XU Women's Center

howiviewafrica: Wendy Luhabe, Founder, Women Private Equity...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:59:28 -0400

Wendy Luhabe, Founder, Women Private Equity Fund.

uhaulsupergraphics: Before the mighty Supergirl, Electra,...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:59:02 -0400

Before the mighty Supergirl, Electra, Catwoman or Wonder Woman, there was Sacajawea, a real-life heroine. March is National Women’s History Month. You can learn about how Sacajawea helped explore America here

dusktilldawnvintage: Annie Oakley continued to set records into...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:35:03 -0500

dusktilldawnvintage:

Annie Oakley continued to set records into her sixties, and she also engaged in extensive, albeit quiet, philanthropy for women’s rights and other causes, including the support of specific young women that she knew. She embarked on a comeback and intended to star in a feature-length silent movie. In a 1922 shooting contest in Pinehurst, North Carolina, sixty-two-year-old Oakley hit 100 clay targets in a row from 16 yards (15 m).

Military Sexual Abuse: A Greater Menace Than Combat

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:33:58 -0500

Military Sexual Abuse: A Greater Menace Than Combat:

The most tragic consequence of self-protection from sexual assault is the deaths of several women soldiers in Iraq who died from dehydration in their sleep. Despite the 120-degree desert heat and little to no air conditioning, they stopped drinking liquids after 3 or 4 PM. They did so to avoid using remote, unlit latrines after dark because of the high risk of being raped by fellow soldiers. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, senior US military commander in Iraq, ordered a coverup of this potentially explosive news, directing the reporting surgeon to omit in oral briefs that the deceased soldiers were women and not to list the cause of death on their death certificates. His attitude? “The women asked to be here, so now let them take what comes with the territory.”

Feminism

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:21:15 -0500

blindandstupid:

It’s every guy’s dream to come home to a loving wife that will make him a sandwich, get him a beer, and keep her mouth shut whilst doing so. Ok, scratch that. This isn’t the 20th century here. Fellas, you should be more than capable of making your damn sandwiches and the jokes about the kitchen are fucking stupid. As usual, there is always something about humanity which happens to piss me off, and sexism is one these things. We all know that women are not at the equal political, financial, religious, and societal stature as men, and this injustice has existed through too much of human history. Men have traditionally always been the providers for the family while women were the nurturers staying at home with the children. Even when we, as a species, were finally able to walk upright, the males hunted and brought home the meat, while the women would gather and perform tasks that were not as physically dangerous or demanding. Well if you wish to continue with that antiquated point of view, you should stop reading and go fuck yourself.

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unauthorized cinnamon: Instant thoughts.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:43:00 -0500

unauthorized cinnamon: Instant thoughts.:

It’s crazy how much we agree on the points of Madonna and Sue and the rampant ageism. You are the only other person I have seen to put those things together.

Ageism

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:52:48 -0500

Ok, so after the much hyped (and kind of disappointing, let’s be honest) performance of Madonna at the Halftime show of the Superbowl, and just recently watching the most recent episode of Glee, I wondered what the recent rash of sexist, ageist media means for the current state of affairs for women in television. Sure, we are used to seeing half-naked women being used to sell everything from beer to toothpaste, but what of this idea of age and gender intersectionality?

Even I can admit that Madonna’s halftime show was sluggish and just a little awkward. Her age was a factor for me simply because it seemed she was trying to hard to overcome it, to somehow be young and be her legendary-self, simultaneously. It was sad to watch that magnificent performer embody our society’s issues about older women and express them in her performance so…accidently. But let’s face it: Madonna is a female performer. Brice Springsteen is a legendary rocker extraordinaire who’s age was a plus, not a hindrance. He flowed comfortably through his performance, embarrassing his saged rocker-style. Madonna, on the other hand, looked as if she was trying to convince people that NOTHING about her has changed in 30 years, which is simply not true. The same society, however, that has made her and many other women actresses, singers, etc. feel that they need to be young in order to be viable, condemned her for that very attitude.

But worst of all, truly, was the treatment of Sue Sylvester on last night’s episode of glee. “The Spanish Teacher” saw a kinder, gentler version of the acerbic-tongued Sue, attempting to get sperm (yes, you read that correctly), sperm…from the students and staff of McKinley High, because she is so lonely and depressed that she wants a child. Of course, because she is a strong female character (who is admittedly evil), the only way to soften her is to put her into the socially accepted role of mother.

Let me just say: Sue Sylvester is absolutely my favorite character on Glee. She is strong, capable, and really mean at times, but most of the canvas of that show is royally messed up in their own ways. While I thought making Sue a proponent of eating disorders was deplorable, I enjoy that she allows herself to be flawed.

I thought the treatment of her character last night was very sad. Worst than that (much worst) however is that I have seen NO ONE comment on how very ageist Coach Roz’s rant to Sue about not being a woman anymore because she is close to menopause. While I thought her delivery was flawless (I admittedly laughed out loud), when I rewound the scene and watched again, I found what she said to be so completely offensive. I expected to go to tumblr and find people OUTRAGED by what she said, in the way that people are rightfully upset when Sue mentions Mercedes’ weight. Where is the righteous indignation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGiRL6vjGak

After watching the much-hyped MJ episode of Glee, this was the...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:03:19 -0500

After watching the much-hyped MJ episode of Glee, this was the only salvageble song we found. Amber Riley is brilliant and Chord Overstreet blended very well with her.

what do you think?

Notable Women in Black HERstory

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:02:51 -0500

Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) was a dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. Born in St Louis, Missouri, she renounced her American citizenship in 1937 to become French. She was given such nicknames as the “Bronze Venus”, the “Black Pearl”, and the “Créole Goddess”.

Baker was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States (she was offered the unofficial leadership of the movement by Coretta Scott King in 1968 following Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, but turned it down),^[3] for assisting the French Resistance during World War II,^[4] and for being the first American-born woman to receive the French military honor, the Croix de guerre.

Read this now: "Why Women Should Stop Acting Like Men to be Leaders"

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:05:49 -0500

Read this now: "Why Women Should Stop Acting Like Men to be Leaders":

gaywrites:

Men don’t push eight pound human beings out of deeply personal places. Men don’t undergo hormonal changes every month. Men don’t have to be constantly reminded of what sexy looks like via a higher percentage of sexual images of themselves displayed across magazines, billboards, TV commercials, etc.

Yet we hear women cautioned to “act like a man.” What does that mean exactly?

Caught your attention, didn’t it?

This ABC story debunks the cultural colloquialism that women who want to get ahead in business and in life should act less “like women” and more “like men.” This concept poses problems from the very beginning - what do those descriptions even mean?

We certainly have fewer women leaders in the world than men leaders, and we know that men’s brains are more hardwired towards aggression while women’s are more closely tuned to emotion. But does that mean masculine aggression is what makes a good leader? Nope. In fact, the four most important qualities in a leader, listed in the text of the story, have nothing to do with gender.

This article makes a fantastic case for women’s empowerment by stating flat-out that you don’t need to be a man to make it in this world. Whether or not you have interest in gender-type stories, you need to read this piece. It’ll teach you something, no matter how far up the ladder you are.

What do you think? Real? Or MISSrepresentation? Let us know

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:37:22 -0500

What do you think? Real? Or MISSrepresentation? Let us know

Miss Representation

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:14:07 -0500

Come join the Xavier University Women’s Center tomorrow, January 31, 2012 for Miss Representation, a discussion of the imagery of women in the media. In a world of Playboy bunnies, scantily-clad pop stars, and yes, Snookie, is they way women are perceived real? Or is it Miss Representation?

Jan. 31. 2012

CLC 412

7p-9p

Photo

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:13:14 -0500

gaywrites: Check out Sofia Vergara’s commercial for her line at...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:18:12 -0500

gaywrites:

Check out Sofia Vergara’s commercial for her line at Kmart. What do you think of her saying “you’re a woman, so dress like one”? Personally I don’t think any harm was intended, but maybe they could have chosen a different slogan. (Thanks for the news tip, myofficeglows!) What do you think?

This day in HERstory...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:43:12 -0500

1542: Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, born (queen of Scotland, queen consort of France)

"My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, marry rich men..."

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:28:17 -0500

““My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting.” (9.142)”

- Little Women

This day in HERstory...

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:26:08 -0500

November 29, 1832- Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, was born in Mass

"Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before."

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:38:11 -0500

“Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before.”

- Gloria Steinem

Who is your favorite woman in history?

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:36:57 -0500

We at the women’s center take note of many, many wonderful women in history. We are all partial to certain individuals because of things they have accomplished that relate to our own lives. My name is Andi, and I am the editor or the women’s center tumblr. My favorite notable woman in women’s history right now is Gloria Steinem, but I change quite often. Read more about Gloria here: http://www.gloriasteinem.com/

This day in HERstory...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:32:37 -0500

On November 28, 1919, Nancy Astor, American-born wife of Waldorf Astor, became the first woman in British history to be elected to and take a seat in Parliament. She took his seat in the House of Commons when he moved to the House of Lords. (Constance Markiewicz was elected in 1918 from Dublin but as a Sinn Fein member did not take her seat in the House of Commons.)