Men and the Women's Movement

Among the various stances men have taken on feminism and the empowerment of women throughout history, from backlash movements to support for the feminist movement, one group of men refers to themselves as “pro-feminist, gay-affirmative, anti-racist, enhancing men’s lives.” The National Organization for Men Against Sexism began as a spontaneous social movement in the 1970s. In 1975, a group of men enrolled in a women’s studies course at the University of Tennessee held a pro-feminism conference that they coined the First National Conference of Men and Masculinity. Over the next five years, the conference continued annually in various cities across the country. The national organization was soon created, and the annual conferences have continued. The group is made of both male and female members working together within the principles of the organization that include equality between men and women in the workforce, challenging old-fashioned rules on masculinity, opposition of injustices to women, call for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation, challenging racism and oppression based on class, age, religion, and physical condition.

Although, the organization opposes discrimination in many forms, its roots are pro-feminist. In the article Roles of Men with Feminism and Feminist Theory, NOMAS member Brian Klocke discusses the role men should take in the feminist movement. Klocke emphasizes the importance of men taking part in the moving, saying that “men must be part of the struggle.” He even goes so far as to say that men should shoulder more of the responsibility because of their role in the oppression of women. However, perhaps surprising in relation to these arguments, Klocke asserts that men cannot be feminists in the strict sense. He contends that to be a feminist, one must be targeted and oppressed; in other words, one must be a woman. Men, Klocke maintains, cannot remove themselves from “their power and privilege in relation to women.” Men can, however, be pro-feminists, like the men of NOMAS. Klocke goes on to discuss the negative effects sexism has, and feminism opposes, on both men and women, as an argument in support of male pro-feminists. He discusses how various authors and groups have defined the male role in the feminist movement and argues that men should reflect and challenge themselves to end patriarchy.

NOMAS places itself in opposition to other modern men’s movements, including the men’s rights movement of Second Wave Feminism, and the recent Promise Keepers movement of Christian men. To me, this organization stood out among men’s groups that oppose feminism, men’s groups that support men’s rights over feminism, and men’s groups that ignore feminism. The members of NOMAS refer to themselves not as feminists, but pro-feminist, as well as “gay affirmative” and “anti-racist”, both causes in which feminists have often been involved.

http://www.nomas.org/node/122

http://www.nomas.org/history

Critique of Feminist Blog

http://feministing.com/2010/07/22/can-i-live-and-other-questions-that-reveal-how-anti-woman-anti-choicers-can-be/#more-11937

In “Can I Live? And Other Questions That Reveal How Anti-Woman Anti-Choicers Can Be,” feminist blogger Chloe of the blogging website “Feministing” discusses the 2005 Nick Cannon song “Can I Live?” In the song, Cannon reveals that his mother considered an abortion during her pregnancy with him. The lyrics are very direct and specific, including such lines as:

“300 Dollars that’s the price of living, what?
Mommy, I don’t like this clinic.
Hopefully, you'll make the right decision,
And don’t go through with the knife incision.”

Chloe takes a sarcastic tone in her analysis of Cannon’s song, and argues that the lyrics call on women to make the same decision his mother made, despite their own situations. “If your baby could speak, it would beg you not to have an abortion.” Since the release of the song, Cannon has insisted that it is not about passing judgment, but Chloe argues the lyrics leave only one decision as acceptable. She asserts that Cannon’s anti-abortion reasoning is because “that baby might end up being a C-grade celebrity who will thank you for your strength and sacrifice years later, in the form of a poorly-written rap with a barely-concealed political agenda!” Clearly, this argument is embedded with sarcasm, an attempt at humor to draw supporters in and charge opponents with faulty reasoning, laughable reasoning.

She concedes that the focus on the potential of the fetus is clever, but Chloe argues that this focus is the exact thing that makes anti-choicers anti-feminist. The potential of the fetus is considered above the potential of the pregnant woman.

Chloe uses sarcasm as her most evoked rhetorical device. She makes statements that, if considered out of context, may sound as if she was actually opposed to the pro-choice movement. But within the context, it is clear that she is attempting to ridicule and expose folly in the logic of Cannon’s song, and thus the anti-choice argument. However, aside from calling an affront to the other side, Chloe does very little to advance her own argument. There is little specific support in her blog for the pro-choice case. The blog is reminiscent of politicians who attack their opponents’ stances without making a case for their own stances.

This blog is emotional and satirical. The humorous edge may draw some in, but the extremity with little consideration to the opposition may drive away those with moderate views on the matter. However, the audience must be considered. Most of the readers of this blog, like other feminist blogs, are probably other feminists. Chloe may realize that most of her audience already shares her pro-choice sentiments. In which case, her purpose may be to ignite anger or passion in fellow feminists against the song and similar claims, and her use of sarcasm serves that purpose well.

Women's History Recovery

Helen Brooke Taussig was born in 1896. She lost her mother when she was eleven, and was greatly influenced by her father, a Harvard economic professor who encouraged her to pursue academic and professional goals not typically thought to be appropriate for women during that time. As a woman, she was excluded from Harvard Medical School but was accepted to Johns Hopkins and eventually became the chief of the heart clinic there. While serving as the chief of the clinic, she often was in contact with infants and children born with heart defects. Inspired, Taussig pioneered the Blalock-Taussig operation with another cardiologist. The medical procedure was first performed in 1944 and quickly became widespread. Taussig later published a book, Congenital Malformations of the Heart, on her research on cardiac birth defects, in 1947. Taussig is often credited as the pioneer of pediatric cardiology.

During her lifetime, the importance of her contributions was recognized with multiple awards including the Albert Lasker Award for outstanding contributions to medicine, the Medal of Freedom, and induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Additionally, Taussig was elected the president of the American Heart Association and was the first woman in history to be awarded full professorship at John Hopkins University.

The Los Angeles Times published an article on Taussig in 1972 entitled Woman Pediatrician Cited by Physicians. Although the article praises Dr. Taussig and discusses her accomplishments and contributions, the title reflects the sexism of the media at the time. Because a doctor is assumed to be a man, it must be specified that the pediatrician subject of the article is a woman. Additionally, being a woman makes her success more extraordinary, makes her story more unique.

The LA Times article cites an interview with Taussig in which she explains that her position in the field of pediatrics was actually originally pushed upon her by the patriarchal system of the university. Taussig sought an internship in general medicine but was denied because an internship had already been awarded to a women in that field and the university would not place two women in the same field.

In a New York Times article published in 1965 on Taussig’s election to the presidency of the American Heart Association, Taussig is described as a “tall, kindly, white-haired woman.” The location of this description as the introduction to the article, signifies the importance her gender was thought to be in the reception of her and her achievements. The article regards Taussig as a pioneer, not just in cardiac pediatrics, but as a woman doctor, the title being At 67, Another First. This article seems to fit the contemporary view of Taussig as a pioneer, regarded highly.

Today, Taussig is widely respected and highly regarding, and the medical techniques and theories she developed are still influential in the field cardiac pediatrics.

“At 67, Another First: Helen Brooke Taussig.” New York Times. October 20, 1965: Page 31.

“Woman Pediatrician Cited by Physicians.” Los Angeles Times. May 11, 1972: Page H8.

“Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig.” Changing the Face of Medicine. National Library of Medicine. July 16, 2010. < http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_316.html>

“Helen Brooke Taussig.” Women of the Hall. National Women’s Hall of Fame. July 16, 2010. < http://greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=157>

Advertisement Analysis

The market often sexualizes women in advertisements in order to sell products. The video advertisements that accompanied this photograph were actually banned from US television. However, another photograph from the photo campaign hung as a billboard in downtown New York City. The banned videos and the photo ads are widely available online, and some speculate that Calvin Klein strategized to assure optimum publicity. The company may have intentionally pushed the envelope in order to gain publicity and attention through the internet.

The sexuality of this particular ad is obvious. The most obvious aspect is perhaps the nudity. The models are wearing little more than the jeans. The way the woman is positioned across the laps of two men is extremely subjugating, as if she is succumbing to their wishes. She is clearly in an inferior position to the men, leaving the power, like her, in their laps. This is reminiscent of the inferior position of women to men in many various aspects of society, including the business world and the military.

Additionally, the faces of the men depict apathy, disinterest, and indifference. They are both turned away from her, as if she is unimportant. Their minds are elsewhere, as their eyes are unfocused on the distance. They may be pensive, thinking of something more important than the woman in their laps. Or, they may be daydreaming, wishing for something better than the woman in their laps. Or, they are thinking of nothing at all. They do appear almost bored in the situation. In any case, she does not seem to be on the forefront of their minds, and their body language and facial expressions depict their disinterest. The facial expression of the woman is less readable, but her body language is obvious. She is longing for something and submitting to the men. These aspects of the photograph are consistent with certain societal assumptions about masculinity and femininity. First, men are not emotional, and the men in this photograph appear to be void of emotion. Second, men have more important things to be occupied with than women, while women should submit to men, focus their attention on them, and take care of their needs.

This Calvin Klein ad campaign has proven to be controversial, but similar ads are becoming more accepted and more popular. While this particular campaign may portray more blatant sexuality than others, the message that it communicates about men and women seems to be widely used. Women are sexual objects, at the whims of the men who may take interest in them.

Nonfiction Gender Narrative

My older sister has two children: one daughter, Mackenzie, age 3, and one son, Xander, age 1. In watching them learn and perform gendered behavior, I have gained insight into how gender develops.

While I am unable to identify any situation in which Mackenzie was specifically taught to be feminine, it is easy for me to recognize how much of a girly-girl she is already. Her mother, my sister, works full time. In fact, her father, my brother-in-law, actually cares for the children during the work day part of each week. She has not been raised in an environment in which one would expect her to develop what is widely considered feminine behavior and tendencies. However, she won’t leave the house without both one of her many purses and one of her many baby dolls. She loves to pretend to put on make-up, but her mother does not even wear make-up. She loves princesses, and dress up, and shopping. Her mother has never instructed her that these are the things that little girls enjoy. In fact, on more than one occasion both of Mackenzie’s parents have encouraged her to participate in activities traditionally considered masculine, like cars, tools, and sports. But while she has grown up in an open-minded home with a strong female role model and a reversal of gender roles at times, she has also grown up surrounded by women. Not women that fit the stereotype, or women that exhibit excessive femininity, but strong women, educated and hard-working, but still women: myself, my mother, my two younger sisters, my older sister. She watches us carry purses, and she mimics the behavior. She watches my sisters and I apply make-up, and she mimics the behavior. She pays close attention and, through observation, has learned her gender, learned how to be a female.

Xander loves balls of all sizes, cars, and playing in the dirt. He has strong male role models in his father and in my brother. But, the feminine presence in his life is obvious. Not only is he impacted by my sisters, my mother, and me, but is also constantly watching and learning from his big sister, Mackenzie. He also loves baby dolls. He will, on occasion, attempt to borrow Mackenzie’s purse. He has observed feminine behavior and is not yet old enough the distinguish himself as male and masculine.