Fall 2017 - volume 4, issue 2
YELL!
Augusta University Women’s and Gender Studies Magazine
Women’s and Gender Studies Program Augusta University
contents 3 4 6 7 8 10
About & Letter from the Editor
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Feminist Scholarship: “Sex and Stress: The Problems and Benefits of Sex as a Natural Anxiolytic” by Sequoia Sinclair
15 16 17 18 19 22
Feminist Art: “Conquered” by Vinaya Ann Alapatt
Campus Resources Feminist Art: “Ashamed Eve” by Carmen Milagros Moses Feminist Poetry: “Stuck” by Shafer G. Tharrington
Feminist Scholarship: “Chastity and the Final Girl in Horror Cinema” by Kellyn Brooks Feminist Scholarship: “Objectification of Women in the Song Dynasty: An Examination of Land Ownership Rights” by Rebecca Williams
Upcoming WGST courses Triota Spring 2018 Yell! Call for Submissions Meet Our Contributors Credits
Find the Augusta University Women’s and Gender Studies Department online Website: https://www.augusta.edu/pamplin/womens-gender-studies/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AUGWGST/ Tumblr: http://aug-wgst.tumblr.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AUG_WGST 2
about Yell! • • • “A cheer of support: a rhythmic word or phrase chanted by a group of people to give support or encouragement.” This elementary four-letter word seems so inadequate when put alongside its synonymic counterparts. Bellow. Vociferate. Holler. Exclaim. They all sound so dignified, so regal. But Yell! is a word of a very different caliber. Yell! describes our mission in a way that its predecessors cannot. To us, Yell! means to reclaim women’s voices, not only on campus but in the community. Yell! means to uplift and galvanize ourselves and everyone we interact with. Yell! is our rallying cry, and we fully intend to embody the vehemence with which it is described here. We are no longer satisfied waiting in the shadows. We will Yell! in solidarity, our mission and our goal. We are a unified front, ready and willing to step into the line of fire for social justice. We will approach our obstacles with intrepidness and pugnacity, never being afraid to fall. Because what is failure but an opportunity to improve? That is what Yell! means to us here in the AU Women’s Studies Program. It is who we are, and it is what we do. Join us. Meghan Pugh
letter from the editor • • • This publication marks my first semester as Editor-in-Chief of Yell! magazine. As I approach my final semester here at Augusta University, I’ve been taking time to reflect on my experiences as a student. I began as a pre-dental student and after the growth and removal of a brain tumor, I stumbled upon my true niche within the liberal arts community. For a short period of time, I held the position of Event Coordinator for Lambda Alliance and then began to take French feminism classes by choice. My professors have continuously encouraged me to open my mind and take on tasks I would have never undertaken on my own. The Women’s and Gender Studies Program has made all of this possible. I’ve made so many friends and met so many students and teachers who share similar beliefs and interests; I’ve attended events allowing women to really speak out and express themselves freely. I feel that this is the sole reason for Yell! -to provide our AU students with this same opportunity. I am so appreciative of the learning and opportunities that the WGST program has provided me and I look forward to the many other opportunities that will come my way! Keep Yelling! Rachel Clay Editor-in-Chief 3
campus resources • • • Women’s Studies Student Association
The Women's Studies Student Association is an official student-run organization. It was formed in 1997 to address women's issues both on and off campus. The WSSA serves as a forum for all students at Augusta University. The organization participates in the annual Take Back the Night Rally and the Take Back the Day Walk to Prevent Sexual
Lambda Alliance Violence—both events that increase public awareness and prevention of sexual violence. WSSA students are also heavily active in carrying out Love Your Body Week each October, with events that have included film showings, goodie bag distribution, Operation Beautiful notes, and healthy body fitness classes.
Contact: President Courtney Cyr ccyr@augusta.edu
Lambda Alliance is a student led organization whose purpose is to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for LGBTQIA persons of Augusta University and their allies. We strive to educate the student body and the community on LGBTQIA issues and to promote understanding and acceptance on campus and in the community through social and educational events. All are welcomed, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or other factors! No member of Lambda's sexual orientation or gender identity is assumed.
Contact: President Tamika Harris tamharris@augusta.edu
Safe Zone
Equality Clinic
Safe Zone Programs are part of a national initiative dedicated to training faculty, staff, students and support services at colleges and universities in an effort to create safe and inclusive environments for individuals of all sexual and gender identities. The Primary objectives are to promote the emotional and physical safety of AU’s sexually and gender diverse student, faculty, and patient populations, cultivate a supportive environment conducive to educational achievement, professionalism, and overall health and wellbeing., and to train students and faculty as SZ allies and advocates so that they may serve as resources for AU, AU Medical Center, and the broader Augusta area.
We serve as an LGBTQ-friendly space for those in the CSRA community who are under- or uninsured and fall below 200% of the federal poverty level. We are creating a clinic where patients can receive the care they deserve in a welcoming, open environment. Wherever you fall on the complex spectrums of gender expression, gender identity, and sexual attraction, you can come to Equality Clinic and discuss your specific health needs without fear of judgment or discrimination.
Contact: equalityclinicaugusta@gmail.com
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• • • campus resources Counseling Center Our services are free of charge, confidential, and available on both the Summerville and Health Sciences Campuses. We understand that students experience a wide range of concerns that impact their overall wellbeing and ability to succeed as a student, and we are here to help. Our main Counseling Center is located on the Summerville campus in the Central Utilities Building Annex, 2nd floor (CE Building). If you have a physical condition which prevents you from walking up the stairs (unfortunately, there is no elevator at this location), please call us ahead of time so that we can make accommodations for you. We also have a satellite office on the Health Sciences campus, within the Student Health Center in Pavilion II. The physical address is 1465 Laney Walker Boulevard. Office Hours Monday-Friday 8 AM - 5 PM Telephone 706-737-1471 Emergency Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Georgia Crisis & Access Line: 1-800-715-4225
Office of Diversity and Inclusion The Augusta University Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) reports to the Office of the Provost and is the hub for planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to ensure that our enterprise accomplishes its goal of creating a diverse and inclusive environment. Working hand-in-hand with Human Resources, Office of Employment Equity, academic units, Department of Patient Engagement, and senior leadership, and several others, the ODI will build, align and coordinate diversity efforts as a strategic approach that contributes to organizational goals and business performance. Augusta University Health Sciences Campus 1120 15th Street Augusta, GA 30912 Telephone 706-721-9265
Augusta University Cares Whether a student, staff or faculty, if you or someone you know is in a distressing situation, support is available for you on this website. You will find helpful resources on a variety of issues including emergency or crisis situations and safety concerns, medical concerns, multicultural, psychological and personal issues, and interpersonal conflict both in workplace and amongst students. FILE A CARE REPORT Title by Student Name
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feminist art • • •
Ashamed Eve Silkscreen Print, 6” x 17” Carmen Milagros Moses Fine Arts, Printmaking and Photography 6
• • • feminist poetry Stuck By Shafer G. Tharrington Anthropology Mama and Daddy worked rich soil in Waynesboro, Figuring it would make a good life — I was just happy to stay there and help. My husband John disagreed saying, “We can move to Augusta and make more money!” I agree against my better judgement, He a truck driver, me a maid for folks on the Hill. All so promising, So I got stuck there. Then again, all excited he was Saying, “let’s move to the Park!” Again, I figured I might as well go with him. Maybe we move somewhere else in time? We tried to live and grow but, God didn’t see for me to have kids. Least he gave me my nephew to adopt, Of course, he giveth and taketh away. Then I got stuck here. My nephew drop dead on the way to shower, They said he had a bad heart. John left too, from diabetes and bad blood, Boy I tell you, balancing a job and him wasn’t easy. Thank God, for my neighbors — now like family, I teach and raise the younguns here, Even they are going the same way; Why did I get stuck here? Now it seems I’m going too, John and I are two peas in a pod I got the bad blood and can barely walk My medicine is too much and Medicare pays none How can I move out when no one wants this house I enjoy going around and helping out — That’s all I did all my life. But I got stuck here. Author’s Notes: This poem is pulled from an interview in May of 2003 with Totsie Walker. She married her husband John in Waynesboro and moved to Augusta to find a better way of life. She gave this interview in her living room that was slowly sinking into the ground from floods.
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feminist scholarship • • • CHASTITY AND THE FINAL GIRL IN HORROR CINEMA
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ilm, specifically the horror genre, has a considerable impact on societal attitudes. Audiences internalize themes that mirror their own experiences and expectations. Film, in turn, presents to the audience the expectations of society. Classic filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho), John Carpenter (Halloween), and Wes Craven (Scream), have set the standard for young women who are typified in the horror genre. Coined by Carol J. Clover, the “final girl” is perhaps the most utilized female role in horror. The final girl is the survivor; she outlasts the killer and is ultimately rescued by outsiders. Unlike her peers, she is also traditionally chaste, abstaining from perceived “sinful” behavior such as sex and drugs. This may seem like a position of empowerment, since the final girl is able to resist violence by protecting her body sexually. However, it is ultimately a position of submission to the hands of stronger male characters. Originally, the final girl was a rendition of the virgin/whore dichotomy, and rather than being a fully fleshed out character, she was merely a flat character responsible for upholding the fantasy of the righteousness of the good, pure woman.
mystery of Bates Motel. Ultimately, she is the last female character to survive the film. Marion’s fiancé, swoops in to rescue her from Norman. Lila’s primary traits of responsibility and chastity have been mirrored in similar characters in later films of the horror genre, namely Halloween and Scream. Psycho shows an early example of the final girl, but she is more clearly illustrated in later films, namely Halloween. Wes Craven’s Scream allows its final girl a sexual experience, which then punishes her in the eyes of its society. The Witch, a recent release, shows the role’s subversion; it offers a more positive conception of the final girl that relocates her power to her own freedom rather than to her sexuality. Analysis of these films show a trajectory of the final girl that is dependent upon her sexuality and her ability to engage in sexual behavior without fear of violence or punishment. With more recent iterations, the audience is presented with changing cultural norms related to both femininity and sexuality. John Carpenter’s Halloween features Laurie as the final girl, who displays traits of chastity and responsibility. Laurie does not drink or talk about sex; she barely acts aware of either activity. Her one mention of the opposite sex in the film is a mention of the fact that guys think she is “too smart.” However, she is a responsible babysitter, a typical feminine role. Laurie’s autonomy is established as she fights back against Michael to protect herself and the child in her care. At the end of the film, a male outsider shoots Michael in the chest. Laurie only defends herself from Michael long enough for the outsider to dispose of, making her autonomy ultimately predicated on male strength. On the other hand, Laurie’s friend Lynda best exemplifies the party girl role, the other end of the virgin/whore dichotomy. She freely discusses sex and drugs, and she uses stereotypical teenage-girl language. She also has a boyfriend with whom she sneaks into houses to drink beer and have sex. While Laurie survives because of her chastity and her dependence on the masculine rescuer, Lynda is killed as a result of her sexual freedom. Midway through Halloween, she is strangled by Michael Myers after showing him her breasts. Placing herself in an irresponsible and illicit situation, Lynda suffers the consequences. Through these two character portrayals of the final girl, Halloween punishes impure women and rewards
In many films, the final girl serves as a counterpart to the party girl, who is rebellious, promiscuous, and ultimately meets her end for her behavior. Psycho, a mainstay of horror, offers an early example of this. Marion Crane is cast in a provocative light when she is shown undressing and showering. She is killed in the shower by Norman Bates. Lila Crane, her virginal sister, sets out to uncover Marion’s disappearance and the
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• • • feminist scholarship these two character portrayals of the final girl, Halloween punishes impure women and rewards virginal ones. Director Wes Craven changed the game with his self-aware horror, namely Scream. The final girl had become a mainstay by this point, yet the role’s reliance on total chastity had begun to dissipate. Scream’s Sidney Prescott is a more recent iteration of the newer final girl, mirroring Laurie’s shyness and clear-headedness. She also has a party girl counterpart in her best friend Tatum. Even as a final girl, Sidney cannot be described as virginal, but she lacks sexual autonomy. Her boyfriend Billy shows repeated frustration that Sidney is not ready to have sex, a coercion to which she eventually concedes. Billy is later revealed as one of the killers and tries to kill her, citing his previous sexual relationship with her as a motivation. Having lost her virginity, Sidney foils the classic expectations of the final girl role, and according to the rules of the role, she is nearly murdered. Billy’s second motivation is his disgust with the sexual behavior of Maureen, Sidney’s mother, who Billy murdered a year prior. In his words, she “flashed her shit all over town like Sharon Stone.” Billy does not view Sidney in the same light, because he coerced her into sex with him. Maureen’s sexual activity, however, was entirely autonomous, so she retains a sullied reputation even in death. At the end of the film, Sidney avenges her mother’s murder, narrowly avoiding her own death, but she cannot preserve her mother’s honor. Sidney, unlike Laurie, exercises autonomy to escape the killers, yet cannot escape her environment’s views of hers and her mother’s sexual behavior. The Witch, released much later than the other films mentioned, features a subversion of the final girl role. While Laurie and Sidney exist in a world saturated with modern ideas, Thomasin exists in the 1630s with her Puritan family. She is actively entering puberty, and despite her piety, sexual curiosity still reaches her. Director Robert Eggers uses the witchcraft looming in the woods by their farm as a metaphor for Thomasin’s burgeoning sexuality. Her family senses Thomasin’s resistance of Puritan strictness, setting her apart from the rest of them. When her baby brother is witched away, Thomasin is accused of conspiring with the Devil. Her family is entrenched in fear and doubt of their own piety, so much so that Thomasin is ostracized
for failing to uphold their high standards. To her horror, she overhears her parents discussing whether they should give her to another family for servitude. This is an attempt to relegate her to a position of subservience, the role Thomasin dreads. Her family’s rejection of her burgeoning sexuality drives her to defend herself from their extreme correctional measures, and in the end, she finds solace in sexual agency. A self-fulfilling prophecy concludes the film: she enters the woods alone, her family dead, to join the Devil and a group of witches. Rebellious and sexually curious, yet the survivor of the film’s violence, Thomasin blends the roles of the final girl with that of Lynda in Halloween. She willingly enters an inherently sexual relationship with the Devil to gain freedom as a sexually independent woman. This thirst for freedom drives her choice, not the external forces of religiosity or fear that drive those around her. Film has a reciprocal effect on the attitudes of its viewers. The recent iterations of female characters display the changing attitudes of the audiences. The Witch has welcomed a new version of the final girl, one not so strictly characterized by female chastity and submission to masculine dominance. This shift also paves the way for cinema to feature society’s actual horrors, such as the stringent religious expectations placed upon Thomasin in The Witch. This is not to say that the final girls of 70s and 90s horror are no longer valuable. These characters show the values of women at those times. Laurie in Halloween is the archetypal final girl, typifying chastity and reliance on masculine strength. Sidney in Scream is a more active variation of the role, yet still succumbs to society’s expectations of feminine sexuality. Thomasin, easily the most autonomous final girl of the three, is an indication of how the final girl may continue to evolve. It is likely that the final girl role will continue to evolve in its portray female characters who model autonomy in their sexual freedom. Audiences, in turn, may identify more strongly with these characters. With any luck, future films in the horror genre will model female sexuality realistically and with an element of empowerment for its audiences.
Kellyn Brooks Clinical Mental Health Counseling 9
feminist scholarship • • •
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OBJECTIFICATION OF WOMEN IN THE SONG DYNASTY: AN EXAMINATION OF LAND OWNERSHIP RIGHTS
hen thinking of China’s past what picture comes to mind? Is it a society of honor and tradition? Is it a society of restrictive cultural practices? Examining Song China, the society is one of honor, tradition and restrictive cultural practices. The female demographic within Song China most affected by society’s values was the female population. The representation of women in Song Dynasty law and philosophy illustrates the socio-cultural treatment of women, often based on their class through objectification. The Song Dynasty was restrictive on women to restore the family as the center of society which was a desire that Confucius had expressed in his writings such as the Analects. Confucius developed a policy called filial piety. Filial piety was the rule that people lived by in China. Filial piety is the respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors. “Confucius advised that social interaction should begin with an assessment of the role relationship between oneself and others along two social dimensions: intimacy/distance and superiority/ inferiority” and these two social concepts create a balancing act of where women fall in this order. 1 Under the concept of filial piety, women are referenced as mothers but are not relevant as children. Women were honored under filial piety as mothers; some may argue that this concept elevated the status of women. However, women were only relevant regarding their husband. “It appears that only a male child can be called filial or unfilial. The female child seems to belong to a different moral category altogether”.2 Male children are judged based on their loyalty to their father, mother and ancestors. Filial piety is the code of honor under
Confucius. The virtue of women in the Song dynasty was based on honor just as a male’s virtue was based on honor but whom they were honoring was different. Female children in the Song Dynasty were raised to respect and be loyal to their parents, then when the women became eligible for marriage things changed for them. The women were expected to leave their maternal families. Women after marriage changed allegiance to the husband’s family, transferring their acceptance of the elderly by respecting his parents and attempting to build new bonds and loyalties with her new in-laws while training her children to respect their elders and honor this tradition. Another way that women were absorbed into their husband's life was the policy of bridal dowry land in the Song Dynasty. When a couple married, the woman’s land, if she was wealthy enough to have any, generally became the property of her husband.3 The policy of bridal dowry increased the likelihood of a woman to secure a marriage. As a rule, the men had complete control of the land that their wives came into the marriage with, but there were some exceptions. The bridal dowry contract was made with the understood stipulation that the marriage be successful enough for the husband to keep the land, otherwise a few women could divorce their husbands. The reason that these women could divorce was because “they were not economically dependent on their husbands”.4 When the woman divorced she would then take her land that she owned before the marriage with her. The women that divorced their husbands were expected to remarry almost immediately. This expectation placed on women to remarry is another example of the value that Song Dynasty society placed on marriage.
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• • • feminist scholarship The concept of bridal dowry is an example of class distinctions in Song Dynasty China. Elite women had more options than women of lower class and a bride’s dowry was one example of these options. Because women of the lower class could not afford land, they did not have the option of divorcing their husbands. The reason that Song Dynasty leaders did not allow divorce for lower class women was that “they were economically dependent on their husbands.”5 Coming into the marriage, the land that elite women received was given to her by her parents. In the Song Dynasty, class was inherited and passed onto children. There was little room for social mobility in Song China so elite women took advantage of the opportunity to possibly elevate their status further by remarrying someone possibility of higher status. Women could do this because as in many societies, the Song Dynasty society saw marriage as a way to make alliances between families. Another aspect of life in Song Dynasty, China that was unfair to women was inheritance of property when a family member died. Women could receive bridal dowries but could not inherit land upon someone’s death like a man could. The Song Dynasty wanted to enhance the importance of the family unit so some changes were made during the Song Dynasty that did in fact benefit women of the wealthier class. When a family bloodline was in jeopardy, meaning that the last male heir was dying without a sufficient heir to pass down his assets to the wife, the woman would gain some control. According to Brian Mcknight “the surviving widow, now head of the family unit classified during the Song Dynasty as a ‘female household’, always retained the prerogative of naming the male heir.”6 Some may argue that the concept of a female household is evidence that the Song Dynasty was lenient on the patriarchal rules of the society. The opposite is shown in the concept of the female household because a woman had to give her home to a male that was not her family, (although in some cases the males were distant relatives) instead of passing the family inheritance to her daughter. Surprisingly there was a way for unmarried women to own land in the Song Dynasty. If there was not a suitable male heir to the family’s inheritance and the mother had already passed away, the unmarried
daughter could receive the property. If there was not a male heir alive to receive the inheritance, the property was called Juehu.7 According to Brian E. Mcknight, unmarried daughters received Juehu property with the understanding that the property would passed to their husband upon marriage.8 The concept of Juehu property was like the concept of the bridal dowry. The inheritance was the woman’s property if she shared the inheritance with her husband. The women could own land but the possibility of this situation happening was slim. Also, the woman would have to suffer the loss of her whole family to independently own her land on a strictly temporary basis. This concept is evidence that the restrictions placed on women during the Song Dynasty were only done to restore the family unit.
All in all, the society of the Song Dynasty wanted to retain traditional aspects of Chinese culture. The family unit is part of Chinese tradition. While women were considered property of their husband’s, they valued it as a part of the reproductive process. Confucian philosophy allows for the woman to be the focus of keeping the family unit together by governing the household chores and children for the elite, as well as being a means for men to align families under her husband’s house hold. Women played an important part in the family tradition by training her children in the traditions of the Song Dynasty, China. Women were restricted to keep them a part of the social order of the family. Women also had restrictive land ownership opportunities. Women in the Song Dynasty were absorbed into their husbands lives.
Rebecca Williams History, Secondary Education
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feminist scholarship • • • SEX AND STRESS: THE PROBLEMS AND BENEFITS OF SEX AS A NATURAL ANXIOLYTIC
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merging adults experience copious amounts of stress. They are situationally presented with choices that often arouse internal conflict, sexual decisions being a prime example. Many young adults face the stressful ordeal of exploring their burgeoning sexualities. Attempts to find a balance between sexual identity and the discomforts of anxiety creates a tension that tilts hypo- and hypersexual behaviors. Stress and anxiety often increase maladaptive coping strategies thereby raising the risk of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors or improbably using sex as a coping mechanism; this is particularly an issue in adults with histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA). Michael Aaron (2012), via a meta analyses explains CSA contributes to a range of inappropriate sexual behaviors including anxiety, withdrawal, compulsion, and/or hypersexuality. There are no known factors that indicate whether an individual withdraw or becomes fixated in sexual pleasure as a coping mechanism to destress or rotates between both extremes (Aaron, 2012); however, research indicates external factors that increase anxiety may play a role in the cycle of using sex as an anxiolytic. This topic is important because I have a history of CSA and finding a workable middle ground between sexual compulsion and hyposexuality. There is a strong correlation between one’s overall health and sexual health because sex increases testosterone levels and increases the testosterone levels in the pituitary gland, which regulates energy production, mood, and assists in the regulation of cortisol (Goodman, 2017). Michael Goodman (2017) who specializes in labiaplasty and other vulvovaginal aesthetic surgeries also explains that sexual autoactivity, i.e. masturbation, can reinforce pleasure, thereby enhancing overall mood. Furthermore, the physical act of sex may alleviate stress in a manner similar to gym exercise (Liu, Waite, Shen & Wang, 2016). From a psychological perspective the intimacy
surrounding sex enforces bonding and social support, which in turn modifies stress response and protects against stress related diseases (Liu et al. 2016; Schnarch, 1991; Ein-Dor & Hirschberger 2012). But while sex may have a positive effect on emotion and certain aspects of physiology, it can as well act as a strain on the body and mind. For instance, if the expectation of sex is too great a demand on an individual will experience, sexual dysfunction, performance anxiety physical and emotional stress, and blunted sexual arousal (Lui, et al, 2016). It is common for people who have experienced CSA to develop anxiety, and depression. These features challenge the maintenance of healthy sexual behaviors and prevent those afflicted from experiencing the health benefits of sex. There are two variables that correlate with hyposexual or hypersexual behavior following sexual abuse: The first is the age of sexual abuse and the second is the biological sex of the abused. Young girls are more likely to internalize sexual abuse and manifest symptoms of depression or anxiety (Aaron 2012). Children below 6 who experience sexual abuse are likely to externalize their abuse through acts of inappropriate sexual aggression, while those who were abused when older than 12 are more likely to meet sex, during their adulthoods, with fear and avoidance. Furthermore, adult females are also more likely to express guilt after sex (Aaron, 2012; Easton et al., 2011; Kendall-Tackett et al., 1993).When it comes to balance in their sex lives people of either gender who have experienced CSA are more likely to become sexually compulsive, Perera et al. (2009), found in a survey on diagnosed sex addicts that 63 % of the women diagnosed had some history of sex abuse (Aaron, 2012). Personally, as an emerging adult myself I am faced with a great deal of stress in college—I have social anxieties and I am hypercritical of myself. I avoid sex out of fear of performance or because I am caught in my own head. I become overwhelmed or neurotic when my spouse initiates sex; on the other end, I may also become sexually aggressive
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• • • feminist scholarship From a clinical perspective, there are several things one must evaluate to understand an individual’s fearfulness surrounding sex. Self-esteem and sexual assertiveness play roles in increasing sexual function and decreasing sexual and performance anxiety. Treatments like Sensate Focus Therapy (SFT) may help reduce anxiety by allowing for a controlled approach while engaging in systematic touching and foreplay during sexual behavior (Brassard, Dupey, Bergeron & Shaver, 2015). Feelings on sexual performance are positively correlated to feelings in other aspects of life, such as performance in school or work. People who exhibit hypercriticism in regard to academic or work performance are likely to have sexual assertive issues. The employment of therapy to combat these problems may not only increase sexual assertion, but self-esteem as well (Brussard, 2015). The feedback loop between sex and stress has an alternating rather than causal relationship, using a continuum theory of behavioral change best fits. The Self-efficacy Theory, characterized by Albert Bandura (1986, 1997, 2001), is contingent on the idea that people believe themselves capable of the change the want to see in their life and are competent in the process of making change happen (Brannon, Feist, Updegraff, 2014). Self-efficacy can be gained, enhanced or decreased in four ways; the first of which is performing a behavior successfully. Take for instance, SFT as a response to performance anxiety. This therapy emphasizes focus on touch as a means of reducing anxiety about sex. I may be afraid to engage in sex because I do not want to have a flashback, but with SFT, my spouse and I will engage in extended acts of foreplay until I initiate sex. If SFT was a success in reducing the anxiety I felt prior to sex, I become more inclined to use SFT as a treatment, thereby finding a balance in my sex life which in turns increases my self-
efficacy. The second way self-efficacy can be altered is by observing someone else perform a desirable task. Augusta University hosts Take Back the Night, an event during which survivors of sexual assault share their experiences with sexual abuse. To experience this particular modality of changing my self-efficacy, I would attend the event and observe that other survivors of sexual abuse are leading healthy, happy lives post sexual assault and believe that I can too. The third way self-efficacy can be changed is through verbal
persuasion. Verbal persuasion could be almost anything, like mantras or positive affirmations, but is perhaps most effective when part of a therapeutic regime that utilizes other strategies to change one’s selfefficacy. The final strategy for altering one’s selfefficacy involves manipulating one’s state of physiological arousal. Anxiety and distress usually decrease self-efficacy but heighten physiological arousal. I currently struggle with an increased physiological state and know that my anxieties decrease my self-efficacy, causing me to move from one pole to the other on the spectrums of compulsive sex and hyposexual activity.
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feminist scholarship • • • While there is no “proper dosage” of the right amount of sex, my goal is to find a balance because research indicates that one’s overall state of health, mood, and cognition are good indicators of the health of one’s sex life. Reflecting on this, I begin to consider that my personal challenges with adherence to the principles of a healthy sex could be influenced by emotional factors. Research indicates that stressful events and depression make one less likely to adhere to positive behavioral changes (Brannon at el. 2014). In my case, I am diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and find it imperative to maintain lab work, to assess my medication and thyroid levels.
How I plan to reduce the factors inhibiting my ability to maintain a healthy sex life is a combination of medication management and therapy because they assist in regulating my mania and depression as well as mentally processing the stress that may cause unhealthy sexual activity. These two things, I believe, will increase my self-efficacy, self-esteem and influence an optimistic perception on maintaining a healthy sex life. While there is limited control of the involvement about what messages are sent to women regarding sex, I know that with my awareness and acceptance on my struggles with sex and stress, along with a positive outcome expectation, I will move forward toward balance and a healthy sex life. Emerging adults are pressed with external stressors and sexual conflict. Anxiety and depression may increase for persons with a history of CSA. While sex presents certain health benefits it is difficult to find healthy balance. Through the use of clinical interventions such as SFT and understanding of the Self-efficacy Theory for behavioral change one can reap the benefits of sexual health while also expanding such healthy behavior to other aspect of their life such as school or work.
Sequoia Sinclair Psychology Even slight alterations in these things can impact my emotions, spring boarding me into a state of depression or mania. Although my experiences are in fact my own, I believe it is difficult to maintain a healthy balance in one’s sex life when there are emotional and/or hormonal imbalances. Cultural norms also impact my personal adherence to a sexually balanced lifestyle. Female sexuality is complex, and further complicated by rigid social paradigms. What is considered permissive sexual behavior is incessantly pushed by media. These messages limit how females should feel and behave surrounding sex, evoking a passiveness to engage in sex and encouraging a guilt after. The social cues for female sexuality are anxietyinducing enough without a history of CSA increasing our neuroticism.
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• • • feminist art
Conquered Watercolor Vinaya Ann Alapatt Psychology 15
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meet our contributors • • • Vinaya Alapatt Vinaya Ann Alapatt is a Sophomore Psychology Major at Augusta University. She is minoring in Biology and Art. After completing her undergraduate degree, Vinaya hopes to do MSc in Medical Illustration. She is very much curious about the linkage between Psychology, visual arts and linguistics. If asked what inspired her to paint the piece titled Conquered, the word Self-Transcendence would be her answer. In summer 2017, Vinaya did a Study Abroad trip to France to learn about European art and artists. She learned painting from India during the years 2005-2010. When she was 14 years old, her poetry anthology was published in India with the support of her family and friends. She immigrated to United States when she was 14 years old. The cultural transition has influenced the themes of her paintings. She was a member of Columbia County Artist Guild. She is an active participant in Arts in the Heart of Augusta and has exhibited and sold numerous artworks. She has conducted several visual art activities to share her skills with the young student-artists in the community.
Kellyn Brooks Kellyn Brooks is an Augusta native and a graduate student in the Counselor Education program at Augusta University, specifically in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Earning her bachelor’s of arts degree in psychology from USC Aiken in 2012, Kellyn is primarily interested in behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal processes from a feminist perspective. To demonstrate this interest, she will give an on-campus presentation on healthy relationships in the spring of 2018. After graduation, she hopes to work as a counselor with adolescents and adults. She is an active member of a Pagan community in Augusta, and has taken on the role of writer and co-producer of seasonal community performances. Finally, Kellyn is employed at the Augusta University Writing Center, and leads a weekly group for English language learners. Kellyn’s seminal submission in Yell! encapsulates her interest in feminist issues and cinema. In her free time, she also enjoys photography and reading. She is currently crafting a young-adult fantasy novel to be drafted during NaNoWriMo 2018.
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• • • meet our contributors Carmen Moses Carmen Moses is a native of Augusta and a Senior at Augusta University. After an almost ten year hiatus from college, she will be graduating Fall 2018 with a Bachelor in fine arts with a focus in Photography and Printmaking. She enjoys painting and drawing, as well as collecting books of various kinds, art history and nonfiction being her favorite. Themes in her artwork include futuristic elements, mortality, religion, spirituality, as well as occasional humor. Her favorite art styles include Surrealism, Afro-Futurism, and paintings of the Renaissance and Baroque. Her favorite artists include Frida Kahlo and H.R. Giger. When she is not creating art she is a mother of one and currently works at the Morris Museum of Art. In her spare time she enjoys exercise, discovering new restaurants, reading, and spending time with family. She hopes to continue creating and become a part of the Augusta art scene.
Sequoia Sinclair Sequoia Sinclair is a senior psychology major. She has an interest in sexuality as she believes that sexual identity is the core part of our existence; healthy sexuality causes for a healthy wellbeing overall. You can find some of her poetry in the Wiregrass magazine from East Georgia State College, Yell! Magazine and Sandhills magazine through Augusta University. She also has a self-published collection of poetry To Write is to Breath. This can be purchased through Amazon or off the Trafford publishing website.
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meet our contributors • • • Shafer Tharrington Shafer Tharrington is a senior at Augusta University with a major in Anthropology and a minor in English Creative Writing. He is planning on getting a Masters in Applied Anthropology and to one -day work in the field where he can promote diversity, equality, and understanding on all spectrums within intersectionality. He believes that Women and Gender Studies is important because without activism and promotion of education to the public, then we will not be able to improve our understanding and acceptance of one another. Currently, Shafer is completing a Library research study and working on an internship at the Morris Museum of Art.
Rebecca Williams Rebecca Williams is an undergraduate student at Augusta University. She is a History and Secondary Education Major. She is currently Vice President of the Augusta University History Student Association and the President of Ladies Amvets Auxiliary #5. Rebecca’s interest in history began early inspired by stories told by her grandfather. During a Jane Austen Study Abroad Tour in the Summer of 2017, her fascination with history merged with her interest in Women’s Studies. Next summer, Rebecca has scheduled classes in Ireland to immerse herself in history. When choosing the subject for the included entry, Rebecca researched women from a different culture than she had studied previously. She plans to continue the research by taking her late uncle’s advice to “do things and go places”.
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credits Editor-in-Chief
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Rachel Clay
Description: Photo of man and women in white bed
Program Director Dr. Liana Babayan Contributors
Credit: Pixabay user sasint—CC0 Public Domain Page 13
Description: Photo of girl with stress and anxiety
Vinaya Alapatt
Credit: Pixabay user TheDigitalArtist—CC0 Public Domain
Kellyn Brooks
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Carmen Moses
Description: Illustration of a small girl writing inside big book
Sequoia Sinclair Shafer Tharrington
Credit: Pixabay user mohamed_hassan—CC0 Public Domain
Rebecca Williams Special Thanks Courtney Cyr Rachel Shomer Art & Photography Credits Page 01 Description: Photo of six vertical colored pencils Credit: Pixabay user Jobbeat—CC0 Public Domain Page 08 Description: Photo of a Sony video camera Credit: Pixabay user mariananbu—CC0 Public Domain Page 10 Description: Photo of rural Chinese rice field and landscape Credit: Pixabay user sasint—CC0 Public Domain Page 11 Description: Photo of girls in qipao with water buffalo Credit: Pixabay user sasint—CC0 Public Domain
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