The way I view feminism—-and I know there are a lot of different things going on—-but, at it’s purest form, to me, it’s very positive, supportive, nurturing, empowerment thing. I mean, God, who isn’t a feminist? If you don’t think women are as good as men, you’re not a good person. I like to think that most of the population of people worth being friends with are feminists, if that’s what feminism means. Again—-it probably means something else. I’m gonna get someone angry, setting me on fire for this, but I think it’s a positive, beautiful, and good thing. Supporting women is the point. It’s the point of life. Women are life. You have to support us.-Kat Dennings (BUST Magazine)

Gender Roles in the Workplace

Over the past few decades, Americans have made great strides in accepting andadjusting to new definitions of gender roles. Part of the cause is the increased number of women in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, white men (who once dominated the workplace) now account for about 45percent of all workers. White women and women of color make up 47 percent ofthe workplace. In 1995, 76 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 54 worked outside the home, up from 50 percent in 1970.
With the increased presence of women in the workplace, old attitudes and behaviors have had to change. Men and women are more aware of sexual harassment than previously; whereas 20 years ago a woman who refused to have an affair with her boss may have had to quit, she now has other options. Companies are now experimenting with policies that are family-friendly, such as flex time, job sharing, and on-site child care--policies that benefit both men and women.
In the nascently and experimentally egalitarian workplace, some men are concerned about being accused of sexual harassment, and they feel they must be extremely cautious in their everyday dealings with the women they work with; this caution may stifle creativity, some experts say. In addition, women still earn far less money than men do for the same work, even though their salariesare vital to maintaining their families' economic health.

                                                                                                                 Philita Johnson

male vs female

Everyday, we experience Gender. From our classrooms, to walking down the street. Gender in art is shown through everyday images like television, advertisements, magazines, and more. Gender has become a stereotype. Both Men and Women experience gender roles and the side effects every single day. Because of this, we have decided to discuss Gender and the way it relates to society today with the help of course readings and general experience.

 
                                                                                             Philita Johnson

-An ad that our grandparents might have seen from 1942 (What boys can do v. girls to help win the war)

-A current ad campaign for the army

Religion and Gender Roles....some humor.

A man and his wife  were having an argument about who should brew the coffee.
 
The husband said, " You are in charge of the cooking around here so you should do it."
 
The wife replied, "No you should do it, and besides it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."
 
The husband replied, "Yeah, right!" So she showed him in the Bible where it says:  "HEBREWS"



TEN REASONS GOD CREATED EVE
10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because he knew men would never ask directions.
9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote because men don't want to see what's on television, they want to see WHAT ELSE is on television.
8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when the seat wore out and therefore would need Eve to get one for him.
7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctors appointment for himself.
6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night.
5. God knew that if the world was to be populated there would have to be someone to bear them, because men would never be able to handle it.
4. As "Keeper of the Garden" Adam would never remember where he put his tools.
3. The scripture account of creation indicates that Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.
2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone." He only ends up getting himself in trouble.
1. When God finished the creation of Adam, he stepped back, scratched his head and said, "I can do better than that."

"Confections" by Amy Stevens

The work of Amy Stevens is a reflection of the significant role cake has played in the lives of women.   She hand makes cakes, knowing that she cannot perfectly imitate Martha Stewart or fulfill the expectations set for her by society.

-Audi A.

See more of her work here.

Amy Stevens Confections Statement

"The Confections series began as a response to turning 30. It was a celebration of birthdays, color, pattern and obsessive absurdity. My original idea was to bake 30 birthday cakes for myself and photograph them. I didn’t quite make it to 30 cakes in time for my first show, but I sure got a lot of ideas from those first cakes.  I ordered a kit from Martha Stewart.com and watched an instructional video on decorating cakes. When I quickly discovered my cakes were never going to look like the ones in the video and the pamphlet, I decided they were better off in their exuberantly imperfect states.

Cakes are the centerpieces of celebrations and symbolic trophies evoking nostalgia and awe.  Historically, cake has played a significant role in women’s lives.  Women have used cake as both an outlet of creativity and a symbol of female power politics.  The woman who made the best cake held a certain power over the other women in the community, according to Sherrie Inness in Cooking Lessons: The Politics of Gender and Food.

In the ever-evolving constructions of these images over the past six years, I am commenting on cake as a rich cultural symbol as well as the domestic fantasy world of contemporary home decorating magazines and television shows. It’s a fantasy world where entertaining, cooking and decorating unite. It’s a place where one needs to have a beautiful home, decorated seasonally, in order to entertain friends with gourmet meals and elaborately concocted desserts.

My email subscription to Martha Stewart Craft of the Day has inspired much of the background props in the newer Confections (adorned) series.  Most everything in these backgrounds are also handmade, with the exception of found antiques and fabric." - Amy Stevens

(Source: http://www.amystevensart.com/) 

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.”

-Timothy Leary

While his experiments with mind-bending drugs might be a bit suspect, O'Leary certainly offers us some food for thought with this quote.

- Tara W.