April 12

COUNTERPOINT THE WELLESLEY COLLEGE JOURNAL OF CAMPUS LIFE April 2012 Volume 34 Issue 6

Staff Art / Lin Han

EDITORIAL STAFF Editors in Chief

Madeline Furlong ‘14 Holum Kwok ‘13 Constance Chien ‘14

Copy Editor Managing Editor Staff Editors

Anna Coll ‘12

COUNTERPOINT THE WELLESLEY COLLEGE JOURNAL OF CAMPUS LIFE APRIL 2012 Volume 34 / Issue 6

Catherine Binder ‘15

ARTS & CULTURE

Michelle Sit ‘15

DESIGN STAFF Art Director

Lin M. Han ‘13

MADELINE FURLONG

4

Meditations on Giovanni’s Room

BUSINESS STAFF Treasurer

Aishwarya Singh ‘14

STAFF WRITERS Anthea Cheung ‘12, Anna Coll ‘12, Esther Kim ‘12, Holum Kwok ‘13, Melissa Evans ‘12, Madeline Furlong ‘14, Linnea Herzog ‘12, Rachel Salmanowitz ‘12 , Sharon Tai ‘13

ALISON LANIER

6

LINNEA HERZOG

8

POLITICS JESSIE NG

10

Photo / http://s3.amazonaws.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

HERE & NOW NORA MISHANEC

11

LES POLITIQUES Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Politics

NIRALI SHAH

12

SISTERHOOD AROUND THE WORLD Grassroots Movements in India

One year’s subscription: $25. Send checks and mailing address to:

(By Michael Chase)

Counterpoint, Wellesley College 106 Central Street Wellesley, MA. 02481 Counterpoint is funded in part by the Wellesley Senate.

Wellesley College is not responsible for the content of Counterpoint. Counterpoint thanks its departmental sponsors at Wellesley: the German and Political Science departments.

NO FUN AND GAMES The Politics Between Lines: How Maps Can Trigger Wars

SUBMISSIONS Counterpoint invites all members of the Wellesley community to submit articles, letters, and art. Email submissions to hkwok@wellesley.edu or acoll@wellesley.edu.

Counterpoint encourages cooperation between writers and editors but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and clarity.

THE BARISTAS OF BOSTON Coffee Shops On and Off the Beaten Path

Alison Lanier ‘15, Nora Mishanec ‘14, Mariana Zepeda ‘14, Jessie Ng ‘13, Nirali Shah ‘12

Matt Burns MIT ‘05, Kristina Costa ‘09, Brian Dunagan MIT ‘03, Kara Hadge WC ‘08, Edward Summers MIT ‘08

GIRL, RECONSIDERED Rethinking the Message of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

CONTRIBUTORS

TRUSTEES

READING BALDWIN

MARIANA ZEPEDA

14

(YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN The New Feminist cou nter point / apri l 2012

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ARTS & CULTURE

Reading Baldwin Meditations on Giovanni’s Room

BY MADELINE FURLONG

N

ot many people have ever died of love,” quotes a long-suffering Parisian socialite, many drinks in and no closer to stopping, in James Baldwin’s intoxicating European nightlife novel, Giovanni’s Room. “But multitudes have perished…for lack of it.” Our hero—before we have come to despise him, and before he has come to remind us of the worst parts of ourselves—listens calmly, completely oblivious to the tragic truth in the speaker’s words.

Writing about love is nothing new.

Love turns up in almost every story, and everyone—from pauper to prince—has something to say on the subject. But love, sculpted in the patient hands of James Baldwin, has never looked like this before. Baldwin, in tracing with delicate and painfully precise movements the course of true love run amuck, creates in Giovanni’s Room a magnificent portrait of the human condition. This is, perhaps, what is so striking about Baldwin’s writing. I have been reading a lot of his work lately for my creative writing seminar, which focuses exclusively on his works, and I have come to view him as the maspage 4

ter of the written word. I once watched a movie where a character made a very good point about literature: “The best moments in reading are when you come across something…that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.” I wrote down his quote and I’ve kept it with me ever since. Every moment in a Baldwin novel or essay feels like a hand reaching out for mine, because every moment lays the truth so bare that at moments I have to look away.

Giovanni’s Room is the story of a doomed love between two men, David and Giovanni. “You can be addicted to a certain kind of sadness,” sings Gotye. He could easily be singing about the characters in Giovanni’s Room. Giovanni’s addiction to David is matched only by David’s addiction to the pain of loving Giovanni.

Their bond has close counterparts in reality—romantic relationships in which loving someone also means hurting them.

Conflicted over his desire for Giovanni and his disgust toward his bisexuality,

counter poi nt / apri l 2012

David breaks our hearts in an honest depiction of human savagery within the context of love. The power of the novel lies in its unflinching reflection of reality. Giovanni’s Room will resonate painfully with anyone who has had a broken heart, with anyone who has struggled to overcome the barrier of miscommunication, and for anyone who has been caught between who we love and who we think we should love.

Only rarely have I experienced such an affinity with an author. It happened one summer when I was seventeen and reading Virginia Woolf ’s Mrs. Dalloway. Then again, when I picked up Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. There have been other occasional moments—lines from books or quick quotations. And of course, I experienced this complete harmony with an author again when I read James Baldwin. These moments of congruence are rare, but they are the reasons why we keep reading. These are the moments that represent one of the most miraculous instances of human connection. These are the moments that remind us that our struggles are shared.

Photo / http://en.wikipedia.org

Giovanni’s Room moves to the pace of a beating heart. The closer its characters edge to the brink of destruction, the faster our hearts beat in time. David and Giovanni barrel headlong toward the crash, not blindly but surely. They know their doom awaits them but the adrenaline is too addicting to stop. At times, Giovanni’s Room is almost too painful to read; the dissolution of Giovanni and David’s relationship is too vivid. Instead of skipping over the emotionally challenging scenes as other authors might, Baldwin forces us to live every gut-wrenching moment with his characters. Yet there is an element that is missing in Giovanni’s Room: the moments of happiness that lace every real romantic relationship. Nobody falls in love with unhappiness; there is always that time, between the beginning and the end, when two people are happy. We cling to fading relationships because we cling to the belief that these moments are not lost.

What I see time and time again in Baldwin’s work is his unflinching faith in the power of love. We see it in his prose, and in his essays on race and civil rights. This call for love from a man so obviously in tune with the pain of losing love contradicts his character’s early statement: James Baldwin, at the very least, will not perish for the lack of love. With his characters, Baldwin takes us to the edge of suffering and peeks over, giving us a glimpse of the thin line between love and hate, passion and paranoia. But whatever heartbreak he endured, whatever piece of his own life went up in flames, Baldwin himself escaped, leaving behind only Giovanni’s Room in memorium.

Madeline Furlong ‘14 (mfurlong@wellesley. edu) can do with a little more pain and precision. cou nter point / apri l 2012

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ARTS & CULTURE

Girl, Reconsidered

Rethinking the Message of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BY ALISON LANIER

T

he Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy has a strong social voice.

The final two books both contain heavy doses of the rage-againstauthority element often used in other movies. But what makes this trilogy unique, as some would argue, is the primary character. Lisbeth Salander, the series’ protagonist, borderline anti-heroine, is a woman exalted among critics and readers as a manifestation of feminist superpower rarely seen in contemporary films or books.

But take a look at the woman herself: she is physically small, anorexic-skinny, almost childish as depicted in the book, distinctly unfeminine in appearance, and has an exorbitant collection of piercings and tattoos. The author, Steig Larsson, does an admirable job of taking this punk stereotype and transforming her into a powerful young woman obeying her own volition and avenging her victimization through shocking means. Larson creates a brilliant and independent agent even when some of Lisbeth’s characteristics strongly call for the construction of a subservient, incapable dependent.

Lisbeth’s eye-for-an-eye philosophy and her role as an avenging angel characterize her power as a woman. But

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such philosophy is somewhat antithetical to the series’ supposed emphasis on women’s empowerment. She creates a troublesome script for coping with victimization by expecting no less than violent revenge from the victim.

The cruelty of the attack Lisbeth experiences is a troubling aspect of her characterization. Lisbeth’s initial victimization arises from her label of insanity, but the abuse quickly escalates to rape. I understand that rescuing herself from these circumstances and avenging her attacks give her power—she is her own white knight riding in to the rescue, and the male protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, is rendered useless and is often in need of her help. In this way Lisbeth is a powerful feminine figure.

But is it necessary for the character to become objectified and victimized to such an extent before she is justified in her own power? This trend is similarly apparent in the depiction of other female characters in the book. No other woman is as powerful as Lisbeth. All the others are non-victimized, functional members of society who live, work, and have healthy sexual relations with men.

They are no one’s victims and thus don’t strike back.

Lisbeth is scornful toward women

counter poi nt / apri l 2012

Photo / http://pinterest.com

who don’t defend themselves. Her comments in the first novel suggest that she finds it reasonable to blame Harriet Vanger for not actively taking steps to stop her brother from becoming a prolific serial rapist and killer. Harriet simply escapes and protects herself from continued abuse—actions Lisbeth finds repulsive. Yes, she killed her father, the initial abuser and killer, but in Lisbeth’s mind Harriet should have known that her brother would never stop being a rapist and should have taken steps to stop him rather than simply achieving self-preservation.

Lisbeth’s perspective as the powerful heroine of the story presents a troubling implication. She seems to believe that it is the victim’s personal responsibility to execute retribution. By this philosophy, a woman must be a victim before she can seek justice. And, even worse, the victim can be blamed for future injury done by her abuser.

In a novel many perceive as a story about women’s empowerment, this is a disturbing undertone. The novel’s original Swedish title translates to Men Who Hate Women, a title that spells out the violent warfare against females by men who consider women second-class citizens. What the title does not foreshad-

ow, and what many readers neglect to register, is the denigration of female victims by fellow women. The book could also have been titled A Heroine Who Hates Victims. Lisbeth hates weakness: she holds female victims to the standard of militant avengers, and condemns them when they fall short of such expectations. Lisbeth’s extreme victimization serves a secondary purpose in justifying such demands for other female victims to act similarly.

While Lisbeth’s personal feelings aren’t the lifeblood of the novel—she is but one of the characters, after all—her viewpoint carries disproportionately heavy moral weight. Her suggestion that female victims should recover their power through any means possible is what makes The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo so popular amongst readers who perceive the real implications of such philosophy on female empowerment.

But the novel’s mantra of regaining and retaining power isn’t faultless: the book frequently oversteps the line between calling for the empowerment of, and calling for blame on, female victims.

Alison Lanier ‘15 (alanier@wellesley. edu) is her own white knight riding to her rescue.

cou nter point / apri l 2012

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lanning on staying in the Cambridge or Somerville area over the summer? Or maybe you’re just looking for a place to hang out and get coffee that’s close to the first Senate bus stop? Either way, look no further. Here is a list of some of my favorite coffee haunts north of the river.

The Barista

Coffee Shops On an

BY LINNEA

1369 Coffeehouse

Neighborhood: Two locations, one in Central Square and one in Inman Square (nearest T stop for both: Central Square) The Central Square location is conveniently located on Mass Ave. Just walk a few blocks toward Harvard Square on the right side of the street. Stay for the Mexican hot chocolate and the game shelf in the back. The original 1369 in Inman Square is just a short walk away.

Diesel Café

Neighborhood: Davis Square There’s a reason why this place is packed on weekend mornings and afternoons. Fortunately, Diesel Café is like the TARDIS—that is, it’s bigger on the inside, for all you non-Doctor Who fans. Staffed

by Baristas-Who-Look-Like-Justin-Bieber and populated by Somerville artists and writers, Diesel Café is a gem of the Davis Square neighborhood. The baked goods are amazing, especially the brownies and vegan muffins. Try them. Seriously. Even if you’re not vegan.

Voltage Coffee & Art

Neighborhood: Kendall Last year, the Improper Bostonian named Voltage the best coffee shop in Boston.

With specialty drinks like the Atticus Finch (vanilla with burnt sugar) and Beyond the Sea (homemade caramel and salt), you can’t go wrong. There’s nice seating outside in the summer and inside seating where you can check out the art gallery.

Voltage is located about two blocks away from the Kendall T stop on 3rd Street. page 8

counter poi nt / apri l 2012

Darwin’s Limited

Neighborhood: Darwin’s also has Harvard Square and the other nea Walk up Mount Auburn Stre walking. You’ll pass houses and place, but don’t worry; you are. An Drinks and baked goods are sold a of the shop. If you’re more in the the sandwich counter. The Inman Cambridge Street, not far from th

as of Boston

Porter Square Books

Neighborhood: Porter Square (duh) It may look like a boring strip mall, but Porter Square Shopping Center hosts a remarkable independent bookstore, Porter Square Books. The best part? It has a café inside, weekly book readings, and is conveniently located near Shaw’s and the Porter Square T stop. The iced tea is wonderful with a book on a warm summer day.

nd Off the Beaten Path

A HERZOG

two locations, one just outside ar Inman Square. eet in Harvard Square. Keep wonder if you’re in the right nd there are fantastic brownies. at the counter on the right side e mood for real food, order at n Square location is located on he original 1369 Coffeehouse.

Toscanini’s

Neighborhood: Kendall Toscanini’s may sell “the best ice cream in the world,” according to the New York Times, but it’s a mistake to overlook the store’s delicious drinks! If you have a sweet tooth, the vanilla hot chocolate is $3.50 of heaven. They also have an impressive tea selection.

Danish Pastry House

Bloc 11

Neighborhood: Union Square (nearest T stop: Porter Square) Fun fact: Bloc 11 used to be a bank! You can sip coffee in the “vault room” or take a seat in the courtyard patio outside. The same people own Davis Square’s Diesel Café and Bloc 11, so there’s a bit of overlap with the menu. For all you musicians out there, Bloc 11 hosts an open mic every Thursday.

Don’t want to lug your axe? There’s an in-house guitar and keyboard that you can use.

Neighborhood: Tufts University (nearest T stop: Davis Square) Unless you’re living near Tufts, this place is best reached by bus than by foot.

Take the 94 bus from Davis Square or the 96 from Harvard. The selection of pastries is mind-boggling, with treats ranging from marzipan frogs to hazelnut asteroids to rum logs. Don’t miss the pop tart pastry. They also sell sandwiches, wraps, and crêpes. Be sure to save some room for gelato!

This is by no means an all-inclusive list, and I’m always looking for new favorites. Don’t hesitate to drop me a line if I’ve missed your favorite coffee haunt!

Happy sipping!

Linnea Herzog ‘12 (lherzog@wellesley.edu) thinks her coffee mug will always be half full.

cou nter point / apri l 2012

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ARTS & CULTURE

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remember when I was small, adults showed me maps of different parts of the world telling me how great a country or the world was, but I guess I had never understood until recently how powerful a map can be.

During spring break, I went to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and was stunned to see the very first copyrighted and printed map of North America in the United States from 1784. To me, the notion of copyrighting a map—products of what most of us consider objective knowledge, a pure public good—was surprising enough. I was not prepared for what I saw in the description: “auctioned price of over $2 million.”

The copyright and the price put on the map suggest that maps used to be a luxury good few could afford. Clearly, things have changed. In our mobile-technologydriven age, we can all access digital maps on the Internet anytime and anywhere.

As a result, one might speculate that maps that are not “accurate” or do not contain “objective” information would be set aside. Wait, is that true? Turning to the source of geographical information, Google Maps, I am astonished by how subjective the demarcations are.

Such subjective judgment has led to serious troubles. Google Maps has been involved in multiple international geopolitical disputes that almost led to war.

One example of such a conflict happened in 2010, when Nicaragua took an error on Google Maps as support for reclaim-

ing its territory from Costa Rica. By mistake, Google Maps marked the eastern border of Nicaragua several miles more to the south into the territory of Costa Rica, thus violating the most recent agreement made between the two countries in 1858.

Although Google admitted its mistake and made immediate corrections, soldiers and police from both countries were sent to the contested area. It took the International Court of Justice’s intervention, specifically in confirming Costa Rica’s sovereignty over the incorrectly demarcated area on Google Maps, to resolve the political tension. Who could have imagined that faulty demarcations on Google Maps could have led to actual war?

Google might be sorry for that mistake, but the company does not always respond to countries’ complaints. It did not take any actions after Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, filed complaints to Google in 2010 over its “radically misleading” map that depicted the area around the Preah Vihear Temple as under the jurisdiction of Thailand. The geographical demarcation around the temple is still yet to be settled as both countries have been vying after the area for years. Since Hun Sen’s complaint to Google, at least ten lives have been lost to the escalating Thailand-Cambodia border conflict.

As I have demonstrated through these two examples, it is difficult to build consensus regarding geographic demarcations. Sensitive to such political complexities, Google Maps has introduced

different versions of maps that vary according to the viewer’s location. For instance, how India is demarcated on the US version of Google Maps is different from how India is demarcated on the Indian version. Google has also tried to use different colors and patterns of lines to indicate disputed borders, but not consistently, as in the case regarding the Thailand-Cambodia border.

From Google’s manipulations, it is clear that our reliance on technology can blind us from seeing things in different perspectives. The dissemination of information has become so instantaneous and convenient that we tend to neglect possible alternatives to what we see. Technology has allowed communication to be more visually oriented. As demonstrated by past conflicts provoked by demarcations on Google Maps, seeing really is believing in many instances. As a provider of such visual information, Google holds tremendous power over people’s beliefs.

The fact that demarcations on Google Maps can trigger international conflicts points to Internet users’ and even countries’ vulnerability and gullibility.

Maps of our time may not cost a cent, but they can cost lives. When settling border disputes, countries—like you and I—should be more skeptical of what they see on the Internet.

Jessie Ng ‘13 (nshah@wellesley.edu) survived her first week at Wellesley thanks to her campus map.

No Fun And Games

BY JESSIE NG

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counter poi nt / apri l 2012

The Politics Between Lines: How Maps Can Trigger Wars

ARTS & CULTURE

les

politiques

D

Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Politics

Photo / http://cmbantiques.blogspot.com

ictionary in hand, I parsed the means by which I connected with my adnewspaper as I ate breakfast. opted country and my adopted family.

Each morning I added to the list As my French improved, I became of words recorded in a spare notebook adept at discussing the advantages and that I kept in my pocket. The car rides disadvantages of admitting Turkey to to school were always silent—a rarity in the European Union. I listened to my a family of seven—save for the voice of host mother expound upon the merits the radio announcer reading the day’s of Nicolas Sarkozy and the shortcomnews. While the newspaper afforded me ings of Ségolène Royal, and asked questime to mull over each word, the radio of- tions about her opinions. I learned the fered no such accommodation. Instead, distinctions between political parties, the broadcast was a melodic barrage of why people didn’t like the mayor of our meaningless sounds punctuated by adver- village, and why immigration was such tisers’ jingles. a contested issue. All of this served to This is how I began each dark Janu- deepen my study-abroad experience. Imary morning as an exchange student in mersed in the minutiae of French politics, France. I was sixteen and positive that at I found little time to miss home in the any moment someone was going to realize United States. how hopelessly misguided I was and send I did, however, have time to ponder me home. That might have actually been the political circus that was taking place a relief, because the attempt at assimilat- across the Atlantic. The seven months I ing into a foreign culture is not without spent in France coincided with the priblood and tears. For example, my teachers maries and run-up to the 2008 presidenand classmates at school spoke even faster tial election. The French were fascinated than the radio announcer, and they ex- by the race, eager to know who would pected me to respond just as quickly. replace Bush. As the only American in It was a stressful experience, but look- my town, my opinions were in high deing back, I consider my time in France mand. Who did I prefer, Obama or Hillimportant as the beginning of my po- ary? Why did the election season take so litical awareness. The foreignness of my long? I followed the news religiously to surroundings forced me to engage with ensure that I had a response to every questhe more familiar world depicted in the tion regarding the elections that would media.��������������������������������� �������������������������������� News—on the radio, in the news- come my way. A question that I often paper, and on the television—became the faced was whether or not I supported the

Iraq War. No matter how many times I explained that Bush didn’t represent me or the political party I associated with, it was difficult to separate myself from his misguided policies.

Just as I had questioned my host mother about the differences between Sarkozy and Royal, many people I met in France failed to see the vast chasm between the Democratic and Republican Party that I perceive. Those distinctions were rendered less important from a distance. What mattered was how France and the rest of the world would be affected by the outcome. Watching the election from afar, I encountered a different kind of media coverage, one that centered not on the small gains and losses of the day but the global implications.

It is startling now to think of the palpable optimism I encountered during that election season. There was the feeling in France that the end of the Bush administration also spelled the end of hostilities caused by the invasion of Iraq. In reality, it was the Arab Spring—entirely unforeseen in 2008—that would finally put the bad blood to rest. The same people that were once so vehemently against the Iraq war became the ones pushing for NATO action in Libya, even taking the lead on air strikes. Those I spoke to in France were proud—even boastful—of their country’s decision to step in and protect Libyan civilians. I couldn’t help but marvel at this about-face and wonder if the French, lambasted for refusing to participate in Iraq, had actually absorbed the criticism from across the Atlantic. Perhaps, I thought with a twinge of disappointment upon hearing news of France’s position on Libya, it was then the French’s way of proving they weren’t the people we thought they were, or I thought they were.

BY

NORA

MISHANEC

Nora Mishanec ‘14 (nmishane@wellesley. edu) will now take questions from the audience.

cou nter point / apri l 2012

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HERE & NOW

Sisterhood Around the World Grassroots Movements in India

BY NIRALI SHAH

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struggle, but also fight for a uniting cause: women’s rights, financial independence, and improved work conditions.

When reporting on their responsibilities, challenges, and successes, it became apparent that each Trade Commission member made significant contributions to their field of work. Many of these women had policies and bills passed at state and national govern-

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ment levels. Their success shows their dedication to bettering the situations of working women.

Despite some past legislative success, each woman has also faced the main challenge of weak enforcement of governmental policies. Although guidelines are in place, the policies that aim to provide safe and stable jobs to female workers are not being implemented effectively. One woman

Photo / http://geography.about.com

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isiting SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association) in Ahmedabad, the largest city in the state of Gujarat, India, over Wintersession was the experience of a lifetime. I had a whole day of events scheduled and I was expecting the grand image I created from my political science classes and discussions at home. This background information helped me understand SEWA, a nonprofit microfinance organization founded by Ms. Ela Bhatt, which has helped over one million impoverished women in India and around the world become self-reliant. By establishing a bank, SEWA also helps women save and become financially responsible of their earned money. However, I never expected what I actually observed and experienced at SEWA. My first visit was with the Trade Commission members. The Trade Commission consists of local women leaders who report back to the organization information connected to their respective fields of work. Examples include street vendors, domestic work, factories, construction work, shipping, etc. As soon as I started interacting with these women, I noticed something extremely unusual. Instead of talking about their personal lives, these local women discussed what they accomplished in the organization and how they collectively helped each other. This sense of sisterhood not only helped them overcome their individual

described how workers, particularly factory and domestic workers, sign contracts that protect their wages and rights, but unfortunately their employers do not face any consequences instructed by law if these contracts are broken. Women in SEWA recognize this injustice and fight to get protection for other women. Conversing with local women that have taken leadership roles within their communities and understanding their involvements truly opened my eyes up to the impact one woman can have on her life, her family, her fellow women, and society.

Many women in urban populations in developing countries earn a living through waste collection and recycling.

SEWA has organized and trained over 30,000 women to be waste pickers in the city of Ahmedabad. Women workers at the Recycling Center explained to me how they collect paper from the streets and create products ranging from notepads, folders, pens, bags, etc. from the recycled material. Many of the recycling teams consist of mothers and daughters who walk miles to get into the city of Ahmedabad in addition to walking all over the city to collect waste. At the Center, they have created an efficient assembly line where these women work together to create the final products.

The visit to the Recycling Center helped me understand women’s participation in SEWA—one example was the Excel document they used to record their initial material and final

products made. Surprising to me, the women used fairly fluent English in the Excel document. While helping them edit the document, I explained to them the correct meaning of words.

They thanked me as if I helped them a tremendous amount, but in all honesty, they helped me more. Simply by interacting with these women, they truly opened my eyes to the amount of motivation and perseverance one can have to make a difference.

After learning about the recycled products process, I visited the most commercial aspect of SEWA—the Trade Facilitation Center (TFC). In order to ensure sustainable livelihood for the poorest of the poor women producers, the TFC was established in 2003 by employing more than 15,000 women artisans in the textiles and handicraft sector. “Hansiba” is the brand worn by these products created by the embroidery and craft skills of thousands of women. All of the artisans are shareholders and suppliers of the company, a corporate structure that ensures that the profits return to the original production source. From the design room to the sewing machines, an unbelievable amount of detail and organization goes into creating artisan products ranging from bags to shawls.

At the end of my tour, I had a pleasant surprise when women workers from Bhutan walked into the conference room. About twenty women from Bhutan were visiting to perfect and learn more about weaving for their

own work. These women weavers have the resources and skills, but unfortunately were not selling their products at a profitable price in Bhutan. They came to SEWA to learn how to market their products more effectively. Their organizer was given binders filled with information while each woman worker was given a certificate acknowledging her new weaving and leadership skills.

Each woman from Bhutan was extremely excited and genuinely honored to have such an experience.

Every woman I met throughout my visit was extremely welcoming, warm, friendly, open, curious to learn, interested, determined, and strong. Each woman I talked to encouraged and motivated me with her enthusiasm and optimism. Through these women’s hard work and determination, they have overcome governmental bureaucracy and have showed the world that small actions can make huge differences in day-to-day life. I now understand how SEWA as an organization has encouraged and helped women become confident and self-reliant. It was a great honor to visit SEWA and I cannot wait to see how these women will continue to improve society one step at a time.

Nirali Shah ‘12 (nshah@wellesley.edu) will be going back this summer.

cou nter point / apri l 2012

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ARTS & C

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January 31st episode of Zooey Deschanel’s show, New Girl, provoked heated discussion online. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, Deschanel plays Jess, an awkward kindergarten teacher who sings her feelings out loud and is naïve almost to a fault. In the episode, Jess faces off her roommate Nick’s new girlfriend, Julia, a pantsuit-wearing lawyer with anger-management issues. She asks Julia to get her out of a traffic ticket she received when trying to avoid running over a bird. Julia laughs at Jess’s explanation, and implies that Jess displays kindness and generosity in order to appeal to men. Jess defends herself, stating that just because she “brakes for birds” and “rocks a lot of polka dots,” she is not any less tough or smart.

This episode, appropriately named “Jess and Julia,” spurred widespread criticism of Deschanel’s New Girl persona. However, the real issue was buried under such criticism of Deschanel’s “adorkability,” the official term used to describe the actress’s TV personality. Behind the exaggerated quirkiness of Deschanel’s character lies the issue of perceptions of femininity and how they play out in the workplace in reality.

Julia’s implication that women who act in an extremely feminine manner exploit femininity to gain advantage is troubling.

Deschanel has been criticized for playing the antithesis of a stereotypical feminist, complete with a singsong voice and ribbon hat. But feminists come in many shapes and forms. However, that this particular female character creates so much controversy is not surprising considering the uncomfortable position of women in the workplace. Characteristics correlated with masculinity, such as aggression or outspokenness, are highly prized in a competitive, male-dominated environment. However, these traditionally masculine traits are not considered attractive in women. Nonetheless, a person’s physical attractiveness leads others to perceive them as more likeable. This effect, known by page 14

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Wo

The New

social psychologists as the physical attractiveness stereotype, or the “what is beautiful is good” bias, complicates woman’s place at work. On one hand, traditional femininity goes hand in hand with beauty, which, according to social psychologists, is perceived as related to capability or intelligence, presenting an advantage in work.

However, conventional feminine beauty can also be perceived as weak or emotional, limiting a woman’s opportunities at work.

This episode of New Girl is not the only reference in recent media to the issue of femininity. Meryl Streep, in her Oscarwinning role as the controversial Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, makes various references to these assumptions. In one scene, Streep as Thatcher is in the House of Commons, arguing about a controversial funding policy. The opposition, rather than attacking her argument, answers: “Methinks the right honorable lady doth screech too much. And if she wants us to take her seriously, she must learn to calm down!” This phrase sums up an attitude that women face in male-dominated work

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environments. Women who act in an aggressive manner are referred to as being overly emotional. However, as in the House of Commons, work environments often require both women and men to be aggressive. One is left to wonder how this contradiction affects women.

Here lies the true danger. Thatcher spent her political career breaking down gender barriers, but not every woman has the will or confidence to power through.

At Wellesley, a place that was founded on the idea of empowering women, such confidence can be easily built. We are constantly surrounded by positive reinforcement at Wellesley, and we tend to forget that this type of environment does not exist everywhere in the world, or even in this country. Coming from a small city in Mexico, I have come to know many smart and capable women who firmly believe their place cannot be in the workplace. In small town Mexico, strides are being made, but for the most part, there are remnants of the patriarchal system. Although women have overcome a myriad of barriers, even Wellesley women are not immune to the

CULTURE

oman

w Feminist

BY MARIANA ZEPEDA inherent contradictions of the workplace.

That is to say, toeing the line between being a woman and an efficient member of the workplace—with all the misguided notions that this entails—can shake even the most confident of women.

And even within the realms of Women Who Will, how far have we come? Believing that success in a male-dominated workforce requires women to deny traditionally female characteristics is just as serious as lacking the will to fight for equality.

If women are forced to adopt “masculine” character traits in order to advance their careers, how can we talk about progress?

It is true that not all women want to wear ribbons hats like Jess does. However, having to conform to existing patriarchal norms regarding femininity in order to rise above the glass ceiling may not be the best way to bring about change. After all, in the battle for gender equality, we can hardly measure success solely on the number of women who, like Thatcher, have a place in the House of Commons without considering the negative attitudes that pollute their belonging. The criticism to-

wards “too feminine” ways of being must not be taken lightly, particularly in light of women’s seemingly increasing conformity to standards of “masculinity.”

In the end, traditionally “feminine” or “masculine” traits are—according to gender construction theory—a product of society. Social psychologist Sandra Bam challenged conventional views of gender roles by arguing that embodying a combination of both feminine and masculine characteristics leads to greater happiness and success. Her argument dissolves the existing marked differentiation between “masculine” and “feminine” traits. The artificial nature of these terms only make them less important to be taken seriously.

Chillingly, the recent war on femininity seems to require that women not only modify their personality traits to become more “masculine,” but also deny being female entirely. For example, a recent court case ruled against a woman who claimed that her being fired for bringing a breast pump was a violation of sex-discrimination laws. Basically, a biological female process—lactation—is now grounds for

employment termination. Other recent media reaction, along with this controversial case, paints a very ugly picture of the current state of women’s rights. Rush Limbaugh’s unforgettable comments on the controversy following insurance coverage of birth control pills are evidence of lost battles in our fight against gender inequality. Limbaugh called Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” for asking that insurance provide contraceptive coverage, concluding that, essentially, she was asking to “be paid [by taxpayers] to have sex,” like a “prostitute.” Such attitudes imply that a woman’s place at work, extending into the political arena, is not only affected by whether her behavioral conforms to masculine standards, but also by the undeniable fact of being female.

However, if entertainment media is a reliable indication of social conscience, the fight against negative notions of femininity is far from over. Thatcher, played by Streep, said in response to her rival’s misogynistic comment, “If the right honorable gentleman could perhaps attend more closely to what I am saying rather than how I am saying it, he may receive a valuable education in spite of himself.” In the end, there is a ton to be said for a woman’s right to wear polka dots without relinquishing her right to be taken seriously. Sadly, the battle against such entrenched and internalized notions regarding femininity will be long and difficult, particularly as the notions appear to be reinforced by women themselves. Most of Deschanel’s—and Jess’s—critics were in fact women, indicating how deeply these negative perceptions have become entrenched. We must recognize that labeling words like “cute” (a classically “feminine” trait) or “adorkable” as negative diminishes women’s power, creating the misconception that a woman who presents herself in this way is somehow less capable than one who wears a pantsuit.

Mariana Zepeda ‘14 (mzepeda@wellesley. edu) loves Tuesdays!

cou nter point / apri l 2012

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Counterpoint

Photo / http://pinterest.com/pin/217228381996558836/

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the Doctor 25. British car part Kutcher have one 49. Hedwig 26. The taste of MSG 55. Tie-___ 50. ___ de los Muertos 27. Woodwind reed maker 56. 2005 Nine Inch Nails song 51. ___ Lee (director of Brokeback 29. Williams-___ 57. British slang for slut Mountain) 31. Octomom’s first name and last initial

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