EqualityQuilt

In the PINK

This "LOVE PINK" fad has been driving me crazy lately.  If you spend any time whatsoever on any given middle school, high school, or college campus, you know why.  It's everywhere.  From tshirts and sweatpants to exposed undergarments to totebags and waterbottles, you literally cannot avoid seeing the ubiquitous "LOVE PINK" logo anywhere there are large numbers of young(ish) women or girls.  

So - go to the mall: LOVE PINK.  Go to college: LOVE PINK.  Watch TV: LOVE PINK.  It's everywhere.  It's completely overwhelming.  And it says a lot more than just "I like pink".  What it really says, on the basest level, is "I'm wearing sexy underwear beneath this skintight neon sweatsuit, and I want the whole world to know!"  But also, "I'm a walking billboard for a company that claims to market to "college-aged women" but in the real world sells sexy bras, panties, and logo-emblazoned clothing to tweens and teens and encourages them to aspire to impossible beauty/body standards!" And also, "I LOVE PINK! These sweatpants are a subliminal reference to my genitalia!"  Because if you don't think the name of the PINK line is intended to make us think of women's objectified sexual bodies, you're living in a cave.  The word "pink" is common slang for women's genitals.  This is not a happy coincidence.

Victoria's Secret has made repeated claims that the "LOVE PINK" line is marketed to college-aged women.  One click on their website tells me otherwise.  But so does common logic.  When college-aged women like something and wear it a lot, it's quickly going to trickle down into high school fashion requirements.  Because what do teen girls want most?  To be like college girls.  And, similarly - what do tween girls want?  To be teenagers.  

So it really doesn't so much shock me when I see a 12 year old girl walking down the street with a giant "PINK" plastered on her rear end.  What shocks me is that nobody seems to care or think this is unhealthy.  If adolescent girls are wearing PINK, they're obviously watching the Victoria's Secret models and hoping to emulate them - starting, apparently, with buying an entire wardrobe of "PINK".  This wardrobe is not limited to bras and panties and sweatsuits!  A plethora of accessories are available for all: Wallets, beach towels, blankets and bedding, water bottles, and tote bags touting the PINK logo are some of the more popular items I've spotted on my daily commute.  

What, might I ask, is the purpose of toting around a LOVE PINK water bottle?  Oh, right.  To tell everybody - professors, grandparents, peers, and most importantly, BOYS - that you're wearing sexy undies.  And also, that you have enough disposable income to be able to buy this kind of crap.  The "PINK" brand's pervasiveness doesn't just contribute to the hypersexualization of young women, it also contributes to the neverending class wars that take place between America's young people.

So please.  If you're going to see me today, leave the "PINK" at home.  I might have a temper tantrum over it.

-Trisha

 

Monday Member Spotlight: Laura Jeffrey Academy

Who They Are

Laura Jeffrey Academy is an all girls, tuition free charter school located in Saint Paul. LJA serves grades five through eight and offers a comprehensive approach to education. Their curriculum and learning environment is meant to help girls become well rounded, competent, compassionate, and intelligent individuals.

Their Promise

"...provide an environment where students are free to learn, to explore their potential, to discover their brilliance and develop their intellect."

What They Do

Through their comprehensive approach to education LJA strives to help girls achieve seven principles;

Mutual Responsibility and Individual Accountability

Searching for Truths

Building Empathy

Generosity of Spirit

Becoming Competent

Acknowledging Paradox and Dilemma

Recognizing Strength in Vulnerability

For more information on Laura Jeffrey Academy visit their website.

Buzzworthy

Here's what you missed if you've been on overdrive in this heatwave:

1. Cuts in foreign aid proposed by the House Foreign Relations Committee would reinstate the Global Gag Rule.
2. The stomping grounds of many great writers past, Granta –the litererary magazine of Cambridge University—covers the F-word.
3. Our own Senator Franken takes on Focus on the Family rep in DOMA proceedings.
4. The effect of climate change on girls is damaging and far reaching.
5. Representative West (R-FL) let’s his colleague know what he thinks is unladylike of his colleague.
6. Could birth control soon be covered for all?
7. MN state government is up and running, but it’s unclear what exactly will be the effect on women that use the many social programs that have seen cuts with the new budget deal. The deal delays $700 million of payments to schools, which will affect some member groups and could impact programs for girls throughout the state.
8. Got offensive advertising?
   
   

 

Buzzworthy

It’s been a wild week at the Consortium, but now that we have successfully completed yet another Annual Meeting, we’ve spent some time brushing up on our current events.

1. Girls geeked out for Google: a step for young women interested in the sciences.
2. Betty Ford passed away this week, leaving a legacy of the feminist FLOTUS.
3. On to the next: The US Women’s World Cup Team goes head to head with Japan in the FIFA Women's World Cup Final on Sunday, July 15 at 1:00 PM CST.
4. Women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, so new studies on prevention could be great news for women around the world.
5. The YWCA International Women’s Summit was held in Zurich, Switzerland, this week, where female world leaders focused on “Creating a Safe World” for women and girls.
6.  Court rulings in the last few weeks show the importance of allies of all types in defending reproductive rights.
7. Is it really a surprise to see a gender gap in specific careers? Looks like foreign policy experts are lacking a woman’s touch just like other industries.

Kicking and Screaming

We all remember it. The moment the sports bra hit the scene. The 1999 Women’s World Cup final and the penalty kick that brought Brandy Chastain to whip off her jersey and fall to her knees in celebration.

Having played soccer for years as a kid, I have seen (and participated in) my fair share of reenactments. Sadly, I never did have such a nail-biting, brilliant shoot-out.

This summer, we watch the women of the sport, the crème de la crème, play their hearts out in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011.

I constantly feel as though women’s sports do not receive enough attention. Title IX or not, advertising budgets for any women’s sporting event pales in comparison to those for the meccas of male athletics: the Super Bowl, the World Series, etc. This attitude for preference for male sports trickles down to the college and high school levels, where men’s sports continue to bring larger crowds and dollar signs.

It is really frusterating as a female athlete to see these disparities. I know that no matter the talent that I have played with or witness, the chances that a female athlete will receive the glory that a male athlete could are slim.

As angry as I could get, for the time being I will enjoy witnessing the talent of the women in the World Cup tournament. It is AWESOME to see ladies kickin’ butt on the field and the energy that their fans put behind them. They provide great role models for young girls in sports, something that I know that my generation was thankful for. I know that this year’s tourney will turn out the same.

Maybe in homage to the event, I will take my next run a la women of 1999, sans my old practice tee.

Who Is On Her Side?

"What really grabs my attention is how you said this is tearing the community apart. Who isn't on the girl's side?" - Nick from 93X's Half Assed Morning Show

This was said in response to news that the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl by multiple young men is wreaking havoc on the community of Cleveland, Texas. According to reports from The Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, and FoxNews.com the girl was invited to drive around with one suspect, who is 19. He then brought her back to his home, which he shares with a second suspect, also 19. It was at this home, and later, an abandoned trailer where the girl was sexually assaulted under threat of beating by these two men and multiple others (police currently have 17 suspects). The assault came to light when the girl's teacher was shown cell phone videos the young men took during the assault and later distributed to friends. 

With proof of video, it would seem logical for the Cleveland, Texas community to rally in support of the 11-year-old victim. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Since the assault became public the victim's family has been receiving threatening phone calls while members of the community purport the girl wore to much make-up, dressed inappropriately for her age, and spent time with teenage boys. In fact, the victim has received little sympathy or support while the accused men were referred to as being "drawn into such an act".

Let's get real for a second. Did an 11-year-old girl really "draw in" seventeen different men to threaten her with beatings if she refused to have sex with them? Did she also connive her way into getting those men to record the acts on cell phones and later distribute them? That explanantion does not seem logical, right? That is because it is not. What we are seeing in these reports is a classic case of victim blaming. This community does not want to admit that it is capable of producing seventeen different young men who, at one time, deemed the act of raping an 11-year-old appropriate. So, blame her. Blame the atrocious acts of these young men on the way their victim dressed and her parents lack of supervision. No one seems concerned with the lack of parental supervision on the part of the perpetrators, considering a number of them are junior high and high school age.

This incident illustrates a key problem with how American society handles sexual assault. Instead of placing responsibility on perpetrators we pick apart the victim. We have bought into the myth that no person would commit such a horrific act without instigation or mental defect. So, when seemingly normal young men rape an 11-year-old girl we assume she did something wrong.

It is a sad statement about our social atmosphere that this attitude still exists - that the Cleveland, Texas community is not standing behind this survivor. Yet, there is hope. Victim blaming, though still pervasive, is being called out more often. I was ridiculously pleased with the reaction of 93X's Nick. He gets it - he understood that this girl did nothing wrong and deserves none of the blame for what happened to her. If society could collectively move in that direction think of the miraculous effect it would have on sexual violence. It would aid in healing and validation for survivors and possibly even prevent future sexual assaults. If society recognizes that perpetrators are solely responsible for their actions, that victims do not instigate attacks, then maybe sexual violence will become a horror of the past. - Jen Kaltveit

 

Save the date for Girls Rock! the Capitol on February 21, 2011.

Girls Rock! the Capitol, hosted by the Minnesota Women's Consortium, is an annual leadership and civic engagement program for girls ages 13 – 18. At a day long program held at the Minnesota Capitol, girls learn about state government, activism, and how to interact with elected officials. The girls present and attend workshops on issues pertinent to their lives, hold a mock election and committee hearing, and interact face to face with elected officials. Throughout the day the girls are exposed to women in leadership roles. Through this education, role modeling, and hands-on practice, the girls learn to advocate for themselves and what they believe in. This year we are pleased to have 20 young college women from 4 Middle Eastern countries, hosted by Girls International Forum, join us for this event.

While there are many public policy programs targeting youth, there are very few focused specifically on girls. Girl-focused programming allows girls to talk openly and honestly about issues specific to them. By allowing girls the freedom to openly engage each other in a dialogue free from the distraction of gendered learning systems, girls gain confidence to become leaders and advocate for other women and girls. In addition, research on youth leadership and political participation shows that youth from all economic and social backgrounds are more likely to be politically involved in their communities when they are given access to elected officials and knowledge of the political and civic system. When girls are given the tools needed to build confidence and leadership, they develop skills to be independent, successful adults.

Registration for this event will open on January 17, 2011. Write Erin Parrish for more information.

The Girl Effect

If you are not familiar with The Girl Effect, you should be. Created by the Nike Foundation, the Girl Effect is a movement driven by girl champions around the globe. The Girl Effect is also supported by the United Nations Foundation, the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, International Center for Research on Women, the Population Council, CARE, the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, the Center for Global Development, Plan, and the Girl Hub. According to their website, the Girl Effect is "the unique potential of 600 million adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world." Check out the incredibly moving and powerful video below:

Learn more about The Girl Effect and get involved here.