The Battle of the Body

http://lifewise.canoe.ca/StyleBeauty/Beauty/2014/08/29/21906576.html

Actress Keira Knightly has been mentioned in this blog in regards to her work in the fight against domestic violence. Knightly recently posed topless in an Interview magazine photoshoot. But this wasn't a typical nude photoshoot. This was meant to show her fans what she really looks like without computer enhancements. In the past her body had been altered to look curvier and her breasts larger. Enough was enough. Here as you see above (censored), Knightly stands in a model pose but with bony, skinny, muscle-less body with small breasts. This is a clear message to the misrepresentation of women in magazines. The photo seems to say, "Take it or leave it!"

In an interview with The Times, Knightley stated, "I think women's bodies are a battleground. And photography is partly to blame." Knightly is one of many female celebrities who have taken a stand against unrealistic beauty standards. The list ranges from Jamie Lee Curtis, Lorde, Kate Winslet, Ashley Benson, Colbie Caillet, Lady GaGa, to Gisele Bundchen and countless others. These women, who have been looked up to by millions of young girls and women, are speaking up. They have pimples, they have fat and they have wrinkles. Society has some how managed to convince women that none of that is okay. That we have to look "beautiful" all the time in order to be accepted. 

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html

If you are interested in the process of how computer enhancement works, here is a shocking clip produced by The Dove Self-Esteem Fund:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U&spfreload=10

Sources:

• http://time.com/3572400/keira-knightley-topless-celebrities-protest-photoshop/

Gender Equality Report

http://womennewsnetwork.net/2012/02/22/gender-equality-an-economic-necessity/

Last month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a report regarding the current worldwide gender gap. The report measures female economic participation, education, health and political involvement. Overall women currently have 60% of the standing of men. It will apparently take 81 years for the gender gap to close if progress continues at the present rate. The report, however, does not measure quality of life amongst women; this includes reproductive freedom. 

All five of the Nordic Countries, which includes Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, have closed more than 80% of their gender gap. Nicaragua went up to the sixth position followed by Rwanda. The United States doesn't even show up on the top ten list.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/28/not-one-country-has-fully-closed-gender-gap-yet-report-shows

Unfortunately the political empowerment gap is at a meager metric of 21%. This means that 2 out of 10 positions represent women. According to the WEF, this is an improvement since the last report in 2006. 

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/28/not-one-country-has-fully-closed-gender-gap-yet-report-shows

Overall it seems that Iceland is the best place on Earth in terms of gender equality. Let's all move to Iceland!

Sources:

• http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/28/not-one-country-has-fully-closed-gender-gap-yet-report-shows

President Erdogan's Sexist Comments

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/tag/feminism/

President Recap Tayyip Erdogan has been in the news a lot lately. Everything from his inability to take action against ISIS to the construction of a new 50-acre presidential palace, has not painted a pleasant picture of this secularist nation. But President Erdogan has succeeded in sparking outrage again within the international community. In a women's right conference in Ankara last week, Erdogan made several offensive comments. At a women's rights conference no less!
Here are some of the things that he said:

"You cannot make women and men equal; this is against nature."

"You cannot subject a pregnant woman to the same working conditions as a man. You cannot make a mother who has to breastfeed her child equal to a man. You cannot make women do everything men do like the communist regimes did...This is against her delicate nature."

"Feminists don't accept the concept of motherhood."

"But those who do understand are enough for us. We'll continue down this path with them."

These comments instantly sparked an outflow of arguments on social media. Family and Social Policies Minister Aysenur Isla interrupted the speech and insisted on questioning the Minister. She was removed from the room by security as a disturbance.

This is not the first time the public has become aware of Erdogan's sexist beliefs. In August he made other sexist comments along with a proposal to limit abortion rights and the morning-after pill.

The President of Turkey clearly needs to take a Gender Studies class. Not only are his comments offensive and unacceptable, but they are also not backed up with facts. Show me the facts regarding pregnant women's productivity! "Delicate nature"? What century is he living in? Mustafa Kemal sought to bring Turkey out of the dark ages and into the light of a just and equal society. I don't even understand where he learned that feminists weren't good mothers. Does that make my mother unfit? Just because she believes in equality? Clearly, Erdogan's comments lack any form of accuracy or authority.

http://womensrightsny.com/blawg/archive/discrimination/

Sources:

• http://rt.com/news/208315-erdogan-women-men-equal/
• http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-turkey-erdogan-20141129-story.html#page=1

What if Men Walked a Day in Our Shoes?

Here is another important video that is truly unique. What if men were treated the way women are treated now? Well the director of the film Majorité Opprimée (Oppressed Majority), Elénore Pourriat wants to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4UWxlVvT1A&spfreload=10

Sources:

• http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2014/feb/11/oppressed-majority-film-women-eleonore-pourriat

Civil Rights for Pregnant Women

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21207781

Well the mid-term elections didn't go so well for those who wished to enhance the reproductive rights of women. Now that republicans have taken over both the House and the Senate, we can expect harsher abortion laws. But I'm not writing this post about abortion rights. I'm writing about the rights of women who want to have a baby. Recently Lynn M. Paltrow and Jeanne Flavin published an op-ed article in the New York Times bringing to light an upsurge in arrests of pregnant women accused of attempting to harm their child. According to the article, "such laws are increasingly being used as the basis for arresting women who have no intention of ending a pregnancy and for preventing women from making their own decisions about how they will give birth."

The article listed a number of outrageous cases where pregnant women have not only been arrested on bogus charges but led to their deaths. There has been an on going effort on the part of conservatives to not only restrict abortion access but advocate for the "personhood" rights of fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses.

In Washington D.C, a judge ordered seriously ill 27-year old woman who was 2 months pregnant to have a cesarean section. He knew that the procedure what potentially be data. As a result the woman and her baby did not survive.

In Utah, a woman who gave birth to twins was arrested after one came out as a stillborn. There was suspicion that the woman's decision to hold off on a c-section was worthy of charges of fetal homicide. In Florida a woman who went into labor at home was arrested by a sheriff and strapped down in an ambulance. She was then forced to have a cesarean. When the mother went to court it was concluded that a "woman's personal constitutional right clearly did not outweigh the interests of the State of Florida in preserving the life of the unborn chid."

Since 2005, around 380 pregnant women have been arrested under these accusations. The liberties of pregnant women are under attack. Not only is the right to an abortion being harshly restricted but a pregnant woman's right to make her own choices, medical privacy, physical integrity and much more. The cases I have shared are just a few of the outrageous charges made against women. These actions seem to be those made in the middle ages and not in the 21st century. We are living in a Margaret Atwood novel where women are being used solely as baby carriers rather than human beings.

Sources:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/opinion/pregnant-and-no-civil-rights.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence Awareness Video

Domestic Violence Awareness month has just past (October) so I believe it is important that I share this disturbing, but poignant video addressing domestic violence. Keira Knightley has been in the new a lot lately, especially due to her naked photoshoot. The photos were taken to send a message about the diversity of women's bodies. So Keira Knightley is very much an activist in the world of women's rights. This video I believe is one of her most impressive statements. Two women die every week as a results of domestic violence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4RjsqPYaS0&spfreload=10

A Declaration of Women's Rights in Syria

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/self-ruling-kurdish-region-in-syria-issues-womens-rights-decree-monitor.aspx?pageID=238&nID=74086&NewsCatID=352

A women's rights decree has been issued by officials in a predominantly Kurdish province in northeastern Syria. It is a 30-point decree created by the "self-ruling democracy of Jazira province." Jazira refers to the northeastern province of Hasaka that has gained self-rule as a result of the Syrian civil war.

This decree calls for "equality between men and women in all spheres of public and private life" and that women have the right to hold public office and get equal pay for equal work. It also addresses the  problem of child marriage. They declared that no woman should be married below the age of 18 and that polygamy should be prevented. A women's right to divorce and the prevention of "honor killing" was also addressed.

This decree has partly been brought to the spotlight in the midst of ISIS insurgents who have gained control in much of the region. ISIS has captured and forced women to abide by strict laws. The terrorist organization provided what it calls "religious justification" for the enslavement of women and children as spoils of war.

It is unclear how this self-ruling region will impact the equality of women but it is a significant step in the fight against women's oppression.

Sources:

• http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/self-ruling-region-syria-issues-womens-rights-decree-n244526
• http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/self-ruling-kurdish-region-in-syria-issues-womens-rights-decree-monitor.aspx?pageID=238&nID=74086&NewsCatID=352