Edited Journal Post 3: Girls are NOT worthless Wk. 13

            Written by Cynthia Fuchs, “The Untouchables Push Back in ‘Pink Saris,’” (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/151824-pink-saris-its-a-womans-problem/) the article includes the story of a strong woman by the name of Sampat Pal. A massive problem still in India today is domestic abuse of women, despite laws passed against it. The program Pink Saris focuses on the corrupt tradition of girls becoming married, raped, impregnated, and abused at an extremely young age. It is Sampat’s mission to stand up for these girls who cannot do it themselves. Her passion is to encourage all women to speak up. “If girls spoke up, the world would change. Be brave.” She tells girls who come to her doorstep for advice. Sampat is the founder of the Gulabi Gang, an all-female organization known for their signature pink saris and dedicated to educating and empowering women. She knows things won’t change overnight, but Sampat is passionate about helping women, offering her words of wisdom, and even opening her house to girls who come to her door as a last resort.

I was drawn in by this article immediately. I think what Sampat Pal is doing is extremely admirable. As a child bride herself, she understands how hard India traditions can be. Imagining what she and other girls endure is almost impossible for me. We, as Americans, forget how fortunate we are to be free from the sort of violence women experience in other countries. I was so taken aback by the stories told by Sampat about young girls being raped and beaten by their in-laws. I admire Sampat for her courage and the passion she has for these young women. If only there were more people in the world like her.

Edited Journal Post 2: Brief Screening Report Wk. 11

After being bombarded by trashy, poorly made anti-olive signs, Olive Penderghast, (Emma Stone) the main character of the film Easy A, is betrayed by her best friend and begins feeling the pressure of her incessant lying. Walking away angry and embarrassed, she bumps into her long time crush, Todd, telling him she’s feeling just awesome. Scene 21 on the DVD follows Olive as she, after telling lie after lie about sleeping around, looks into what seems to be her final option and last resort. Trying to find comfort, she heads to the library, asking where she can find the Bible. To her surprise, the Book is not in the religion section, but on the bestsellers shelf. Figuring it’s impossible to read the entire thing, she seeks out someone to simply talk to and listen. We see Olive briskly walk through the pews of a church and plop herself down in a confession booth. She seems relieved and reluctant to begin talking, but after a moment of trying to figure out the “right” catholic words to use, begins pouring her heart out.

As Olive continues to spill every gory detail of the past few weeks, she makes a comment that caught my attention. She says, “I’m not actually doing things people have been saying I’ve been doing. But I’m not denying the accusations. Is that wrong?” She continues, “It was all make believe, no one was getting hurt, but a lot of people hate me now, and I kind of hate me too.” While saying this, the light around Olive changes, almost giving her a certain glow. The shadow of the confessional wall creates a beautiful pattern across her face giving her a calm, ethereal appearance.  Almost in tears, Olive realizes what she has done to herself by lying. It is a pivotal moment for her because part of her knows she must change. 

Edited Journal Post 1: Sassy Chef Wk. 8

               In Lorrie Palmer’s article “B(ew)witchin’ the Kitchen: Funny, Feminine, Femminista,” she describes a sassy, spitfire chef and writer who is making her way to the top. Airing on the The Cooking Channel and her clever online series, Nadia G’s show Bitchin’ Kitchen is unique, to say the least. Personally, I enjoy watching the Food Network with the “typical women” who delicately explaining how to prepare a meal, but the more Palmer explained Nadia’s creative outlook on cooking, I become more open-minded. As the article explains, women like Paula Dee, Giada De Laurentiis’, and Ina Garten do a lovely job at creating a peaceful energy in their kitchens the Food Network studio. But when compared to Nadia G’s vivacious, boldly feminine and Italian character and set, these women seem almost boring. Don’t get me wrong, the stars on Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa are wonderful chefs, but with her drop dead gorgeous look, high fashion wardrobe, and witty mouth, Nadia isn’t afraid to get in the viewer’s face about cooking and other real aspects of life.

                I wasn’t quite convinced by Nadia G. at first. The title of her show, Bitchin’ Kitchen, almost turned me off. Then I actually watched a few of her online series and was intrigued. Nadia not only talks passionately about cooking, she infuses her dry humor into her dialog and really pulls the viewer in with subjects like “The Dish on Dating,” and “The Break-Up Meal.” Nadia dares to defy the typical woman stereotype in the kitchen.  I think she really understands pop culture and gives people a cooking show that is truly unique.

girls are NOT worthless

The article “The Untouchables Push Back in ‘Pink Saris,’” written by Cynthia Fuchs,  is the story of a strong woman by the name of Sampat Pal. Domestic abuse of women is still a massive problem in India today although laws have been passed against it. The program Pink Saris focuses on the corrupt tradition of girls becoming married, raped, impregnated, and abused at an extremely young age. It is Sampat’s mission to stand up for these girls who cannot do it themselves, and encourage them to speak up. “If girls spoke up, the world would change. Be brave.” She tells girls coming to her doorstep for advice. Sampat is the founder of the Gulabi Gang, an all-female organization known for their signature pink saris and dedicated to educating and empowering women. She knows that things won’t change overnight, but Sampat is passionate about helping women, offering her words of wisdom and even her house to girls who come to her door.

What Sampat Pal is doing is extremely admirable. As a child bride herself, she understands how hard the India traditions can be, and I cannot even begin to comprehend that hardship. I was drawn in by this article immediately. We, as Americans, forget how fortunate we are to be free from the sort of violence women experience in other countries. I was so taken aback by the stories told by Sampat about young girls being raped and beaten by their in-laws. I admire Sampat for her courage and the passion she has for these young women. If only there were more people in the world like her.

article:(http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/151824-pink-saris-its-a-womans-problem/) 

photo: http://www.popmatters.com/images/news_art/f/film-pinksaris-poster.jpg

What's Your Family Tradition?

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, the article “Fun for the Whole Family” (http://www.avclub.com/articles/fun-for-the-whole-family,65326/) seemed very appropriate. The A.V. Club Staff asked other staff and readers of AVQ&A what they and their families do on Thanksgiving. “We can’t all watch football all day,” the article states. So what in the world are we all supposed to do I’d like to know? People with every type of family, big and small, simply wrote what they do with their families after the meal is eaten and dishes are put away. Some responses surprised me, some of them sounded creative enough that I’d like to join in on the tradition. Someone explained their family loved simply playing cards and board games, which I can relate to most. Another man, Marcus Gilmer, raved about his family’s football watching traditions, which I can also definitely relate to! Sam Adams simply wrote, “The Aquarium is awesome” and describes his newfound love for going to the aquarium with his daughter. That might seem a little silly, but I think it is a great, creative way to spend the holiday, especially if you have young kids.

 

Others continue to explain their traditions including playing Apples to Apples and watching Pixar movies. One man points out that the new Muppets film is coming out this Thanksgiving and is thinking about taking his kids to go see it. “Fun for the Whole Family” is a clever article giving people the chance to express themselves and give other people just like them the opportunity to become a little more creative with family get-togethers.

 photo: http://www.gordtep.com/files/2009/11/board_games.jpg

Brief Screening Report

After being bombarded by trashy, poorly made anti-olive signs, the main character of the film Easy A, Olive, played by Emma Stone, is betrayed by her best friend and begins feeling the pressure of her lies. After bumping into her long time crush, Todd, and telling him she’s feeling just awesome, Olive slowly walks away, crushed.  Scene 21 on the DVD follows Olive as she, after telling lie after lie about sleeping around, looks into what seems to be her last resort. Trying to find comfort, she heads to the library to ask for the Bible. To her surprise, the Book is not in the religion section, but on the bestsellers shelf. Figuring it’s impossible to read the entire thing, she seeks out someone to simply listen to her. We see Olive briskly walking through the pews of a church and plopping herself down in a confession booth. She seems relieved and reluctant to begin talking, but after a moment of trying to figure out the “right” catholic words to use, begins pouring her heart out. 

As Olive continues to spill every gory detail, she makes a comment that caught my attention. She says, “I’m not actually doing things people have been saying I’ve been doing. But I’m not denying the accusations. Is that wrong?” She continues, “It was all make believe, No one was getting hurt, but a lot of people hate me now, and I kind of hate me too.” While saying this, the light around Olive changes, almost giving her a certain glow. The shadow of the confessional wall creates a beautiful pattern across her face giving her a calm, ethereal appearance.  Almost in tears, I think Olive steps back for a moment and realizes what she has done to herself by lying. It is almost is a pivotal moment for her because part of her knows she must change. 

photo: http://www.areyouscreening.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/easy-a-2-682x1024.jpg

Roles Women Play

I thought I was a “chick flick” pro before reading Mindy Kaling’s article Flick Chicks (http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/10/03/111003sh_shouts_kaling?currentPage=1) I love watching adventure and action movies just as much as the next person, but chick flicks will always have a special place in my heart. Without a doubt, they are the highlight of girls nights and almost vital after a long, terrible day.  Romantic comedies grab the heart and soul of a woman and usually, but not always, leave her believing she too can have her prince charming and be the woman she dreams of being.

Sounds like a good happily ever after, right? The perfect woman finds a perfect man, there are a few bumps in the road, together they find a way to fix it, and they live in perfection with one another for the rest of their lives. I admit to being a hopeless romantic, but that’s just sick. In her article, Kaling breaks down what makes up the typical onscreen woman. Every woman from The Ethereal Weirdo to The Woman who works in an Art Gallery has their own sparkling personality and flaws we have all seen before. I can even relate to the Sassy Best Friend and the Klutz, which allowed me to connect to the article much more.

 I’ve never noticed before, but movie try too hard to display to types of women we want to see onscreen. They are good at it, yes, but I’ve never taken the time to analyze each character.  I never considered how the outside world really looks at women and the roles they play.  This article definitely gave me a new perspective on chick flicks and romantic comedies.

photo: http://www.newyorker.com/images/2011/10/03/p233/111003_r21359_p233.jpg