.” HERO and the Protecting Futures program plans to improve the access these girls have to feminine hygiene products as well as education services, Vaeth says. Doing this will include building and outfitting classrooms, dormitories, kitchens and toilets at two school sites in Namibia. The program also includes funding for teacher training, uniforms for all students and a year-round feeding program. Pumping water to these areas, however, is proving to be a problem. Since most of subSaharan and southern Africa are landlocked areas, water is not easily accessible. Vaeth says Protecting Futures will build a 4-kilometerlong water pipeline to the two schools in the Namibia region. This will allow the girls to stay in class all day, rather than having to leave the room to walk a long distance to the nearest bathroom facility.
Protecting the market While this may sound revolutionary to some, it’s sketchy to others. Ann Milne calls herself a “traveling spouse.” She has traveled the country and blogged about her adventures. When she first started reading about Protecting Futures, she thought the program sounded great. “But then I started to wonder if Tampax and Always are really suited to a life of poverty or near-poverty in rural subSaharan Africa,” she says. “The costs of continuing provision will be high, and who will cover those costs when the girls leave school? How will they manage when the facilities provided at the school are no longer available to them?”
GRAPHIC BY KRISTINA DECKERT
Tampax and Always send their products to the regions that are most in need: Ethiopia, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa.
So how much of the future is P&G really protecting? When the girls leave school, Protecting Futures’ health administrators will have taught the girls how to dispose of their used products. They will have an education about not only puberty, but also HIV and AIDS. Disposing of their bloody byproducts is one of the most important things they can learn. Milne thinks using Mooncups, instead of pads, is a safer alternative. A Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup. It is about two inches long and made from soft silicone rubber. It is worn internally, like a tampon, but it collects menstrual fluid rather than absorbing it. The Mooncup is not a disposable product, so users only need to buy one. “I would have been happier if they were providing Mooncups, which are much safer, reusable and last for years,” she says. “I can’t help
but feeling that there is little altruism in Procter & Gamble’s efforts and that they are hoping to turn the girls into paying customers.” Vaeth says P&G is making every effort to maintain cultural sensitivity and establish solid relationships with local government officials, which can sometimes take time. “That’s one of the reasons why Tampax and Always have partnered with HERO on a comprehensive program that is not just about providing sanitary products,” she says. “Protecting Futures is also providing a health, hygiene and puberty education to help girls better understand menstruation and their changing bodies.” She says that building toilets and piping in clean water for girls to have a safe, private place to manage their periods while at school will not only help young school girls, it also helps to foster the overall health and well-being of every child in that school’s community.
The future of protecting Last year, Protecting Futures and HERO sent 24 Youth Ambassadors to Africa. They stayed in Africa for 30 days. This year, 24 more will go. To apply, those interested can go to www.beinggirl.com/hero and click on “Get Involved.” They are expected to fill out an application, submit a 300-word essay expressing their interests in the program and send two letters of recommendation. Teenage men and women can apply. Vaeth says the local communities have been very welcoming and open to the help that is being given to them through the Protecting Futures program. “We know this type of program can have a big impact,” Vaeth says. “Protecting Futures is not just about providing sanitary products. Protecting Futures is also providing a health, hygiene and puberty education to help girls better understand menstruation and their changing bodies.” a
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Ways to get involved wherever you are:
› Make a monetary donation through HERO by visiting www.unausa.org/hero. ›P urchase a Protecting Futures T-shirt on the Web site www.protectingfutures.com. A percentage of sales are donated to Protecting Futures. ›D ownload IM and Web page badges to add to your Web sites, blogs, Facebooks and MySpaces to help spread the word. ›P urchase Tampax and Always products, which support not only Protecting Futures, but also the workers the program sends to Africa. » LINKS: › Visit www.protectingfutures.com for more information about the campaign and interactive forums. › Visit www.heroaction.org to learn more about the HERO program, watch Webisodes from last year’s heroes and see how you can get involved.
Fighting for the other 50 percent A new campus group breaks through stereotypes and tries to unite people of all genders in the efforts for global equality. Story by Ted Hamilton
T Ima
ge
Page 14 | Artemis
cou
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he stereotypical image of a feminist is an angry woman who is overweight, has short hair, hates men and refuses to shave. This image is further pushed on the public by popular media figures referring to them as ‘femnazis’, conjuring up images of women with tank tops and swastika tattoos, forever ready to slay all of the men standing in their way. sy
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“I would like to see our group be educated on issues concerning women around the world.” — Beth Vild Creator of the WLC
I would be a liar if I said this exaggerated image was not lurking in my mind when I went to the first meeting of the Women’s Liberation Collective, a group at Kent State University. While first approaching the door, my mind brought to life images of female students giving a straight-arm salute to a portrait of Betty Friedan hanging on a wall in front of a smoldering pile of bras. I would also be a liar if I did not point out that the scenario playing in my head was nothing like the meeting of the WLC. Setting up for the meeting were two people, a woman and a man. At this point stereotypes slowly began to make their slow creep escape out the rear window, particularly that all feminists were militant women. “Men can be feminists and should be,” says Beth Vild, an art education major and creator of the WLC. “I think the whole point of feminism and women’s rights activism is to bring equality to the sexes and to point out that 50 percent of humankind is painted as being stupid and not equal to the other 50 percent.” Vild started the group with several of her friends because there has not been a women’s group on campus. She is consciously attempting to make this group different by bringing more people of various genders, races and cultures together because a lot of previous waves of feminism were directed towards middle-class white women. She is on her way to accomplishing her goal: A black male student and a Caucasian
male student were among the 15 people who wandered into the meeting. People of different backgrounds speckled the crowd. Some women had long hair and others short. Some were dressed up while others just sported simple T-shirts. One woman wore a Pearl Jam shirt and sat with another woman wearing a Slipknot hoodie and people with different tastes come together to discuss a common problem. “I would like to see our group be educated on issues concerning women around the world,” Vild says. She thinks the United States can help change the working conditions in some countries where sweat shops primarily use women as tools of labor. While educating the members on world issues involving women’s rights is important, it is also a focus to bring awareness to the areas they live in. “I think we could do a lot of good work on campus and for the community,” says WLC member Katie Troha. She has been involved with women’s groups on campus before because she says she believes it is important to work “towards equality for men and women and people of all genders.” An important issue the WLC wants to tackle is the university’s freshman orientation courses. “I would like to see the orientation classes this summer to be a requirement for them to tell people what to do if they’re sexually assaulted,” Vild says. This is an important issue to the group, and Vild says they ‘will
not take no for an answer.’ Stereotypes were swept away from my mind. Another thing often said of feminists is that they complain about senseless topics that have already been fixed and put to bed. In my mind, are there not any more important topics when it comes to safety on a college campus? The WLC is also helping to sponsor the ‘Vagina Monologues,’ a play that was written to raise awareness about sexism and violence against women. During the meeting I attended, I did not notice any crazed women, no bra burning and no straight-arm-saluting man-haters. One of the members mentioned a group of women from another campus organization who rode in the elevator with her and had called the WLC ‘scary.’ “It’s sad a lot of people think that they wouldn’t want to call themselves feminists because there’s such a negative stereotype,” Troha says. “I just think it’s really sad that people wanting to make change and deciding to do something about sexism is scary.” For a woman to think other women are scary because they are fighting against violence and oppression is funny, but not in the ‘ha ha’ way and in a stretch of the mind it takes the absurdity to a whole different level. If some women think rights are scary, Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. must have been real mad men. a
Want to see for yourself? Meetings are Wednesdays at 9 p.m. in Student Center Room 317.
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It’s time for a series finale for the female celebrity soap opera
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emale celebrities are frequently in the news today mainly because of decisions they have made, and typically, the decisions aren’t good ones. Most people in America have heard of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Amy Winehouse, among others, for negative things they’ve done. Each of these women is either in rehab, has been or has had some other dramatic problem in her
life. I find it rather odd that men aren’t in the “rehab spotlight,” or so it seems. I can’t think of one guy who has been in the media spotlight lately, except for Heath Ledger, but I’ll get to that later. Maybe male celebrities aren’t doing massive amounts of drugs, having child custody problems or flashing their panties (or lack thereof) all over the place. For some reason, it’s more likely that male celebrities have these prob-
Commentary by: Kristina Deckert
lems (well, maybe not the panties one), but the media just don’t show it. Or maybe they just don’t care as much, compared to the lovely vixens who appear in Star magazine almost every week for their careless partying habits. For example, Britney Spears was the cover girl in the Feb. 21 issue of Rolling Stone. An extensive 10-page article was written about her out-of-control life, detailing her high point about a decade ago to her absolute low point, which is probably right now. In the same issue, Heath Ledger, who died reportedly from a drug overdose earlier in February, got a whopping twopage spread in the magazine. It’s rather odd that someone who is dead doesn’t get as much coverage as someone who is still (kind of) alive. Why are the media so interested in the lives of Britney and these other women? Both celebrity men and women have addiction problems. Both have child custody problems. Both are sometimes caught doing embarrassing things in public. This excessive amount of negative play media is giving female celebrities also affects the susceptible young women in America today. Tabloids are making alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelets seem cool (see the July 16, 2007 issue of US
Magazine, stating that Lindsay Lohan was “wearing the bracelet so there are no questions about her sobriety if she chooses to go dancing or dining in a place where alcohol is served”). Young women are probably looking at these tabloids and getting a subliminal message that wearing an alcohol-monitor ankle bracelet is fashionable. I’m not saying I’m a fashion major, but I’m pretty sure those bracelets aren’t the next new trend. It’s also really not that cool to get thrown in jail for a DUI or to go to rehab for cocaine addiction. The media thus trivializes the problems celebrities and others in America face. These problems are serious, and as the media sensationalizes them, they are also making them seem glamorous, as if these women and their problems are impeccably cool. This female celebrity rehab soap opera that the media keep feeding needs to stop, and not because the media need to begin paying more attention to male celebrities; that’s not the point. The point: Being addicted to drugs, partying excessively and being in a pornography video is not glamorous, as the media are portraying it to be. My challenge to the mainstream media: Go out and cover things that actually matter. Cover poverty, social security, global warming and the 2008 presidential election. Hell, cover male celebrities. Anything but the mess that female celebrities are drowning in. Perhaps if the media stop covering it, celebrities will stop doing it. Maybe they’ll start doing something good for once. a
Q&A Rallying feminist bona fides Feministing.com creator and freelance writer Jessica Valenti chats with Artemis reporter Kiera Manion-Fischer about online activism, the future of feminism and why it still matters.
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essica Valenti wanted to show young women the truth about feminism that didn’t include the negative stereotypes associated with the word, so in 2004, she started Feministing. com, a feminist blog that covers everything from policy issues to pop culture. “We wanted to create a site that showed feminism for what it really was. That it was about politics and activism but also that it was funny and cool and edgy and cutting edge,” she said
in a speech at the University of Akron in March. She wanted to give young women a chance to speak for themselves. Valenti and her fellow editors offer sarcastic and insightful commentary on feminist issues. Today, the blog pulls about 25,000 readers a day. This interview is a mix of e-mailed and inperson questions with Valenti, executive editor of Feministing. com, freelance writer and blog consultant.
Q: In one of your posts, you said: “Young
women don’t need to be NOW members to be activists, and they don’t need to read Ms. or vote for Hillary Clinton to be feminist bona fides.” How can young women be feminists?
A: I think that young women can be feminists just by integrating feminism and anti-sexism into their everyday lives. We don’t need to be activists in order to have feminism frame the way we think about things. I believe that simply believing in feminist values makes you a feminist.
Q:
Who are the new generation of feminists? What are they doing?
A: I think that there are so many young
feminists it’s difficult to name them! You can check out therealhot100.org for a great
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Q: How do you define feminism? A: I use the dictionary definition of feminism; social, economic and political equality for women — because it’s true and because it’s the most difficult for people to argue with!
Q: What is the purpose of feministing.com? Is it geared more toward younger women? Why?
A: Feministing was created to provide a space
for younger women and feminists to speak their minds and talk about issues that affect their lives. Naturally, the site is for women and men of all ages, but the writers are young women —
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list of younger women making a difference in their communities. But young feminists are everywhere — they’re blogging, creating organizations, volunteering and going to school. You don’t have to look far to find a feminist!
we thought this was important because so few spaces are dedicated to just young feminists.
Q:
A recent New York Times article described you as saying that the future of feminism is in online activism. What does that mean?
A: I think that online activism is a great tool not
only for outreach but for democratizing feminism in a way that we haven’t been able to do before. Already, younger feminists are more visible because of online blogging and organizing, so I think it’s only going to get better.
Q:
Your book, Full Frontal Feminism, is described as “a primer on why feminism matters.” Why does feminism still matter?
A: Feminism still matters because sexism still exists — it’s that simple.
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“Feminism still matters because sexism still exists — it’s that simple.” — Jessica Valenti
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Taking nothing for granted One young woman’s search for freedom and respect
Story by Alyssa Sparacino
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efore coming to the United States, Denisse Andrade never rode the bus. She says in her native country of Ecuador, taking public transportation or walking alone means risking your life. Andrade is an international student at Kent State and says the safety issue in her country was one of the main reasons she wanted to come to the United States. “In my country, there is simply no way you can just go walking, say from your house to a friend’s house,” she says. She adds that there is a constant fear that women will be robbed, raped, kidnapped or even killed when they travel alone in Ecuador. What makes situations like these even more disheartening is that little or no action is taken when these crimes occur. Violence is a major problem Ecuador faces, Andrade says. She also cites two reasons why she believes this is such a large issue. First, is the lack of efficiency within the police department. “When a woman is attacked, all the actions and incidents surrounding the crime go unnoticed,” she says. “If something happened to you and you don’t have enough money to pay for the police to do their job, you’re on your own.” Secondly, she says the majority of the people in Ecuador are not educated enough to get good jobs that can support their families, so they turn to crime. Seeking any medical attention after being raped or beaten is far from the norm in Ecuador, she says. For those few women who do go to the government-funded hospital, the reaction they receive is a disturbing one.
“The immediate response from the hospital would be to tell her to go back home, or go to someone close to her,” Andrade says. “Females have this idea that if they go to ask for medical attention, the doctors are going to look at her as if she was a prostitute, and that’s because she got raped and not because she was just walking on her way, and this is what happened to her.” Besides the embarrassment women may face, they will also have to deal with waiting; maybe for too long. Andrade says the hospital is open to the general public, but only the wealthy get seen by doctors quickly. “Say you have a medical emergency. You’re probably going to die before you get medical attention,” she says. Andrade says police in Ecuador are very lax when is comes to domestic violences issues. “Women are always to blame,” Andrade says. This theory holds true, even when their husbands are cheating. “There are a lot of infidelity issues with males being unfaithful, but in my country, socially speaking, it is acceptable.” Andrade says if a male cheats, people will recognize it as something bad, but won’t take action against it. “If you have this couple that goes to the police to argue about this unfaithful situation, I think the authorities will go more toward, ‘what did the female do to make the male get into this situation?’ rather than why or how bad is what the male did,” Andrade said. “They will always turn toward ‘what did the female do wrong?’” Andrade says one of the biggest conflicts in Ecuadorian culture is a woman’s status within the family. She says when a woman steps outside her role, the men start feeling inferior or depressed, which translates into anger causing a domestic violence situation. In Ecuador, families are run mainly by males, and women are expected to be the keep-
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Ecuador Quick Facts
Ecuador
Capital: Quito Population: 13,755,680 Land Area: 109,483 square miles Slightly smaller than Nevada (includes Galapagos Islands) Source: www.cia.gov
GRAPHIC BY LISA SEKERAK
ers of the household, to do all things domestic, she says. If women have a job at all, it is something the Ecuadorian people believe females could do, such as secretarial work or sales and customer service, she adds. “If you want to go
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“I have a friend that has the mindset that she has to study or do something that is more toward what a female could do. I feel she doesn’t think she is smart enough to get something beyond that.” — Denisse Andrade beyond that, people start looking at your differently.” Unfortunately, even if women from Andrade’s country wanted to climb the business ladder, they couldn’t, she says. The opportunities for them to succeed just aren’t there and employers will find any reason not to hire a woman, she says. “There is a still a mindset that males must be in higher positions and if a woman tries to apply for a job they won’t really be consid-
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ered,” Andrade says. “If they do get interviewed, the employer will find their major flaw and turn the woman down at the very first sight of it.” Andrade is studying computer science at Kent State, which is a male dominated field in her country. She says she gets the sense that the men don’t trust that she knows as much as them and that she constantly has to prove herself. She is up to the challenge, but that’s not the same for some other females in
her country. “I have a friend that has the mindset that she has to study or do something that is more toward what a female could do,” she says. “I feel she doesn’t think she is smart enough to get something beyond that.” Luckily, Andrade has a supportive family who values her education. Her family has a background of hard work. Her father owns a successful accounting firm, where her mother also works, and her brother and sister now both live successfully in the United States. Andrade says if she gets a job opportunity in the United States, she would like to apply to stay in the country and become a citizen. She considers Ecuador to be a third-world country, one that cannot offer her the opportunities to succeed. She says that Ecuador is still developing and doesn’t have a stable economic or political system. “The situation in my country to changing,” she says. “The political system is changing from democracy to communism and socialism, which is a movement that is occurring right now in South America.” Andrade says she believes this political flip is a direct result of the current president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. Correa was elected in 2006 and has since been pushing his people away from democracy. The Ecuadorian people know that democracy hasn’t always worked in the past, so they are easily accept-
ing Correa’s new ideals, Andrade explains. An interesting factor in Correa’s government is that he is making sure his wife is separated from his business. Andrade says the president claims to be restricting his wife from duties and publicity because of the negativity or backlash she may receive from the media, but Andrade thinks he has an alternative motive. “He doesn’t want her in the spotlight,” Andrade says, “but he also may not be toward females” and their empowerment. Andrade says she believes the issue of female rights is not a priority on Correa’s list goals. From a country where communism is beginning to rule again and women are rarely safe, Andrade has noticed some major differences in the American culture she is now surrounded with. “Here I do get the feeling that you get more freedom to do, to say, to wear, to anything,” she says. “Here you can go to class in your PJs and you’re fine. In my country, you do that and people probably think you’re drunk or you don’t have any more clothes.” Overall, Andrade says she feels safe and comfortable in the United States. She wears the occasional pajamas to class and she breathes a sigh of relief when walking alone. The bus is her main means of transportation, and that’s a freedom she won’t be taking for granted. a