Jean Kilbourne came and spoke at Ramapo today. I'd like to think that the ads aimed at/ about women are getting better, but I do not trust my judgement since it feels as if I live in a bubble here.
Before Dr. Kilbourne came Mandy wanted to redo the bulletin board so I was sent to the bookstore to buy magazines that would have objectifying images of women. I looked through the magazines and kept asking myself what offended me. Not a lot of it. Now, does that mean I'm desensitized or that it's gotten better? Or maybe my habit of making excuses for people has led to explaining away offensive images dreamt up by corporate CEO's?
I brought my purchases back to Mandy (a GQ and some In Touch magazines grabbed out of desperation) and questioned a lot of what she picked. I walked away from her and some other coworkers because I had my own program to run. That's how my day started. Doesn't sound that bad, I know, but most of my days have been garnished with a side of Anxiety and tension.
I walk around with my stomach in knots when I turn corners, but I have found a new lightness that will take the place of any pain in due time. I feel like I have woken up from a 2 years long dream. It's hard to wake up and realize another person's reality was your illusion, but I'm better for the knowing. I am happy to be done with it.
*
I leave on Sunday morning , 7am. Saturday will be spent packing and Friday is all about being with Melanie in NYC. Oh and Nora will be up tomorrow evening. A good start to break. I can't wait to get to Asheville and away from here. I need to get out of my head. (out of this weather)
I'm going to apply for an internship in Philly for the fall. The org. is called Women in Transition, and it's a women's shelter there. I figure I'll take whatever job I can to make rent while I intern there and hopefully that will lead to a good job. My time at the Women's Center has helped me tremendously, but I have not had enough person to person contact/experience with women who are actually in need of services and not just who need condoms. There have been a few times when I have been able to really help a client who was experiencing abuse in a relationship or suffering from an eating disorder, but they have been few and far between and I need more work like that.
Right now I'm pretty swamped with programs at the Women's Center. Mainly two.. first, the most important one to me Bodies Not Voices Vigil .. to raise awareness about eating disorders, to remember those who have died and are suffering from them. That's finalized for April 17th as of today (event/conferences meetings are frightening at ramapo. ) And then there's Female Friendly Funk on 3/22. This should be really good and I'm excited about it. It'll be the, um.., fifth and last FFF I will put on. I am motivated by this being my last semester. All but two of my semesters here have been bad, and I'm hoping this semester can be added to those two.
And make some noise about this:
Before Dr. Kilbourne came Mandy wanted to redo the bulletin board so I was sent to the bookstore to buy magazines that would have objectifying images of women. I looked through the magazines and kept asking myself what offended me. Not a lot of it. Now, does that mean I'm desensitized or that it's gotten better? Or maybe my habit of making excuses for people has led to explaining away offensive images dreamt up by corporate CEO's?
I brought my purchases back to Mandy (a GQ and some In Touch magazines grabbed out of desperation) and questioned a lot of what she picked. I walked away from her and some other coworkers because I had my own program to run. That's how my day started. Doesn't sound that bad, I know, but most of my days have been garnished with a side of Anxiety and tension.
I walk around with my stomach in knots when I turn corners, but I have found a new lightness that will take the place of any pain in due time. I feel like I have woken up from a 2 years long dream. It's hard to wake up and realize another person's reality was your illusion, but I'm better for the knowing. I am happy to be done with it.
*
I leave on Sunday morning , 7am. Saturday will be spent packing and Friday is all about being with Melanie in NYC. Oh and Nora will be up tomorrow evening. A good start to break. I can't wait to get to Asheville and away from here. I need to get out of my head. (out of this weather)
I'm going to apply for an internship in Philly for the fall. The org. is called Women in Transition, and it's a women's shelter there. I figure I'll take whatever job I can to make rent while I intern there and hopefully that will lead to a good job. My time at the Women's Center has helped me tremendously, but I have not had enough person to person contact/experience with women who are actually in need of services and not just who need condoms. There have been a few times when I have been able to really help a client who was experiencing abuse in a relationship or suffering from an eating disorder, but they have been few and far between and I need more work like that.
Right now I'm pretty swamped with programs at the Women's Center. Mainly two.. first, the most important one to me Bodies Not Voices Vigil .. to raise awareness about eating disorders, to remember those who have died and are suffering from them. That's finalized for April 17th as of today (event/conferences meetings are frightening at ramapo. ) And then there's Female Friendly Funk on 3/22. This should be really good and I'm excited about it. It'll be the, um.., fifth and last FFF I will put on. I am motivated by this being my last semester. All but two of my semesters here have been bad, and I'm hoping this semester can be added to those two.
And make some noise about this:
posted by Kate at Tuesday, March 06, 2007
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