Diving into the oppression that women
face has been a difficult task. An eye opening task. Before this research I was
very ignorant and lacked empathy for the opposite sex. I have become aware of
the fact that I am very privileged. Regarding careers, every day respect, and
life choices. What I found to be true is that women are oppressed into a way of
life that gives them little to no actual choices. I had a conversation with a
good friend of mine named Caiti Holes. When I asked her, “How are women oppressed
in this country” She became overwhelmed with answers and said that she felt
most impacted by “the house mom role” that her parents have raised her in. She
said that she often wonders why she is in school if the inevitable house mom
roll will be required of her. Her dream is to own her own business but she
fears that if she were to obtain those dreams that she would be looked down
upon by her parents and friends. I find no fault in the way that her parents
have raised her, for, that is how they were raised. We have all fallen victim
to a hegemonic narrative in some way. The hegemonic narrative in this sense
tells us to be comfortable in the oppression of women. Women are oppressed in
the workplace, general respect, and most of all sexuality. Through this class,
the biggest thing that I have learned is that, hegemony lives and grows on unawareness
and ignorance. Through this research, I have learned that there is a lot of
ignorance regarding women and their rights. At twenty years old the only thing
that I have learned about women’s rights or lack thereof is that on average
they don’t get paid as much. That fact is often followed up with misogynistic
justification that continue the degrading of women. None the less, that is all
that I have really learned about Women’s Rights. The media that I have found
has disrupted this pattern. The pattern of ignorance, hiding from the truth,
and unawareness. As we dissect Women’s rights, our group has chosen to delve
into the topic of abortion and contraceptive. Women’s oppression is so prevalent
in this field. While delving into the social media and Internet I have found a
great deal of counter hegemonic narratives. I searched “Birth Control” on Facebook
and found an article by Cyndi Lauper called “Girls Just Want to Have Birth
Control.” In this article Lauper brings a new awareness and shows contraceptive
in a new light. Also, I will be analyzing an article posted by the “Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation” called “How Have Contraceptives Changed Your Life?”
The Gates do a brilliant job of combatting the hegemonic narrative that calls contraceptive
lazy. They give the reader a new outlook on birth control.
When
I first saw the article “Girls Just Want to Have Birth Control” By Cyndi Lauper
I laughed out loud. It is obviously an attention grabber. I was also humored by
the irony of the title when thinking about the impact the song had in its day.
If we to analyze that song in the way that we have learned this year we would
learn that it is hegemonic. Lauper displays women as a group that isn’t interested
in doing anything productive. Now in her sixties, Lauper is going against the
grain. In this article Lauper makes a stand against the Supreme Court case
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. In short, Hobby Lobby went to court to ensure that they
didn’t have to pay for their employee’s contraceptives, and won. In a briefing of
the case Paul Howritz writes, “In the meantime, the Hobby Lobby moment gives us a chance to take stock of the
nature and effects of the social contestation we are experiencing, and of the
rapid changes and reversals of view that have thrown one of the central aspects
of the American church- state settlement into question.” (158, H.L.R) This
brings validity to the hope that our country is beginning to stand up to the
hegemonic narratives that rule Women’s rights. The movement is more than
parades, it is showing up in the courts, in debates, and all over social media.
Unfortunately, the average person doesn’t read court cases. That is why Cyndi Lauper’s
presence in the media so powerful. A lot more people recognize her name over Paul
Horwitz. As well as, more people scroll through Facebook rather than court case
briefs.
Referring
to Donald Trump’s social media influence and usage Cristobal Borges stated that
there are some things that we can’t go back on. It just can’t happen. Lauper
brings to the reader’s attention that with this ruling handed down we are reverting
back to the “policies of the 1950’s” (Lauper, T.D.B). With this ruling the
courts have made it very evident that women are still regarded as “second-class
citizens” (Lauper, T.D.B), while men will continue to receive financial support
for Viagra and vasectomies. Thus, attacking the hegemonic narrative: Men are
superior to women. Gloria Anzaldua speaks passionately when addressing this
narrative, “We demand the admission/acknowledgement/disclosure/testimony that
they wound us, violate us, are afraid of us and our power. We need them to say
they will begin to eliminate their hurtful put-down ways” (106, B.L.F). What
Lauper and Anzaldua are saying in these texts is that the issue is beyond women’s
rights to contraceptive. The truth is, women should have the same rights as
men. The kingdom of freedom, but not equality. We need to supply our women with
the same tools we supply our men.
Bill
and Melinda Gates are the wealthiest people in our country. Often through the
study of media and culture we destruct the character of the top one percent.
Acknowledging them as ruthless, careless, and controlling. We see an odd
difference within the “Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation”. On this website they
dive into global health and steps to achieve it. In a specific tab they have a
source called “How Have Contraceptives Changed Your Life?”. In this article
they interview women from all over the globe, including the United States. Melinda
speaks on planning a family. Although, nearly everyone has sex, it seems taboo
to plan when you will have kids. I often hear people say, “If you don’t want
kids, don’t have sex!” This is foolish talk, for many reasons that I don’t need
to go in to. Melinda writes that because of contraceptive she was able to go to
college, maintain a career, and become financially sound before having a child.
The route that she took seems far easier than the eighteen-year-old with no
degree and a child. Children although a blessing, are an immense burden. A
burden that makes obtaining your goals and dreams very difficult. Contraceptive
is even further than Women’s rights. We must think about the children of our
nation. An anonymous woman from the United Kingdom calls birth control “essential
for my own health; maternal wellbeing is essential if children are going to be
given a good start in life” (B.M.F). We oppress women to the point that we oppress
their children. We must stand up for women and that is what the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation is doing in this post. Gates writes, “It not only allows women and girls the
opportunity to lead healthier, more productive lives but it’s one of the best
investments a country can make in its future. Access to family planning
information and contraceptives can change lives. Every woman and girl deserves
the chance to determine her own future.” No longer should we determine how others live their lives,
how they plan their families, or how to care for themselves.
Hegemony thrives on ignorance. The
best way to be a part of a counter hegemonic narrative is to bring truth,
awareness, and boldness to the table. In order for hegemony to be successful
you must think the ideology is natural or “just the way it is”. Stuart Hall
writes, “Ideologies tend to disappear from view into the taken-for-granted “naturalized”
world of common sense” (19, Hall). While delving into the social media world I noticed
plenty of opinions. Some hegemonic, but most counter hegemonic. Social media is
destructive and mean in a lot of ways. But, the truth is that the destruction
and pain is cemented in by a culture telling us that is alright to oppress. For
that matter, we are told its alright to be oppressed! The media that I analyzed
for this project proved to be counter hegemonic. Both the Gates Foundation and
Cyndi Lauper brought truth and awareness. This was the first step. These
writers did more then just tell us facts. They used a platform heavily trafficked
and spoke passionately against the oppression that the women of this nation are
burdened with. Our country must seek change; we must want to change. Gloria
Anzaldua writes, “She adopts new
perspectives toward dark skinned, women and queers. She strengthens her
tolerance (and intolerance) for ambiguity. She is willing to share, to make
herself vulnerable to foreign ways of seeing and thinking” (104, Anzaldua). In
order to find change, we must be able to change our “naturalized” thought
process and reject the ideologies that oppress people.
"How Have Contraceptives Changed Your Life?" Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
This is Bill & Melinda Gates’s Organization website. Something that they are very vocal about is global awareness and helping to serve the people of this world. With the amount of money that they have they have set up many different ways to help global health. In this post “How Have Contraceptives Changed Your Life?” Bill & Melinda Interview women from all over the globe. Everyone has taken birth control and tells remarkable success stories. This text does a great job of bringing awareness and giving birth control a new fresh light.
Lauper, Cyndi. "Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Want to Have Birth Control." The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company, 03 July 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
In this post Cyndi Lauper brings awareness. First off, she brings awareness to the “Hobby Lobby v. Burwell case. Then, she brings to light the oppression that this case involves. The case makes it legal for Hobby Lobby not to pay for contraceptive. She compares this verdict to the way that women were treated in the 1950’s. Calling women “second class citizens”. This article is brilliant because it gives the reader a fact based reading. I say fact based because you can go and read the case yourself and make your own decisions.
Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands: The New Mestiza = La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 2012. Print.
This was known as one of the best books in 1997. The book still stands respected today. Gloria Anzaldua brings a new meaning to identity. She shows us the duality of many subjects. Through poems and stories she shows the reader a new way to think about race, sexuality, religion and language. I used it in this paper because she stands up to the oppression of women. The hegemonic narrative that tells our society that men are superior to men. As a chicana woman she writes in her language. She tells us that language is the biggest part of her identity and this shows up in the reading. Instead of catering to the anglos she writes partly in spanish. Calling us to meet her halfway.
Horwitz, Paul. "The Hobby Lobby Moment." By Paul Horwitz :: SSRN. N.p., 02 Nov. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
Paul Horwitz does a review of the Supreme Court case. Although this is a secondary source it brings plenty of factual information to the table. He writes about why this case was so controversial. He also talks about what the outcome of this case is. He unlike Lauper gives a definite fact based verdict. This was helpful to the paper to add evidence to my argument. The case is a lose-lose really. No matter which way the judge went there would be controversy.
Hall, Stuart. "The Whites of Their Eyes: Racist Ideologies and the Media." Gender, Race, and Class in Media, edited by Gail Dines, Jean M. Humez, Sage Publications, 2015.
I used Stuart Halls in this book because it brought a new look into ideologies. Honestly it brought me the first look at ideology. His way of thinking is far more complete and structured when writing about ideologie. This assed to my purpose of writing. Also, Hall gives the reader something to chew on. A new way of thinking. Without his intellect my thoughts would be immensely different today.
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