College Feminists Connect!

"Embracing Female Masturbation", by: Chloe Vraney... (also, last week was Clitoris Awareness Week!)

Female masturbation is perhaps the “last sexual taboo,” according to Globe writer Zosia Bielski. Whereas male masturbation is often the butt of jokes, is part of a coming-of-age process in movies and literature, and even has its own physical hand signal, many consider self-stimulation of the female genitals to be shocking and sickening. Society has created excuses for the male's need to ejaculate, as demonstrated in Bielski's research, whether for biological reasons or due to the claimed "superior male sex drive."

Oppositely, many works of literature and film such as Goobie's Hello Groin and Apatow's The 40 Year Old Virgin that actually do include a female protagonist masturbating give these characters a marginalized identity so their sexual behavior is considered abnormal and freakish. Studies such as those in Michael Gordon's Women and Language even show that the language we use is systematically more inclusive of male autoeroticism, with both sexes more familiar with its informal language than with that of the female counterpart.

So why is this biologically normal, sexually safe, and immensely self-pleasurable act so stigmatized for women? Due to its liberating qualities that imply that women can be sexually satisfied without any part of the male, let alone his penis, female masturbation is a powerful and self-determining act, addressing the woman's needs and only the woman's needs. Women who masturbate rebel against the patriarchal system, rejecting the phallic penis in exchange for their own sexual self-exploration on a healthy quest to connect body and mind by establishing and fulfilling their own sexual needs. Although masturbation in general is very stigmatized, feminists are aware of and challenge the fact that sexual self-exploration for men is more socially accepted. This social acceptance is proven in studies that show that males masturbate more than females, and there are several different hypotheses as to why.

Goodbye CFC! Love, Kelsey the Intern

My internship with CFC is ending, and I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on this semester.  I like to think of my feminist beliefs and general perspective as always being in flux. They are ephemeral parts of my identity, anchored in my self-understanding and acceptance that I will never stop having questions, that there is no end goal, and that I will always remain self-critical.  So, what have I learned this semester?

I have learned that being a feminist is hard.  Maintaining your passion and gumption about deeply intimate themes (gender, sexuality, race) in a culture that does not value cultivating an equally complicated and extensive vocabulary in order to discuss these things, is tough.  

Confronting your own privilege, not once or twice, but as a pinky-swear, forever kind of commitment, does not always feel intuitive, accessible, or powerful.  But maybe that's the point.

Community matters, but it might just always leave someone out.  Inclusion/exclusion sometimes feels like a balancing act of political correctness that makes me uncomfortable.  

But community is also empowering (duh).  And sometimes, it is the imagined communities that send me on three-hour long Internet benders reading articles and comments, that I love the most. 

I have learned that there are so so so so so many wonderful, humble, dedicated people out there doing work that makes me feel both paralyzed in awe and ambitious beyond all get-out. And to them I am grateful.  

Thanks MN Women's Consortium!  It's been lovely. 

My Sheroes Part III

Continued...

 

I am stoked that it is still Women's History Month (and last week was International Women's day, with which I made many rants about intersectionality and appreciating and recognizing women from all over the globe and their tremendous efforts to promote women's roles, etc, as well as to progress all of our respected women's movements, etc). So in this week's "Sheroes" blog post, I'd like to focus on two international women who held significant roles in social justice movements in their communities:

 

Ani Pachen:

Ani Pachen(1933–2002) was a Tibetan Buddhist nun who led her clan in armed rebellion against China. She is known as the Tibetan Joan of Arc due to her peaceful protest and revolution against the Chinese invasion in Tibet. At the age of 17 she took her future into her hands and fled to a monastary after hearing of plans of an arranged marriage. She spent 18 years in the monastery. She inherited the leadership of the Lemdha Clan after he father died (and would also inherit accusations from the Chinese, due to her father's connections, helping to land her in jail). She led her clan in rebellion against the Communist Chinese. She led a guerrilla campaign of 600 fighters on horseback againstChinese tanks until her capture in late 1959. Pachen was released from prison in 1981, having endured many painful years full of torture (starvation, physical torture, etc). She dedicated her the rest of her life to resisting the Chinese in Lhasa and pushing towards Tibetan independence. She fled to the border upon learning that she was to be arrested again and wandered for several days in deep snow. She walked 25 days to Nepal and her lifelong dream to meet the Dalai Lama came true after she was granted a personal audience shortly after her arrival.

Her autobiography Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun is one of my favorite reads. Much like the autobiography of the Dalai Lama, it portrays a young individual not much different than myself and my peers (snobby, selfish, rude) who learned from their mistakes and passions and grew up into one of the greatest heroes of our time. She pioneered the way for many revolutionists and is still a wonderful symbol of peace and justice.

 

 

 

 

Ani Pachen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wangari Maathai:

(1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. In the 1970s she founded the Green-Belt Movement, an environmental and non-governmental organization focused on planting trees, conservation and women's rights. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.". She was an elected member of parliament and served as assistant minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005. Furthermore she was an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council. In 2011, Maathai died of complications from ovarian cancer.

 

I highly recommend reading Unbowed: A Memoir which highlights much of her achievements. Maathai was extremely involved in, not only her government, but globally, as well. In topics such as AIDS awareness, women's health, environmental justice, issues of racism, governmental/politics, etc. A prominent figure of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Wangari Maathai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Anna Ruhland

My Sheroes: Part II

Continuing on with my woman fighters, rebel rousers, top notch scientists, creative minds, goddesses and all the like (women I admire and aspire to be like) from last week (in celebration of Women's History Month), I would like to recognize the awesomeness that is...

Jane Goodall (or, Dame Jane Morris Goodall)

Jane Goodall is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. She is considered the foremost leader and expert on the study and preservation of chimpanzees. Having never had a formal scientific background, she championed her way into the field and research. She is known for her 45 yr study of social behaviours of chimpanzees, as well as being the founder of the Roots and Shoots program, apart of the Jane Goodall Institute. She travels several times a year to give talks all around the world (I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HER in CHICAGO!!! xoxoxoxo), hardly ever being able to take a break, to advocate for animals and the environment. 

Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold is an African American artist, best known for her painted story quilts. She is professor emeritus in theUniversity of California, San Diego visual art department. She was born and raised in Harlem, NYC. She was greatly influnced by fabric because she lived with her mother who worked as a fashion designer. This interest in fabric and textile arts would transfer into her later years and creations. She is well known for her collage/combination creations that integrate "high-art" and "craft" by telling stories through quilts and painting. She modeled these quilts off of the Buddhist Thangkas. She has also written over 17 children's books and received the Coretta Scott King award or one of them (Tar Beach). She is a prominent individual in the African American/art community. She has also been very active in multiple feminist and anti-racist organizations and movements. She formed the Ad Hoc Women's Art Committee which protested the Whitney Museum and demanded that more woman artists be represented. She also founded/helped form:Women Students and Artists for Black Art Liberation, National Black Feminist Organization & "Where We At" Black Women Artists (a NY based black women's art collective of the Black Arts Movement). She is an awesome woman, artist, activist and individual of this earth who greatly empowers many 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith Ringgold

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Annah Ruhland

Women's HERstory Month

Each year, I am ashamed to say, it always slips my mind that March is Women's History Month. I just totally forget that there is a month dedicated to the history of women. Why is that? It isn't because I don't think it's a good idea. It isn't because I don't love women (I think I have made it very clear that I do). It isn't because I don't consider myself a feminist (I mean...obviously...I'm interning at the Women's Consortium. I'm a die-hard feminist). I think the reason I forget is because, quite honestly, as a woman, as a women's studies student, EVERYday and EVERYmonth is Women's History month to me. I think about women, my makers and educators and those powerful individuals that have shaped me, I think about them and the stories they created, every waking second. These women are so powerful to me that they transcend a month of dedication. I'm not saying I disagree with this. I think it's wonderful (just as with Black History Month) that we have four weeks dedicated to the greatness of these oppressed peoples. I would hope, though, that after March (or February) is done that this awareness would continue on. However, despite the memoriams throughout these months, we tend to slip back into the rut of ourselves, of a patriarchal hegemonic society, once they are over. So I want to inspire us to notice these people (and, just in celebration of the impending month I will focus solely on women) in our everyday lives because, in all truth, they have impacted us in every way (even when we do not realize it).♀ I love ALL women (both transgender and cisgender women). I love womyn of all sizes, colors and sexualities. I love womyn of all ages, classes, nationalities and abilities. From all political backgrounds and passions. Women are my friends, my lover, my mentors and advisers, teachers, heroes, mother/grandmothers/aunts. I love women because they are strong, intelligent, capable and beautiful beings. I love women because they teach me how to be the woman I want to be. I love working with women, playing with women, collaborating with women, learning with women, talking to women and being artistic with women. Although the feminist movements had&have flaws, I am still proud to say that I am an advocate for feminism trying to champion and fix those failures. Because my love for all women is so strong, enduring, intense and true ♀ xoxo 

My SHEroes are the women who pioneered for me the notion that a woman is so much more than what societies allow her to be. A woman is more than a textbook history, more than a media portrayal. More than any of us may even know about ourselves. These women taught me how to be more...

♀♀♀♀For each week of this month

                  I will post a miniature bio

           of 2 of the women I most admire.♀♀♀♀

 Here is the beginning of the list of some of my personal SHEroes...

 

• Willa Cather: Was an American Novelist. Her stories detailed life on the Great Plains (some of her greatest works are O' Pioneer, Song of the Lark and My Antonia), her protagonists almost always were young women. She grew up in Nebraska, attended the University of Nebraska (where she often used the name "william", dressed in "man's clothes" and cut her hair short) and, later, won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel One of Ours (set during WWI). There is a lot buzz around whether or not Cather was a lesbian, but not much proof either way. Some debate that her writings had queer tendencies or could be applied to queer theory. Despite whether or not these accusations are true Cather's most significant and impactful friendship was with the editor Edith Lewis of whom she lived with for 39 years, until her death. Towards the end of her career she started receiving negative criticism that attacked her supposed "romantic" (etc) manner of writing. This criticism was hard on her and she became reclusive. Due to this she destroyed most of her drafts, letters, notebooks, etc. Her style of writing can be dubbed romantic (which has negative connotations), but I believe it is better described as poetic and detailed. Her depiction of women is that of strong individuals who hold powerful positions (they aren't made out to be bimbos or femme fatales). As a young girl in home-school my mother had me read My Antonia, and later I would be drawn to O, Pioneers as well as Song of the Lark. As a thirteen year old I loved having a strong, literary, woman figure to idolize and admire (the way they adventured, made friends, followed their dreams, kept the farm running, held a business, inherited their father's land, etc). Her characters made me dream of this life. They inspired adventure in me.

                                                        Willa Cather

• Sophie Scholl: *9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943* (along with the other members of the White Rose non-violence resistance group). Executed because she was convicted of high-treason, because of her/their resistance and revolutionary ideas/actions against Nazi Germany (non-violent opposition). Initially the group just consisted of her brother and his friends, they later realized what a vital role S.Scholl would have in the movement (being a woman, she was less of a suspect for the SS). They co-authored several anti-Nazi pamphlets. One of my greatest heroes & role models. She taught me the power of peaceful resistance and dedication to what you believe in. A wonderful, inspirational and brave individual to recognize and look up to.

                                                            Sophie Scholl
        

 

To be Continued...

-Anna Ruhland

My Ode to Menstruation

Usually I am not the biggest fan of Vice Magazine, --->but this article<---Usually I am not the biggest fan of Vice Magazine, but an article that was posted on their blog brings up some issues/ideas/opinions that I don't normally feel towards most things written for/by them. It's an article that consists of everyday images of female/woman-bodied individuals, doing monotonous, mundane things. The aspect of these photoraphs that is so "unique" or, "unusual", however, is that they are all bleeding/menstruating and the blood is soaking their garments or dripping down their legs. At first I thought 'wow, cool, this is advocating for women to embrace their natural, bodily function rather than hide it away!" but again, I thought "but would I do that? I'm very open about my period and am verbal about how much I love and embrace it but I would never let it drip all over me for everybody to see, just like I would never let any of my bodily fluids drip all over me and my clothing". But I'm hesitant to liken menstruation to other natural bodily fluids or excrements, bowel movements or urine, which are dirty soils and are associated with dirty things, things our bodies want to dispose of, things that pop-culture and the media like to make fun of and use as fodder for crude jokes. I want periods to be discussed in a manner that provides an arena for this beautiful, natural occurence to receive the recognition and acknowledgement that it deserves. I don't want it to be made into a joke, to have to go as far as to be made into this intense-in your face-sexualized bodily function or to have to stoop to the level of being subdued or stiffled. I want menstruation to be something that women can talk about comfortably, ask questions about. Maybe not necessarily blab about it at volume 10 in their co-ed classroom. But, then again, maybe male-bodied individuals need to learn how to respect menstruation enough to understand that it isn't something to be grossed or weirded out by. That, even if you ignore it or don't want to listen to people talking about it doesn't stop it from happening ALL THE TIME. I want women to be able to understand their bodies, to leave shame behind and learn how to completely and totally feel free and one with their physical selves. I want women to know how to adequatly take care of themselves, dote on their bodies, know what the different textures and colors mean, what varying menstrual products are best for their bodies, for the environment. I also want female/woman-bodied individuals to feel comfortable reading about their periods, looking at art creations (see: May Ling Su "On My Period", Carolee Schneemann *pulling a scroll out of her vagina*, Zanele Muholi, Ingrid Berthon-Moine, Judy Chicago "Red Flag", etc etc) that depict periods in an aesthetically beautiful, abstract and artistically rendered way. I want women to know where to search these resources out. I want women to come together and embrace one another and their shared, united similarities/experiences as well as their wonderful, apparent differences. I want women to be able to feel whole, welcomed, to realize that NO aspect of their body is wicked or dirty. To be able to sucessfully do this, however, we need to find a means in which we can talk about menstruation but also avoid conflict. How can we create a menstrual imagery without simultaneously creating menstrual hate, or, furthering societal/media stereotypes? Many artists have tried and succeeded, but many have also been silenced and, in their wake, have left behind a movement, despite it being one that is equally silenced. I despise how I feel like my period is pornographic, X-rated. I hate how, even posting this, I feel like I need to censor myself. Replace "period" with childish, flowery phrases like "my monthly visitor" or "when mother nature calls". It's called a PERIOD, dammit! There is nothing wrong or evil about that. There is nothing shameful or wrong, and this is what I am thankful for these artists, social media (some) and individuals for attempting to do. I love my period because it reminds me of who I am, who the women before me were. And this is my personal account, because I am fortunate enough to have been born in a body that I feel right in. Menstruation is a constant reminder of that. I celebrate when it arrives, despite my groaning. I look forward to it coming because it makes me feel alive, like a woman, like a functioning body that operates the way I want it to operate. We need to reclaim menstruation, for ourselves (if our bodies are those that we are comfortable living in), and for others and to recognize the constant beauty and wonderful functions and creations that it can and does provide.

 

-Anna Ruhland

Greetings, feminists/advocates of Feminism!

Hello! I am your College Feminists Connect Campus Coordinator

My name is Anna Ruhland and I will be your new CFC campus Coordinator. I am freshly graduated from Saint Catherine's University where I earned a BA in Art history (minoring in Women's Studies). I am looking forward to a future overflowing with community organizing, art, feminism, equality, queer theory and change (for the better!) I am suupppaaa-dee-duppaa excited to be interning at the Women's Consortium and to be given the opportunity to work with the women/womyn/all persons* in this community to promote and fight for change! But first things first...                                                      

• I had a feminist radioshow during my time at SCU called "TestosterNOzone" (eh ehe h) where I played (mainly) Doo-Wop, French ye-ye and all our favorite grrrrll hits from the 90's. I miss radio/that form of media so much it hurts! I am currently working on building up a demo to submit to radio stations/volunteering at KFAI so that I can learn the tricks of the trade, make connections and get my foot in the door so that I can eventually start up my beloved radio show once agan!
• I am applying to gradschools (yelp!) and my dream would be to be able to go to McGill University in Montreal to earn a masters in Women/gender/queer and Media Studies. Also, Montreal is sooo pretty and Canada is the best. Also, a little bit of me finds some romanticism in becoming an ex-pat, but that might just be because I love Jean Seberg/the movie "Breathless" and I really just want to live in France for an American newspaper publishing company. Oh well, one can dream...
• I applied to volunteer at Avarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica twice, because I love sloths so much, but they never responded back to me...I'm just assuming the delayed response is due to the fact that they are working with sloths and the slothiness is rubbing off on them
• I am in a women/Trans* only bike maintenance class at Cycles for Change and I am learning how to deconstruct and repair a bike! It's awesome and I love that St. Paul is finally receiving some queer love!

I look forward to hearing from you, opening up discussions, answering questions, sharing news, knowledge and ideas! Feel free to contact me at : cfc@mnwomen.org

Hey New Feminist Friends!

I'm Kelsey Woida - your new campus liaison from Macalester College in Saint Paul.  I will be an intern at CFC this spring semester, and I'm pumped to start sharing some of feminist insights, questions, and hopes with people who care.  Here are some things you may like to know about me:

-I'm a junior studying Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a concentration in Critical Theory

-I have a tattoo of a human pelvis on my left arm - a visual ode to my commitment to feminisms, sexuality, hips, and the different ways people sit in their bodies/how this informs their experience of the world

-I have a cat named Roger who hangs out with me while I manically write poetry late into the night

-My current obsessions include: learning electric guitar, breakfast foods, Patti Smith, and growing out my hair yet again

Feel free and encouraged to comment on my posts, let's share some stories!

Kelsey

Communications and Outreach Intern

The Minnesota Women's Consortium is seeking an Intern for Fall of 2012. The internship requires a variety of responsibilites and tasks, ranging from writing newsletters, managing social networking sites, as well as researching various topics. This internship may provide college credits, requiring 10-12 hours of work each week. For more information on the position or if you are interested in applying, click here.